Christmas Midnight 2010, Love Incarnate

Christmas I, Midnight

Matthew 1: 1-25

This is the book of the new creation, which has happened through Jesus Christ [or, the generation of Jesus Christ], a son of David, who is a son of Abraham.

 Abraham was the father of Isaac,

   Isaac the father of Jacob,

   Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,

 Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar,

   Perez the father of Hezron,

   Hezron the father of Ram,

  Ram the father of Amminadab,

   Amminadab the father of Nahshon,

   Nahshon the father of Salmon,

  Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab,

   Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth,

   Obed the father of Jesse,

  and Jesse the father of King David.

  

David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife,

  Solomon the father of Rehoboam,

   Rehoboam the father of Abijah,

   Abijah the father of Asa,

  Asa the father of Jehoshaphat,

   Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram,

   Jehoram the father of Uzziah,

  Uzziah the father of Jotham,

   Jotham the father of Ahaz,

   Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,

  Hezekiah the father of Manasseh,

   Manasseh the father of Amon,

   Amon the father of Josiah,

  and Josiah the father of Jeconiah[c] and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.

  After the exile to Babylon:

   Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel,

   Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,

  Zerubbabel the father of Abihud,

   Abihud the father of Eliakim,

   Eliakim the father of Azor,

  Azor the father of Zadok,

   Zadok the father of Akim,

   Akim the father of Elihud,

  Elihud the father of Eleazar,

   Eleazar the father of Matthan,

   Matthan the father of Jacob,

  and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah.

From Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David to the deportation to Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the exile in Babylon to Christ are fourteen generations.

The birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way: Mary, his mother, was

Rembrandt

betrothed to Joseph. But before they were aware of having come together, she conceived a child by the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph however, her husband, who was an upright man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, was considering whether he should quietly set her free [or, decided to consider all this a mystery.] As he was pondering this, behold the angel of the Lord appeared before him in a dream and said to him:

 “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because that which is to be born of her is conceived out of the power of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall give him the name Jesus, that is, the Bringer of Healing, for he it will be who will heal his own of their error and guilt. “

All this took place so that the word of the Lord, spoken by the mouth of the prophet, might be fulfilled:

“A virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and they will call his name Immanuel, that is, God in our midst.”

           

Now when Joseph rose from his sleep he did as the angel of the Lord directed him, and he took Mary to himself as his wife, and he knew her not until she bore her son, and he gave him the name Jesus.  

Christmas I, Midnight

Dec 25, 2010

Matthew 1:1 and 17-25

A cup can be empty; it can be filled to the brim; and when it can contain no more, it can overflow.

God is an uncontained being, whose nature is overflowing, abundant love. In the beginning He created stars, sun, earth and all upon it. The human being was His centerpiece. He surrounded Adam and Eve with his love.  He poured a drop of His divine being, His love, into them, and into every human soul since.

His loving goodness flows through the universe, invisibly, like air. His love is the connecting force that holds the universe together.

With the conception of the Christ Child, God began a new human creation. God poured the full measure of His love, his Spirit, into conceiving this child. He created a human being out of whom would pour an overflow of love. This child was to be the first of such. In Christ Jesus, God created a divine human healer, one capable of pouring the full measure of God’s never-ending love out into all human souls who open to Him.

The Christ Child is love incarnate. It is God’s love that shines from the Child’s eyes. It is a love that corrects our errors; it is a love that extinguishes our guilt. A poet said:

Our eyes reach out for what is small, tender, 

 or shining, Something wants 

 to be born into this world, 

 and we grow inward and heavy with it.[1] 

It will be love, growing and overflowing in each human soul, shining from our human’s eyes, the Christ in us, that will heal the world.

www.thechristiancommunity.org

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[1] Nils Peterson, “December”.

Christmas Midnight 2011, Angels' Offering Song

Christmas I, Midnight

Matthew 1: 1, 17-25

[Now is proclaimed the beginning of the whole Gospel, according to Matthew in the first chapter.]

