To me, "The word became flesh and lived among us," from the Gospel of John, is a metaphor for the original, transformative act, the original transubstantiation, if you will, whereby God used its own substance, or part of its substance, to create the universe and, eventually, the self-aware species self-named Homo sapiens. So, when we become aware—ultimately aware—then we become aware of this. Jesus was aware, as his statement "I and the father are one" from the same gospel implies. If we delve deeply enough, every one of us can become aware of who and what we ultimately are, and thereby attain the "kingdom".

 

The seed to that awareness is seeded, through insinuation and metaphor, by divine artist like T.S.Eliot and Jesus, and, if nurtured by contemplation, gestates quietly, comes to fruition, and breaks forth to conscious awareness in a spiritual birth or re-birth. This, to me, is the "immaculate conception" and the "divine birth" which can happen to every one of us.

 

In this spirit, I wish everyone a contemplative Christmas and a divine birth.

 

Arminius

 

 

  

Hi Ran-- As I stated on other threads I am not a follower of Christmas.I believe it is pretty well proven, to be at the wrong time of year. Also we were never told to do it . Nither Jesus or the Apostles did so . Nor were they  teaching it should be done. The day the church desided to do it on. Was put  on a  high  pagan day . With many pagan things in it.

Airclean-- now for this-------

Because what we are promised, in that strange phrase at the heart of John’s prologue, is a new kind of power: to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God. Power to become children! There’s a paradox for you: power to become powerless, authority to be under authority. Ah, people will say, but children of God; yes, but the meaning of the word ‘God’ is now being redefined, in this very paragraph, so that we only really discover who God is when we look at Jesus, Jesus the helpless baby, Jesus the one who reveals God’s glory when he dies on the cross, Jesus the only begotten Son who has revealed the invisible God. And when we hear that gospel word, and discover that something new is happening within us, something is stirring which feels very like faith, and hope, and love, we know that a new kind of life has taken hold on us, meaning that we have indeed been born again, whether a moment before or a lifetime before, have been made new with a life which death cannot touch, a life which will lighten our path through whatever darkness lies ahead, a life which doesn’t spring from mere human possibilities – born, says John, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. Power to become children: that’s the promise of new birth, full of grace and truth.

Airclean -- Now this is a very good Idea of Bornagain and I have no problem agreeing with him.   God Bless --airclean33

Later in his sermon Wright observes:

 

"But I’ve noticed that the reticence in our [English] culture about being born again is parallel with the equally common reticence about, or even antipathy towards, two other things:

• the notion of Jesus’ being born of a virgin, on the one hand, and
• the notion that the birth of Jesus has political meaning, on the other.

 

Now at first blush these three things, [1] the transformation of someone’s inner life, [2] the doctrine of the virginal conception of Jesus, and [3] the political meaning of the gospel, may look completely different.

 

But on closer inspection you find that they are all about God doing something quite new in the world; and our culture as a whole has become extremely resistant to any such idea."

 

Isn't it surprising how Wright is able to find this common element among these three things, apparently very different, and all very much odds with his national culture (and perhaps ours).

 

 

Hi airclean33    your quote    

Hi Ran-- As I stated on other threads I am not a follower of Christmas.I believe it is pretty well proven, to be at the wrong time of year. Also we were never told to do it . Nither Jesus or the Apostles did so . Nor were they  teaching it should be done. The day the church desided to do it on. Was put  on a  high  pagan day . With many pagan things in it.

 

This is interesting airclean33 ---I found this which ties in with what you say -----

 

http://www.lasttrumpetministries.org/tracts/tract3.html

 

The Origin Of Christmas 

 

God Bless Brother

 

 

 

Hi unsafe -- I almost forgot . I am not sure if you an your family  hold your belief in this day . But  wish  and your family  a good holiday  with a happy new years. GOD Bless --airclean33--Gord.

 

Hi airclean33   ---My belief is in Christ ----and His word ---- I am not moved by Christmas ----  

 

I wish you  a great Holiday as well and all the best in 2014  

 

God Bless

Sheesh... Scrooges or what...happy holidays to both of you.

