​As I reflect a little more deeply (and speaking for myself as a minister in Unity as each of us will put this slightly differently) here are some of my thoughts today …

The Easter story is for us today, not just for Jesus over 2000 years ago. To experience the abiding joy of resurrection and new life, we first experience a crucifixion, a deep letting go. In other words, we have to let go of who we think we are (a mortal body and mind that has a start and end date, with beliefs that we must uphold come what may) to be free to become who and what we really are: Eternal, immortal, beloved and one with God.

Jesus’ messages were powerful:
“Come, follow me” in the synoptic gospels – the invitation from Jesus to ‘walk my walk with me’.

“The Father and I are one” (John 10:30)

“Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.” John 14:12

For us in Unity, Jesus is our way-shower, our example. We live our lives doing our best to follow his teachings, believing the words he spoke are true for all of us, always. We all can know for ourselves our oneness with God, and serve in ways that bring forth the same love and wisdom he showed.

After the resurrection and ascension, his early followers became people who followed ‘the way’. His teachings and ministry was something they made their own. As we seek to do in Unity today.
Therefore, in Unity, the crucifixion and resurrection, as the culmination of Jesus’ life and work reflect:

• His willingness to give up his own identity; fully let go his body and physical life
• Life is eternal. We cannot kill our true nature, our Spirit. He was returning to the Father, as do we.
• His invitation to us as his followers, to do as he did and more, as the disciples did.

Today of course, we do not experience crucifixion in physical form. Our crucifixion happens when we hold on tightly to ideas, beliefs and responses that are not of our true nature. The more tightly we hold onto our human pain (physical, mental or emotional) and identify with it, the more we suffer and the more we remain ‘on the cross’. Yet, this was not the ending of the Easter story; Resurrection is the outcome. It is the invitation to let go, completely, into the deep abiding presence of God and let our true nature shine forth.

We can do it, because Jesus did. His was a physical experience, one for the world to witness. Ours is more a personal, inner journey. Yet just as powerful and meaningful – something to celebrate as we take our steps along our life journey to do this, one day at a time with love, compassion and understanding.
​
So, does this answer reflect what Easter means to you?

You may like to think about these words and dive more deeply into what Easter means to you.

Make the experience meaningful, rest in the knowing of ‘The father and I are one’, let go into the divine – we are safe here, eternal beings in the mind/heart of God. Allow the beautiful resurrection of our true nature, our Christ nature, shine forth.

You are invited to join our services and meditations online through out Lent and leading up to Easter 

​Weekly Lent Meditations
Thursdays at 8.30pm on zoom,
Using the Unity Lent booklet as our guide we will relax into a shared meditation together.  Free, all warmly welcome. 
​Join us on zoom

Maundy Thursday, 6th April, 8.30-9pm
An evening meditation including our spiritual preparation for Easter
Please bring a candle to light and a bowl of warm water and towel to wash and dry your hands
Led by Rev Kimerie Mapletoft, Director of Silent Unity and Daily Word UK
Join on zoom

Good Friday, 7th April, 8.30-9pm
An evening meditation, reflecting on the 7 last words or phrases of Jesus on the cross, as recorded in the Gospels, to help us forgive, release and make real the power of the crucifixion for us.
Led by Rev Kimerie Mapletoft, Director of Silent Unity and Daily Word UK
Join on zoom


Easter Sunday, 9th April, 10-10.45am
Join us in prayer, meditation and song, in celebration of the risen Christ in us
Led by Rev’s Kimerie and Paul Mapletoft, Silent Unity and Daily Word UK
Join on zoom

The 12 powers help us understand how we can embody the characteristics of Jesus’ teachings.
When we focus on the conditions we want.

When we give power to the positive traits we wish to see.

We are creating. We are becoming the truth of who we are.
 
So let us take a few moments. What are we dealing with today?

​Am I enthusiastic or am I feeling overwhelmed? Are these feelings showing me what I need to release? Perhaps even showing me where I still have work to do? Today I honour every emotion. I take care and time to acknowledge and trust my own instincts and feelings. I try to understand the messages my heart and mind need to hear. And when I am ready – I release - any belief that is holding me back.

Each time I hold on to a personality trait which does not serve me the way it used to, I create a cage. And today we fly free from that cage. We breathe in and we breathe out. Slowly and gently we thank our experiences from the past, we learn the lessons and we move forward.
 
We may need to revisit this practice over and over, but for today, in this moment, we choose just one of the 12 powers to focus and invite into our being.
 
Faith: Represented by the disciple Peter. The ability to believe, intuit and perceive.
Love: Represented by the disciple John. The ability to attract, desire and unify.
Strength: Represented by the disciple Andrew. The ability to endure, stay the course, persevere.
Wisdom: Represented by the disciple Zebedee. The blend of knowledge from the head and heart.
Power: Represented by the disciple Phillip. Self-mastery & spiritual presence.
Imagination: Represented by the disciple Bartholomew. The ability to conceptualize and envision a different future.
Understanding: Represented by the disciple Thomas. The ability to know, perceive and apprehend.
Will: Represented by the disciple Matthew. The ability to choose, lead and discern.
Order: Represented by the disciple James. The intelligence of the Universe expressing through each of us.
Zeal: Represented by the disciple Simon. The inner flame that burns brightly for all to see.
Release (Elimination): Represented by the disciple Thaddeus. The ability to let go.
Life: Represented by the disciple Judas. The ability to energize and animate.
 
