The Christmas Gift

I am the resurrection and the life; he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.
~ St. John: 11:25

His destiny was to be our teacher. What can we learn from the life of Jesus? He was Jesus of Nazareth, son of Mary and, according to the present-day Christian belief, the Savior of mankind. In our teaching, however, Jesus represents the I in humankind, the Christ Presence, the embodied Spirit raised to divine understanding and power.

His story tells us that he faced the trials, tribulations and temptations of every man in his earth walk without falling under the influence of evil. We are to look to his life as an example and bring out the Christ Presence in ourselves. We are to accept the truth of our being and to live that truth in thought, word and deed. The Christ is the man that God created, the perfect-idea man and the true self of all of us. Jesus Christ was the Christ self brought forth into perfect expression and manifestation.

We are told to have “this mind in you which was in Christ Jesus” which implies that we can all demonstrate as Jesus did. This requires careful training of our thoughts. It seems an almost superhuman attainment, and it is. The human has to be put away and the divine expressed in its place. The human is transient and fallible; the divine is permanent and infallible. The temptation of Jesus took place within himself so we can see that the place of overcoming is within our own consciousness.

We can resurrect our body just as Jesus resurrected his. We resurrect our body by putting a new mind into it—the mind of Spirit. “Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.” So as we enter this holiday season, the celebration of the Christ, may we find that place within us of perfect peace and love. May we spread the Christmas joy that is our true nature. Merry Christmas!

Affirmation
This day and every day, I strive to be more loving in my heart!

Rev. Karen Wylie