{"id":111762,"date":"2023-12-22T16:00:56","date_gmt":"2023-12-23T00:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/?p=111762"},"modified":"2023-12-22T16:03:06","modified_gmt":"2023-12-23T00:03:06","slug":"celebrating-the-christ-mass-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/archives\/111762-celebrating-the-christ-mass-2","title":{"rendered":"Celebrating the Christ Mass"},"content":{"rendered":"

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.\u00a0 I\u2019d rather celebrate.<\/em> – John Morton<\/p>\n

This article comes from a Christmas Eve Seminar given by John Morton on December 24, 2011.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I look at what we celebrate this time of year called Christmas as the Christ Mass.\u00a0 It is a consecration and celebration.\u00a0 Often, there is tradition.\u00a0 We gather in each of our own traditions and histories this time of year, and other ways such as Hanukah and Kwanza.\u00a0 I am sure there are other traditions because it\u2019s the season.<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0 I\u2019d rather celebrate.\u00a0 It is something that comes from our willingness to gather in this purpose.<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0 When things come our way, what does it mean?\u00a0 Was it enough?\u00a0 Was it correct?\u00a0 I think we often get distracted by what I have heard referred to as the commercialization of the Christ Mass.<\/p>\n

I invite you, in your own way, to open your hearts to find what is personal for you.\u00a0 It is often a celebration of family, and at times that can be challenging.\u00a0 To get together as a family can be part of the challenge. How and where do we do that?\u00a0 Whose home and who is doing dinner?\u00a0 Trying to figure out those kinds of things.<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 It is something that breathes from the flesh in the first moment, breathing us with every moment of what life brings to us.<\/p>\n

I invite you to see what Spirit is doing with us is always a cause of celebration. There is great joy!\u00a0 There is great peace regardless of what comes across in the flesh and in the world.<\/p>\n

With life as it is for all of us, the Christ Mass often presents itself as something challenging.\u00a0 At times our expression doesn\u2019t represent our truth, our whole truth and nothing but the truth.\u00a0 There may be consternation and judgment in some way.\u00a0 It may become a challenge to keep uplifted in this presence of the Spirit that is joyful, peaceful, harmonious, abundant, prosperous, generous, and receiving.\u00a0 This is the truth of this Spirit.<\/p>\n

It may be that in challenges and difficulties the choice becomes to make it more difficult than necessary.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n

We have a part of our heritage I look upon that comes through what we call the Messiah.\u00a0 We call it the Christ.\u00a0 It is the power, knowledge, ability, and spiritual promise coming through the Spirit that can be awakened in each person.\u00a0 It is a living potential.<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0 My search was a process of being awakened to the Spirit and making my life one of giving to others in service.\u00a0 Initially, it was something I was doing to try and find some peace of mind and sanity amidst the challenges I was encountering.<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0 It has been said, \u201cThere is no rest for the wicked.\u201d\u00a0 That might sound something like it\u2019s coming down on somebody. The way I look at it is what is \u201coff\u201d, what does not work or serve our soul\u2019s purpose, is of a wicked, backward, or oppositional nature, and is something we must clear and overcome in our process of life.<\/p>\n

This is good news!\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Release what bothers or disturbs you.\u00a0 I invite you to leave your burdens with the Christ.\u00a0 That consciousness can take that on, dissolve and clear it, and make us in the way we express in the world something brand new.\u00a0 There is that invitation.\u00a0 It is a blessing.<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0 We need to allow that openness, purity, innocence, and adventure of the child that will behold it.\u00a0 Even if you think that\u2019s ridiculous or a child\u2019s notion, let yourself be open again and pure in the way of a child.\u00a0 That is what Jesus told us of the entry into the Kingdom.\u00a0 If you don\u2019t become childlike and open in your nature, making that a part of how you express yourself, then it\u2019s going to be difficult.\u00a0 It is something we can all change in a moment.\u00a0 We can open ourselves up.<\/p>\n

It is important to \u201cSeek first the Kingdom.\u201d[1]<\/sup>\u00a0\u00a0Then, \u201cAll things will be added.\u201d\u00a0 What is \u201cAll things?\u201d\u00a0 It is all things that are good.\u00a0 All the blessings.\u00a0 All we need to do is to seek that\u00a0first<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0and to look to every action as a form of seeking.\u00a0 It\u2019s a seed that gets planted.<\/p>\n

If you need to make amends, do it now, on the spot.\u00a0 It\u2019s far easier now than to wait and say, \u201cI\u2019ll make up for that later.\u201d\u00a0 Do it now.\u00a0 If you are aware and awake right now and need to do or say\u00a0something\u00a0as part of the expression to fully commit to your divine nature, take on that opportunity.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Baruch Bashan.<\/p>\n

[1]<\/sup>\u201cBut seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.\u201d [Matthew 6:33, KJV]<\/p>\n

\n
Blessing of Clear Direction
\n(From Blessings Here and Now
\nChristmas Eve 1997)<\/h5>\n

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

Baruch Bashan<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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.\u00a0 I\u2019d rather celebrate. – John Morton This article comes from a Christmas Eve Seminar given by John Morton on December 24, 2011. I look at what […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":111764,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[266,261],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-111762","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-john-mortons-current-story"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111762","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/44"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=111762"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111762\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/111764"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=111762"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=111762"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.msia.org\/newdayherald\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=111762"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}