Abraham and Isaac, He Qi

This is the book of the new creation, which has happened through Jesus Christ [or, the generation of Jesus Christ], a son of David, who is a son of Abraham.

 Abraham was the father of Isaac,

   Isaac the father of Jacob,

   Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,

 Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar,

   Perez the father of Hezron,

   Hezron the father of Ram,

  Ram the father of Amminadab,

   Amminadab the father of Nahshon,

   Nahshon the father of Salmon,

  Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab,

   Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth,

   Obed the father of Jesse,

  and Jesse the father of King David.

   David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife,

  Solomon the father of Rehoboam,

   Rehoboam the father of Abijah,

   Abijah the father of Asa,

  Asa the father of Jehoshaphat,

   Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram,

   Jehoram the father of Uzziah,

  Uzziah the father of Jotham,

   Jotham the father of Ahaz,

   Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,

  Hezekiah the father of Manasseh,

   Manasseh the father of Amon,

   Amon the father of Josiah,

  and Josiah the father of Jeconiah[c] and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.

  After the exile to Babylon:

   Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel,

   Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,

  Zerubbabel the father of Abihud,

   Abihud the father of Eliakim,

   Eliakim the father of Azor,

  Azor the father of Zadok,

   Zadok the father of Akim,

   Akim the father of Elihud,

  Elihud the father of Eleazar,

   Eleazar the father of Matthan,

   Matthan the father of Jacob,

  and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah.

Goya

From Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David to the deportation to Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the exile in Babylon to Christ are fourteen generations.

The birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way: Mary, his mother, was betrothed to Joseph. But before they were aware of having come together, she conceived a child by the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph however, her husband, who was an upright man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, was considering whether he should quietly set her free [or, decided to consider all this a mystery.] As he was pondering this, behold the angel of the Lord appeared before him in a dream and said to him:

 “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because that which is to be born of her is conceived out of the power of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall give him the name Jesus, that is, the Bringer of Healing, for he it will be who will heal his own of their error and guilt. “

All this took place so that the word of the Lord, spoken by the mouth of the prophet, might be fulfilled:

“A virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and they will call his name Immanuel, that is, God in our midst.”

           

Now when Joseph rose from his sleep he did as the angel of the Lord directed him, and he took Mary to himself as his wife, and he knew her not until she bore her son, and he gave him the name Jesus.  

Christmas I, Midnight

Dore

December 25, 2011

Matthew 1:1, and 17-25

We all inhabit two worlds. The one is our ordinary everyday material world. And the other is a parallel world, a night realm we enter in sleep. This night realm is alive with a multitude of beings who would guide and advise us. This is how we sometimes wake up knowing exactly what we need to do.

In tonight’s reading, we hear of a moment in time, when the guidance of generations will bear its fruit. And one individual, Joseph, must decide how best to react to an extraordinary event. In the realm of night, an angel comes to him. The angel clarifies the situation and advises him. And Joseph knows what to do.

There are individuals today who have a special relationship to the angelic world.[1] They tell us that we are all constantly surrounded by a multitude of angels, even during the day. In addition to our own special angelic companion, our guardian angel, we are surrounded by the angels of others; angels attracted by groups of people coming together for the good; angels attracted by prayer. Had we but the sight, we could see that a room such as our chapel is filled with angels, rejoicing in the fragrance of the religious substance we are generating through our hearts’ power of prayer.

Tonight we are visiting the night realm—awake. Tonight we join in the offering song of the angels. We offer our thanks that once again the Christ appears in the earthly realm. Tonight the two parallel worlds come together in the infinity of God’s love.

www.thechristiancommunity.org

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[1] Lorna Byrne, Angels in My Hair

Christmas Midnight 2012, Your Companion

Christmas I, Midnight

Matthew 1: 1-25

[Now is proclaimed the beginning of the whole Gospel, according to Matthew in the first chapter.]

