December 24, 1972 (tape 201-B, CD 28)
Sermon
"Christmas 1972"

Let us stand in recognition of the Father. O Father most glorious, this night we come unto thee. We come unto thee with the presence of consciousness of the great reality that is taking place. O glorious One, we give Thee thanks and we ask for thy undying power and respect in the service to glorify and to keep into the power and the presence of thy kingdom. In the name of Jesus Christ. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, so it is done.

Reading from Christmas Service:

"Our father which has seen fit to give unto us the most needed gift of man to which on the morrow we do celebrate the birth of thy great messenger the Lord of our earth, our Lord Jesus Christ. In thy great benevolence look down upon us, oh Mary , and we ask thy intercedence with our Lord and Father of creation that we may receive once again the grace bestowed upon us by thy son, our Lord Jesus Christ. May the hosts above gather round in the celebration of this profound miracle of all gifts this night. We ask this in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and the great Father in heaven this may be done. Amen"

Sermon:
This is an old story but never does it ever really get told, as a rule. For in this story lies the deep roots of the Christian faith. And this is the point and the reality, the real reality, not just listening and knowing the story that is told unto us of Joseph and Mary coming on the road to be taxed and which is the beginning of the birth of our Lord. But the real substance that is in this whole bit of history, what it actually did for man.

How the fact that the Master came through this great being, Mary , after many years of preparation not only by her but by her mother in order to purify and bring them into a position acceptable to this being. So that they might, you might say, act out in real life in the real reality that Mary might go through the birth of our Lord and might experience it so that he could come on earth to actually go through the crucifixion purposefully. For one reason -- to make earth and people ready to continue their evolution of life here and make it possible for them to do so. To bring them to the point where the great Creator had intended they would be in the first place. And that is that they would take dominion over the earth. But under good conditions because things had gotten beyond that point of the common mending and the rehabilitating, as we would say today, but replenishing of the Earth.

So Jesus came this night and he will come every year; and I can see you say, 'Oh yes, yes he will come every year on Christmas. We'll sing about it, we'll think about it. We admire him, glorify him, because he did'. But let us turn back the pages of history to pretty nearly 2,000 years ago and come into that place where the Master was born. And let us experience all of this that happened in the story. Right or wrong, all of the details may not be exact. And then let us in another 500 years come to the consciousness so that we can experience it again. But let us come forward now and bring that memory up here to today. Because the birth of Jesus, if was born on the 25th of December is going to take place on the 25th of December every year as long as he is on this Earth. Because he must be born and die each cycle as long as he is here if he is going to have growth on the Earth.

We who work and earnestly study, earnestly accept our Father and the Creator and our Master Jesus and Mary . We accept it and then look out the window. And we say, 'Christmas time. I'm going to buy Mary a pound box of chocolates'. What are you going to buy for yourself? Are you going to experience what Mary experienced in this birth? Are you going to feel what Mary felt in this birth? Knowing that which she was giving birth to would be crucified and die on the cross alongside of two thieves. Now if you really want to get some good out of Christmas with all its joy -- you know Mary did have some joy. She had joy for many months while this being was growing within her womb. She had joy not only from the standpoint of motherhood but from the fact that she was serving God and His purpose. And she was giving of her whole being to it; not just what she wanted to.

And I know you say, 'Yes Father, yes Father', and that's because you still look out the window and say, 'Yeah, this is the real world out here'. But you haven't become conscious that that real world also is someplace else; it doesn't look quite the same. Now think about Mary for the next week and pray about her and see if you can get just one itsy-bitsy little bit of consciousness of what she experienced. And then you can start to listen to the story and to read the story of his birth.

Now she whom gave all to God, unstinting, taking no conditions, none of the warmth and natural physical warmth of husband and wife, that she gave away. She gave away this entirely and then for years before that she had given it away in preparing for this event. That was the price; but of course she was elevated with a tougher job - that's natural. It is a beautiful thing as I look upon my brothers and my sisters, their beautiful singing. But you know I would sacrifice all of this for a moment of truth where you could actually experience just a little bit of it. And your eyes would be opened to something else beside the shadow world out there. Just a little bit.

It's a beautiful time, Christmas is. Beautiful because it is an exalted time of manifesting the glory of creation and how man can obtain this same glory in the Father. That's what makes it beautiful. And we have the companionship and the nice times like we had last night and so forth and this is all beautiful but let us get to this other so we really under- stand Mary , we really understand Jesus and what he gave when he came here and participated as one of the factors in this Christmas story. For surely if you do, the grace of our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ will fill you so completely that you will no longer wonder about candy canes, believe me. You will not sell it or change it for this again. So let us listen and think. Spend a little time in contemplation. Spend a little time in getting next to the idea. Read the story slowly and contemplate upon it a little bit.

Now you've gone through one of the books on Jesus, you'll go through another one pretty soon. You've read them and I'm sure you've liked them. I've heard many say so. They helped a lot. Oh, if you could absorb what was in that first book, really, my what a different Christmas you would have. It would really be some Christmas.

Let us all in this time, between now and new years do a little contemplation upon the Lord, his birth and Mary , for the beginning of this coming year. Let us look to him, let us reach out and try to feel his presence. Let us know that this is not a play but a reality. Vibrant, living Light moving through this each year; in reality it is happening again.

In the name of the Father and the Son and Holy Spirit, so it exists. So it is, so it always will be on this planet. O father, Thou most glorious of all beings. Let us open up to thy wisdom and Thy will. In Thy name and the glory of Thy Son.

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THE THIRD DEGREE
INITIATION AND RITUAL
CONFIDENCE IN THE LAW
207-A-True-Knowledge
Christmas 1972
THE MIND
Sermon-to-Rev-Cohen
Sermon I Peter 4
Mystical Life of Jesus
Become as a Little Child
Already Given
Acceptance of Reality
Omniscience of God in Man
Overcoming the Emotions
Bitter Cup
Live in One World
Be Born Again
Second Sunday in Advent (1969)
Arise & Take the Child (1969)
Kingdom of God (1970)
Blessed Mother (1970)
Stewards of the Mysteries of God (1969)
Jesus Gift Unto Us (1970)
Teaching How-John 6  1-7 (1970)
Symbolism of the Tree of Life
The Purpose of the Order
Self:: Assumption
OBEDIENCE THROUGH LOVE OF JESUS
THE AWAKENING
ASCENSION
PRAYER AND MIND CONTROL
NEW STUDENTS AND LETTING GO
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