“Today I choose to invite …………. In to my life and myself”

By Stefanie Bridges

For more resources
Unity booklet '‘How to stay centred no matter what’ is a simple introduction to Unity's Twelve Powers

Power Up - The Twelve Powers Revisited by Paul Hasselbeck

For our March monthly service our guest speaker was Nuala Sikorski, (leader of Unity group, Chesterfield), she spoke on comfort and grace and told us this lovely story. Here is a short extract: 

“So we're told and I know that Grace does not have to be earned or painful, we already have it in abundance, we're born with it. And I was reminded of this one cold morning at the beginning of February when I was walking my dog. The ground was called glistening under foot, and it was frosty and I was wishing I could have stayed in my cosy bed. But somebody had other ideas. So there we were trudging through the wooded area near my home, and I was thinking how changeable the weather has been these last few years. How most people I speak with seem overwhelmed, anxious and unsure about what is going on globally.

And, well to be honest I was a bit overwhelmed myself.  And then I saw it. One lone daffodil. It had managed to push its way up through the frozen earth, and the harsh and thorny under growth despite all the weather conditions, and obstacles that threatened its very existence.

That daffodil was my first sign of spring and it touched my heart. So much so that I sent up a prayer of gratitude. I said, 'Thank you God, thank you God, you are in heaven and you are still in charge. You are still in charge despite all that's going on in our world and despite any appearance to the contrary'.

Well I don’t know if anyone heard or saw me and it didn’t matter. I was lost in the glory of that little flower…”

Listen to full talk below 

​In Unity, we often affirm divine order and divine guidance for ourselves and each other. Yet how often do we first determine what this needs to be!
 
When we affirm, ‘Divine guidance directs me wonderfully on my path’ we have to prepare to be taken out of our comfort zone. This happened for me in my work here at Unity.
 
When Doreen Davenport, my minister, asked me to work here, I was delighted. It was a huge privilege – it still is. However, I noticed that after a while I knew there was more for me – so I started to study SEE in Unity. Then after a while, there was a vacancy to lead Silent Unity UK and I stepped up, knowing this was mine to do however inadequate I felt. I knew I was being called higher.
 
After another few years, we needed a centre leader – so again I stepped up. For me, this was perhaps the scariest step of all – standing up in front of people on a Sunday and speaking. The lectern shook because I did!
 
Soon after that I became a licensed Unity teacher and 6 years after that (because it took me a while to say yes) I was ordained as a Unity minister.
 
In my experience, being taken out of our comfort zone, is definitely part of the journey. Yet, when we journey together in spiritual community, when we can be vulnerable with each other and ask for help we get this help and we grow.
 
Join us on the journey. Let us grow together.
 
Rev Kimerie Mapletoft
Director of Silent Unity and Daily Word UK

Sometimes they would wake up and say “ there were monsters, Daddy. Horrible monsters.” and my wife and I would comfort them and tell them that everything was safe, that they were protected,loved, and then there was nothing at all to fear.
Never once did they say “please come inside that dream Daddy and chase those monsters away.”
We would all know that the figures were imaginary, fictitious creations and that the real home life that they were awakening to was one of peace and love and comfort.

Sometimes it can feel as though we could imagine How God might feel. If God were a person watching over us in that sort of way. This is an analogy that works – for a bit.

Often in the Western tradition, God is spoken about as a father. A father who created the world in which we live, and who sometimes in some ways God can come down and either fix things (or not fix things !!)

In the life that we are leading – in the World And The question so often asked, and the subject of doubt and a thousand books, is WHY? If God exists, Why is there suffering, why is there evil?

But what if the life that we are leading Is an illusion like a dream? And God, if God were a person, would know that we were experiencing something but that it was actually non existent. Not that He didn't care or couldn't fix it, but that there was nothing real to fix. And that the truth is that all is well, all is perfect, all is in divine order, as we say in unity..."

In this episode Rev Ken Bradley explores the idea of illusion, thinking about Plato and Aristotle, and Buddha as well as Unity concepts. As always the musing is followed by a reading from the Daily Word archives.

Click  the play button below to listen to full podcast episode.

​Here is a thought that resonates more and more deeply with me: Prayer is to help us find God in the situation, not avoid the situation. Every experience is an open door through which we can discover that God, as love, wisdom, strength, truth etc.) is here, all the time.
 
Instead of using God to help us fix or avoid the pain, physical or emotional, can we find God within the pain? For pain can be the open door through which we walk, to know God as our life, wholeness, well-being and abiding peace.
 
In 2021, when I experienced Covid-19 exhaustion, I was able to relax into the exhaustion and know at the same time that God was also present within me as my wholeness and peace. It was an amazing time. There was no fear, only joy. Subsequently, when recovering from a tongue operation last year, I was able to know God as my wholeness and healing, even while my body was in recovery. I did not avoid the pain, push it away, pretend it wasn’t there, or even try to change the pain. I was in the pain, and God as life and wholeness was with me, too.
 
Let prayer be the open door to know God as your life, wholeness, well-being, joy, freedom, peace – for the way out is through.
 
Rev Kimerie Mapletoft
Director of Silent Unity and Daily Word UK