2022 Unity of Tallahassee Sunday Services

2022 Sunday Services

A familiar plot line in the movies is one where the protagonist has amnesia and does not remember who he or she is. The quest to rediscover the lost identity then ensues. The idea being conveyed is that without a story to provide an identity, no one knows who they are. Our personal story is like a database that we refer to for answers to all sorts of life questions; it’s a kind of self-referral we have that tells us who and where we are along our lifeline. Our story can be a blessing or a curse, so to speak. We get useful information from our story, but we can also feel like we are burdened by our story. What is the truth about the story we tell?

What a Story (Rev. Bill Williams, 10/30/22)

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Matthew 11:29

This Sunday begins a series in which we explore and deepen our understanding of what the heart of Unity really is. This journey is not about the history of an organization, a religion, or a movement. It is an attempt to understand the universal nature of unity itself. Merriam-Webster says, “The meaning of UNITY is the quality or state of not being multiple : oneness.”  This definition says unity is a state of being. A state of being is an innate or inherent quality of who you are, who I am. This series will seek to discover how the experience and expression of this already present, yet often unrealized truth might shine forth in you and me. Thus, true unity is realized.

Realizing Unity, Part 1: "True Rest" (Rev. Bill Williams, 11/13/22)

Continuing our exploration of what it means to realize unity as our true state of being, this Sunday we will attempt to get in touch with how our sense of self is so often misplaced. The upsets, unhappiness, stress, and suffering we experience in life naturally follow the fallacy of identifying and living as who we are not, rather than who we really are. The correction of this fundamental error is what we call our spiritual journey. Different religions and traditions describe this error in different ways and prescribe a variety of solutions. Fundamental Christianity uses the term "original sin". In Unity we call it "error thought".  Samsara is what Hinduism and Buddhism name it. Other traditions have their own version of this universal human condition of the experience of our unrealized wholeness. By whatever name it is given, this conditioning of our true Self is not in our way; it is the Way to realizing our Wholeness.

Realizing Unity, Part 2: "No Such Separate Self" (Rev. Bill Williams, 11/20/22)

Continuing our exploration of what it means to realize unity as our true state of being, this Sunday we will seek to understand how the mind can either reveal or obscure the oneness that is our true nature. Charles Fillmore put a great emphasis on getting to know the mind and its functions, particularly thoughts. As a matter of fact, Jesus did as well. His teachings about "take no thought for tomorrow", "judge not", and many others, were a way to train the powers of focus and attention; a way to clarify and unify the mind. We have been given an amazing instrument to use. The thing is, human beings are quite often unconsciously used by the mind, rather than consciously use the mind to realize that which is greater, which is transcendent to the mind. Join us as we continue on our path of ‘"Realizing Unity".

Realizing Unity, Part 3: "A Unified Mind" (Rev. Bill Williams, 11/27/22)

“…(God) causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and He sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” Matthew 5:45(b)

We live in a world with which we engage diversity of every sort. Some activities and people in the world appear to be pleasant and just what we would prefer. Then there are the "others". These people and conditions  are experienced as disagreeable and definitely not preferable or conducive to what we may judge to be good. After living for a while in such a diverse world, we may arrive at the conclusion that we do not have the power to change or control the world of appearances all around us. So, what are we to do? How do we reconcile the concept of fundamental Goodness being the ground of everything, with the experience of everyday life seeming to be anything but goodness and peace itself? Join in as we expand our spiritual practice of mediating the opposites in our life experience.

Mediated by Love (Rev. Bill Williams, 12/4/22)

“They alone live, who live for others.” – Vivekananda

Every day, in so many ways, we are being called forth to participate in deeper, more meaningful ways with others and therefore within ourselves. Life is like an open hand ready to receive the gifts we are willing to offer. Life is also like a mirror, reflecting back to us the love we are willing to share. Every day we are invited to express ourselves in ways that allow us to be channels of compassion, peace, and joy. How do we hear that invitation and respond? This Sunday we will explore this invitation and an example found in a traditional Christmas song that models how we could courageously answer that call.

The Little Drummer Boy in Us All (Theresa Krieger, 12/11/22)

Unity has as its foundational Truth that there is only One, "One Presence and One Power". This teaching is rooted and grounded in the Principle of non-duality. There are many teachers and traditions that express this principle in ways that can serve to strengthen and expand our understanding of Unity and the practice of its principles. Non-duality is not a philosophy or a religion, it is the experience of no separation between me and the Universe; me and God.

Studies in Non-Duality: Week 15 (Rev. Bill Williams, 4/12/23)

Sunday Message by Rev. Bill Williams, December 31, 2017:  What if everything in your life were new? What would your life experience be like? Is there a new way of seeing and experiencing the limits, challenges, and obstacles that seem to be controlling how life unfolds? Let's explore what new beginnings really mean.

What a Story (Rev. Bill Williams, 10/30/22)

Unity of Tallahassee

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