Jesus: Man or Cosmic Christ?
Sunday, August 18, 2024
Rev. Diana Johnson, IM, RScM, with Chris Netto, RScP, Chris Johnson, RScP, and musicians Gary French & Dalton Fitzgerald
Video Chapter Index
| 0:00 | Taizé | Clicking on a chapter link will play the segment in a new YouTube tab. Your link to this page will remain open in this tab, but the video will play in the new window. Clicking on the Play arrow in the video screen above will play both Taizé and the Conscious Conversation on this page. To make the picture bigger, you may click the full screen icon in the lower right corner:  To cast the video to your Smart TV, click the Play on TV button:  . Also, we now have Closed Captioning available! To access Closed Captions, start the video and click on the CC icon next to the gear in the lower right of the video screen:  |
| 24:06 | Guided Meditation | |
| 46:36 | Conscious Conversation |
Taizé
Rev. Diana – We follow the sound of the bell inward… 3 Bells
Chris N – Opening Prayer
Rev. Diana – Good morning. If you’re new with us here this morning, my name is Rev. Diana Johnson, and I am the Pastor and Spiritual Director of Mystic Heart Spiritual Center. We are an Independent Interfaith Community that teaches Universal Principles and Practical Spirituality. We open our doors in welcome, trusting that you will be led to the Guidance and Wisdom of your own Mystic Heart. We begin our Taizé with Musical Prayer.
Diana, Chris J, Dalton, & Gary – Taizé Chants
- Welcome Home to Your Mystic Heart, written by Diana & Chris Johnson
- Come Holy Spirit Come, written by Daniel Kopp and Sarah Liberman
Rev. Diana – We take a moment to move into the stillness of this moment…allowing attention to rest on the breath…letting everything else go…feeling a deep sense of gratitude for this moment…for the privilege of being alive…of coming together with Spiritual Family in prayer and meditation, Joy, and Celebration.
And now allowing awareness to move away from the breath, grounding even more deeply into the beating of the heart…feeling the Presence of Spirit, breathing the Its Life into your being…and acknowledging your Oneness with the global community…
Together, we envision a web of consciousness that surrounds and infuses the planet…sensing each of us as a radiant point of Light in that web…knowing that all beings carry the Divine Spark…every human, every creature, every plant…part of the web…every rock and grain of sand, every drop of water, infused with God’s Radiant Light…expanding still further to include the wind, the clouds, the stars, the planets…all is one Light, one Life.
Acknowledging our connection with all of life, our collective Work here is empowered…Our prayer and meditation leave an imprint of Peace, of Compassion, of Grace, on the Whole for all time…transformation is under way…Love is being revealed by means of our time together.
This month, our contemplations are centered in Touching the Living Christ.
This morning we share in reflection around one of the world’s great Spiritual Masters as we ask, “Jesus: Man or Cosmic Christ?.”
Here is what Bible scholars agree on at this time: Jesus was a real person, born in Nazareth into a practicing Jewish family. He lived most of his life in the cosmopolitan city of Galilee along the Silk Road, where he studied and taught. He was well-educated, spoke a number of languages…could read and write and was quick-witted. He had a particular capacity for soaking up spiritual teachings, and was likely exposed to different beliefs and practices during his teens and young adulthood.
What else? It is believed that he was a Spiritual Master…a Master Teacher… a Wisdom Teacher…a Peaceful Revolutionary…one who more than 2000 years ago, showed humanity another way to live…who demonstrated the next phase of human evolution, a phase we have yet to master in our own time. And so, yes, Jesus was a man…an extraordinary human being, who seemingly arrived here with gifts to share…with a purpose for his life…one who served as an example of unconditional Love, absolute inclusivity, radical Compassion, deep faith, and Spiritual Authority. And his message? These things and greater shall you do.
And what of Jesus as Cosmic Christ? Cosmic Christ is an archetype that represents the timeless and Universal aspect of Jesus…his life and teachings, his death and resurrection…it represents the Divine Logos, the Word that existed before time and space and that pervades the entire cosmos.
“In the beginning was the Word; and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1) We might say that the Cosmic Christ is the Divine Nature demonstrated through the life of the man called Jesus; and that all who have followed in his footsteps, all who have consciously accepted his challenge of transforming human consciousness for the purpose of creating Heaven on Earth and are doing that Work in service to the Whole are one with, or part of, the Cosmic Christ.
