"What is the
Christ?"
by
Rev. Christine
12/12/99
I’ve handed out a 3x5 card for you to write on. Please take a minute right now to write what you think of as the Christ. This year my Christmas talk is discussing what does the Christ mean to us. I’ll share some of the answers. I’ll also share some other view points.
Life magazine wrote an article highlighting "2000 Years of Christianity; the meaning of the millennium." Its absolutely amazing that Christianity is still around for all the struggles that came about. Since the beginning, Christianity has been outlawed, persecuted, warred against and split, and declared obsolete.
The article writes, "The real story of the millennium: A religion bruised, battered and divided survives as the world’s largest. In the beginning, there was a the short but dramatic life of Jesus of Nazareth, a strange and charismatic Jewish preacher. Some who met Jesus could not forget him, and in the decades after His death, writings began to appear and circulate that portrayed a life of uncommon wisdom and compassion, radical sociological ideas and alternating periods of willfulness and fatalism. Jesus’ philosophy was new and difficult: The meek will be exalted, love your enemy, give the shivering man your cloak.
After the preacher’s death the writing, sermonizing, and proselytizing by His apostles spread Jesus’ "gospel," His "Good news" about gaining salvation through faith and love. The movement grew to where the emperor took notice. The emperor determined to crush Christianity, which would surely not be difficult. It wasn’t till year 312 A.D. that Emperor Constantine made Christianity legal.
Two millennia later, two billion people call themselves Christians. It is the world’s largest religion, and in more than 20,000 sects and denominations if offers an astonishing variety of ways to worship."
This article focused on the development of a new religion based upon the teachings and works of a man’s three year ministry. We wouldn’t even be celebrating the year 2000 this year if it weren’t for Christianity. What is the Christ that made it so strong to endure all this time? There are so many different thoughts and beliefs around the Christ.
When I think of the Christ, my first thought is the Christ Consciousness, an indwelling principle, spirit of God that is within and part of everyone. Although expressed in different degrees of awareness in Christness; in many just a seed laying dormant waiting to be awakened, some have rooted and sprouted their Christness in knowing they are greater than just being human -- Christ is within, others have matured their Christness blooming with love, compassion, and good works for all mankind, while some give off new life awakening Christ in others -- being the light, the Christ light unto the world.
The Christ "Jesus" was a wise teacher, healer, counselor and demonstrated abilities we have called miracles. And, so is the Christ also in us. We have access within us this same teacher, healer, counselor and miracle worker, which we can access through devoted faith, prayer and meditation. Some call it the still small voice within, the Holy Spirit, the Christ Self or Christ Consciousness. But, what stood out most for me in Jesus’ teachings was that promise of "We too shall do these works and even greater works than these.." We too are of the Christ.
Corine Helene author of the "New Age Bible" series, defines Christ in the following four ways: 1st as the Cosmic Christ, 2nd as the Planetary Christ, 3rd as the Historical Christ, and 4th as the Mystical Christ. I believe that we experience the Christ in all 4 levels.
Helene’s 3rd description as the Historical Christ is the one that we hear most of and celebrate each year as the life and teachings of Jesus. This is the man Jesus who embodied the Christ Consciousness.
Helene’s 1st description as the Cosmic Christ is based on the trinity of "Father, Son, and Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit." Helene describes the trinity as God creates and Christ formulates, while Holy Spirit activates form. The Rosicrucians assign the following attributes "power" to the Father; the "Word" to the Son or Cosmic Christ, and "motion" to the Holy Ghost. This is very much the same as the trinities in Divine Science. This supports the Bible story of cosmic creation in the book of Genesis. John wrote, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made."
St. Paul expresses the same thought in Col 1:15-19, wherein he speaks of Christ as being "the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible..." In Revelation 21:6 "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end." The Cosmic Christ is the creative principle of God.
Next we have the Planetary Christ. Helene describes "the planetary Christ as a glorious Archangel, supreme among the archanglic Host." Some say he is Archangel Michael others Metatron or Archangel Christ. They say that this Spirit descended upon Jesus during the baptism, and embodied him during his ministry, and then the Christ Spirit infused into the planet and mankind.
Dr. Rudolf Steiner writes, "Before the Baptism in the Jordan, the Christ Being did not belong to the earthly sphere. From worlds beyond the earth, from super-earthly sphere He had come down to earth. And the experiences between the baptism in the Jordan and Pentecost were necessary in order that Christ, the heavenly Being, might be transformed into Christ, the earthly Being... A higher, non-earthly Being comes down into the earth-sphere--until, under the influence of this Being, the earth-sphere shall have been duly transformed. Since the days of Palestine the Christ Being has therefore been a power in the earth itself."
The 4th aspect, the Mystical Christ, is Christ born in all mankind bringing forth the new race. Helene wrote, "When the Holy Spirit activated the Christ principle within the Disciples they thought only Christed thoughts, they thought only Christed thoughts, they spoke only Christed words, they performed only Christed deeds. These men, who had been timid and fearful, now stepped forth unafraid. Thomas was no longer doubtful; Peter was no longer fearful; John no longer followed from afar off. No threats of persecution, imprisonment or even death could deter them. Their sole objective in life was to serve the Lord Christ and to walk in His ways."
This mystical Christ is the divinity that is latent in every human being. The Word, the Cosmic Christ, became flesh and dwells within all creation. This realization of the oneness of all life gives new meaning to the Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man.
Christ in man, what is the Christ like? Jesus was the model for us. His greatest message was unconditional love, compassion, and forgiveness. That God loved us no matter what. That God and I are one — the Father God is within us. And, that you to can do these works and even greater works than these.
The Holy Birth refers to the Christ principle awakened within mankind. When this new birth takes place in an individual, a tremendous new power emanates from their mind and a greater love radiates from their heart.
Let this holiday season be for you the renewing of the Christ birth within. Express the Christ to the best of your ability with all the insight, love, and peace your consciousness can reach. We need to endeavor continually to bring our world, our life, actions, feelings, decisions, into attunement with the activity of God within.
The eternal light of Christ is shining now within each one of us — we have only to become aware of that light and let it shine freely. As we follow the Christ way, we learn to let anxious concerns, pressures, jealousy, resentment, bitterness, and hurt be transmuted by the Christ light. Our life is changed as we become consciously aligned with the Christ. We radiate love through every thought, feeling and fiber of our beingness. We begin to see all of life as a great and beautiful unfoldment of love.
Let us welcome in the new millennium radiating peace and love for all mankind. "Christ in You the Hope of Glory."