Christmas I, Midnight, December 25, 2022, Heaven's Voices

Christmas I, Midnight

Matthew 1:18–25 

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

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 home 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, 2022

Matthew 1:17-25 

A diamond in its natural state is dark and stained; it gives little clue of what lies in its depths. Not until it is cleaned, cut, and polished can the light within it begin to shine forth.  

Jesus’ conception was shrouded in darkness, awkwardness, and mystery. Like a diamond in its natural state, the conception of the Christ Child causes consternation. Joseph is not sure what this unaccountable conception means. Has Mary’s jewel of innocence been stained? Or is there a greater mystery at work here, something precious that requires her to be handed back to the temple authorities for safekeeping? 

Joseph ponders the awkwardness. 

And in answer, the heavens open. Tones sound forth. A bright angel speaks to him, saying in effect: ‘Do not be afraid of this situation. All the darkness of this diamond mystery will be chipped away. All the awkwardness will ultimately be set to rights. Remember the paradox of the prophecy? A virgin brings God into our midst.” * 

In night’s darkness, the star radiance of an angel pierces Joseph’s gloom. Joseph hears and listens. From night’s darkness, he rises up in understanding, ready to guard and protect the light-filled but as yet unmanifested jewel entrusted into his hands. 

Adam Bittleston captures the angelic voice that speaks to us today from the Gospel, the good news from the realm of the angels:

Jan de Kok

Darkness of night

Stars fill.

Silence of night

Music breaks.

 

Midnight words

Promise the coming

Humble, hopeful

Of man’s true healer.

 

Hear well, O Man

Lift up your heart

In deep darkness

To heaven’s voices.*

 

Hearing, we rise; our understanding opens into the starlight, as into the night of the sense’s darkness there streams here, now, tonight, the healing light of the Spirit’s Grace. For Christ is conceived every year anew. He is conceived as the God in our midst. He shines in us like the starlight in the diamond. 

*Isaiah 7:14

** “Advent,” by Adam Bittleston, in A Window Into Worlds 

www.thechristiancommunity.org

4th Advent 2022, Become . . .

 4^th Advent

Luke 1:26-38 

Martin Schongauer

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 to her, "Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you." 

But 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 give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord your God will give him the throne of his father David. And he will reign over the house of Jacob forever. And his kingdom will have no end."

 And Mary said to the angel, "How will this be, since I have not 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 of God will be impossible." [For no word is spoken by God that does not have the power to become reality on earth.]

And Mary said, "Behold, the Lord's handmaid; may it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her. 

4^th Advent

December 18, 2022

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.” Luke 1:37  

In the beginning, God spoke. “Let there be…” he said. And gradually, all of the created world appeared. And with it, there arose, as its centerpiece, the human being, made as a picture of God, made to be, like God, a creator. God’s word, spoken in the world of the spirit, became earthly reality. 

To Mary and Elizabeth, God spoke again and conveyed His words through His messenger Gabriel. “You will conceive and bear a son.”  And it happens—both the virginal and the barren become fruitful. Because no word is spoken in the world of the spirit that does not have the power to become reality on the earth. 

Today God speaks again to all of us. He speaks but a single word, but a word of infinite and varied possibilities: 

“Become.” 

To creation, to fruitfulness is added the impetus of becoming, of changing and evolving, of metamorphosis. Just what we are to become is left unstated, for that choice has been handed over to us. 

Oleg Shuplyak

As humanity, we are no longer virginal and simple. But we have eons of human history, human experience, and accumulated wisdom to advise us. And we are made in God’s image. We can accept the task with Mary’s humility. We can receive this seed-word into our souls. We can conceive it, in our being, in our actions, and in our understanding. 

Just after the incident described in today’s gospel, Mary rises up and sets out on a journey to join her kinswoman Elizabeth. So we, too, having heard the word, can set off along a path to join others, to do the work of becoming, of developing, of transubstantiating. Now it is not only we who are to change. Now it is our task to help metamorphose creation. We are to transubstantiate bread and wine into God’s body and blood. We are to convert earthly matter into matters of the spirit for the help and healing of all the earth.

 https://www.thechristiancommunity.org/location-search/ 

3rd Advent 2022, Get to Work

3rd Advent

Matthew 25:1-13

Burnand

The kingdom in the heavens will be like ten maidens who took their oil lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. But
five of them were dull of soul, and five were alert and prudent. The foolish took their lamps without taking any oil with them. The wise ones took flasks of oil for their lamps. Now, because the bridegroom was a long time coming, they all became drowsy and were sleeping. But in the middle of the night, the call went up, "Behold, the bridegroom! Go forth to meet him!"
Then all the maidens rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, "Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out."

