Luke 2:8-20
Part of lesson presumed given
Christmas Day December 25, 1892
Emma Curtis Hopkins
Why did the
shepherds catch the gleams of a light that was not sunlight or moonlight or
fire light? Because they were setting themselves free from the world-wide idea
that some kind of material light must shine or they would be in darkness. Why
did they have the songs of harmonious choirs whose soul-strung voices never had
chanted of death or of mourning, but only of life and delight? Because for just
a brief space they let alone the teachings of their schools and their churches
concerning dying before seeing heavenly beings, and being resurrected before
hearing of happiness as everywhere.
"Shepherds
were watching their flocks by night, When far o'er the hills shown a beautiful
light."
That which was
being enacted on the Jordan hills 1900 years ago is again taking place. Those
who put to one side the "passes" of the doctrines of mankind are
shepherds taking good care of their thoughts. The light that shines is the
science of God now being taught. It has no trace of the sunlight or moonlight
of former doctrine in its mysterious shining. To those who follow where it
leads there is a young realization born. This realization of the divine power
and divine harmony, waiting within each soul to be the arbiter of each life, is
the young Jesus Christ.
No one has yet
come into the manger with offerings of all his gold and frankincense and myrrh
of property, genius, reputation. They who have the light shine round are those
who think they will follow up the science and see where it leads. It will lead
down to the meekness and lowliness of yielding up of will, love of praise, fear
of blame, eagerness to be successful, into the mysterious manger of nothingness
of such traditions.
He who does this
is afterward lost as a shepherd of sheep. He is the Christ. He can work
miracles. He shall not be a man with the idea of limited abilities. He shall be
Jesus Christ with all power. He shall not reckon his age by years, his
possessions by count, his health by state of flesh. He shall realize that
before the world was he was, and without end is his ownership. His health and
beauty are not reckoned by conditions of flesh, but by his mastership of flesh
as Spirit.
There are a great
number near the manger. They are now learning to give up their eagerness for
praise, their fear of blame, their struggles to be ahead of their neighbors or
to be of equal importance with the rest of the sound of the voice of
Spirit. The "passes" of the world's competitions do not
move them. They know that success must first be of the Spirit before it has any
taste.
"Seek
first the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added."
"For we
know that prosperity is of Thee."
It is now time for
the light of Spiritual science to shine over the shepherds of the planet as it
once shone over the shepherds of Judea.
As Mary was not
Jesus Christ but only brought Him forth, so those who brought out this doctrine
from the archives of the ages where it had been hidden are not Jesus Christ
because they have not shown the miracle working power of Jesus Christ, the
Spiritual science of his hour.
But as Mary
yielded all things to Jesus, so those who preach it are now giving it its
absolute freedom with their life. They are standing back and letting it
demonstrate for itself. The knowledge which they bear in their bosom that it is
omnipotent truth, is as much activity as they care to exhibit.
"Mary
kept all these sayings and pondered them in her heart." We will each do our protecting duty by the young
science, which never had any beginning but was with man from his first breath.
We will tell how true it is. We will tell its doctrines. We will praise its
power. We will yield all we have, and are, to it till we are it absolutely. We
shall prove that we are it only by our power of demonstrating in plain light of
all mankind that there is no sin, no sickness, no death, no poverty, no
feebleness, no senility, no mourning, for God is omnipresent and afflicted by
none of these things.
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