Christmas message 2018

This Christ of Everywhere is sleeping in the breast of Eternity; He loves to take new birth at anytime, anywhere, especially in the warmth of our true affection. Though the Infinite Christ is present in every speck of space as the splendor of ever new wisdom and creative expression, we can never see Him unless He chooses to be seen in the cradle of our unceasing devotion.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Should Christians celebrate Christmas?

The debate about whether or not Christians should celebrate Christmas has been raging for centuries. There are equally sincere and committed Christians on both sides of the issue, each with multiple reasons why or why not Christmas should be celebrated in Christian homes. But what does the Bible say? Does the Bible give clear direction as to whether Christmas is a holiday to be celebrated by Christians?

First, let’s look at the reasons why some Christians do not celebrate Christmas. One argument against Christmas is that the traditions surrounding the holiday have origins in paganism. Searching for reliable information on this topic is difficult because the origins of many of our traditions are so obscure that sources often contradict one another. Bells, candles, holly, and yuletide/yule decorations are mentioned in the history of pagan worship, but the use of such in one’s home certainly does not indicate a return to paganism. While there are definitely pagan roots to some traditions, there are many more traditions associated with the true meaning of Christmas—the birth of the Savior of the world in Bethlehem. Bells are played to ring out the joyous news, candles are lit to remind us that Christ is the Light of the world (John 1:4-9), a star is placed on the top of a Christmas tree to remember the Star of Bethlehem, and gifts are exchanged to remind us of the gifts of the Magi to Jesus, the greatest gift of God to mankind.

Another argument against Christmas, especially having a Christmas tree, is that the Bible forbids bringing trees into our homes and decorating them. The passage often cited is Jeremiah 10:1-16, but this passage refers to cutting down trees, chiseling the wood to make an idol, and then decorating the idol with silver and gold for the purpose of bowing down before it to worship it (see also Isaiah 44:9-18). The passage in Jeremiah cannot be taken out of its context and used to make a legitimate argument against Christmas trees.

Christians who choose to ignore Christmas point to the fact that the Bible doesn’t give us the date of Christ’s birth, which is certainly true. December 25 may not be even close to the time Jesus was born, and arguments on both sides are legion, some relating to climate in Israel, the practices of shepherds in winter, and the dates of Roman census-taking. None of these points are without a certain amount of conjecture, which brings us back to the fact that the Bible doesn’t tell us when Jesus was born. Some see this as proof positive that God didn’t want us to celebrate the birth, while others see the Bible’s silence on the issue as tacit approval.

Some Christians say that since the world celebrates Christmas—although it is becoming more and more politically correct to refer to it as “the holidays”—Christians should avoid it. But that is the same argument made by false religions that deny Christ altogether, as well as cults such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses who deny His deity. Those Christians who do celebrate Christmas often see the occasion as an opportunity to proclaim Christ as “the reason for the season” among the nations and to those trapped in false religions.

As we have seen, there is no legitimate scriptural reason not to celebrate Christmas. At the same time, there is no biblical mandate to celebrate it, either. In the end, of course, whether or not to celebrate Christmas is a personal decision. Whatever Christians decide to do regarding Christmas, their views should not be used as a club with which to beat down or denigrate those with opposing views, nor should either view be used as a badge of honor inducing pride over celebrating or not celebrating. As in all things, we seek wisdom from Him who gives it liberally to all who ask (James 1:5) and accept one another in Christian love and grace, regardless of our views on Christmas.

The Cosmic Christ

The mystery of Christ is much bigger than Christianity. Christ is not a personality but a Divine Essence. It is a spiritual emanation from Godhead. The Son of God or the Godhead in its creative aspect is that power or principle which begets and animates all manifestation of life. It is the Divine creative force, a great stream of life giving essence which manifests in all things, on all planes as the animating principle of the one life.

The Christ spirit therefore is an animating power of all life, physical, mental and spiritual.

In nature, it is the unquestionable urge toward perfection, which adapts the organism to its environment

Among man it is the urge toward union with God, the effort to bring the Divine in them into harmony with the Divine in the universe. It is this mystic forming verifying principle, the Christ force manifesting in and through Jesus, when he said: “I am the bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world” John 6:51 NLT.

"He who eats my flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life”

Such statement could not apply to any human flesh and blood or any personality, but figuratively to that immortal universal principle, which the personality of Jesus embodied. Eternal life cannot be obtained by merely observing or studying spiritual truth, for they must be assimilated (eaten) in one’s total being and be a part of life. Just as physical food must be assimilated by the body and manifest as love, tolerance, charity and purity. In this way we have truly eaten of the body of Christ. Only as the Christ force in us can we have eternal life.

To grow spiritually is not enough to lead ethical, moral and blameless lives. We must also drink of the blood and eat of the flesh of Christ, that is, drink of the spiritual creative power or Divine life force which shall re-create us. This divine life force shall make our lives not only mortal models, but dynamic, radiant centers of the force for good.

 We must distinguish between the mystic Christ principle and the personality of Jesus who manifested an individual manifestation of this force. This distinction is plainly made in the New Testament that only the lack of knowledge concerning the mystery of Christ can account for the incomplete teachings of the church leaders. Most teachers only talk about the personality of Jesus and his suffering. If they stop here, they don’t even touch the hem of his garment. They worship a picture and are doomed to disappointment. They see their ideal crucified, cast out and destroyed. The Pauline picture of Christ is for those who need no historic personality as a model, but to open their heart to the Christ and have the Holy teachings revealed through spirit.

The story of Jesus is not just a story of a great teacher, but the story of the perfected man, the growth and perfection of the soul. The story of Jesus is the story of which each personality must pass through. Most people live in their mind which is dual by nature and for the most part vacillates between higher and lower expressions. The Jesus man becomes a Christ only when the human mind is uplifted and blended with Christ Consciousness, the discriminating intellect; the Self and the Father in heaven.

Christ consciousness according to Paramahansa Yogananda is the projected consciousness of God immanent in all creation. In Christian scripture, the "only begotten son," the only pure reflection in creation of God the Father; in Hindu scripture, Kutastha Chaitanya or Tat, the universal consciousness, or cosmic intelligence, of Spirit everywhere present in creation. (The terms "Christ Consciousness" and "Christ Intelligence" are synonymous, as also "Cosmic Christ" and "Infinite Christ.") It is the universal consciousness, oneness with God, manifested by Jesus, Krishna, and other avatars. Great saints and yogis know it as the state of samadhi (ecstasy) meditation wherein their consciousness has become identified with the divine intelligence in every particle of creation; they feel the entire universe as their own body.

The resurrection of Jesus was the symbolic way of saying that his presence was beyond any limits of physical space and time. Jesus was historically bound; the Christ is omnipresent.