So, for me, human beings do have a purpose. It is not to create widgets, although that has its place.  It is not to amass great wealth, or to conquer distant lands or Christianize nations or create democratic unions.    These things are hear now and gone tomorrow.  They’re like the rippling muscles I used to have—they were here and now their gone—oh well…

The human being is called simply to take their eyes off of themselves and place them on others.  Strangely enough when we seek the higher plain of life, we find that this effort builds the person whom we are helping, but it also builds the spirit of the helper.  And so there is a double reward in giving, sharing and loving.  It’s reciprocal and comes back to you. 

If you ever go to Winston Salem State University, they have a motto and it speaks to the moment:  “Enter to LEARN, depart to SERVE”.  That’s the message…  But it doesn’t stop there because we’ve got to get to the point where we want to serve!   If we really want to raise our consciousness—to have a fulfilling life; if we want the victory of Easter we have to deal with the agony of Good Friday.  That is, we have to deal with the stuff within us that keeps us from manifesting our greatness!!

Here’s one thought, going back to the Gnostic idea of gnosis, when you look at the story of Easter, Jesus is attributed to have said, “Not my will but thy will be done.”   What this means, symbolically, for me, is to get to the higher plain—we have to reborn; we have to let go.  If you are a theist, it is saying “I surrender all to Thee” that is, I surrender my very human traits which judge and label and stereotype and condemn, and I call on the higher godly characteristics of equity, compassion, and forgiveness.  And if you are not a theist, it is asking you to look toward serving humanity as the highest aim of life and for you to do it with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength; and don’t allow your agnostic indifference and relativist mentality to pervade your consciousness.

So maybe you’ve got to let some things die so that the new you can be born.  Maybe you’ve got to surrender and release some things so that Gaia can use you.  Maybe you’ve got to let go so that God can speak to you?  Maybe you’ve got to let the natural change process happen in your life (death and rebirth) and stop fighting it, so that the energy in the Universe can transform your life. Maybe you’ve got let go of notions of superiority or notions of inferiority so that your heart can be transformed.  Maybe you are broken in many pieces and spread all over the place and you need the power of Isis, the power of love to put those broken pieces back together and breathe a new spirit of life in you…   Maybe you’ve got to be twice born like Dionysus; maybe you got to drink a new wine and find a new path out of the desert, so you can help make your life and this world into an “oasis of freedom and justice”.  Yes, Easter is speaking and asking, “Are you reborn?”  I don’t know about you this morning, but all I know is I just want to  “help somebody as I pass along.  I want to cheer somebody with a word or song.  I want to show somebody their traveling wrong, so my living will not be in vain.  I want to do my duty as a servant of humanity ought; and bring a message of truth to a world once wrought; and spread loves message like the sages taught, so that my living will not be in vain!”   I don’t want to be a priest of crooks nor creeds.  For human wants and human needs mean more to me than prophets deeds and human tears and human cares affect me more than human prayers.  Go cease your wail lugubrious saint!  You fret high heaven with your complaint.  Is this the Christians joy you paint?  Is this the Christians boasted bliss?  Avails, your faith no more than this?  Take up your arms come out with me.  Let heaven alone, humanity needs more and heaven less from thee.  With pity for humankind look ‘round.  Help them to rise and heaven is found!   ARE YOU REBORN?

Amen.