Jonah is a well-known person in the Hebrew Bible.  The story of Jonah has been taught to children and adults in Sunday School and has been the topic of sermons and classes.  Here is how the story goes.  Jonah is told by his God to go to a city called Nineveh and tell the people there that, if they did not change their evil ways, their city would be destroyed.  Instead of obeying God, Jonah found a ship going in the other direction to run away, to “flee” from God.

However, a storm came up and the ship was on the verge of breaking apart. The sailors were afraid, and they prayed to their gods.  Then they lightened the load by throwing the cargo into the sea.  But the storm kept raging.  Meanwhile, Jonah was asleep in the bottom of the ship.  The captain went below and said, “Get up and call on your god! Perhaps your god will spare us.”

When the storm did not stop, the sailors cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah.  When they questioned him, he told them he was fleeing from the presence of his God.  They asked him what they should do with him, and he said, “Throw me into the sea.”  So, they threw him into the sea, and the sea quit raging. Then a fish, actually not a whale, swallowed Jonah, and he was in the belly of the fish three days and nights.

Jonah started praying to be out of the fish’s belly, and he was spewed out onto dry land.  God told him again to go to Nineveh, telling him to cry out, “In forty days…Nineveh shall be overthrown!”  So, he did.

The king of Nineveh heard Jonah and covered himself with sackcloth and ashes.  (This was something done as a sign of repentance.)  He rose from his throne and proclaimed, “All human beings and animals shall be covered with sackcloth and ashes, and the people shall turn from their evil ways and violence.”  (In an almost amusing touch, the writer portrays that even the animals had to be covered with sackcloth: Jonah 38 “Human beings and animals shall be covered with sackcloth.”)  Immediately the people did this, so God changed his mind and did not destroy the city.

So why was Jonah angry?  Why did he try to run away from God?  Almost two centuries earlier, in the year 722 BCE, the nation of Assyria invaded the nation of Israel, and the people were carried off and scattered among the other nations Assyria had invaded.  Nineveh was the capital city of Assyria.  As many of the Israelite people did, Jonah still hated the Assyrians.  He did not want the Assyrian people to repent.

What the Book of Jonah shows is that at every stage of development in the evolution of consciousness, we see a more inclusive and compassionate divinity described by writers during the 800 years in which the Hebrew Bible was written.  As in the Book of Ruth, the Book of Jonah describes a God for more than one “chosen people.”  This can also be seen in the Book of Micah, Chapter 4 when the prophet Micah says, “41 In days to come… 4they shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees... 5For all the peoples walk, each in the name of its god, but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God forever and ever.”

The Book of Jonah also portrays a more compassionate God, which can also be discerned during the 800-year period in which the Hebrew Bible was written.  When Jonah sat under a bush and pouted, in fact became angry with God, God said to Jonah, “411 “And should I not be concerned about Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people [referring to the children] … and also many animals?”

​The hidden story in the Book of Jonah is little-known or taught. When we are able to read the Hebrew Bible based on the time frame of the writings and the perspective of the writer because of historical events (life conditions at the time), we are able to discern how humankind’s perception of God and ourselves continued to evolve from a God who chose only one group of people to a God who loved all people.

The Hebrew Bible is full of multiple accounts and stories first written down starting around 3,000 years ago and then retold many times by writers who came later. The multiple writings were kept, protected and read over an 800-year period of time, but were never arranged in chronological order. During this time, humankind’s consciousness* continued to evolve, and each successive writer reflected his or her individual consciousness at the time of the writings; but this evolution was hidden due to the lack of organization of the writings.

Bible scholars as long ago as the 19th Century began to discover the different time periods of the writings, but they did not realize that the Bible did not reflect the changes in consciousness over time. The result was that the evolution of consciousness was hidden. More recently, Bible scholars undertook the work of separating the stories, putting them in an order that illuminated the changes in consciousness.  This allowed us to recognize that the Hebrew Bible is a dynamic resource that shows us how we can see the evolution of spiritual consciousness through the writings and, by extension, in our own lives.

Using the work of these scholars, the late renowned Bible scholar, Richard Elliot Friedman, discovered a complete book, piece by piece, verse by verse, scattered through eleven early books of the Hebrew Bible. In fact, he recognized there was a complete hidden “novel” there. He called this new discovery the Hidden Book in the Bible, the World’s First Literary Masterpiece. Other smaller books of the Hebrew Bible also hold messages not initially recognized due to differences in the timeframes of the writings and the inability to read them chronologically.

One of the hidden books is the book of Ruth, a book set in a time centuries before the book was written. The stories in this book have been told again and again. The book contains at least two love stories: one is the love of a daughter for her mother-in-law, and another is of a man who came to love Ruth, herself. They are beautiful stories, told for centuries to adults and children. A special passage in the book contains verses that we have come to include in marriage vows. However, a more powerful story is hidden in this book that can now be told.

To understand this story, we have to look at the overall history of the people who lived at that time and wrote elements of the Hebrew Bible. These writings illustrate the people’s changing perception and understanding of their God. Beginning approximately 3,000 years ago and continuing for 800 years, The Hebrew Bible records their lives, their successes and their trials and tribulations. It records their separation into two nations, Israel and Judah, even though the people continued to be referred to as Israelites.