 

Hi Neo

 

Happy Holidays to you as well ----and all the best in 2014 ----

 

To me Neo Christmas is all about Santa and commercial business ---making the big bucks ----many people give because they feel they have to-- not really because they want to or can afford to ---- you and others express your dislike of God Prospering His Churches but it OK  for this world to Prosper it's commercialism --drug lords ----big box businesses ---rock stars ---movie stars ----All the banks--- Power and greed is what this world thrives on but that is OK in most peoples eyes --it is the Churches and their Preaches that in this world's eyes  need to be poor and destitute and helpless-- many of God's Churches closing because of lack -----Many people go into deep debt trying to give their children great gifts just to keep up with the Joneses of this world ----Designer cloths ---computers ---  I phones ---tablets ---- all to brag about of  what great gifts they got to their friends and family -----

 

If you have a look at this word Santa ---just move a coulpe of letters and you get WHAT ----SATAN ----

 

 

This is what God says about wordly wealth in James 5-----God is our source to get wealth not this world ----  There is no rust that comes on God's wealth ----there is no heaping up as it is used to help others in need ----you get the wealth then you give it out so God can replenish it so you can give it out again ----you can't fill a full cup God wants our cups empty so He can refill it to give  it out again and again ---

 

 

Peace to you ----

--Hi Neo -- You are right here Neo . I do wish you and your family . A wonderful  Holiday as well.  May GOD Bless you  and may your new year go well. --airclean33

Scrooge is right ... screw-edged as they put it to yah ...

 

Yet they still can't see any story in depth. It is all literal you know ... nothing more to IT!

 

Tis a thin red line ... between ou-range and the purple shaft ... as cast against the wall as a child of wisdom ... Romantics hate thinkers! Thus where did all the intellect go? Its just goan ... or is that John as common sense in dry humur; anar ID dimension needing a dun Kahn ... or so the reflective portion goes ... and it was lost as a lamb! Isn't that de Light in a dark friable form ... thus it was ET roasted ... upstanding meal for the alternate gods?

Christmas that threatens our (old) world...

Tom Wright: "Our entire culture simply doesn’t want to know about a God who does something new.

 

Christmas as nostalgia: that’s fine, it’s part of the old world that makes us feel at home.

 

Christmas as shopping bonanza: that’s fine, too, because again we have subsumed the message back into the old world of getting and spending.

 

Christmas as family time; well, that’s OK, though it is now routine to sneer at that too, perhaps because families, warts and all, can actually be a sign of God’s grace and new life.

 

But Christmas as the living God doing a new thing under the nose of Herod, doing a new thing within the womb of Mary, and even, shock horror, doing a new thing within our own hearts and lives: that is so threatening that it’s best, so our culture thinks, to sneer at the very mention."

Actually, if you spent a few minutes to look into it, you would find that "Santa Claus" comes from the Dutch term "Sinterklaas" or Sint Nicolaas, aka Saint Nicolaas, the patron saint of children who was known for leaving secret gifts to children, such as coins in their shoes.


As for the commercialism of Christmas, yea .. no kidding, our obsession with material wealth has crept into every aspect of our lives, including religion. I thought you were a big follower of Reverend Creflo Dollar? Or is that different?

Church Lady made it from SNL all the way to Wondercafe!

 

 

I remember Church Lady, she once was a contributor to wondercafe.

 

hI Neo    your quote     I thought you were a big follower of Reverend Creflo Dollar? Or is that different?

 

See--- that is your perception ---actually I am a follower of Jesus Christ and His word --I follow no human man ----Period ---I have had great success following God's word --Creflo Dollar  didn't write The Bible ---God did -----If Creflo Dollar is a crook ---God will deal with that not me or you or this world ----Creflo will pay the price when he goes in front of God as will you and all the rest of us for the life we live on this earth --

 

God says in His word that He gives us POWER TO GET wealth ----the wealth He gives never runs out it is used to help others -----Period -----

 

There is the cop out for helping others--- blame the preachers ---not this worlds system -- of power and greed ---

 

 

Peace  

 

 

   

 

 

You follow "no man", yet you say this about Dollar: "He talks Trust God and He will direct your path ----He talks about the Holy Spirit being a real person not just a thing ---he talks about allowing the Holy spirit to guide you and direct your life ---he talks of how we can be partakers of the wisdom the Holy Spirit can give us ---he explains that wisdom is knowing what to do when you don't know what to do ---he explains that wisdon is the word of God ---He explains that when we except Christ we become partakers of all the benifits of the promises of God ---deliverence ---healing ---abundant living ---etc ---he explains the difference between the word of God and the word from God ---which is really intresting --".