Burnand

But the wise ones said, "No, the oil would not be enough for us and you as well. Rather go to the dealers and buy oil for yourselves." And while they were away buying, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready to receive him went with him into the wedding feast, and the doors were shut.

Afterward, the other maidens came also and said, "Lord, Lord, open to us!"
But he replied, "Truly, I say to you, I do not know you."

So be alert of soul, since you do not know the day or the hour.

3^rd Advent
December 11, 2022
Matthew 25:1–13

In Jesus' time, it was the custom that a procession of bridesmaids accompanied the groom to the bride's house to meet his bride. The procession lit his way. In the story, half of them have stocked extra oil, and half have not.

Thomas Cooper Gotch

One might be inclined to fault the prudent ones for not sharing. Are they being selfish? No, in this instance, they are providing not just oil but foresight. They know that by dividing the oil, no one's light would last for the whole journey. And then everyone would be in the dark, unable to continue, and the marriage could not take place. This is not the moment for charity. It is the moment to be fully and wisely prepared to contribute to a strong collective effort in meeting the Bridegroom.

This story is a metaphor for the Divine Marriage of the Son of God and the collective soul of humanity. Nevertheless, the oil of prayer and spiritual light can only be acquired individually. One can only prepare one's own capacities for the Divine Marriage. One cannot do so for others. What is required in this case is not charity but foresight, spiritual preparation, and readiness. Last-minute preparations will not suffice.

We are resting, waiting in the darkness, not knowing when the wedding will take place. But come it will. And so we must prepare ahead of time to be ready.

In the words of Epictetus:*

It is time to really live; to fully inhabit the situation you happen to be in now.
You are not some disinterested bystander.
Exert yourself.
 
Respect your partnership with providence.
Ask yourself often, How may I perform this particular deed
such that it would be consistent with and acceptable to the divine will?
Heed the answer and get to work.
 
"Caretake This Moment," in Epictetus: The Art of Living a New Interpretation by Sharon Lebell.
 

2nd Advent 2022, Expanding Upward

2^nd Advent

Mark 13:24-37

 

"In the days after those hardships,

Aivasovsky

'the sun will be darkened,

the moon will no longer give its light,

the stars will be falling from heaven,

and the powers of the heavenly spheres will be thrown off course.'

"Then, the coming of the Son of Man will be visible in the realm of the clouds, invested with power, illumined by the light of the revelation of the world of spirit. And he will send out the angels to gather in all those who feel themselves united with him, from all four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.

"Learn from the parable of the fig tree: When the sap rises through its branches, and it puts forth leaves, then you see that summer is near. So also when you see these things coming about, you shall be aware that the revelation of the Son of Man is near, at the very door. Yes, I say to you: Even before the time of human beings now living shall have come to an end, all this will begin. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. No one knows anything about that day or that hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

"Be observant and be awake, for you do not know when the time will be. It is like when a man goes on a journey and leaves his house. He gives his servants authority, gives each one his task, and tells the doorkeeper to be alert. So you, too, be alert. You do not know when the master of the house will come, whether in the evening or at midnight or at cockcrow in the morning. Take care that he does not find you sleeping if he comes suddenly. And what I say to you applies to all human beings: Be alert!"

2^nd Advent
December 4, 2022
Mark 13:24-37
 
Standing is both an effort and a gift.
 
It takes effort to overcome the downward drag of gravity, to pull ourselves into the upright, and to maintain that uprightness within all the subtleties of balancing.
 
At the same time, that we can do so at all is a gift from God, a gift of grace.
Plants rise upward through the sunlight’s power. Animals have been gifted with mobility but have mostly lost their uprightness into the bargain. But human beings have been given both the gifts of mobility and uprightness. We can move and still be connected not only to the earth but also to the heavens — feet firmly planted on the earth, head toward the stars, moving forward.
 
