Christmas Program

Good Tidings of Great Joy(Editors Note:  I spoke with Reverend Jo Anne after the celebration and she acknowledged the presence of a young baby at the service and how that child added to the service as it was being presented.  Thank you God!)

Welcome - to the ILC Christmas Program for 2003

A joyful celebration - to honor the birth of Jesus Christ, the Winder Solstice and the all the Good Tidings of the season that bring us the message about the Limitless Inner and Outer Light that grows and brings greater Light and Joy to the World

Introductions:    Reverends Jo Anne Casey, Ned Nerdin, George Garff, Barbara Dahl, Rebekah Justesen and nearly Reverends Colleen Nerdin and Cynthia Holman-Schmidt

Evelyn Dee will accompany the songs on the piano.

Opening Song: Oh Thou Joyful Day

Chorus: O thou joyful day, O thou blessed day, Gladsome peaceful Christmas tide.
Earth’s hopes awaken, Christ life hath taken, Praise Him, O praise Him on every side.
Christ’s light is beaming, our souls redeeming, Praise Him O praise Him on every side.
King of all glory, we bow before Thee, Praise Him, O praise Him on every side.

Light Christ Candle and Centering Meditation and Dedication of this Celebration: Reverend Ned Nerdin

The Universal Story

   The story of the Birth of Jesus Christ is a Universal and Archetypal Story of the Triumph of Light, the Triumph of the Higher Self, or higher consciousness over lower consciousness. It can be understood on many levels, historical, personal, mystical, metaphysical and universal. It begins with the conception and then the bringing forth of the divine idea of who we truly are. This journey begins with the Jewish prophecy of the Messiah. The Messiah is the one who will come to save us from our lower consciousness and bring peace to our lives and to the world. Understanding the metaphysical and symbolic meanings of some important words and ideas from this story helps us gain a deeper understanding on multidimensional levels. So we will explain a few of the important words as we retell the story today.

 The central idea of this story is that of the Christ. It is all about the coming of the Christ Child. In this story it comes in the body form of Jesus the Christ.

 The Christ symbolizes the embodiment of all divine ideas such as love, intelligence, life, truth, and strength in mankind. The Apostle Paul talked about the Christ is us, the Christ in me, the Christ in you.... The Christ in us is our Highest Spiritual self. Bringing forth the principle of the Christ in us , or manifesting it in our lives, gives us dominion and mastery in life. The birth of the Christ in each one of us means bringing our individual consciousness into unity with the divine idea. The Christ begins on an inner level and as it grows up, it leads us out of darkness and into the Light, so the Christ is our Savior who saves us from darkness from lower frequencies and lower consciousness. The Christ in us is our Inner Light - our Divine Nature and it is called the King of Israel - like it says in the song - born is the King of Israel

Israel in this sense doesn’t refer to the nation of Israel, or the people of the nation of Israel, or to the Jewish people. It literally means one who strives with God and for God and prevails with God. It means the people of God, the people of Light, all the sons and daughters of Light. Israel transcends the idea of nations, races, and places and is meant to refer to people from every nation, every race, and every corner of the earth, every background, all who choose to serve the Light and all of creation with love.

 The Prophecy from Isaiah

So now we begin our story with Isaiah’s Prophecy of the Messiah in the Old Testament and some insight into what the words really mean....

  First, The Lord (Adonai) is the I AM consciousness. I Am is God’s name in us, or God’s nature, or vibration in us It is the name of the spiritual self. The Lord in us helps us to make conscious union with the Divine Father, with Holy Spirit, with abiding life, wisdom, love, peace, substance, strength, power, truth and the Kingdom of the heavens within. The Lord is the supreme manifestation of higher Light consciousness.

 The name Isaiah means spiritual understanding. Isaiah is the higher self in us that discerns the truth and fearlessly proclaims it.

 Immanuel means God is with us and the knowing that God is with us and that we are one.

 The House of David represents Love.

Son - A son is one who carries the name of the Father.

 "The Lord spake to Isaiah saying: "Hear ye now, O House of David ... the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel - God is with us.... The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light; they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulders; and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Song: O Come O Come Emmanuel  (Perhaps the oldest Christmas Carol still sung today from 800 AD)

 O come, o come Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel, that mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear.

         Chorus: Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel. (Repeated after each verse)

 O come, thou rod of Jesse, free thine own from Satan’s tyranny;
from depths of hell they people save and give them vict’ry o’er the grave
O come, O Dayspring, come and cheer our spirits by thine advent here
and drive away the shades of night and pierce the clouds and bring light.
O come, Thou Key of David, come and open wide our heavenly home,
make safe the way that leads on high and close the path to misery.
O come, o come Adonai who in thy glorious majesty from Sinai’s mountain,
clothes in awe, gavest thy folk the elder law.

The Angel Gabriel’s Announcement     

 Angel Gabriel:  An angel is a messenger from God. Gabriel means, God is My Strength. The Angel Gabriel is the Divine Aspect in us that contacts Love, the feminine soul Mary and causes it to become conscious of the Inner Christ and then bring the Christ into fuller expression in the outer world.

