This Sunday, February 21st at 10:00 am ET

Points to Remember – “The Heart of Lent” – Sunday, February 21, 2021

Lent, the forty days between Ash Wednesday and Holy Thursday, is generally perceived as a time of giving up or a time of purification and renewal. The number forty is symbolic of completion, often noting whatever time is necessary for transformation to occur. It also represents a solid foundation, such as a four-square foundation for a building. And, in this case, building a stronger foundation for the flow of Divine Love and the expression of the Christ within. Ultimately, Lent is a process of Getting to the Heart of the Christ Self, Divine Love in Expression.

Charles Fillmore: “The whole man must be pure, & his inner life must be made so open & free that he will not be afraid to blazon it upon the very doors of his house where all who pass may read.”

For Divine Love to be blazoned upon our door – or amplified thru us, we must allow a continuous, purified flow of Divine Love. To refine or purify this flow, we observe two essential tools, Denials, and Affirmations. We Release, or Deny, the power of limiting thoughts and beliefs and anything that is not grounded in Divine Love. We Renew, or Affirm, a greater Truth that God is Love and that God expresses in and thru us as Divine Love or the Christ.

Jesus Demonstrates Denials and Affirmations when he is tempted by the devil. The devil (Ego/Monkey Mind) tells Him to turn stones into bread. But Jesus DENIES that anything of the world (stones) can nourish him more than the power of God within him. He AFFIRMS a greater Truth: “… man does not live by bread alone but by the very Word of God.” He affirms that his true substance is God, already in him as the Christ (the Word becomes flesh)

Next, Jesus DENIES leaping from the temple’s pinnacle, commanding God’s angels to save him. He denies the temptation to rely on God to save him rather than taking an active part in creating his experience by holding thoughts of wholeness and love and taking inspired action. He AFFIRMS a greater truth “It is said do not test the Lord your God” This is an affirmation that God is only capable of doing for you what God can do through you.

Then Jesus DENIES bowing down or giving his power to the devil in exchange for all the kingdoms of the world. Remember, the devil represents the ego-self or the monkey mind. Bowing down to this limited self or to the physical world’s limitations constricts the flow of Divine Love’s infinite power. Jesus AFFIRMS the power of God within Him stating “it is written Worship (Adore/LOVE) the Lord your God, and serve [express or amplify] only Him [only Divine Love.]”

What will we Give UP? What will we DENY & AFFIRM for Lent? We might consider giving up things like judgment, negative self-talk, destructive habits, limiting thoughts & the power we give to our emotions. These are things that dam up the flow of Divine Love. Unity’s 2021 Lenten Booklet lists 20 things to RELEASE or DENY and 20 things to RENEW or AFFIRM totaling 40 days of Denials & Affirmations. For example:

I RELEASE any belief in LIMITATION. – I RENEW my sense of POSSIBILITY.

I RELEASE old feelings of BITTERNESS – I RENEW inner peace by FORGIVING.

An old Native American proverb tells of an Indian Brave who approaches his chief, saying, “I feel like there are two dogs at war inside me—a good dog and a very bad dog. I’m so afraid the bad dog will win.”
“Do not worry,” the chief said, “The good dog will win.”
“How do you know this?” the young brave asked.
“Because,” the chief assured him, “that is the one you will feed.”

Every day, and in each and every moment, we are called to choose whether we will feed the WORLD of limitation or the infinite potential of DIVINE LOVE. And then, we are called to REAL-ize, or make real, this greater Truth, to blazon it on the door of our being, amplifying and expressing Divine Love in all we think, feel, say and do

Unity’s Lenten Booklet can be downloaded or ordered in print format by visiting: https://www.unity.org/publications/booklets/release-renew-lent-2021

Podcast Audio Replay – coming soon (a few days after the service)

(Or visit YouTube for a video replay.)