"THE WORSHIP OF GOD"

"Most loving Father, we thank Thee that Thou hast blessed us with some measure of understanding, and we ask Thee tonight in faith, to give to each one that which they need; to show how love, resting on Love, can be demonstrated in spite of all the many obstacles which have been set up by the doubting mind of mankind...

"Father, teach us as the children we are, to come to Thee in trust, to present our petitions and to be certain, because Thou hast promised, that to those who seek the door shall be opened, and to those who have the courage to penetrate across the threshold, the things which are of Thee shall be revealed.

"O God, grant that this consciousness may enter into our hearts and minds, and that we, putting aside all those things of the earth which seek to intervene, may say with faith that tonight we have been in the World of Spirit...

"In Thy Hands we leave all things, and we know that because we come to Thee as children, Thou wilt guide, Thou wilt direct, Thou wilt uplift, and we shall take away with us the blessing direct - the blessing which Thou hast bestowed.

"Father, we thank Thee, and we turn to our work, conscious that Thou hast called us into the path of Wisdom, and that Thou wilt give to us just that portion of revelation which we can grasp and make our own... As Thy children we present ourselves before Thee in faith. Amen...

"...My little children, tonight there is peace all around. I want you, each one, to realise that the only peace which lasts is that of faith; I want you to go back over those periods of your life when restlessness seized the mind, when it seemed to you you were like a boat drifting on some wide sea and no help was nigh. These tests come to all, and more particularly, to those who would follow Christ.

"But think you with me, and you will see so plainly that because faith was absent, peace had taken wing. That is the point which I would try and impress upon the many, upon those soldiers of Christ who have questioned within themselves why it is, when the desire to serve God is there, that that peace of mind is absent, is elusive, is like some glorious promise which just escapes their grasp...

"Oh, my children, there is this held out for all - that peace which only faith can bring. In your troubles, in your tests, aye, and even in your joys, peace escapes you if faith in God is absent. When those you love are taken from you for a little space, though grief may tear the heart, yet the child of God turns to her Father, and even as the tears fall fast, peace, like a cloak, is folded round her - the peace of God which passeth all understanding; for - from within that which is strong - that which is holy has stretched out and contacted with God Himself. And so the Father can comfort, and so the messengers and the healers find the power to do their work, to close the memories, and to bid the pilgrims look beyond brief today into the glorious future, when they shall see for themselves what giving up can bring back and fasten to them for ever...

"And, again, I would underline that, in the daily round - when a variety of influences, when many trials assail - that peace could rest within if only faith were there, faith in your God as your Father and faith in the working out of the purpose of your life...

"I speak to all. There are many who have dedicated their lives to God's service, who are missionaries in act and missionaries at heart, but at times the peace of God escapes them and they scourge themselves in thought as to the lack within. To such as these I speak, commanded by my Holy Master. I say to them: Have faith in God not as a Ruler, not as a Controller, but as your tender Father, who understands what physical life represents, who knows the pain of heart, the sense of loneliness, and the longing for Love.

"Go to your Father in faith, and ask Him - as a child - for that which you long for; and if the heart and mind is as pure as may be during the earth stage, so you shall see that the Father gives with both hands. But the faith must be there... the faith must be there, for the spirit within will be content with nothing less...

"And then, my children, because we are met together in love, and because the link between us all is so strong, I want to speak tonight for a little while on a subject which, by many, has been slightly misunderstood - I refer to: 'The Worship of God'.

"Those who are present, wish with all their heart to be able to approach Holiness with holiness within. Yes, there are many who think only of worshipping God in the way laid down by those of the world, but I want to show you that though those ways may be good, the Christ way is better still...

"Oh, think you like this: We are the children of the Most High, dependent upon Him not only for the power to act, but also for life itself, drawing from Him all those good thoughts which flit through the mind: compassion, love - that most constructive love which opens the door into Wisdom itself. We, as children, what can we give, what can we do that will be acceptable to the One who holds all things?

"Ah, my little ones, you understand the Father so little, but because you desire to enter into some of His wonderful thoughts, so tonight, I will try and show you how you and I - and even the tiniest child - can give to God. Yes, within our power it is to give that joy to the Father-Heart for which He longs. Yet, we withhold so often, not through wilfulness but through that ignorance which makes us suffer, even as we stab Love Itself...