You sound like you believe every word he says about the Bible, but you're not a follower? Right, ok, sure, whatever. The bottom line is that you feel justified in criticizing the rest of the world's obsession with materialism, but if you can use God to get your wealth then it's all good? You're throwing stones from your own glass house and you're not honest enough with yourself to recognize it.

 

Hi Neo     your quote     You sound like you believe every word he says about the Bible, but you're not a follower? Right, ok, sure, whatever. The bottom line is that you feel justified in criticizing the rest of the world's obsession with materialism, but if you can use God to get your wealth then it's all good? You're throwing stones from your own glass house and you're not honest enough with yourself to recognize it.

 

You are entitled to your judgment  Neo ----I follow Jesus Christ and His word which is the Bible ----Creflo Didn't write the Bible Neo ---God did -----PERIOD .

 

Peace

Interesting. You can actually smell the cognitive dissonance.

 

Hi Neo    your quote    You follow "no man", yet you say this about Dollar: "He talks Trust God and He will direct your path

 

You see Neo ----the Bible says this ---Creflo is just Preaching God's Word ---Creflo didn't write this scripture ----The scripture below Neo say He WILL ---NOT HE MIGHT --OR HE MAY ---IT CLEARLY SAYS HE WILL DIRECT YOUR PATH ----

 

 

 

Neo   Your Quote  from above------  he talks about allowing the Holy spirit to guide you and direct your life ---he talks of how we can be partakers of the wisdom the Holy Spirit can give us ---he explains that wisdom is knowing what to do when you don't know what to do ---he explains that wisdon is the word of God ---He explains that when we except Christ we become partakers of all the benifits of the promises of God ---deliverence ---healing ---abundant living ---etc ---he explains the difference between the word of God and the word from God ---which is really intresting --".

  

All scripture based ----I can provide a scripture to back up every quote above ----

 

Wisdom Bible Verses

 

http://www.biblestudytools.com/topical-verses/wisdom-bible-verses/

 

Neo your Quote ---He explains that when we except Christ we become partakers of all the benifits of the promises of God ---deliverence ---healing ---abundant living ---etc -------Read 2Peter 1:4

 

 

How does one gain wisdom when there is such opposition to ghostly thought ... mental process that has been lost to those that repeat the same old thing ... close to cognitive dissonance or loss of focus ... foreign points that fall upon one's self due to ggravid forces that can't be reduced until one is levitated ... like the eternal Levite.

 

With too much grasp of material things does one loose grip of the metaphysical metaphor? Thus they can't see through the CLOUD factor ... sometimes well mapped out and few pay any folk us twit as a mental hazing! This is Ahaziah following Ahab in the Classic Myth ... but then what modern j'Nus knows what Ahab is in ancient conception without appreciation of lost tongues ... the silence creating a great curiousity to many ... like what deh eLLe 's that mean?

 

Such things are lost to those that oppose the tree of knowledge a very sublte imposition ... possibly due to Classic Exegetes that believed they were god and couldn't follow forces that were beyond eM as hermenuetic ... a mire mrs understood word like "i" ... what's in a foreighn word? You just can't know without questioning it ...

 

Sometimes it is odd what you learn ... and you know what real nostagia thinks of that chit! Sometimes it is best to get on with it ... as the Eire Lass did with the English Lords and some sense was screwed into them in mythical fa' shion as was stated in how the celts saved the empire ... and around it went ... usually by starvation, murder of expulsion leading to them daown under and thinking contaminants in the west ... that's be van der val (or wonderful) as they left the east ... dissonantly! One has to be careful or neuronal effects on the tongues of man ... they can be eclectic!