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The communion sacrament is important for many Christian religions. It is the only sacrament Jesus implemented during his life on our planet. In this posting we explore a personal communion with God. Our Father is present within each of us, therefore it is possible to have personal communion with our Heavenly Father. He is not only faraway on Paradise, also He literally dwells within every thinking mortal on Earth; He is also within those on all other inhabited planets. Communion with God is possible for every individual everywhere.
Having a personal relationship with our Heavenly Father is vital if we wish to grow spiritually. In this way we grow closer to Him; we can ask His advice in dealing with difficulties. We have a perfect guide, and through such personal communion we can experience guidance flowing into our being.
This posting, like most on this website is based on revelations in The Urantia Book, click on this link for information about this revelation.
What it is
Dictionaries recognize three meanings for the word communion; first is the Christian sacrament, second is an act of sharing, third is an intimate fellowship or rapport. The Christian sacrament, performed in a religious setting, has a profound and personal significance. An act of sharing can be communion if it is done in service, such as when Jesus washed the feet of his apostles before the Last Supper. An intimate relationship can also be spiritual, such as Jesus had many times with chance encounters. When we are spiritually motivated, avenues of rapport and communion open up before us.
The Father desires all his creatures to be in personal communion with him.… To each of you and to all of us, God is approachable, the Father is attainable, the way is open….[1]
The communion sacrament can be moving, a few years ago during a communion service at an Urantia Book mini-conference I had a strong spiritual experience; it nearly overpowered me. Personal communion with God is an example of the third meaning; it is an intimate fellowship with our inner God presence. A personal communion with God can be a lasting and deep experience.
There are three levels in our relationship with Heavenly Father. First we enter mind consciousness where we understand the idea of our Father; we consider what our Father might be like, who He is. Secondly, we enter soul consciousness; we seek His ideals. We want to know what He wants from each one of us and how we can serve Him. After that we enter the dawn of spirit consciousness where we know the spirit reality of our Heavenly Father because we know about His working within us; we have felt His gentle guidance in our lives. We know. Throughout all these interactions with our Father we realize He is dedicated to guiding each of us into a greater awareness of His nature. [2] He is the greatest Father we could possibly imagine.
When Jesus instituted the communion supper his goal was to not initiate a formalized ritual. He wanted to suggest meanings so each individual would have a personal communion experience instead of a shallow ritualized experience. He rather sought to set man’s reborn soul free upon the joyous wings of a new and living spiritual liberty.[3]
We have hidden ourselves
The Father is not in spiritual hiding, but so many of his creatures have hidden themselves away in the mists of their own willful decisions and for the time being have separated themselves from the communion of his spirit and the spirit of his Son by the choosing of their own perverse ways and by the indulgence of the self-assertiveness of their intolerant minds and unspiritual natures.[4]
Our Father has done everything possible to draw His wayward children nearer to Him. He will do nothing to limit our free will choices, but beyond that fixed boundary every effort is directed at bringing each of His children closer to Him; we have to make the choice to follow His guidance. He gives every thinking mortal an actual fragment of His being, our indwelling Thought Adjuster. We also have Guardian Angels, the Spirit of Truth, adjutant mind spirits, and other spirit influences. With all this spiritual assistance, the question comes down to this: “Is it your will that God’s will be done?” If so, then we will be assisted every step along the way.
Citizens in our materialistic society are so immersed in materialism they think they live in a spiritual vacuum. They view our Heavenly Father as being the kind old guy depicted on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. The creator of everything in existence could not possibly be such a familiar figure. Physical reality deals with facts, and appearance. Spiritual reality deals with value, relationship with our Heavenly Father.
Before we can progress spiritually we must get rid of our materialistic tendencies which contaminate our spiritual concept of Heavenly Father.[5] We need to realize Heavenly Father who created all things and beings, is not physical. Our Heavenly Father is a spirit being; He is the ultimate spirit being. We must become aware of the spirit nature of our Heavenly Father.