"But think you, my children. Go back on that which has been taught by man bound by the mind of the body, aye, and by those who fret against that bondage and would be free:

"The worship of God - immediately, in your minds, the vision of some edifice arises, and you think to yourselves: 'Ah, there I can worship God'. But, my little ones, while you can and do worship God within those places dedicated to His Name, make no mistake regarding this: Those buildings were erected for humanity - and humanity was not created to fill those edifices.

"This is so often overlooked by those blinded by the view of the world. That which stands as a symbol of Christ, to us it has no meaning, except for the power it has to draw forth from those within it the desire to get nearer to their God. So when you wend your way towards that dearly-loved building, remember that Christ - using the mind of man - has provided it as a channel through which He may give unto you that extra strength, that extra faith, that extra healing which you require.

"And if those in charge hand out to the children of God stones instead of bread, then the Father's Heart aches for His little ones - aye, and also for the shepherd who is so little concerned over the needs of his flock...

"You approach Holiness, seeking to give out, from within, some measure of purity in return; and this, dear children, provides for you that which is beyond your human understanding; but the worship of God takes many, many forms besides this one. You desire to give and you receive a hundredfold in return - but for what do you receive that great return?

"My little ones, it is so that during the daily round, you may give to this one and that the spiritual help which they require. And, instructed by my Master, I tell you that in passing on the balm to others, in providing the strength for another to face their troubles, there you are worshipping God in the Christ way.

"Oh, think you to yourselves like this: Within these edifices where everything is provided outwardly to bring man in touch with his God, there indeed you may find Christ - but the only way we can give to God is to give to our brethren; the only way we can show adoration for the Beloved is by passing on some measure - even if it be but a reflection - of that Love, to those who stand in need...

"Children, keep your vision clear. When the children of the earth gather together to honour the Name of God, when they bring themselves as an offering to the Most High, by the mere fact that they come together, so they are creating a power and a strength for good which we, who are working for God, can use again and again.

"Those who gather into these buildings, into those magnificent erections, do they ever think of this? They go, and perhaps they are conscious of the blessing they take away; and, again, they go, and they leave with a sense of chill, of disappointment, of a reaching out for something which was not given. But, dear children, they have overlooked the most important thing: The act of laying aside the things of the world for a brief space, and gathering together in the house of God - this communion, with those who have come with a like desire, has created what you call 'atmosphere' but which we call power; and that can be used not only once, not only a thousand times, but its life lasts for ever...

"That is the point of congregating together - the concentrating of power, the pure thought, the desire to pray - and even if that desire is hindered by the shadows, the desire creates something which those who know and love God can use for those who know Him not.

"Therefore, dear children, keep this clear in your minds: You are rendering to God that which can be used by God, by your hours of devotion in those edifices erected in His Name - but the worship of God is a far wider, grander thing than that...

"Oh, go back to the Sacred Record, to the words of the Master Himself. Once again I remind you: 'Peter, lovest thou Me?' And then: 'Feed my lambs, feed my sheep!' That is the true worship of God laid down by the Saviour of the world, by the Protector of the poor, by the Consoler of the sorrowful... 'Lovest thou Me? Then feed my lambs, feed my sheep!'

"The worship of the Lord God of all - that true worship is in ministering unto those of His children who are spiritually hungry, aye, and who are in physical need. Worshipping God in your love for your neighbour, worshipping God by your healing thoughts as to this one and that, worshipping God in the drying of the tears of the child who has come to grief in her play, yes, in the bathing of the little wounds so indeed you show, unconsciously though it may be, that the One you love is Christ, that the One you seek to imitate, in miniature, is the Master. You show to others in that very act - done so thoughtlessly, so as a matter of course - that you wish to do as He, to put balm on the things which hurt, whether they be physical or mental, or whether they be those greatest griefs of all - the sufferings of the spirit within fighting to get free...

"Oh, my little ones, think you to yourselves how wonderful is the Mind of God - how the Creator, the One who rules all things, has put it within our power to demonstrate Him in the little acts of daily life...

"Worshipping God - not by those commandments laid down by the mind of man, the observance of this and the repression of that. Nay, it is in the simple things, following the One who went before, who taught the children - grown though they were in body - who taught the children by those parables and stories which cannot be forgotten. And in all those narratives which have been chronicled for the strengthening and the purification of mankind, there set out for all to see, again and again, you have the worship of God in acts of service to others, in the good Samaritan who passed not by on the other side, in the sower who sowed his seed broadcast, and whether it brought forth a harvest or not, still sowed his seed - the seed of Truth, hoping perchance that some of it would take root...