And so, let us say yes…Jesus: Man and Cosmic Christ. Let us now take each of these well-known verses into the silence, listening for what each one has to offer in this moment. “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
First, there must be self-love, yes…but more than this “Love your neighbor as (an extension of) yourself,” because we are all expressions of One Life.
Moving into the silence, listening for what is offered… “Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you,”
…because they, too, are your neighbors. I in you, and you in me, and we in God and God in all…a radical, even heretical teaching in his time and culture.
Moving again into the silence, listening for what is offered: “The Kingdom of Heaven is within you…and it is at hand.”
Heaven is not a place that we go if we’re good in this lifetime…it is a state of consciousness, a way of perceiving the world. Jesus was teaching that “Heaven is not something we die into; it is something we awaken into.” (The Wisdom Jesus, Cynthia Bourgeault)
Once again, moving into the silence and listening… “My Kingdom is not of this world.”
True Joy and Contentment do not come from the external world…from the things we have, the roles we fill, or even the people we share our lives with. They can only be found in our conscious connection with the One Power back of all that is…in our personal relationship with Creator.
Chris J – Guided Meditation
The Gospel of John quotes the first century Rabbi Yeshua of Nazareth saying “I am the light of the world[i]…” In Matthew’s Gospel, he says, “Ye are the light of the world[ii]…” Later in John, he says, “Amen, amen, I say to you, that whoever believes in me, these works that I do, they will do also; and more than these they will do[iii]…”
In the Gospel of Thomas, he says, “The Kingdom is inside you, and it is outside you. When you come to know yourself, then you will be known, and you will know that you are the child of the living Father[iv]…” The Father within Yeshua that performed seeming miracles through him, lives within each of us…
Rabbi Yeshua taught that he was not the great exception… the only child of God… but that his life served as the great example of what a fully human, fully divine life can be… The Spirit he called the Father dwells within each of us… ready, willing, and able to impart Wisdom, Peace, Poise, and Power…
As we read his story in the Christian Scriptures, he shows us how to access the Spirit within… Prayer… Meditation… Sacred Study… Worship… and Community… Yeshua lived, served, ate, drank, celebrated, and healed in Beloved Community with his followers… He lived his teaching…
You are the light of the world… the Cosmic Christ within you is that part of you that was never born… can never die… and has been and will always be a perfect expression of Spirit… In our shared three minutes of Silent Meditation, I invite you to contemplate your highest Self… the Atman… the Christ… the Father within… however you conceive it… Ask it to reveal itSelf to you… ask for guidance… for help… for whatever you need… Then listen deeply for the Still Small Voice[v] within your heart…
Silence – 3:00
Holy Spirit of God that dwells within me and within each of these blessed souls in our Beloved Community, thank you for the powerful teaching of the man Yeshua… for his demonstrating for us how to access your Divine Gifts… and how to use them for the Highest Good for all… May we never forget who and whose we are…
The God that dwells within you and the Most High God is the same God… there can be no other… We are all filled with the Holy Spirit, as were the disciples long ago… and through devoted spiritual practice, we can become more available to fully receive those gifts… and live from our higher Self…
As Rev. Diana continues her Taizé meditation this morning, we allow her inspired wisdom to illuminate our True Self… and remind us that we are, like Jesus, fully Human… and fully the Cosmic Christ…
Rev. Diana
And so it seems that Jesus was not simply teachings Proverbs for daily living, or ways of being virtuous. According to Spiritual Teacher Cynthia Bourgeault, “he was proposing a total meltdown and recasting of human consciousness…bursting through the tiny acorn selfhood that we arrived on the planet with, into the oak tree of our fully realized personhood.” She suggests that he “pushes us towards it, teases, taunts us, encourages us, and ultimately, walks us home.”
If we read deeply into the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, we sense a depth that his Jewish tradition had not previously offered. His invitation was (and is) to do the work to shift our own consciousness…to put on the Mind of Christ. It is not only calling us to Right Belief, or Right Faith, but to Right Practice. Even in our own time, his message challenges us to join him in living from our Divinity…to live as if we, too, are one with the Cosmic Christ. Let’s close in prayer.
This morning, I’m sharing a contemporary interpretation of The Lord’s Prayer by Aramaic scholar Neil Douglas-Klotz.
O Birther! Father-Mother of the Cosmos/ you create all that moves in light.
Focus your light within us–make it useful: as the rays of a beacon show the way.
