Last week, we discussed, the difference between staying in the awareness of what we know in walking through life, and embracing the unknown as a path to awareness, and creating the new in the world we experience. Another way of explaining this choice is: continuing to respond and live in the material world that is our current understanding, or begin a path of life, embracing a spiritual understanding and expand into the consciousness of love, harmony and joy in life
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This state of reawakening to who we really are, has many names in the different religious groups in the world. The Kingdom of Heaven, Nirvana, Samadhi, Shambala, Paradise, Valhalla, and the promised land just to name a few. The thing that seems to be missing in most of these conversations is, if this state is true, then how do I return to this state of being as described in the ‘Garden of Eden’ story?
We believe that the first step is accepting that the journey is possible because I am a spiritual being, created in the image and likeness of God. The second step is learning to follow and believe the inner voice of Spirit. The third step is to slowly change the habits that keep us in the bondage to the natural conditioned self, and create new habits and awareness, that opens the higher ‘True Spiritual Self’ that we call the Christ, into our experience of life.
The Apostle Paul in Romans 12:2 said: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God – what is good and acceptable and perfect.” We believe this is the renewing that occurs when we begin following a spiritual path with the intention of experiencing the birth or outpouring of our inner divine nature into our lives and affairs. We are here to support each other in this quest to return to the Christ Mind within us
We are celebrating the birth of Jesus the Christ and celebrating the birth of the Christ within us during this Christmas Holiday. This Sunday, Dec.12 we will begin an investigation into the tools that Jesus shared with us to help us bring out this divine spark within us. This Sunday’s tools are silence and gratitude. Next Sunday, Dec. 19 we will celebrate Christmas with our wonderful Prayer Chaplains sharing the Twelve Powers of Man candle lighting ceremony where we get a chance to look at the wonderful innate powers that manifest within us on our spiritual journey.
Sunday, Dec. 26 we will look at the tools of affirmation and release and the power of the spoken word. On Jan. 2, the first Sunday in 2022, we will be conducting our burning bowl ceremony, letting the past go and then doing the White Stone process to set the tone for our journey in the new year.
We are starting a new year embracing a new beginning, using the ancient teachings of our Master Teacher, Jesus the Christ. These are the beginnings of the new habits applied faithfully over time, that create new outcomes.
Each little change creates new vistas in our current life and affairs when we begin anew and don’t stop. The tools shared by Jesus the Christ are the tools that can bring the renewing described by Paul in Rom. 12:2. Let’s start together and not stop.
PS: Yes, we are doing the Christmas and New Year’s celebration in our Sunday services and leaving the actual holiday for you and family.
Blessings and Love,
Rev. Robert Test