Casting of Circle
At this time and in this hour, we encircle ourselves with Holy Fire. Separated from the mundane are we, as we will so mote it be.
Calling of Quarters
East
In the Name of Yod-He-Vav-He, we invoke thee, Archangel of the East, Raphael!
South
In the Name of Adonai, we invoke thee, Archangel of the South, Michael!
West
In the Name of Eheieh, we invoke thee, Archangel of the West, Gabriel!
North
In the Name of Agla, we invoke thee, Archangel of the North, Auriel!
Cleansing of Space
Holy Water
Purify us, O Lord, that in Thy Power we may worthily perform the Great Work. In Thy strength, O Indwelling Lord, do we expel all forces of darkness from this, Thy Holy Altar and Sanctuary, and from this house and our own human temples wherein we worship Thee; and we pray Thee Heavenly Father, that Thou wilt command the Rulers of the Four Regions, your mighty Archangels, Lords of the Air, Water, Fire, and Earth, to build for us a Spiritual Temple through which Thy Strength and Blessing may be poured forth upon Thy people. Through Christ our Indwelling Lord. So mote it be!
Holy Incense
Purify this place, O Divine and Eternal One, and make of us one mystical Body, growing into your light. Make us a Spiritual Temple of living stones, through which your infinite Light may flow. Let the Holy Angels of Light join us and aid us in the act of divine transformation. We unite now to celebrate, knowing that we all come from You.
Calling of Deities
Sophia
O Mother of the Aeons, O Paraclete! Spirit of Wisdom, O Merciful Goddess, come dwell with us!
Christ
O Father of the Aeons, O Paraclete! Spirit of Truth, O Merciful God, come dwell with us!
Open invitation
At this time if anyone would like to invite own deific figures please do so now.
Announcements
Today’s only announcement is a personal thank you to those who have reached out saying that they enjoyed the New Year’s Day service. It is my hope that these services not only honor the Divine, but also to create space for those in our community. That we find connection, learn, and grow from these services. Thank you.
Let us pray
“Grand Architect of the Universe, Divine Being beyond understanding, may the light of your presence be with us through our daily interactions. Illuminate our paths to foster understanding among us as a community. Let that understanding radiate through our lives, influencing our relationships throughout our daily lives. So mote it be!”
Sermon
In 1999 one of my favorite television shows first aired. The star-studded cast of The West Wing took us through the inner workings of the United States Executive Branch. Each week we had another disaster that, even to this day, can still hit a little too close to home. In the first season, President Bartlet had to decide to act with military force for the first time in his presidency. The show takes us into the Situation Room. He was provided with options of a proportional response attack. He inquires, “what is the virtue of a proportional response?” The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs responds, “there is no virtue, it’s what there is.” Dissatisfied with this answer, he directs the formulation of alternative plans.
Through the rest of the episode the anger that he has bubbles up to a crescendo when his Chief of Staff, Leo, finally takes him aside for the first argument that we see in the series. I was going to describe the scene to you; however, I think it’s better if you see it for yourself. Let’s watch.
We must realistically confront numerous injustices in life. Today, our focus is not on the complex and immense issues of murder or assault. It would be comforting to claim a simple solution, solving the world’s problems in an hour or less, but that’s just not the case. I don’t want to oversimplify these experiences. Perhaps we can address such complexities on another occasion. For now, let’s concentrate on the smaller injustices. When thinking on this scene, I began to think about how I interact with individuals during daily life. The small moments that come up, the ones that seem so much bigger when they happen, but in hindsight, they aren’t so big after all.
Take, for instance, a day that has been truly wonderful. You want to hold onto the joy for as long as possible. Many of us go through our daily lives acting in this way. We grab onto those moments of joy when we can. We cherish those moments. At times, these moments are so rare that experiencing happiness becomes a novel idea. We hold onto it. However, when a person cuts me off in traffic, I give them a scowl and promptly tell them that they are number one. I know that I’m not the only one to meet this action with anger.
Inevitably, Karma seldom acts instantly. I feel a sense of disrespect. This person just robbed me of the one positive thing I had going for me in that moment, bursting my bubble. I’m seeking the proportional response that will steer my day back on track and fill it with joy once again. There’s a part of me that wants them to face consequences for their actions, and revenge becomes my focal point. The desire for revenge builds up, transforming into a red-hot anger that I carry with me. This anger doesn’t stay confined; it comes home with me. I vent about it over the phone with a friend, and it seeps into my marriage with a snappy comment, affecting even my relationship with the pets. They may not bear the brunt of my anger physically, but they undoubtedly sense it.
President Bartlet was correct about one aspect of the proportional response: “it’s not all there is. There’s the disproportional response.” However, not in the manner he intended. In this case, it’s not the White House, I’m not the president, an aircraft wasn’t shot down, and nobody died; it was simply me getting cut off in traffic. Regardless of my actions, I won’t regain that lost joy, nor can I undo that moment in time. I can focus on how I react though.