He Qi

This is the book of the new creation, which has happened through Jesus Christ [or, the generation of Jesus Christ], a son of David, who is a son of Abraham.

 Abraham was the father of Isaac,

   Isaac the father of Jacob,

   Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,

 Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar,

   Perez the father of Hezron,

   Hezron the father of Ram,

  Ram the father of Amminadab,

   Amminadab the father of Nahshon,

   Nahshon the father of Salmon,

  Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab,

   Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth,

   Obed the father of Jesse,

  and Jesse the father of King David.

   David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife,

  Solomon the father of Rehoboam,

   Rehoboam the father of Abijah,

   Abijah the father of Asa,

  Asa the father of Jehoshaphat,

   Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram,

   Jehoram the father of Uzziah,

  Uzziah the father of Jotham,

   Jotham the father of Ahaz,

   Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,

  Hezekiah the father of Manasseh,

   Manasseh the father of Amon,

   Amon the father of Josiah,

  and Josiah the father of Jeconiah[c] and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.

  After the exile to Babylon:

   Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel,

   Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,

  Zerubbabel the father of Abihud,

   Abihud the father of Eliakim,

   Eliakim the father of Azor,

  Azor the father of Zadok,

   Zadok the father of Akim,

   Akim the father of Elihud,

  Elihud the father of Eleazar,

   Eleazar the father of Matthan,

   Matthan the father of Jacob,

  and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah.

From Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David to the deportation to Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the exile in Babylon to Christ are fourteen generations.

The birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way: Mary, his mother, was betrothed to Joseph. But before they were aware of having come together, she conceived a child by the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph however, her husband, who was an upright man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, was considering whether he should quietly set her free [or, decided to consider all this a mystery.] As he was pondering this, behold the angel of the Lord appeared before him in a dream and said to him:

 “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because that which is to be born of her is conceived out of the power of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall give him the name Jesus, that is, the Bringer of Healing, for he it will be who will heal his own of their error and guilt. “

All this took place so that the word of the Lord, spoken by the mouth of the prophet, might be fulfilled:

“A virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and they will call his name Immanuel, that is, God in our midst.”

           

Now when Joseph rose from his sleep he did as the angel of the Lord directed him, and he took Mary to himself as his wife, and he knew her not until she bore her son, and he gave him the name Jesus. 

Christmas I, Midnight

December 25, 2012

Matthew 1:1 –25

The generating of Jesus was long-prepared. It was the generation of a new kind of human being that would begin with Christ Jesus. The preparations are finalized when a man, Joseph, heeds the words of the Lord’s angel. The angel tells him, as angels always do, not to be afraid. The words make clear to him the nature of the inexplicable events that are occurring in his life. And angelic direction makes clear his own role in these events—that his role is to support and protect the mother and child for the sake of world destiny.

Bernhard Strigel

We each of us have an angel who accompanies us through our lives. This being knows the whys and wherefores of what is often veiled to us.

In the words of a poet, this angel says to us:

I am the bird that knocks at your window in the morning

and your companion, whom you cannot know,

the blossoms that light up for the blind.

I am ….

The thought that suddenly comes over you at midday

and fills you with a singular happiness.

….

I am your third arm and your second

shadow, the white one,

…who cannot ever forget you.[1]

Here and now, awake at midnight, we have entered a moment when the veil between ourselves and the angelic world is very thin. The service will speak of the offering song of the angelic choirs. We are being invited to join in offering with them.

For our thoughts and prayers for the world situation are carried toward the center of the world, to the One born this night. Offering and adding our soul’s substance of love to the song of the angels strengthens the great swell of music of offering. For we all have a role to play, however modest, in world destiny. And in response to the music of the offering song, there shines toward us all, Christ’s healing light of grace.

www.thechristiancommunity.org

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[1] “Guardian Angel” by Rolf Jacobsen, transl by Roger Greenwald http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/390357.html

  

Christmas I, Midnight December 25, 2013, Take Peace!