How we do it
While God is in nature, it is difficult to discern Him there; but being in a beautiful natural setting facilitates the search for communion with our Father Fragment because external stimulations are peaceful and soothing. Where we live is like a nature sanctuary; we do not have the constant rumble of city life or the deceptively ordinary existence of gossipy small towns. Even rural places have focuses of life to capture attention: cows, the occasional truck, crops and fields. Here in Poplar Cove we are surrounded by nature, her trees and her critters; it is comforting yet vibrant, not distracting our attention. In places such as this we can better commune with Father.
Wherever we may happen to be when we seek our Heavenly Father, we need to accept His guidance. Our spirit presence within will lovingly lead us, but there will be no compulsion. If we sincerely wish to attain the eternal goal we will surely be guided thereto. And when such a life of spirit guidance is freely and intelligently accepted, there gradually develops within the human mind a positive consciousness of divine contact and assurance of spirit communion….[6]
The communion Jesus instituted with the apostles at the Last Supper can be adapted to our own spiritual striving. He was speaking to those in the Upper Room, but his words were directed to everyone in his creation, including each of us today. First is the cup of remembrance;[7] the vital part of the communion experience is remembrance. We remember the life of Jesus among us; this remembering is now more satisfying because we have The Urantia Book giving a fuller description of the life and teachings of Jesus. His life was one of total service to all, even the little children.[8] Contemplating the life of Jesus, Michael of Nebadon, is the core of this personal communion with Heavenly Father. The main reason for his mortal life on Earth is to portray to his universe children the nature of our Heavenly Father.
The second portion of this personal communion is the bread of remembrance; Jesus is the bread of life. This bread is the symbol of the living word of truth incarnated in the likeness of mortal flesh[9]…. This living word of truth is with us today as the Spirit of Truth. Jesus wants each of us to have a personal experience in our communion with Father.
The meaning of this remembrance supper is a symbolic meeting with our creator father, Michael of Nebadon, Jesus. This communion is a supreme meeting: the mortal personality, the Thought Adjuster, and the spirit of Jesus, the Spirit of Truth.[10]
The reason Jesus had such a remarkable religious life was this consciousness of the presence of God; and he attained it by intelligent prayer and sincere worship — unbroken communion with God….[11]
This communion with Father can be done anytime, anyplace. We review the various periods in the life of Jesus: childhood, the teenage years, raising the family of Joseph, the Mediterranean tour, teaching and guiding the apostles, resurrection, and ascension. The goal of our Earthly existence should be to gain unbroken personal communion with our Heavenly Father by meditating on the life and teachings of our creator, Jesus of Nazareth who is Michael of Nebadon. We gain eternity by seeking oneness with our Heavenly Father; communion with Father Infinite.
Destiny
What is the goal of our spiritual striving? Where are we going? What will we be doing for the rest of eternity? The gospel Jesus gave us illuminates a better way for each of us. This new gospel of the kingdom renders a great service to the art of living in that it supplies a new and richer incentive for higher living. It presents a new and exalted goal of destiny, a supreme life purpose.[12]
The joy in our eternal future will be to choose to do the will of our Heavenly Father; that is where we find eternal purpose, meaning and value. When presented with the glory of an eternal life of service, why would any of our Father’s creatures choose the narrow confines of physical materialism? Such materialism is based upon physical reality which has no lasting value.
Man’s greatest adventure in the flesh consists in the well-balanced and sane effort to advance the borders of self-consciousness out through the dim realms of embryonic soul-consciousness in a wholehearted effort to reach the borderland of spirit-consciousness—contact with the divine presence.[13]
[1] 63.6
[2] 69.6
[3] 1942.3
[4] 64.1
[5] 1123.4
[6] 381.6
[7] 1941.6
[8] 1839.6
[9] 1942.2
[10] 1942.5
[11] 2088.5
[12] 1778.3
[13] 2097.2