It tells the stories of larger and more powerful nations conquering them, one at a time. Israel was conquered by Assyria, and later, Judah was conquered by Babylonia. Some of the educated people, which included the priests, were carried into Babylonia. Persia then conquered Babylonia, and a benevolent emperor, Cyrus the Great, allowed a few of the people to return to their homeland, which was then a subject of Persia.

During the seventy years of captivity, the priests continued to educate and remind people of the laws of Moses. One priest in particular, Ezra, had come to believe that the reason they had been conquered was they had not adhered faithfully to the laws of Moses. Those Israelites who were left behind most likely knew very little, if any, of Moses’ laws because their religious teachers had been taken away.
​
One law in particular decreed that Israelite men were not to marry women who were foreigners, i.e., not Israelites. One of the first things Ezra did when he returned from captivity in Persia was to gather the men together and inform all men who had married foreigners to divorce them and disown the children of those wives. Although the book of Ezra says they all obeyed that edict, history shows that was not always the case.
The book of Ruth is an example of stories in the Hebrew Bible that show how humankind has evolved its perception of God and ourselves. Early writers told of the perception of a petty, violent, jealous god who claimed only one people as the chosen ones, which later evolved to belief in a loving God for all people. The clever writer did this by reminding the people that Ruth, a foreigner, became the grandmother of their most beloved king David.
 
* In his book Integral Consciousness and the Future of Evolution, Stephen McIntosh defines consciousness as the “sum total of all thoughts, ideas, etc., that make up the awareness of something within ourselves."  Consciousness can evolve throughout the lives of people and groups of people.

        From the 21st century B.C.E. with and the Sumerians’ Amorite Wall to the 21st century C.E. with the Russians’ Berlin wall, history records many attempts to keep people separate by the building physical walls. History shows that eventually physical walls have not succeeded. As we continue to evolve, we are more and more aware that we are becoming one people. The efforts that are being made to separate us are evidence of a last attempt of keep us unaware. This, as in all the attempts before, is bound to fail.
The latest of these more notorious walls was the Berlin Wall that came down when people were no longer willing to be separated. It is now known as the wall of shame. The present attempt will eventually fail because people are even more unwilling to be separated; perhaps before it can ever be built.

This one's a little long, but please read to the end. -- Rev. EJ

​Erich Fromm wrote a book called “Escape from Freedom.” The main topic of the book was that people are afraid of freedom because every new step away from the bondage or slavery or even the established, simple routine contains the danger of failure. We are tempted not to move forward, to stay where we are, to regress even, because we do not want to risk making a mistake. What if we could know that there are no mistakes, only opportunities to learn? What if we could know that there is no power in the universe that is against us?

I do not truly understand how it all works when we look at the world around us. But I know that when I think of freedoms that I have seen come about in my own lifetime, I am convinced that it is a highly positive process and that it is going in an onward, upward direction. The progress we have made may be obscured by the fact that we have the capability as never before to see everything that is going on. The fact is that we are freer than we have ever been as a world, as a nation and as individuals, even if it does not always seem so.

We are free because many before us believed in the benevolence of the universe, the goodness of God and the potential for the individual. Many who have come before us have risked, have dared and have believed that the future was full of hope and promise.

At some level of human consciousness, there must be a deep faith in the benevolent nature of the Universe, the faith in the goodness of whatever we believe God to be. I choose to believe that it is the inherent pull of spiritual evolution. I also choose to believe that the sooner we all become aware of it and surrender to it, the sooner we will all be able to experience the freedom that leads us out of whatever bondage or slavery, or even simple routine we find ourselves in.

We have talked about the courage it takes to opt for freedom in our nations. We have said that our freedom as a nation was gained through the courage of those who have fought and died to secure it. However, I would like to submit that freedom is more about faith than courage. It is about faith that the cause for which they were fighting was just and good. That may not have been true for every person who ever fought a war. However, it must be true for the majority of those who fought or anarchy would have reigned.

I recently came across a quote again from Seneca the Elder that says, “It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare; it is because we do not dare that things are difficult.” And we remember the quote from Anais Nin, “There came a time when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” We see many people today who seemingly choose to remain tight in the bud; but I am convinced that as a people we have progressed.

​In all of the things happening today that seem a threat to our freedom and our way of life, ours is to recognize how far we have come; to dedicate ourselves to daring to contribute to the onward, upward movement of Spirit and to give thanks every day for the Truth that has set us free, the Truth that there is only one presence and one power in the Universe, God the good. This power has brought us this far and will continue.

In November of 2016 I shared the following article with a few people. Looking at the world right now, I feel it is still very true.  So, I thought     I would share it more broadly.

Over the past few days, I have been reminded of the Book of Job. In the story, it appeared that he had he lost everything that he held dear and was being told by his closest advisors and friends all that he had done wrong

Some of us may have had a similar experience. Since the 2016 election, like Job, we are still trying to figure out how it happened that things we held dear, the ethics, the morals, the sense of decency and the belief that we were on a path to a better, more loving world has been taken away.
In terms of the Spiral*, we can say that it looks like we have regressed in a very major way. Another way we can see it is as unhealed consciousness coming up to be healed.