Christmas I, Midnight

Matthew 1: 1-25

The beginning of the whole Gospel, according to Matthew in the first chapter.

Tamar, Chagall 

This is the book of the new creation, which has happened through Jesus Christ [or, the generation of Jesus Christ], a son of David, who is a son of Abraham.

 Abraham was the father of Isaac,

   Isaac the father of Jacob,

   Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,

 Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar,

   Perez the father of Hezron,

   Hezron the father of Ram,

  Ram the father of Amminadab,

   Amminadab the father of Nahshon,

   Nahshon the father of Salmon,

Ruth and Boaz, Chagall

  Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab,

   Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth,

   Obed the father of Jesse,

  and Jesse the father of King David.

   David was the father of Solomon, whose mother

David and Bathsheba, Chagall

had been Uriah’s wife,

  Solomon the father of Rehoboam,

   Rehoboam the father of Abijah,

   Abijah the father of Asa,

  Asa the father of Jehoshaphat,

   Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram,

   Jehoram the father of Uzziah,

  Uzziah the father of Jotham,

   Jotham the father of Ahaz,

   Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,

  Hezekiah the father of Manasseh,

   Manasseh the father of Amon,

   Amon the father of Josiah,

  and Josiah the father of Jeconiah[c] and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.

  After the exile to Babylon:

   Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel,

   Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,

  Zerubbabel the father of Abihud,

   Abihud the father of Eliakim,

Maternity, Chagall

   Eliakim the father of Azor,

  Azor the father of Zadok,

   Zadok the father of Akim,

   Akim the father of Elihud,

  Elihud the father of Eleazar,

   Eleazar the father of Matthan,

   Matthan the father of Jacob,

  and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah.

From Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David to the deportation to Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the exile in Babylon to Christ are fourteen generations.

The birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way: Mary, his mother, was betrothed to Joseph. But before they were aware of having come together, she conceived a child by the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph however, her husband, who was an upright man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, was considering whether he should quietly set her free [or, decided to consider all this a mystery.] As he was pondering this, behold the angel of the Lord appeared before him in a dream and said to him:

 “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because that which is to be born of her is conceived out of the power of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall give him the name Jesus, that is, the Bringer of Healing, for he it will be who will heal his own of their error and guilt. “

All this took place so that the word of the Lord, spoken by the mouth of the prophet, might be fulfilled:

“A virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and they will call his name Immanuel, that is, God in our midst.”

           

Now when Joseph rose from his sleep he did as the angel of the Lord directed him, and he took Mary to himself as his wife, and he knew her not until she bore her son, and he gave him the name Jesus. 

Christmas I, Midnight

Angel Speaks to Joseph, Rembrandt

December 25, 2013

Matthew 1: 1-25

In tonight’s Gospel reading, we hear of a virgin who conceives through the power of the Holy Spirit. Something, or rather Someone, descends out of the heights; the pure virginal being can receive this Someone because she is willing to be the one to fulfill the cosmic and objective needs of humanity, the need for God to be born as a human being on earth.

Joseph, too, hesitates because he knows that this conception is beyond the usual order of things, literally beyond conception. He knows that when great souls are born into a folk, the parents usually surrender them to the temple. In his quandary, he too ‘conceives from above;’ from the angel he conceives the thoughts that will guide his actions. For this child is one who will need more protection than the temple can offer.

We too are capable of these two kinds of conception. Into the virginal part of our soul we can receive Someone from above.  And like Joseph we can conceive divinely guided concepts in our thoughts.  A very early hymn celebrates this day in which because of both kinds of conception, heaven begins to work on earth:  Fra Giovanni wrote on this day in 1513:

  

No heaven can come to us unless our hearts find rest in it today.  Take heaven! 

No peace lies in the future which is not hidden in this present little instant. Take peace!