"In your power, in the power of all, it lies to worship God in the spirit and not only in the word. Each time you pass on to another a thought of mercy, a thought of compassion, a thought which cheers, a thought which ennobles, a thought which purifies - then you are worshipping God, worshipping Him in that way which He Himself has laid down, and which so many have overlooked.

"I told you once before, that those who are free from the body, in viewing that which you call the earth, pause not at those edifices, they look not at the outward but at the inward - the spirit which is within. Children, so long as you are in a physical world, so these material things play a large part in your life. When you pass hence, those walls will seem as naught; that put together by man will indeed appear crude and elementary; for you will stand amazed, transfixed by the beauty of pure thought, of effort, and of self-sacrifice. That beauty which not only stands for ever but grows and grows, developing and expanding, and by the power within, drawing to it still more power from the great Source of all.

"Yes, this will be your view of the earth life: The simple hearts, the faithful hearts, the loving hearts, all walking in lonely ways yet linked together by their desire to serve. And, of them, you will say: 'This is beauty indeed. That which I thought was beauty was of the earth, but this beauty is of the Spirit'...

"And because, dear children, it is of the Spirit, so in gazing upon it, further strength will come to you; and you, imbued by the desire to serve again, will willingly, eagerly, return to those so bound on earth and try and teach them, as we have tried to teach you, how to worship God, where to worship God, and what that worship of God creates for all time...

"Oh, remember that wherever you are, however mundane the task on hand, you can worship God in spirit. 'Time' - a word so misunderstood upon earth - time may interfere with this and curtail that, but the worship of God in spirit goes on all the while; and when you pass hence, you will look back over the daily round, over the weariness, over the concentration of effort on little things, and see what has been built up for you, built up for use in that happy time to come when God's Love will be all around you, and when love from within will interpret 'worship' in its true sense...

" - 'Lovest thou Me? Feed my lambs, feed my sheep!' - Give them of the Bread of Life, minister to their spiritual needs, comfort the sorrowful, strengthen the weary, uplift the fallen and condemn not the weak... To you and to me the Master says again: 'Lovest thou Me?' And each one, within, prays that they may be able to answer as the spirit desires: 'Master, Thou knowest that I love Thee' - which means: 'I will feed Thy lambs, I will seek after the straying sheep, I will rest not until Thy work is done'...

"And now, my children, I will leave you for a little while, but I want you to send out thoughts not only of love but of faith, of certainty, of positive trust in God, believing that each one who speaks - whether their message is directly personal to you or not - that each one who speaks is literally ministering to the desire of the spirit within, for only with that purpose in view can they come through this source. Child or man or woman, all must come with their gifts for humanity, revealing just that little portion of Truth which you can take in, and which it is the Father's will that you should receive at this stage...

"...Well, my friends, I'm not a stranger here - it's one who has come before, praise God - he has come before, the old veteran whom you call Booth; and tonight it is my purpose to put on record just another line of the beauty and power which expresses in words something of the mighty Love of God...

"The old days have passed and my time on earth is no more, so some think, but the 'General' leads his army, and the 'General' has learnt what service means... Yes, but in those days of fiery enthusiasm, much was put together. I made mistakes, I misunderstood, but, believe me, my heart was true. I saw the sin, I saw the drunkenness and the poverty all around, and I said to God: 'Use Thy servant!' - and, praise God - taking all my incompleteness, out of my very weakness, He constructed something which will last for ever... Ah, I'm not thinking of numbers, I'm not thinking of the long chain or organisation which goes half round the world, I'm thinking of the love, the love kindled in the individual for the Christ who died upon the tree...

"Oh, my friends, now I stand stripped from that limited mind of mine, I see God's Love at work; I see the family-spirit in perfection, I see the linking up of Jew and Christian, of infidel and those who worked in desert places as the missionaries of their God; I see now how only by sonship and daughtership, by brotherhood and sisterhood, can we worship God, can we show ourselves worthy of calling Him Father...

"Yes, in that family life lies the secret of the redemption of the world, and, praise God, I taught it amongst my own kind - I sent the strong after the weak... But who was it that directed me? Who was it that called me? Who was it that fed my powers? Who inspired my mind? Who willed me to send out that clarion call over the world: 'Fight for Christ'? - It was the Good Shepherd, who first sought and found me...

"Oh, my friends, when we are free from our own conceits, it all lies so plain, so clearly outlined as to what we were, what we are, and how those who had gone on before - by faith and trust in God - came to us, and by the force of their love managed to drive home the glory of a life of service.