Create your reign of unity now–through our fiery hearts and willing hands.
Your one desire then acts with ours, as in all light, so in all forms.
Grant what we need each day in bread and insight: subsistence for the call of growing life.
Loose the cords of mistakes binding us, as we release the strands we hold of others’ guilt.
Don’t let us enter forgetfulness
But free us from unripeness
From you is born all ruling will, the power and the life to do,
the song that beautifies all, from age to age it renews.
Truly–power to these statements – may they be the source from which all my actions grow.
Sealed in trust & faith. Amen.
Diana, Chris J, Dalton & Gary – Musical Meditation
- Christ is Me, Christ in You, written by Gary Lynn Floyd
Rev. Diana – We gently return our awareness to our bodies, becoming aware of our senses and the sounds in the room…allowing the eyes to gently open and taking in whatever is before you.
Feel free to look around and say good morning to everyone who is here celebrating with you this morning.
This is your Spiritual Family…one of your support systems. These are some of the people who care about you and are there for.
Love Offering
As we close our Taizé Meditation, we offer the opportunity for you to share your financial good in support of the work we do in the world.
If you’re joining us online, you can find a Donate Button and our mailing address at mysticheart.org. We thank you in advance for your gifts. We acknowledge and give thanks for the infinite abundance of Spirit.
The song we’d like to share with you during our time of offering reminds me of the teaching from Matthew 5:39 – Jesus says to his followers, “But I say unto you, that ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also”.
Diana, Chris J, Dalton, & Gary – Offertory Music
- Walk Away, written by Karl Anthony
Rev. Diana – Blessing for the Offering
Feel free to grab a cup of something warm next door and meet us back at 10:30 for a Conscious Conversation. We’ll bless you on your way with A Soul’s Blessing.
Diana, Chris J, Dalton, & Gary – Taizé Closing Song
A Soul’s Blessing, written by Chris Johnson
Conscious Conversation
Chris N – Opening Prayer
Rev. Diana – Good morning… and welcome, or welcome back…and welcome to those joining online. If you’re new with us here this morning… my name is Rev. Diana Johnson, and I am the Pastor here at Mystic Heart. We are an Independent Interfaith Community that teaches Universal Principles and Practical Spirituality. We open our doors in welcome, trusting that you will be led to the Guidance and Wisdom of your own Mystic Heart.
Diana, Chris J, Dalton, & Gary – Opening Music
- Welcome to the Mystic Heart, written by Diana & Chris Johnson
- One Big Family, written by Robin Hackett & Gary Lynn Floyd
- I Hear the Music Down in My Soul, written by Jan Garret & JD Martin
So let’s take a creative journey…calling upon the full power of both mind and heart…engaging the body…and joining with one another in the imaginal realm, in service to the creation of a Love-Soaked World.
See and feel with me now, a world in which all beings live from their Highest Potential…from Kindness, Generosity, Peace, Compassion, Joy, and Beauty.
In this world of our creation, all people honor, respect, and care for one another, for all of the life forms that share this beautiful planet with us, and for Mother Earth Herself.
We remember that we are connected to all of Life… that we are dependent on the planet to sustain us, and on one another.
By aligning every thought, word, and action with our Vision, we are creating a world in which all people are well-fed… have the safety and comfort of home and a deep sense of purpose and belonging…a world in which health, education, and healthy relationships are supported by social systems grounded in Integrity, Compassion and Wholeness.
Valuing every being for its uniqueness… we practice living truly Authentic lives where vulnerability is celebrated… there is no need to defend or protect. The work we are doing within ourselves shows up as a world free of hatred and violence.
We recognize and appreciate the abundance that surrounds us… greed is a thing of the past, generosity is the norm, and all beings gratefully receive all that is needed to live physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually fulfilling lives.
The planet and its beings thrive like never before as we recognize the sacred in everyone and everything…we walk in reverence, humility, and gratitude for all that we have been given.
We are creating a new world moment by moment, aligning our actions with our Vision, living these changes first in our own lives, with our families, friends, and neighbors. One neighborhood, one community at a time, a new world is being born. In this process of profound change, this Beloved Community stands as an open and welcoming place for all who seek support, belonging, Family.
By the power of our deep faith and inspired action, this prayer is acted upon, answered even as it is spoken, for Spirit knows our heart’s desire and intent. In full expectation of its Graceful unfolding, and with the deepest humility and gratitude, we release our Word to the Creative Power and Intelligence that I call God… to the One that gets it done… And so it is!… Amen!