We can lose our uprightness physically through illness or accident. But more importantly, the forces of uprightness also operate on the soul level. We lose our inner uprightness through fear — a natural reaction to threats in the present. We lose our inner uprightness through foreboding — projecting our fears into the future. 
 
When terrible things happen, it takes an effort to stand inwardly upright, to raise our soul to the spirit. But our efforts are always met by grace.
 
In dark times, as we struggle inwardly to stand before the altar, we begin to dimly sense a dawning awareness of the spirit. From the altar, a kind of subtle light shines. And in awareness of this light, we know, as surely as the plant, the fig tree knows, that the light of the Son of God is approaching. Our hearts begin to feel salvation from fear. Comfort and promise overcome foreboding. We feel, indeed we know that the Christ Sun is working here on earth. Our souls’ efforts to be present here are met with His grace. With feet firmly planted on the earth, our souls overcome the downward drag of fear and foreboding. We stand upright on the earth and expand upward toward the stars, toward the realm of the heavens.
 

 www.thechristiancommunity.org

 

 

1st Advent 2022, I Am Coming

 1^st Advent

Luke 21:25-36 

And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars; and upon the earth, the nations will be constricted with anxiety and doubt with the advent of these spiritual revelations, as before a roaring sea and waves. And people will lose their inner strength of soul out of fear and foreboding of what is coming over the living earth: for the dynamic powers of heaven will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud, in the sphere of life, with dynamic power and great radiant glory. 

And when these things begin to happen, stand upright and lift up [or, raise] your soul to the spirit, for your deliverance draws near. 

And he gave them a comparison, saying,

"Observe [or, behold] the fig tree and all the trees when they burst into leaf. Seeing this, you know yourselves that summer is near. So also, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near. 

"Amen, the truth I say to you: this present age of being human shall not pass away until all has happened. 

"Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. 

"Guard yourselves lest the perceptive power of your hearts be smothered by an excess of food and drink and by over-concern with the cares and worries of life, and the light of these spirit events break upon you suddenly like a snare; for it will come upon all who dwell upon the face of the whole earth. So be awake in the spirit at all times, praying, so that you may have the strength to live through all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man."

1^st Advent

November 27, 2022

Luke 21:25–36 

Roaring windstorms quake the trees and scatter their leaves. If we were to be seeing this for the first time, it might seem to us as if the trees were being stripped of their very life. We would quail with anxiety at the fearsome power of such apparent destruction. 

But we know, in fact, that trees bud, leaf out, and drop their leaves as a matter of course. Overall growth demands that the old leaves drop away to make way for the next phase. The roaring of the wind also belongs to that time of leaf loss. But even before the old leaves drop, the buds of the new growth are already in place. They stand firm through the winter’s chill till the sun brightens and opens them again. 

We, too, have times when the soul wind roars and we are shaken. The old drops away, and it makes us anxious and fearful. But it is, in fact, a sign that the next phase has arrived. The spirit wind is cleaning house, removing the old and outworn. It is painful to lose what we have built up. But the strength of all our inner work, our prayers, our attention to quality and character, our strivings, are the life that survives loss. They are the
buds of life’s next phase that are already in place. For a while, their life lies dormant, but after the heart’s winter, they will burst forth. 

Sombart

The tree of the human race also has its seasons. Here too, there are times when the old must pass away. Phases of history and the blossoming of cultures give way to what needs to develop next.
Painful battles shake the earth. Humankind is fearful. 

But the budding of the new, of what continues to grow, the life in the tree of earth, speaks to us in a voice like an angel’s: “Do not be afraid. Become. Do not lose heart. You can stand firm, for I am always with you. I am the evergreen tree of life; and I am the wind of the spirit, the soul’s sun, and the ground beneath your feet. I am coming. And I create all anew.”

https://www.thechristiancommunity.org/blog-posts/

 

 

 

 

 

4th Trinity IV 2022, The Veil Will Part

  

Trinity IV

The end of Revelation 22:12-21 

"Keep watch. I am coming soon, and I will have my rewards with me to give to each person according to what they have done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the goal. 

