Our Advent journey has guided us so that we’ve grown in faith, wrapped ourselves in peace, deepened in love, and delighted in joy. We My Advent journey has guided me as I have grown in faith, wrapped myself in peace, deepened in love, and delighted in joy. I have prepared for a wondrous arrival throughout the Advent season, and now the moment is here—the Christ is about to be born anew. We’ve prepared for a wondrous arrival throughout the Advent season, and now the moment is here—the Christ is about to be born anew.
Sacred Text: Mathew
18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about[d]: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet[e] did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. 20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,[f] because he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”[g] (which means “God with us”). 24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi[a] from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’[b]”
7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. 17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:
“A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”[d]
The Christmas Presence is the dynamic flow of the God activity made rich & real as we give way to that flow flowing in, around & through us! Unknown
The bringing forth of the Christ child is not a work that is finished in Bethlehem. It is taking place in our midst every day. It is this we celebrate.”
For as the prophet Isaiah states "unto us a child is born" this Christmas give the best gift to yourself and to the world is the birthing and awareness of the Christ consciousness at the center of the human soul.
Now, the Christ of us is expressed as an exalted Divine Idea. It comes through the interplay of superior intuition (Mary), and heart-centered understanding, (Joseph), particularly when these qualities within us move toward their oneness which unfolds our Christ potential (child) that comes from the activity of Spirit (Holy Ghost).
Jesus Christ was not born in a grand palace. He was not born to very wealthy or learned parents. Also He was not born in the full blaze of daylight with the knowledge of all men. Jesus Christ was born in a simple lowly place, a corner of a stable. He was born to humble and poor parents, who had nothing to boast about, except their own spotless character and holiness. Also He was born in the darkness in the obscure hour of midnight, when no one even knew about it, except a few Divinely blessed people.
IN OUR DARKEST MOMENTS we can birth the Christ what is needed is the faith of Mary, the trust of Joseph, the humility of the shepherds and dedication of the wisemen…
The above point of deep significance tells you that the spiritual awakening comes to the seeker, who is perfectly humble and “meek” and “poor in spirit.” The quality of true humility is one of the indispensable fundamentals. Then we find simplicity, holiness and the renunciation of all desire for worldly wealth and pride of learning.
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them. Blessed are those who are poor in false pride, who are humble and unassuming. Because they are willing to learn, they enjoy growth and spiritual expansion.
Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth. “Blessed are those who are willing to surrender to God and follow Her Inner guidance for they shall receive perfect and right answers and manifestations in Divine Order.
The Angels sang to the shepherds - Again in the darkness of whatever we’re going through we can receive the messages of God when we’re humble and surrender…
Even as Christ was born unknown to the world and in the obscurity of darkness, even so, the advent of the Christ-spirit takes place in the inwardness of man when there is total self-effacement self-abnegation. Where self-aggrandisement and vanity abide, there the descent of Divinity cannot occur, for these expressions of egotism are ever a bar to the unfoldment of the Divine consciousness. Empty thyself and I shall fill thee—is the Divine admonition of the Lord. The Kingdom of Heaven within is for the lowly in spirit.
This is the birth into a Divine Life. It was the secret of this birth that centuries ago the Lord Jesus sweetly explained to the good Nicodemus. The good man did not quite understand what precisely Christ meant when He taught that a man must be born again if he is to attain the Kingdom of God. “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked. Then it was that Christ explains that this birth is inward, not of the body, but in the Spirit. Such inner spiritual birth is essential if the Supreme is to be attained, if true bliss is to be experienced.
“Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again. no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. John 3
To be “born of water” is to be cleansed of moral impurity, sin and materiality, through denial to experience the awakening that comes to a person who denies to the personal self all dominion over him and gains poise and self-control.
Being “born of the Spirit” is coming into the consciousness of the Divine Law of Being, lifting the whole man up into a new life of harmony and order to experience the realisation of man's inherent God-likeness relating him on the constructive side to the larger life of all, rather than to the limited sphere of his personal life.
Science of Mind Reading
Story: The Greatest Christmas Gift By Lysa Allman-Baldwin
Each year as the world prepares for Christmas, I think back to the greatest gift I have ever received—my awareness of the Christ within and the crisis of faith that led me to discover it anew. Faith helped me pull myself out of the depths when the life I knew began to fall away. Seven years ago, my world fell apart when several crises happened in succession over a six-month period. I would have been able to cope ably with any single one, but not so many all at once. The first was the accidental death of our family pet, which devastated my children and me. The sudden, unexplained departure of my boyfriend, the love of my life, was next. After that, I was left to face my son’s scheduled surgery alone, as my ex-husband was absent even though we shared custody. I felt the weight of prolonged financial strain. My health was tanking. I was spent emotionally and no longer able to cope with any part of my life. Everything was changing, and I didn’t have control over any of it. I spiraled into an abyss. I was stressed-out, desperate, and angry. I cried all the time. Unable to focus, I felt as though I was failing at everything. I felt alone. Worse, even though I was active in my spiritual community and received its support, I found myself unable to grasp the spiritual tools I had spent years learning about and putting to use. I prayed, asking why so many painful things were happening to me: I’m a good person, and I’m trying so hard. I share my abundance, practice forgiveness, meditate, and pray. I’m doing everything in my power to live a spiritual life, and I can’t catch a break. Why, God, why? I felt as though my faith was the only thing I had to rely upon, and even it felt dim and far away. But somewhere deep within myself, I knew faith would be the bridge that would connect the life I had known to the life I was being called to create. When the life I knew fell away, faith was the light that led me into a new way of being. I thought of Mary and Joseph and the faith it took to journey to Bethlehem under unfamiliar and challenging circumstances. I found parallels in my journey back to myself. If someone had told me then that I would look back on this experience as one of the best things that ever happened to me, I wouldn’t have believed it. But feeling so irretrievably broken, so hopeless and defeated, opened me and made me receptive to my guidance, the voice of God within me. Like Mary and Joseph, I listened. I embarked on my healing journey when I went back to counseling and tapped into early life experiences, the roots of my current troubles. And, like Mary, my labor helped me birth something divine. I could have stayed broken. I could have repeated dysfunctional patterns again and again. But following the light of faith, however far off into the unknown, helped me understand the power was within me to create a new life of security, serenity, and love. These days, my life overflows with gifts—connection, prosperity, and unbridled joy. But none is so great as the gift I received in my darkest hour—the gift of faith restored and awareness of the Christ within reborn.
