July 9th  Rev. Daybree Thoms’ lesson was “The 3 Faces of God – Part 1”

The three faces of God are simply three ways we approach God. 1-2-3.

• 1st person – the God within.
• 2nd person – God as “thou”, the Holy Other, speaking “to” God.
• 3rd person – speaking “about” God, separate and apart, reflection about the Divine.

Jesus, our Way-shower, spoke in all three; as, to, and about God.

Within the religious realm, we tend to choose one over the other. Churches have divided, counsels have fought, and wars have raged over these chosen approaches to God. Ken Wilber, renowned author of several works in the psychology of human consciousness, including Integral Spirituality, A Startling New Role for Religion in the Modern and Postmodern World, makes a radical statement by saying, ” … my point is that all three of these perspectives are correct.”  What? We don’t have to choose just one?  Our approach to God/Spirit, just like our approaches to prayer, are all correct and all have their place in our rich, ever-deepening spiritual lives.

This week we explored the 3rd face of God – speaking about God in the 3rd person. This is the perspective that is most widely accepted in western religion and one that, from a Unity standpoint, we ignore and avoid. We explored how holding God in the 3rd person, separate and apart from us, does not diminish – but rather enhances – our belief as God in 1st and 2nd person. We need not vanquish the 3rd face of God from our lives. Instead, let us recognize God in all God’s splendor.  ” The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” Psalm 19:1.