There is a responsibility, as I see it, that we come into the living Christ, also known as the Messiah. Some might argue or debate what all that means.  I’d rather celebrate. – John Morton

This article comes from a Christmas Eve Seminar given by John Morton on December 24, 2011.

I look at what we celebrate this time of year called Christmas as the Christ Mass.  It is a consecration and celebration.  Often, there is tradition.  We gather in each of our own traditions and histories this time of year, and other ways such as Hanukah and Kwanza.  I am sure there are other traditions because it’s the season.

There is a responsibility, as I see it, that we come into the living Christ, also known as the Messiah. Some might argue or debate what all that means.  I’d rather celebrate.  It is something that comes from our willingness to gather in this purpose.

There are other things that go on this time of year, having to do with trying to figure out who gets what, what it means and how much it costs.  When things come our way, what does it mean?  Was it enough?  Was it correct?  I think we often get distracted by what I have heard referred to as the commercialization of the Christ Mass.

I invite you, in your own way, to open your hearts to find what is personal for you.  It is often a celebration of family, and at times that can be challenging.  To get together as a family can be part of the challenge. How and where do we do that?  Whose home and who is doing dinner?  Trying to figure out those kinds of things.

That kind of approach often gets into distractions that would lose connection with what we are looking at, which is a birth of the Spirit.  My view of that takes place in the Spirit and from the Spirit when we talk about life in this world and who we are in the flesh.  It is something that breathes from the flesh in the first moment, breathing us with every moment of what life brings to us.

I invite you to see what Spirit is doing with us is always a cause of celebration. There is great joy!  There is great peace regardless of what comes across in the flesh and in the world.

With life as it is for all of us, the Christ Mass often presents itself as something challenging.  At times our expression doesn’t represent our truth, our whole truth and nothing but the truth.  There may be consternation and judgment in some way.  It may become a challenge to keep uplifted in this presence of the Spirit that is joyful, peaceful, harmonious, abundant, prosperous, generous, and receiving.  This is the truth of this Spirit.

It may be that in challenges and difficulties the choice becomes to make it more difficult than necessary.  We may do things in our responses that we would look upon as not of our true nature, spirit or that which is holy amongst and between us.

We have a part of our heritage I look upon that comes through what we call the Messiah.  We call it the Christ.  It is the power, knowledge, ability, and spiritual promise coming through the Spirit that can be awakened in each person.  It is a living potential.

At a certain point in my life, I realized I needed to connect to something on the order of a purpose and truth, and to make that what determined what I do in my life.  My search was a process of being awakened to the Spirit and making my life one of giving to others in service.  Initially, it was something I was doing to try and find some peace of mind and sanity amidst the challenges I was encountering.

There is an aspect of what goes on in the life of the Christ and that which comes in as the Messiah and shared with each one, that is a constant challenge and process of stepping up.  It has been said, “There is no rest for the wicked.”  That might sound something like it’s coming down on somebody. The way I look at it is what is “off”, what does not work or serve our soul’s purpose, is of a wicked, backward, or oppositional nature, and is something we must clear and overcome in our process of life.

This is good news!  If we are going to have peace, understanding and the good that is present in our life, we need to release this wicked nature. There is the opportunity to release what is no longer serving.  Release what bothers or disturbs you.  I invite you to leave your burdens with the Christ.  That consciousness can take that on, dissolve and clear it, and make us in the way we express in the world something brand new.  There is that invitation.  It is a blessing.

One thing we can do to allow Spirit to fully come into us and to fully partake in the blessings of Spirit is to be childlike.  We need to allow that openness, purity, innocence, and adventure of the child that will behold it.  Even if you think that’s ridiculous or a child’s notion, let yourself be open again and pure in the way of a child.  That is what Jesus told us of the entry into the Kingdom.  If you don’t become childlike and open in your nature, making that a part of how you express yourself, then it’s going to be difficult.  It is something we can all change in a moment.  We can open ourselves up.

It is important to “Seek first the Kingdom.”^[1]  Then, “All things will be added.”  What is “All things?”  It is all things that are good.  All the blessings.  All we need to do is to seek that first and to look to every action as a form of seeking.  It’s a seed that gets planted.

If you need to make amends, do it now, on the spot.  It’s far easier now than to wait and say, “I’ll make up for that later.”  Do it now.  If you are aware and awake right now and need to do or say something as part of the expression to fully commit to your divine nature, take on that opportunity.

May this year, and all that is to come, bring forward your fulfillment which is in joy, peace and the love that enfolds us through the Lord, our Beloved. God bless you.

Baruch Bashan.

^[1]“But seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” [Matthew 6:33, KJV]

Blessing of Clear Direction
(From Blessings Here and Now
Christmas Eve 1997)

Lord God, dearly Beloved,
as Your children gathered here before You,
we do ask that You bless us with Your loving embrace.
Each one of us can know right now that we are Your children.
You embrace us in love and caring.
We are cherished, and You forgive us for our errors,
for what we do not know or do not understand.
In this consciousness of the Christ,
the negativity, the burdens of this world
are all lifted and cleared away.
In the Christ, we can come and abide with You.
You have a place prepared for us, a place of beauty,
a place of sacredness that is sanctified of Your holy nature.
We breathe in this holy nature, and we breathe it out.
We ask You to straighten us as you see fit.
We do trust and let go of our fears,
let go of our ways that move us astray, move us into darkness and pain.
We ask to awaken to the Spirit of the Divine,
the Holy Spirit so we are comforted once again,
knowing Your will is being done.
We are grateful for our life, such as it is,
and for this world, such as it is,
knowing we are not here to challenge it,
to fight, to struggle.
We are here to love and to be loved.
We choose this mission willingly once again.
We ask, in this holy night,
that You give birth to the Christ that we are initiated into,
that Consciousness that knows the Beloved.
Let us hear that still clear voice of direction,
the voice of truth, living and abiding in us each day.
We are guided into ever greater blessings.

Baruch Bashan