"Blessed are those who cleanse their garments so that they will have power in the realm of the Tree of Life, which overcomes death and may go through the gates into the Holy City. Outside shall remain those bound to low senses, those who serve evil powers, who walk impure paths of soul, who spread death around them, who give themselves up to demonic forces, and who, through their ways and deeds, falsify their true being. 

"I, Jesus, sent my angel to report these things to your assembled communities. I AM the root and stock of David, the star who unfolds his brightness in the morning." 

And the Spirit and the Bride, the Holy City, say, "Come!" 

And may whoever hears also say, "Come!" And may the thirsty come, and may everyone who wants it get to drink the Water of Life freely, as grace. 

Everyone who hears can find their inmost being strengthened in the prophetic words of this book. Whoever does not yet sense its greatness and truth, God will lead them to full knowledge through the trials of destiny written in this book. 

And whoever diminishes the words of this prophecy, God will remove from them their share in the Tree of Life that overcomes death and their share in the Holy City written about in this book. 

He who lends these words their power says, "Yes, I am coming quickly!" 

Yes, so be it. Amen. Come, Jesus our Lord. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you all!

 4^th Trinity IV

November 20, 2022

Revelation 22:12–21 

There is a great wellspring, a tree-shaped fountain, which exists just behind the veil of the senses. Bright waters gather and rise up powerfully, release in a great showering crown, and fall in sparkling color back to the Source to rise again, ever-changing, ever-renewed. 

Within this shimmering fountain-tree, there appears One who gathers substance and rises in birth, whose arms, outstretched like a cross, shower the blessings of his love’s light, who falls into death and then gathers himself and rises anew, who gathers and ascends again in ever greater cycles, joining heaven and earth. 

He is the pattern for all life. The flowing rise of energy, the sustained spreading release of the crowning, the falling back to the Source; this pattern underlies the flow of our day, the rising and falling of the phases of our lives, the arc of an entire lifetime, and of lives in succession. 

“Fortunate are those who wash their garments so that they will have power in the realm of the Tree of Life that overcomes death.” 

We all wear inner garments of soul, garments woven of habits, thoughts, and feelings. We have stained them by our everyday willingness to ignore the fountain that flows just beyond the veil, by our resistance to parting the veil and stepping into the beyond. 

But through the veil, we hear His voice. He who shines with the brightness of morning encourages us to dip our soul garments into His fountain to overcome our earthbound tendencies. He encourages us to rise with him in enthusiasm, to release His love and light into life, to return with Him to the Source, which is the true spirit of the earth. 

“Keep watch,” He says, “Soon, the veil will part, and I will appear, the fountain overflowing with life. 

To you who have washed your soul garments in the knowledge that the sense world is not all that there is;

to you who have felt My power flowing through the veins of your life;

to you who have worked to rise above the death of your soul;

your reward shall be to join me in the Fountain of Life, to partake of my renewing life at its Source.

 

“…for those who want it may drink of me, the Water of Life, free, as grace.”

 

 https://www.thechristiancommunity.org/blog-posts/

 

3rd Trinity IV 2022, Enduring Form

November Trinity

Revelation 21:1-27 

And I beheld the events in the spirit out of which a new heaven and a new earth proceeded. For the earlier heaven and the earlier earth were gone, and the billowing ocean is no more. 

Maronite

And further, I saw the Holy City, untouched by the Briearthly, coming forth out of the being of God, descending out of the spiritual worlds: the New Jerusalem. She appeared in her beauty like a bride who has adorned herself for the bridegroom. 

And I heard a powerful voice coming from the throne that said: "Behold the dwelling of God in the midst of humanity. He will indeed dwell in your midst, and the people will be His people.

God himself will be with them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eye. There will be no more death, mourning, crying, or pain for the old world is gone." 

And He who was seated on the throne said: "Behold: I am creating all anew." 

And He said, "Write, for it is these words that shall make faith and knowledge into true reality." 

And He said to me: "It is accomplished! I AM the Alpha and the Omega, World Beginning and World Goal. To the thirsty, I will give from the springs of the waters of life, outside the workings of destiny, as grace. Whoever overcomes shall inherit all this. 'I will be His God, and to me, He will be like a son.' 