There is unhealed PURPLE as we are experiencing many different "tribes" still seeing the "other tribes" as the enemy. There is unhealed RED seen in the anger and the aggression. There is also unhealed BLUE as various groups try to hold onto their belief system as being the “only right one.” Unhealed ORANGE is still resident in those who would control all the wealth and power. And, yes, there is unhealed GREEN -- the blaming, the resistance to hierarchy and the anger against institutions.
But what do we do now?

As in the story of Job, we can realize there is still a power and presence in the Universe that has been in evolution for billions of years and continues to move in a direction that is positive and more loving. And, we can, like Job, accept that all is still well. It is the first step we need take to see that what we still hold dear, even though it seems to have been taken away, will be "given back" again.

In the story of Job, the answer was to stop blaming, stop analyzing, and trust the Universe…trust the process…the story of an evolution that is still in process.

We can recall in the story of Job that he was listening to his "friends" who were telling him all of the things he had done wrong and what circumstances or other people had done him wrong. It caused him to suffer physical, mental and emotional pain and distress. We, who are concerned about what is happening in our world right now, have spent some time blaming people who have done us wrong, hacking our computers, rigging the election, giving out false information, continuing to create what could look like certain disaster. If use our energy focusing on these things, it can cause us physical, mental and emotional pain and distress.

Or, we can use our energy to engage the question, "What do we do now?" When Job asked the question, "What do I do now?" he stopped trying to figure it all out. He became aware of something he had to do which was to trust a higher power at higher work in the universe. This is what is ours to do now.

The story of Job was written from the consciousness that was prevalent in the writer's time period; but it contains insights that are ahead of the writer's time. It is beautiful poetry and a powerful message that is still true for our time. Job was challenged to remember that he was a product of a force that was greater than he knew and that he could trust it to continue in ways he could not possibly imagine.

We now have ways to know that the journey has continued for billions of years, and we have every reason to know it is continuing. It challenges us to become aware of how far we have come and to become more aware that we have progressed in ways we could not have imagined. It reminds us of the millions of advanced souls who have held the vision

Millions of people are focusing on individual concerns today, all a part of the overall concern. We can remind and support each other as we find ways to co-operate within the larger common goal: to create a world that works for all. We can trust that the power that has led us this far will not leave us now, a power and presence that continues to work in the universe and in our individual lives today.

* Spiral Dynamics -- Mastering Values, Leadership and Change by Beck and Cowan

I bought a new flashlight.  In fact, I bought more than one. I am finding that I need more light to look into small places, etc.

I think of something I read from Mary Manin Morrissey. It went something like this: “We sometimes in our life would like to have a floodlight but God gives us a flashlight.”

I know there have been times in my life where for a little while I got a glimpse of a larger picture. These have been times when I became aware that there is something more that I am to be exploring in my life.  So many times I have wanted to know what the whole picture looked like.  I wanted to ask, like Abraham, when God told him to go: “Now the Lord said to Abraham, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.'” What Abraham found, as have I, is that we are shown not all at once, but one step at a time. We want a floodlight and the Universe gives us a flashlight. I recently came across a wonderful quote from Teilhard de Chardin about being patient.

"Above all, trust in the slow work of God. We are quite naturally impatient in everything to reach the end without delay. We should like to skip the intermediate stages. We are impatient of being on the way to something unknown, something new.

And yet it is the law of all progress that it is made by passing through some stages of instability—and that it may take a very long time.

And so I think it is with you; your ideas mature gradually—let them grow, let them shape themselves, without undue haste. Don’t try to force them on, as though you could be today what time (that is to say, grace and circumstances acting on your own good will) will make of you tomorrow.

Only God could say what this new spirit gradually forming within you will be. Give Our Lord the benefit of believing that his hand is leading you, and accept the anxiety of feeling yourself in suspense and incomplete.”

Retrieved from: http://teilhard.com/2013/04/29/teilhard-de-chardin-quote-of-the-week-april-29-trust-and-patience-prayer/

As we consider that may be in store for us this New Year, we can  trust the process and become more comfortably with seeming “instability.”

I awoke this morning thinking of end of the year rituals. In Unity the one’s I think of the most are the Christmas Candlelighting and the Burning Bowl. There was a time when we tended to dismiss them altogether or at most lessen their importance.

But to keep the Spiral healthy in our lives we need to go back and assess whether rituals can continue to serve us, and rituals are characteristics of healthy PURPLE consciousness. They tend to call to mind the things that served us well in our ongoing evolution.

I attended the Christmas Candlelight service and felt the power of collective observance It reminded me that divinity is inherent in each individual. It allowed me to also remember that we first become aware of that divinity as a birth and that we grow into our knowledge of it as we continue to grow and develop in our spiritual lives.

The newborn child does not immediately feel guilt because he or she is not already full grown but goes the process of becoming. We, too can honor the process within us that will allow us to focus on where we are now but reminding ourselves that there is “more” to come.

I am reminded of James Dillett Freeman’s poem “More.”