© 1976 Marjorie Reed, Mary Snider, Michael Painter, Bernard Burton, Helena Sprague, Richard Hill
© 1976 The Urantia Book Fellowship (formerly Urantia Brotherhood)
“…The attitude of unselfish service of man and intelligent worship of God should make all kingdom believers better world citizens, while the attitude of honest citizenship and sincere devotion to one’s temporal duty should help to make such a citizen the more easily reached by the spirit call to sonship in the heavenly kingdom.” (UB 178:1.8).
Once upon a time, according to ancient myth, some of the gods decided to visit earth, incognito, in order to participate in a great festival. Disguised as humans, they mingled without attracting attention until they sat down to the feast. There, at the banquet, the gods “blew their cover”. Whereas men were gluttonously stuffing themselves, the gods were observed to be placing the most delectable morsels in each other’s mouth-an action not at all customary among mortals.
Sharing is divine. Sharing is one of God’s eternal patterns. Furthermore, The URANTIA Book tells us, “The doing of the will of God is nothing more or less than an exhibition of creature willingness to share the inner life with God …” (UB 111:5.1), to invite the Creator to participate in our creative life.
What is the ideal life? One of loving service-service to God and service to man, the one inseparable from the other. God shares of himself with me, and I can choose to respond to this gift of love by living in the manner suggested on UB 110:3.6 of The URANTIA Book, and so beautifully demonstrated by the Master.
—Marjorie Reed
There was a man once who achieved perfection simply by loving God and serving man. He didn’t set out to do great things in the sight of man, only good things in the sight of God.
To most of us it is not given to be great among men, but we can be well content to follow the example of Joshua ben Joseph and strive to do good things in the sight of God. Service is inherently personal, born out of the sincere desire to do something good for the sake of another, But service is also much more. It is the art of giving of oneself, unreservedly and, most of all, imperceptibly. As Jesus passed by, increasing in grace each life he touched, few remembered what precisely he said or did. Some didn’t even remember what he looked like. His secret? He was never motivated by the mere desire to serve, but by a heart full of love for each person he met-the desire to do something good for that person, Sometimes restoring a blind man’s sight, sometimes with a pleasant “Good morning …”
—Mary Snider
Service? Seemingly a common word; yet what does it really mean? Pause and reflect a moment on what service means to you and then read on as I attempt to share some thoughts with you.
As I tried to determine what service meant to me, an earlier picture of myself flashed upon my mental viewing screen, The setting for the scene was an encounter with some acquaintances with whom I had attempted to talk, concerning The URANTIA Book. I had entered the encounter with enthusiasm and an eagerness to share the truths I had found, but I met suspicion and doubt. I left with a sense of disappointment and misunderstanding, asking myself, “why didn’t they believe me?”
Now, after some time and some thought adjustment, I think the more accurate question is, “why should they have believed me?” After all, weren’t there many individuals and groups who claimed to possess truth? Why should anyone accept what I have to say?
—Michael Painter
“…Love is the outworking of the divine and inner urge of life. It is founded on understanding, nurtured by unselfish service, and perfected in wisdom.” (UB 174:1.5).
“…brotherhood and service are the cornerstones of the gospel of the kingdom.” (UB 178:1.4)
For growth and development, personalities need contact with other personalities, much like sharp-edged rock fragments ground smooth by rubbing against one another. Such a parallel suggests the divine intent that our progress towards spiritual levels is closely allied with sociability and co-operative endeavor. Our increased awareness of mutual dependence, personal worth, and altruistic service goals needs a behavior vehicle for expression with others similarly inspired … thus, the logical motivation for the formation of study groups. This assembling together of believers could well be referred to as the “inevitable eventuality” of widespread dissemination of The URANTIA Book.
All of us to whom group study has become a regular part of life may occasionally search to explain how it all came about. Yet, even allowing for differences of specific origin, study groups form because it is pleasurable to meet with others and share together these unique papers. The viewpoint of another contributes to our own insight and understanding. Some passages which we have difficulty with may become clarified by hearing another’s explanation.
—Bernard Burton
Editors note: The study group is one of the fragile cocoons in which the emerging divine consciousness of newly aware and transforming sons and daughters is quickened by social contact. We hope that our inclusion in this and future Journals of study group experiences will encourage thought, discussion, and sharing.
There are as many different ways for study groups to conduct their meetings as there are groups. A survey in some sections of the East resulted in these brief profiles:
Group 1 begins with a moment of quiet, holding hands. The weekly meetings are on Tuesday evenings, always at the same house; about 7 attend, among them several high school students. They are reading from the beginning, one or two papers a week; each person reads a section. Members may break in to discuss, and especially to explore social and political implications.
Group 2 meets each week on Thursday evenings, (recessed in summer), and operates under a strict schedule. Socializing fills the first half hour 7:30 to 8:00. Reading starts wherever the last meeting left off; they are going through the book from beginning to end. Leadership rotates, and there may be questions and discussion. Reading stops at 9:30 sharp, allowing only time to finish the section. From 9:30 to 10:30, a topical leader presents any subject related to the book which he chooses, complete with art, music and related other references. At 10:30, there is a general discussion.
—Helena Sprague
Introductory Study Group
Our introductory group is open to anyone wishing to discuss The URANTIA Book. We will give some basic insights into the contents of the book and be more than happy to answer any questions. This session is designed to provide an opportunity for new or potential readers to meet other URANTIA Book readers, and ask questions in an informal environment.
—Richard Hill
“… The privilege of service immediately follows the discovery of trustworthiness. …”
“Service —more service, increased service, difficult service, adventurous service, and at last divine and perfect service-is the goal of time and the destination of space.” (UB 28:6.17-18).