“Be aware of what you worship, because what you worship you are becoming.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson
Emerson helps us clarify that what we give our hearts to deserves our best: “What you worship your are becoming.” Using the term God very loosely, I urge you ~ know what your God is; know what you worship. And, yes, we all worship something. So know whether what you worship is worthy of your best.
Because – If one’s God is money, one will become greedy; a vengeful God creates cruel, vengeful people. An exclusive God, who loves one group more than others, justifies segregation, dividing the human family. A God of mere pleasure exalts excess and the frivolous, encouraging us to see others as a means to fulfill our own desires and not as ends in themselves. A God focused only on swift justice unleashes brutality upon the world in the name of “order.” But a God of love – of “Agape” love – that redemptive, creative, Divine, other-concerned love – that God liberates, heals, brings comfort, shows us how to care, how to praise and strive for the best and highest.
The fruit of that sublime love sparkles when teaching one another how to dismantle oppression; or witnessing to the NJ Assembly to end mass incarceration; working together to improve our building’s technology. Fruits of that love even shine in increased generosity during our pledge campaign. Indeed, perhaps we should be known not as Human Beings, but as Human Becomings.
We all need a Love, a vision of the most high and true, worthy of our sincere devotion. So be aware of what you worship – for what you worship you are becoming.
In Faith and Transformation,
Reverend Scott Sammler-Michael