December 19, 1995

• See Christ as example rather than exception

• The purpose religions serve

• Continuity of life

God joins this assembly of your guides and empowers them with love and insight, and reflects upon them and you the brilliance of God’s great light and all encompassing love.

This time in your year is devoted to thoughts of Christmas: its meaning, its importance, its symbolism, tradition. It is perhaps appropriate that you learn something more about this observance and who it is whom you hold so close to your hearts. The Christian church throughout the world focuses its attention on the birth of Christ and with that birth a sense of the importance that his life was to assume in the years ahead. The history of the Christian church is essentially viewed as a defining of the spirit of Christ in the world. Understandably, when there are many hopes and much anticipation about the implications of his life, there are going to be many approaches to viewing that figure.

The life of Christ was an exemplary one. This figure was not some kind of mythical construction. He did exist, but there is so much of his life which will remain unknown to you, for little was recorded, and much that is considered to be nearly first- hand information was learned in story form to recall this figure. It is true to assume that he is not the only way that one enters the kingdom of God. What is important for you is not how divine he was but rather what he represented. His life was in no way totally unique, for there have been others who have lived their lives with a keen awareness of God’s living presence and importance. But your experiencing of the story of Christ is a means for you to understand the implications of the life that he did lead.

When the church places a mantle of unique divinity upon this figure, it is not so much a statement of truth as a recognition of his importance, a recognition of the quality of his life that is so important. Yes, he was divine, but each of you is divine. He was aware of God in his life, but each of you is also aware of God in your lives. He devoted himself to living a life based on that awareness. Each of you tries to do the same, with more or less success, but the intent is still there. If one is more successful than another, does that mean one is more divine? The issue of divinity is not measured in success. It is an absolute fact that all are divine. All lives share the spiritual connection to God. For some, the character of that life reflects that divinity; for others, it remains neutral; and for still others, it rejects the divinity. But the divinity nevertheless is constant.

The figure of Christ is important therefore as an example, a concrete example— not the only one, but the one of which you are all the most familiar. This figure can serve as an example. Take away the myth, take away the stories—many of which are not really factual—and you are still left with an individual who is driven by his sense of the divine. If the stories, the myths, enhance your sense of connection with this example, then such stories serve a good purpose.

There is a danger to some of these stories because it is common for many to compare themselves with the vision that is brought to awareness through these stories. No one can compare himself or herself to the image that is presented. There is no one who is equal to the image that one learns as a child and that is perpetuated into adulthood. If you can accept the image, if you can accept the concept on its own terms without making a comparison with yourselves, then such image-making serves a positive purpose. But to the extent that such images create a sense of worthlessness or futility or guilt or overwhelming imperfection, then those images are best left alone.

The truth lies far beyond the stories and traditions. The truth is that he was a magnificent personality imbued with a love that exemplified the biblical concept of divine love in a very poignant and personal way. His was a life, certainly, that is worthy of emulation, a worthy example of what a good life can be, a life that fully nurtures the spiritual that is within. You hear about love. You learn stories of the expression of love. If from those stories you gain a greater vision of how love can be given throughout the world, then you have learned much.

In the end it is not so important whether your understanding of the life of Christ is one hundred percent factual or considerably less so. The percentage is immaterial. The spirit of what is presented is what is really important. We are not suggesting that churches should be built on completely new figures outside those who form the focus of their religions, but you certainly can be assured that there have been many who have lived lives reflective of their understanding of God, unselfishly, nonjudgmentally.

When an individual has a problem with the Christian church as an entity, as a political body, as a tradition, that person is becoming more involved in the appearance of truth rather than with the truth itself. It is as if you judged others by their clothing rather than accepting them for who they really are. There are no collective beliefs that have the full view or vision of what God is and how one becomes close to that God. Every religion in the world claims to have a perception that is valid and true. Without that sense of validity, there would be no religion. So therefore religions cannot be criticized for their view of being right, of being unique, of being all-knowing. That is the nature of belief.