Poem: The Color of Love Robert Hawkins The Hawks Quill
When I started writing this poem, I was thinking about the "colors" of Christmas. The first stanza was initially written with the word black instead of bleak. But as I was rereading it and thinking it over, the abstractness of bleakness just felt right. I really liked the way it turned out.
Bleak is the color of longing tonight;
Clouds hide the stars and the full moon from sight.
Huddled together by fires they keep,
Shepherds stay vigilant, watching their sheep.
Off in the distance, Jerusalem lies —
City of Peace — under turbulent skies.
Long, they’ve been promised a king of their own —
Waiting while others have taken the throne.
Such is the color of hope.
Tears are the color of promises kept,
Once shed in secret, now openly wept.
Why would her God — the Creator of all —
Choose for His purpose a maiden so small?
Abraham, Jacob, and David are gone,
Yet through their bloodline His promise lives on.
Now, to this world the Savior has come;
Gently, she kisses the cheek of God’s Son.
Such is the color of faith.
Music’s the color of angels on earth,
Witnessed by shepherds the night of His birth.
Shielding their eyes — on their knees in the field,
Blinded by glory the heavens revealed.
Servants of heaven — with thunderous voice —
Echo the news for all men to rejoice.
Mountaintops shake while the vast heavens ring,
Glory to God in the highest, they sing.
Such is the color of joy.
Pure is the color of gifts from the heart,
Brought by the wisemen who followed the star.
Into the desert with no other course,
Save for the light from that mystical source.
Star over Bethlehem — piercing the night;
Prayer turns to praise as their faith turns to sight.
Treasures are laid at His feet where He stood —
Feet that will one day be nailed into wood.
Such is the color of love.
Christmas Mediation
On this glad Christmas Day lift up your heart and voice in praise and thanksgiving for the realisation that the Christ Spirit has been born into your consciousness.
How wonderful to know that all that is negative and limiting such as fear and doubt are forever dissolved in the light of His love.
How assuring to know that you are never alone, that the radiant star of the Christ love momentarily shines in you, to guide you every step of your way.
How incredibly to know the healing life of the eternally newborn Christ radiates through every cell of your being.
How magnificent to know that the radiant ideas of the Christ mind flood your consciousness,
Let us celebrate and give thanks for the power of the new born Christ in us as it blesses us and blesses others as we speak the Living Christ word..
Inhale and Affirm
Thank you Beloved Father Mother God for our dear ones, near and far…
Inhale and Affirm
Thank you for present joys and remembered miracles
Inhale and Affirm
Thank you for the gift of Christ born in our hearts this day
Inhale and Affirm
Thank you for the gift of life, the gift of light, the gift of substance, the gift of peace, the gift of wisdom , the gift of power.
Inhale and Affirm
Thank you for the gifts we give and the gifts we receive.
Inhale and Affirm
Thank you of the love outpoured this Christmas Day, the love that enfolds family and friends and lightens the hearts of the lonely, the love that makes us know of our oneness with Him who is love itself.
Inhale and affirm
Thank you Mother Father God for every blessing especially on this Christmas Day for the Christ reborn in our hearts and lives.
Rumination: I Place My Gifts” by Howard Thurman
I place my gifts on my altar this Christmas:
Gifts that are mine, as the years are mine.
The quiet hopes that flood the earnest cargo of my dreams
The best of all good things for those I love.
A fresh new trust for all whose faith is dim.
The love of life, a most precious gift in reach of us all:
Seeing in the acts of each day, the seeds of tomorrow.
Finding in the struggle, the strength for renewal,
Seeking in each person, the face of kinship.
I place these gifts on my altar this Christmas
Gifts that are mine, as the years are mine….
Amidst all of its whirl and activity, may this Christmas bring you To your heart’s altar; there to receive a sustaining grace; the gifts of renewal and healing, the gift of stillness, and peace
Benediction
May you be filled with the wonder and intuition of Mary, the obedience and heart centred understanding of Joseph, the joy and light of the angels, the eagerness and exuberance of the shepherds, the determination and expectation of the magi, and the peace and tranquility of the Christ child. May Almighty Mother Father God, bless you now and forever. Amen
Song: We the Kingdom - Christmas Day by CHRIS Tomlin