The gloom of the world is but a shadow.  Behind it, yet within our reach, is joy. There is radiance and glory in darkness, could we but see.   And to see, we have only to look. [1]

www.thechristiancommunity.org

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[1]  Fra Giovanni,  Written on Christmas Eve, 1513. 

  

4th Advent 2007, Heart Prayer

4th Advent

Luke 1: 26-38

Bernhard Eyb

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.

4^th Advent Sunday

December 23, 2007

Luke 1.26-38

“No word is spoken in the worlds of the spirit that does not have the power to become reality on earth.”[1]

Words from the realm of eternity carry with them the infinite living power to shape and form earthly realities. They continue to resound even into the present time.

The angel from the realms of spirit announces to Mary: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.”[2] This Most High healing spirit draws near to humanity every year at this time. It is He whose very being and essence is Love. Mary is a representative of the pure

Mother Tender, Iris Sullivan

human soul. These eternally acting angelic words are announced to all purified human souls, to souls who have overcome selfish egotism and are ready to become vessels, bearers of the spirit and the Most High power. He draws near, hoping to find Mary-like souls into whom he can power the precious and strong essence of His being. He would fill us to overflowing with His love, so that we in turn can spill out His selfless love into the world. For “No word is spoken in the worlds of the spirit that does not have the power to become reality on earth.”

So, as the poet advises us:

Ask the Friend for love

Ask Him again,

For I have learned that every heart will get

What it prays for

Most.[3]

www.thechristiancommunity.org

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[1] Luke 1.37 from The New Testament, a Rendering, by Jon Madsen, p.141.

[2] Luke 1.35.

[3] Hafiz, “A Potted Plant”, in The Subject Tonight is Love, Daniel Ladinsky, p. 65. 

4th Advent 2008, New Adam

4th Advent

Luke 1: 26-38

Fra Angelico

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.

4^th Advent Sunday

December 21, 2008

Luke 1:26 – 38

“In the beginning, when God/Elohim began to create the heavens and the earth, the earth was without form and void, and darkness was on the face of the deep; And Elohim’s Spirit Breath fluttered over the face of the waters. And God said, ‘Let there be light.’ And there was light. And God saw that the light was good.” Genesis 1: 1-3

This beginning of creation describes how the empty, watery darkness is warmed and moved by the creative spirit-breath of God. Something similar is announced to Mary by the angel Gabriel: “The breath of the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and (like a cloud) the dynamic power of the Most High will overshadow you. Because of this, the offspring born of you will be called Son of God.” Luke 1:35

The same Spirit-Breath, the Word of God that brought the world into existence, now brings forth, within His Creation, from His creature—himself, the Light of the world. An astonishing inversion!

Mary’s response is threefold: At first she is greatly troubled. It is perhaps not so strange that the soul begins to ripple and shudder as the Spirit-Breath begins to breathe over its depths. And then, almost equally amazingly, she begins to question. She ponders the how. The underlying tentative soul gesture here seems to be: can I move with this? Go along with it? This is the soul beginning to open.

The third part of her response is assent. She humbly aligns her will with the greatness of God’s purpose and intention. It is a great purpose, for this is nothing less than the beginning of a new creation. For with Christ Jesus, humankind would be given a new ancestor. Just as Adam was the mortal

Aidan Hart

body’s forefather, so is Christ the new Adam, the Adam of the immortal human soul and spirit.

The first creation came into being simply because God said so: “Let there be”…and it was so. But the second creation requires human cooperation and participation. Mary is the archetype of the human soul willing to do its part to make the world new. But hers is likewise a soul that asks for the light of understanding; for she questions, wondering where and how she fits in. The explanation that God want to create His Son through her opens her soul.

Awed fear that stimulates questioning and finally assent—this is the path of the soul as it joins in God’s plans. In the second creation, God’s Spirit Breath says “Let my Son, the Light of the World, be born through you.”  And there is light, because the human soul is willing to seek it, generate it, give birth to it. And God sees that the Light is good. 

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