We have instructions given to us by Christ in Matthew 5:43-45
“You have heard that it was said “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy but I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for them who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”
Let’s break this down point by point. Most of the time we react with the first part of this passage. We see the people cutting us off in traffic as an enemy. It’s a natural response. But Christ’s teaching calls us to demonstrate love, offer blessings, and extend prayers for those who wrong us. When we speak of blessings, we refer to the grace bestowed upon us from the Divine. We don’t always deserve it, more often we don’t. Share this divine grace, this blessing, with others. Open their hearts to the love we’ve received from the Divine. In my perspective, this constitutes the most meaningful form of revenge. It stems from a place of love. For those who practice magic, interpreting these verses through that lens aligns well with the Wiccan Reed of “do no harm.” While the temptation to cast a curse in response to wrongdoing may be strong, placing these verses side by side suggests that blessing those individuals is a more fitting response than cursing them.
When we do this, we align ourselves with the Divine. We become reflections of the Divine nature of Christ, we become conduits of love, indiscriminate of who the person is or what they have done. Which brings us to the last part of today’s reading.
“For He makes His sun rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” To put it another way, everyone is created equal. In the grand scheme we are all treated the same on a cosmic level. If you are living a just life, the clouds will not part and shine the sun only on you, so get that out of your head. It’s not going to happen. We are all on the same level. There is no need for you to even the score, you’re already even.
Bestowing a blessing upon someone who has wronged you poses a considerable challenge. Reflecting on the notion that we are all on equal ground, we often fail to consider the reasons behind their actions.
We see some of this in the last part of today’s clip. President Bartlet is talking about a new guy that joined their ranks named Charlie. He asked, “what’s his story?” He was trying to find out about a new staffer, but I think there is something deeper here. Taking a moment to understand another’s motives can be revealing such as exposing unresolved issues they may be grappling with. For instance, that individual in the neighboring car might not have been paying attention because they were dealing with a sick child in the back seat while rushing to the hospital. They may be burdened by personal struggles such as a failing marriage, a taxing workday, an abusive past, or various life challenges. While this doesn’t excuse their behavior, it sheds light on why they may act the way they do. Approaching the situation with empathy allows you to perceive them differently, understanding the extent of their need for your blessing of love upon their life. Through this small act of love, you initiate a ripple effect of kindness that extends beyond your imagination. Opting for love over impulsive reactions constitutes a measured response, echoing the sentiment of Leo: “it’s proportional, it’s reasonable, it’s merciful.”
I must add into this, especially since this is an election year. Sending love, blessings, and prayer does not mean that you become complacent about what you need to do for your own mental health. Nor do you, at any point, need to compromise your honestly held beliefs for the betterment of society to those who are too pigheaded to see reason. You can hope the best for them in the long run, but you do not need to keep these people in your everyday interactions if it harms you.
Again, since this is an election year, and I know I’m prone to get hot under the collar, one thing I would suggest to myself and to you is prayer. This isn’t a prayer for those people, rather a prayer that we see these people through the eyes of the Divine. That we find that empathy. That we can make the connection to why they act or think the way they do. Then we can bring ourselves to pray for them or send them love and blessings. This may not always be possible with all individuals, it won’t always come during our lifetime, but we must try. There will always be disagreements with politics, but we need to try to focus on the humans regardless of the political climate.
In the future we will address the more serious cases with political situations, and with the more serious cases of injustice, it will definitely be put that on the calendar for around August or September since the I have until then already outlined. But until then I hope this has shed a light on how we interact on the small moments of how life can be messy and become fixed when we focus on what we need to.
Reflection
Let us now turn our attention to the communion feast that we share in love with one another today. I want you to reflect on those who may have wronged you, either knowingly or unknowingly. Consider for a moment, what may have been the why factor. See them through the eyes of the Divine. If you are in a mental and spiritual place where you can send them a blessing, love or a prayer, consider doing that now. If you are not in that space, take the time needed to get to that point. Now, reflect on yourself, examining what you may have wrongly done to others. Things you may have said, actions you may have taken and things you may want to ask forgiveness for. Finally, we turn to the Divine to ask for any infringements we have committed that separates us from them, to likewise be forgiven.
Absolution
Grand Architect of the Universe, forgive the sins of theses souls, blot out iniquities which have knowingly or unknowingly been committed; forgive us and make us worthy to be reckoned with the Kingdom, that we are worthy to receive this offering that we have come to make. So mote it be.
Prayer over the bread and wine
We bring You these gifts. We ask You to make them holy by Your power to bless+ to approve + and to ratify + that they may become like the Body + and Blood + of Christ, the Logos.
Communion
The eternal High Priest, Master Jesus, took bread and gave thanks and praise. He blessed and broke the bread and gave it to his disciples and said:
Take and eat, for THIS IS MY BODY.
Do this in remembrance of me.
In like manner, when the supper ended, he took the noble Chalice. Again, he gave thanks and praise, blessed it and gave it to His disciples, and said:
Take and drink, for THIS IS MY BLOOD.
Do this in remembrance of me.
Departing of Deity
Divine presences, thank you for your presence here today. Merry meet, merry part until we merrily meet again.
Departing of Elements
Elemental guardians thank you for standing guard of our community, may you peacefully part until we meet again.
Releasing of Circle
Holy circle of fire, you have done what is desired, these words being spoken, the circle is now broken.
Benediction
And may the blessing of the Mystery of the Three-in-One, of God the Unknown + of Christ the redeeming Logos + and of the Holy Spirit our celestial Mother and Consoler + descend upon you and remain with you always. Blessed Be.