Pastor Pat Bailey: Insights, “Mysticism”

01 Feb Pastor Pat Bailey: Insights, “Mysticism”

Pastor Pat Bailey

A concept that I find in a variety of spiritual traditions, including Christianity, is mysticism. It is the assertion that what we most deeply seek in our spiritual lives is something that is already real and true and has always been so. So, our enlightenment, salvation, awakening, or whatever else you want to call it is already and always a reality, and our practice, then, is not really about achieving those things, but is a matter of simply realizing, accessing, and living into that which is already and always. My sermon last Sunday explored this idea and how it applies to our lives.

Listen to my explanation in detail here.

Editor’s Note: Dr. Pat Bailey of Telluride’s Christ Presbyterian Church, is a native of Atlanta, Georgia. He was ordained in the Presbyterian Church in 1987. For 16 years, Pat served as a chaplain in the U.S. Army. He is also an Iraq War veteran. Pastor Pat holds several degrees: a Master of Divinity from Columbia Seminary, a Master of Theology in comparative religion from Emory University, and (recently) a Doctor of Ministry from San Francisco Theological Seminary. His primary professional interests are interfaith spirituality, evolutionary consciousness, nature spirituality – and accompanying others in spiritual community. To that end, Pastor Pat has been blogging on Telluride Inside… and Out for years. His new series, “Insights” (formerly View from the Pulpit) continues weekly and now often in the form of  videos capturing Pastor Pat’s message.