You can only believe in what it is you affirm to be true, and when enough people believe it, you have a community of belief. But that truth is only a partial truth. All visions of God relate to one who is powerful, all-knowing. The particulars of that vision are what separate one religion from another, and those particulars will vary according to the society which holds those particulars as truths. If you devote your attention to the particulars, you are giving undo emphasis to what is ultimately of little importance. To the extent that such beliefs bring others to a sense of closer proximity to God, they serve their own purpose which is beneficial. Whether or not they are true in themselves is of little importance. What is really important is the influence that such beliefs have upon the lives of the believers. If a story brings you closer to God, the story has value, the story has worth. Whether it is true or untrue is immaterial. When you find yourselves critical of a belief system, allow those elements that give you pause to exist unresolved, and focus your attention rather on the truths that those beliefs are bringing your attention to.

Faith is a great power. How one achieves faith will vary from individual to individual. For some, the sense of closeness to God is achieved only through prayer. For others, it may be through the aroma of incense. For yet others, it is through music or poetry or art. There are many ways that one can find a connection to God. The connection is not so important. It is rather what you are being connected to. It can be expressed in other ways. It is the message that is important, not the messenger. Focusing on the messenger, you lose sight of the message. The messenger is only a means to communicate the message. Particular organizations of religions around a set of beliefs are really messengers, but it is the God that all are turned to that is important. It is the only thing that is important for each of you.

It is not necessary that you all share the same specific beliefs. The diversity of beliefs reflects the diversity of the believers, and that diversity is a part of God’s plan. Otherwise, one set of beliefs could justifiably be imposed upon all. Such a system obviously would not be appropriate to human life. There is no religion, formal or otherwise, that is more valid than another. But each religion will have its own appeal to a certain portion of the population. That is as it should be and must be respected as such.

The celebration of Christmas is a means of becoming closer in your awareness of God in your lives, for you are celebrating the life of one who reflected so many of God’s truths in his own life. For that reason it is important. Whether you agree with the details of that celebration or not is of no importance. When you are drawn to God, you are drawn to God by whatever means.

You should rejoice that you are so directed, for there are many who deny the existence of a God by whatever name. There are many who feel that life in human form is all there is to life. It begins, it is endured, and then it is completed. There is nothing before the beginning; there is nothing following the completion. It is as one sees it and nothing more. What a tragedy to live a life believing that one is totally isolated from anything permanent, anything ultimately worthwhile! How sad it is to feel that there is really nothing beyond life, for what then is the purpose of life? If it is merely an accident, then one cannot take it seriously.

Life is important, not because you are living it, but because of its place within the continuity of a greater level of life, the spiritual life, which both precedes and follows human life. Awareness of this greater life gives meaning to the human form. All that humankind is involved in that brings an awareness of the greater life has value therefore to the enhancement of the human life. Your lives are enriched because you can see beyond your life. You are the only form of life on earth that is so gifted. There is no other life-form that has with it an awareness of some kind of life after this life.

The religions of the world serve to bridge that gap between the current life and the future life and to show a relationship with the past life, and therefore one cannot simply dismiss the importance of organized religions. One must embrace them for what they are attempting to do. Your lives are indeed enhanced and given meaning because of the insight you have received on many different levels from many different sources. Accept that bridge to the future as a gift of grace from God. It is why you are here, and it is also why you are doing what you are doing in your daily lives and in your participation in this group of believers.

God’s light bathes each of you from long before your human life and forever afterwards. You are a part of that light. You are aware of the continuity of life. You have a sense of God’s presence and power and potential. You feel a link to God. Accept the imperfections of those links, but never cease to thank God for the existence of links. Your blessing is your awareness of God. That is the grace that is bestowed upon all. Turn your face toward that light and accept that grace openly and lovingly.

Your guides are all assembled and we rejoice in your continued growth in awareness of the sacredness of all life.

Amen.