Mary symbolizes your own feminine soul that magnifies the Lord through daily devotional practice. She represents the Divine Motherhood of Love in us . It is she who conceives and brings forth the Christ Child.

 The Holy Spirit is the presence of God, the feminine face of God, the Shekinah, Ruach Ha Kodesh - Divine Mother of Eternal Creation.

 The House of Jacob represents the inspired mind that becomes Israel.

 In Luke 1:26-35, it tells the story about the birth of Jesus Christ like this:

"Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to Galilee, to a city called Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man named Joseph, of the House of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel went in and said to her, Peace be to you, 0 Full of Grace: Our Lord is with you, O Blessed One among women.

When she saw him, she was disturbed at his word, and wondered what kind of salutation this could be. And the angel said to her, Fear not, Mary, for you have found favor with God. For behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will call his name Jesus. He will be great, and he will be called the Son of the Highest and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and there will be no limit to his kingdom.

 Then Mary said unto the angel, “How can this be? for no man has known me.”

And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come, and the power of the Highest will rest upon thee; therefore the one who is to be born of you is Holy, and he will be called the Son of God.” And Mary said, “Here I am, a handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”

The Blessed Mary       

In those days, Mary rose up, and went hurriedly to a mountain, to a city of Judea. And she entered the house of Zechariah, and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. And she cried in a loud voice saying to Mary, Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And Mary said, my soul magnifies the Lord. And my spirit rejoices in God my Savior; For He has regarded the meekness of his handmaid; for behold, from henceforth, all generations shall bless me. For He who is mighty has done great things to me; Holy is His Name.

 Solo: Ave Maria - Rev. George Garff

Jesus’ Birth in Bethlehem        

Bethlehem has several beautiful meanings. It means the house of bread or placer of enduring substance, the house of food, or sustenance and House of the Living! Bethlehem is where the union of love and wisdom takes place and the Christ is brought forth in substance.

 Joseph stands for understanding that is limited at first. We often don’t understand fully what is going on when we conceive the Christ in us. We can be moved to put it away from us as Joseph did with Mary before the angel of the Lord appeared and said that the child was a Divine Child of the Holy Spirit.

 Jesus represents our little i (small self) raised up to the “I Am” identity, understanding and power. So Jesus, our Higher Self is our Savior. Jesus, our I AM identity is our Lord, the one who unblocks the light in us, who saves us from sin, or the blockage of light. When this light is released, or born through the Virgin of Light working through us, our light is released from its captivity. Jesus Christ in us is brought forth and can express as our Divine Parents intended. This is the birth of the Child of Light, the only begotten of the Father.

And so the story continues:

" And it happened in those days that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus to take a census of all the people in his empire. And every man went to be registered in his own city. In order to register, Joseph went up from Nazareth, a city of Galilee, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; because he was of the house and family of David, along with Mary his espoused wife, who was with child. And it came to pass while they were there that her days to be delivered were fulfilled. And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because they had no room for them in the inn.

Song: Hark! the Herald Angels Sing                                

 Hark! the herald angels sing, "Glory to the newborn King!
Peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled."
Joyful all ye nations, rise, Join the triumph of the skies:
With th’angelic host proclaim, Christ is born in Bethlehem!
Hark! The herald angels sing, "Glory to the newborn King!"
Christ, by highest heav’n adored; Christ the everlasting Lord,
Late in time behold Him come, Offspring of the favored one.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see; Hail th’Incarnate Deity,
Pleased as man with men to dwell, Jesus our Emmanuel!
Hark! The herald angles sing, "Glory to the newborn King!"

        Song: It Came Upon a Midnight Clear

     It came upon the midnight clear, That glorious song of old,
    From angels bending near the earth, To touch their harps of gold.
    "Peace on the earth, good will to men, From heaven’s all gracious King."
    The world in solemn stillness lay To hear the angels sing.
    Still through the cloven skies they come, With peaceful wings unfurled;
    And Still their heavenly music floats O’er all the weary world:
    Above its sad and lowly plains They bend on hovering wing;
    And ever o’er its Babel sounds The blessed angels sing.
    O ye, beneath life’s crushing load, Whose forms are bending low,
    Who toil along the climbing way, With painful steps and slow.
    Look now, for glad and golden hours Come swiftly on the wing,
    O rest beside the weary road, And hear the angels sing.
    For Lo! The days are hastening on, By prophets seen of old,
    When with the ever circling years, Shall come the time foretold,
    When the new heaven and earth shall OWN the Prince of Peace their King,
    And the whole world send back the song Which now the angels sing.

Song: O Come All Ye Faithful

O Come all ye faithful, Joyful and triumphant, O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem. Come and behold Him born the King of angels;

 Sing, choirs of angels, Sing in exultation, Sing, all ye citizens of heav’n above; Glory to God In the highest;.

 Yea, Lord, we greet Thee, Born this happy morning, Jesus to Thee be glory giv’n. Word of the Father now in flesh appearing;

 Chorus: O come let us adore Him, O come let us adore Him, O come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.   

The Wise men follow the Star  

Wisemen represent the wisdom that is carried within the soul.

