Sunday, December 22, 2013

4th Advent 2013, Create a New World

4th Advent
Luke 1: 26-38

During the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth to a maiden engaged to a man named Joseph of the descendants of David, and the maiden’s name was Mary. And coming in, he said toward her, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.”

But she was she was confused at those words, and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God.

Fra Angelico
And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son and you shall call him Jesus.
He will be great, and will be called the Son of the most High,
And the Lord your God will give him the Throne of David your father.
And he will reign over the house of Jacob forever;
And his kingdom will have no end. “

And Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have never known a man?”

And the angel answered and said to her,

 “The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you;

And for that reason the holy offspring shall be called the Son of God. And behold, even your kinswoman Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For no word is spoken in the worlds of the spirit that does not have the power to become reality on earth.”

 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the Lord’s handmaid; may it be to me according to your word. “ And the angel departed from her.

4th Advent
December 22, 2013
Luke 1: 26-38

In today’s reading we hear of an act of conception: the Holy Spirit descends upon the open soul; the dynamic creative power of the Most High surrounds her in a radiant cloud. And her offspring is called Son of God.

We too are involved in an ongoing act of conception. Invisible to most, angels hover around us. A spirit of wholeness wishes to descend upon open souls. The creative power of the Most High wishes to work in us.  FOR WE ARE TASKED WITH CREATING A NEW WORLD. Working with angelic hierarchies, we are to bring into being offspring that will populate a new heaven and a new earth.

The Act of Consecration of Man is the archetype of just such an act of conception. We open ourselves to the message of the angels; we receive a spirit of healing and peace. Our actions for this hour are guided by the divine world. Working together with divine beings, with Christ and the Father, we are creating eternal offspring that will live into the next age.

What we do here, what we do whenever we act out of the spirit of wholeness and peace, may be largely invisible. But its effects are more real, more lasting, of greater significance than most of what we see around us. For what we are generating is the future of the earth. For the poet says:


To remember
The Awakening, Thomas Cooper Gotch
the other world
in this world
is to live in your
true inheritance.
….
Now, looking through
the slanting light
of the morning
window toward
the mountain
presence
of everything
that can be,
what urgency
calls you to your
one love?  What shape
waits in the seed
of you to grow
and spread
its branches
against a future sky?[1]

www.thechristiancommunity.org



[1] David Whyte, What to Remember Upon Waking, in House of Belonging. Picture: The Awakening, Thomas Cooper Gotch



4th Advent 2012, Impending Birth


4th Advent
Luke 1: 26-38

Thomas Cooper Gotch
During the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth to a maiden engaged to a man named Joseph of the descendants of David, and the maiden’s name was Mary. And coming in, he said toward her, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.”

But she was she was confused at those words, and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God.

And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son and you shall call him Jesus.
He will be great, and will be called the Son of the most High,
And the Lord your God will give him the Throne of David your father.
And he will reign over the house of Jacob forever;
And his kingdom will have no end. “

And Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have never known a man?”

And the angel answered and said to her,

 “The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you;

And for that reason the holy offspring shall be called the Son of God. And behold, even your kinswoman Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For no word is spoken in the worlds of the spirit that does not have the power to become reality on earth.”

 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the Lord’s handmaid; may it be to me according to your word. “

And the angel departed from her. 

4th Advent

Mary and Elizabeth, the Visitation, unknown
December 23, 2012
Luke 1 39-56

The very approach of those souls not yet born works upon those with whom they are connected. They bring their parents together in love. Their impending arrival brings joyful anticipation. Their prenatal movements inspire joy and wonder.

Even before the Jesus child is born, his nearness affects those around Him. He brings together in a mood of service the two mothers, Mary and Elizabeth. He quickens John with joy in the womb.

So too in our lives; every year Christ draws especially near to us at this season. In the words of His mother, ‘Goodness and mercy springs new in His heart.’ Luke 1:54

The impending birth of Christ within our souls inspires us. We are prompted to support others in service. Christ’s nearness arouses our awe and our love. Our own quiet joy can enliven others. For ‘He bears us through all ages of the earth.’ Luke 1:55