"There were many who condemned me, there were many who spurned me - I love them. There were many who thought I was a disciple of God - I thank them, but I failed to portray the love which God had given to me - that love which filled my whole being. I tried to pass it on - but side by side with Love, fear of punishment was sent out too...

"Yet, because God is God, He used my very misunderstanding to bring a blessing to others. There are those - children in every sense - who are not old enough to be won by love, for they have so drawn around them the enemies of Love, that the word expresses no meaning; and so, using fear of punishment, they have been won back - won back - and when the body is no more, the revelation of God's Love awaits them...

"My friends, do not judge me too harshly, and praise me not at all, but praise God that out of rough stone He managed to build something which will last for ever... Yes, the rough stone, planted firmly in the earth, was able to be the corner-stone of one little portion of the great Work of God. And as time passed, on the small corner-stone that which was of use was built up. And those who have come face to face with their God, even as I, come back and minister to their brothers and sisters, and fight for them in foul and horrible places; and they will fight for ever the enemies of the Christ who died for all...

"The Cross of Christ, lying across the world, forcing men to raise their eyes. I preached the Cross, but now I come back to demonstrate a living Christ of Love, who understands and who has overlooked all that I failed to do...

"Friends, in great humility I stand before you - a humility which I ask God to accept; and I thank Him with a grateful heart that He took me - it was my faith - that He took me, misunderstandings, failures, all the faultiness, and used me to bring my brothers and sisters out of the mire on to the firm ground of conviction, of their second conversion... Praise God - Oh, God I thank Thee that Thou, out of Thy mercy, bestowed upon Thy incompetent servant so much honour, so much Love...

"Friends, I will leave you now, but when you pray, pray for Booth, pray for the old 'General' who now is led as well as leading others, is led by those who have gone on before, those who saw Christ long, long before it was his privilege to gaze on Love...

"...Well, my children, I do not intend to keep you longer, for as I see things, gifted with spiritual sight, there has been worked in tonight that which will stand the test of time.

"Of one thing beware, and that is of the mind of the body. The mind of the body suggests this and that, the mind of the body questions why this should be and why that should have taken place; and the mind of the body - in its wondering - unconsciously is denying God. And so you and I, dear children, because we wish to worship God in spirit, to worship Love by giving out love - so tonight, we lay all things aside, and, as children, we thank our Father God that His blessing has been bestowed in a way that we can understand...

"Oh, think you like this: That though yesterday may have held sorrow or pain, and the present may seem somewhat clouded, that the future is God's, that the future is an individual gift to each one which will satisfy the spirit's deep longings, which will bring you that peace which will never pass away - the peace which has been bought by faith on earth, the peace which literally has arisen like a glorious flower from the roots of trust...

"Ah, my little ones, hold this thought fast while others may pass away: That by faith you step into those realities which are Spirit, that by trust you contact with those in the Spirit, and by faith again you commune direct with God...

"Did not the Master say that faith shall remove a mountain of doubt? To those present and to my children far away, to all I speak: Whatever your lives, whatever the temptations, and whatever the persecution, place your faith in Christ, and to that Anchor hold on; and as He has promised, the peace shall descend, and that peace shall lead you into Wisdom, into the revelation which only His Love expresses...

"Now in the Name of the Beloved I bless you, and under His protection I leave you. Surrounded by His love I exhort you to go on and to falter not, for there is much in front which cannot be explained at this stage; but the Beloved has blessed you, and out of little things you shall find that much has been built up...

"And now, my children, I will go... Peace, faith, trust - trust, faith, peace - that is the benediction from the Most High...

All rights are reserved and may not be used or reproduced, neither in whole nor in part thereof, in or on any form of media, including the Internet. The providing of direct hyperlinks to Greater World website copyright material is welcomed, thereby fulfilling any intended aspirations for anyone concerned whilst maintaining the integrity of the well-intentioned, deeply-considered and long-standing ideals of the Greater World.

The Greater World has sole copyright for the Zodiac Messages and came into existence as the Greater World Christian Spiritualist League in 1931 (U.K. Registered Charity No. 212369). The Greater World was originally established purely because of the Zodiac Messages and their introduction into earthly life by the Christ Messenger Zodiac and the further revelations of the Christ Mission expounded therein. The inception of the Greater World was for the preservation, as received, of the Zodiac Messages and the prudent dissemination of the spiritual philosophy, consequently perpetuating the incorruptibility, distinctiveness and uniqueness of the Zodiac Messages and the teachings contained therein.

Download 9 chronologically-ordered digital books of earlier Zodiac Circle sittings (1923-1928)

Listen to a reading of this Address