A Star stands for Intuition and revelations of Truth that lead the way to the Christ. That guiding star in us is our inner knowing of our own divinity that calls forth the best in us.

East stands for the within - inner consciousness. Judea means praising the spiritual

 Three Gifts:

Gold represents the riches of Spirit. 

Frankincense symbolizes the Beauty of Spirit.

Myrrh stands for the Eternity of Spirit.

Now the story in the Bible says:

"When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, there came Magi from the East to Jerusalem. And they were saying, "Where is the King of the Jews who has been born? For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to worship him." And behold, the same star that they had seen in the East was going before them, until it came and stood just above the place where the infant boy was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly.

And they entered the house and saw the infant boy with Mary, his mother; and they threw themselves down and worshiped him; And they opened their treasures and offered to him gifts: Gold and Frankincense and Myrrh

 Let’s listen to the inspiring song O Holy Night sung by Carol Pope as a special gift for us.

 Good Tidings of Great Joy (Luke 4:17-18)

Luke tells us that the child Jesus grew in stature and wisdom, and favor with God and men. When he was about thirty years old he was baptized. While he prayed, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in the form of a dove and a voice came out of heaven, saying, "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased". . And Jesus was filled with the power of the Holy Spirit

He began teaching in the synagogues. One day, the book of the prophet Isaiah was given to him to read. Jesus opened the book and began to read where it was written, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; because of this He has anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor; and He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, and to proclaim release to the captives, and bring sight to the blind; and to strengthen with forgiveness those who are bruised. All were amazed by his words of Grace.

In the Book of Revelations it says: "And there were great voices in heaven saying, ‘The kingdoms of this world are become the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ and He shall reign forever and ever."

 The spark of the Divine Father that was in Jesus is also within us. When it is quickened by the Holy Spirit the Christ is born in us, and this Inner Light is destined grow just like Jesus did, and bring greater light to the world, just like the light of the sun.

 The Christmas message is one of good tidings of great joy. It is a message that can heal us and transform us and bring us Love and Harmony and Grace and Peace. The message is: unto US is born this day a Savior who is Christ the Lord. It is indeed a JOYFUL DAY. Hallelujah!

Hallelujah! (Praise to the Divine in all!)  

Silent Meditation:  Now let’s take a deep breath and exhale, allow yourself to become clear and quiet.

Go into the sacred space within you, and open yourself to receive Glad Tidings of Great Joy about what this means to you - receive a message from your highest self.

 Breath self back. Thank you for this message, the message of this season and this day.

Candle Lighting Ceremony

The light of the sun is the source of light and warmth and life on earth.

The Christ Light is the Eternal Light. It stands for Higher Love and Peace and Unity and the Limitless Light of the Divine Source

Now we will light our candles as a symbol of the growing light of the solstice sun, and as a symbol of bringing forth the Divine Light into the world, our community and our lives.

Join in the circle and watch the light grow.

We will begin the candle lighting ceremony as I light my candle from the Christ Candle. Then I will pass the light to the next person and say.

"With my Inner Light, I honor and celebrate your Inner Light."

 Then that person will pass the light to a neighbor and say "With my Inner Light, I honor and celebrate your Inner Light."

 When candles are lit we will all sing acappella:  Silent Night

Silent Night, Holy Night, All is calm; all is bright ‘round yon Virgin Mother and Child,
Holy Infant so tender and mild, Sleep in heavenly peace. Sleep in heavenly Peace.
Silent night, Holy night, Shepherds quake at the sight.
Glories stream from heaven afar.
Heavenly Hosts sing Alleluia. Christ the Savior is born,
Christ the Savior is born.
Silent Night, Holy Night, Son of God, Love’s pure Light.
Radiant beams from Thy holy face,
With the dawn of redeeming grace, Jesus, Lord at Thy birth.
Jesus Lord, at Thy birth.

Now we will plant the light in the four directions, which symbolize planting the Christ Consciousness firmly and fully, throughout the four corners of the earth.  

Each person plants their candle while all continue to hum Silent Night. 

(click on picture to enlarge actual photo of planting the candles at the ceremony.)

World Prayer: Jo Anne

 May every heart prepare a place for the Messiah to enter in and may the radiance of the Light bring peace to the earth and may we sing with the heavens and the angels a song of joy.

Song: Joy to the World

 Joy to the World, the Lord is come let earth receive her King.
Let every heart prepare Him room and heav’n and nature sing,
and heav’n and nature sing and heav’n and heav’n and nature sing.
Joy to the earth! The Savior reigns: Let men their songs employ:
While fields and floods, rock, hills and plains. Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy, Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.
He rules the world with Truth and Grace, And makes the nations prove
the glories of His righteousness and wonders of His Love,
And wonders of His Love And wonders, and wonders of His Love.

Affirmation:

May the Light of Love,

and the Light of Peace,

and the Light of Joy

dwell in every heart.

Amen and Hallelujah

Written for the Inner Light Center by Reverend Jo Anne Casey 12/03 All Rights Reserved
Metaphysical Interpretations are from the Metaphysical Bible Dictionary by Unity