And there came to me one of the seven angels who have the seven bowls filled with the last seven plagues of the world, and he spoke with me and said, "Come, I will show you the eternal Feminine, the bride, the wife of the Lamb." 

But as for the fearful souls, those who have no faith, who pervert the image of the human being, those who spread death around them, who tread impure paths of soul, make use of dark magic forces and serve demonic powers, as well as all frauds—the fiery swamp of the abyss opens for them and flames of sulfur blaze. That is the second death. 

 And he carried me in spirit-form up to a great high mountain, and let me see how the Holy City, Jerusalem, the City of Peace, descended out of the spiritual worlds, coming forth from the being of God, wrapped in the most intimate splendor of the revelation of God. 

Her shining [or, gleaming] is like that of a precious gemstone, like the stone jasper, clear as crystal. 

Her walls are of mighty size and height; she has twelve gates and at the gates stand twelve angels. On the gates are written the names of the twelve sons of Israel: three gates from the East, three gates from the North, three gates from the South, and three gates from the West. 

And the wall of the City rests on twelve sacred foundations, and the names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb work in them. 

Ottheinrich Apocalypse

And he who spoke with me carried a golden
measuring rod to measure the City and her gates and her walls. 

And the City is spread out in a square; her length is the same as her width. And he measured the City with the measuring rod. It measured twelve thousand miles; the length and breadth and height were alike. And he measured her walls at one hundred forty-four cubits [ells], the measure of a human, which now the angel was using. 

The covering of her walls was of jasper, and the City herself of purified gold, clear as glass. And the sacred foundations of the walls were adorned with every precious stone: 

the first, a jasper,

the second, a sapphire,

the third, a chalcedony,

the fourth, emerald,

the fifth sardonyx,

the sixth, carnelian,

the seventh, chrysolite,

the eighth, beryl,

the ninth, topaz,

the tenth, chrysoprase

the eleventh, hyacinth,

the twelfth, an amethyst. 

The twelve gates were twelve pearls, and each of the gates made of a single pearl. And the City was of purified gold, like a transparent crystal. 

I did not see a temple in the City, for the Lord God, Ruler of All, is her sanctuary, and the Lamb. 

And the City needs neither sun nor moon, for she shines from within; for the shining revelation of God is streaming brightness in her, and her light is the Lamb. 

And all nations shall walk in her light, and the rulers of the earth will carry their spiritual treasures into her. And her gates will never be closed by day, for there, the night will be no more. 

And all the shining treasures of the revelations of the world, and all the spiritual worth of the nations and all achievements of the soul will be brought into her. 

And nothing can enter that is not spiritualized [or, is not consecrated], nothing that perverts the image of the human, nothing that remains under the power of the Lie, but rather only those who are written into the Book of Life of the Lamb.

3^rd Trinity IV

November 13, 2022

Revelation 21:1–27 

“The wall of the city rests on twelve sacred foundations, and the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb work in them.” Rev. 21:14 

The heavenly Jerusalem, a city of peace, is the future residence of humanity. It rests upon the working of the twelve apostles, on human efforts. Even today, human virtues flowing into and from Christ are creating the basis, the foundation of our future residence. 

Patient self-control, enduring courage, compassionate and courteous unselfishness are some of the virtues that sustain our future. Our efforts in these areas are born out of our love for humanity and for the world of the spirit. In this work toward the future, we join Christ’s apostles, the ones He sends out to do His work. 

In every effort to create virtue, Christ joins His power to ours. We offer Him our best efforts, and however imperfect they may be, Christ adds the power of his strength and endurance to them. Through Him, they are solidified and become enduring foundation stones. 

In consecrating the human being, we are given
the opportunity, week by week, to offer Him our endeavors. In the offering, a fire is enkindled in which human love and divine love intermingle. This love-fire is not destructive; it is creative. The flames of this love give vitality to what we offer. Our offerings of the work of virtue are kiln-fired at the altar to give them strength and holding power so that their goodness endures. They become living gemstones. 

We bring our inner materials to the altar. There we offer them into Christ’s flame of love. Our raw efforts are given a finish and fired, transforming them into an enduring form, into the foundation stones of the New Jerusalem, the city of Peace. 

www.thechristiancommunity.org