Our theme this month is Touching the Living Christ, and the topic of Conversation today is Jesus: Man or Cosmic Christ?.
This morning during Taizé, we spent time reflecting on what scholars believe about Jesus, the man; and what might be meant by the phrase fully man, fully Divine. I ended with a modern interpretation of the Lord’s Prayer taken from Neil Douglas-Klotz, one of the world’s leading Aramaic scholars.
I’d like to focus our conversation this morning on that same prayer.
How many people in this room are familiar with The Lord’s Prayer?
This prayer shows up twice, in slightly different form, in the Christian Bible, first in the book of Matthew then in the book of Luke.
What is the first line of the prayer? (Our Father, which art in heaven)
Then? (Hallowed be they name; Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done…on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory forever and ever. Amen.)
How is it that so many of us know this prayer? (we may have learned it as children; it has been prayed millions of times, maybe billions, over the course of history; it holds great power in the race mind)
Why do you suppose the prayer comes to us with the beginning line, ‘Our Father’? (Jesus wanted God to feel deeply personal, and so used the word ‘abba,’ which translates most closely to the English word papa; it was for establishing a closeness, a caring and loving relationship, not to say that God is male)
In Taizé, we talked about The Kingdom of Heaven as Jesus taught it.
Where did he say the Kingdom of Heaven could be found?
(within and all around us – at hand; it is a state of consciousness, not a place; it is something we awaken into, a perception that we can develop; our experience of the Divine comes into our awareness as we practice giving our attention to the sacredness of life, and of all who share this life with us)
Hallowed be Thy name. What does this mean?
Frank Waters, a gifted Native American Teacher of Spiritual Wisdom asks this question: Do you believe things are holy, or sacred, in and of themselves, or are they made sacred by our giving them our focused attention?
What do you think?
Spiritual teacher, Wayne Muller, offers this perspective:
“We honor the holiness in things…by shifting our attention from the relentless seductions of obligations and detail, and consent to be surprised by the holiness anywhere, and everywhere…When we pray Hallowed be Thy name, we always come as beginners.” The Zen Buddhist teacher Suzuki Roshi called it Beginner’s Mind, and said, “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities. In the expert’s mind, there are few.”
How might we interpret Thy Kingdom Come? (The Kingdom of Heaven is already here, within and all around us; this line brings me back to the awareness of it.
How might we interpret Thy will be done? (Rather than may Thy will be done, I read this line as Thy will is always being done; my job is to put down my own willfulness, and settle into my willingness…align myself with the Good that is always unfolding, both within me/my life and all around me)
Lead me not into temptation…is it God that leads us into temptation? Why are we so easily tempted or led into circumstances that do not serve us or the world?
But deliver us from evil…how do we define evil? (keep my mind, heart, and awareness on that which is True; keep me from that which does not serve the highest and best for the Whole)
For Thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory, forever and ever. Amen. (in this final section, we release our need for control; we humbly submit to the Sacred, allowing whatever comes to do so gracefully)
I’d like to close with another modern interpretation of this timeless prayer. This version is from Spiritual Teacher Rupert Spira. So let’s settle in, close our eyes, and take a couple of deep breaths…bringing awareness to the Presence within.
Closing Prayer…
Infinite, personal, intimate Being,
Who is the sole reality of all that exists,
Let your divine name, ‘I,’ shine brightly in our hearts at all times.
May we recognize our being as your being.
May our lives be an outpouring of praise and thanksgiving.
Expressing your peace, your joy, and your love in all that we think, feel, and do.
May we see you everywhere, shining in and as the world.
Grant us the remembrance of your fullness,
From which our lives are derived and with which they are sustained.
Forgive us those times when our actions betray the overlooking of your presence.
And help us to forgive those who do not yet know that their being is your being.
Keep our minds and hearts steady in the knowledge of your presence,
Lest the belief in separation veil the peace and love that you are.
For you alone are the reality of all that exists,
The one who performs all actions,
And the one whom we love in everyone and everything, whether we know it or not.
Our only prayer, that you take us into yourself, for all eternity. Amen.
Take a moment to allow your awareness to return to your body, to this space, to this beautiful gathering…welcome back.
Rev. Diana – Love Offering
I invite you to join in the celebration of the work we are doing in the world by sharing of your financial Good, should you choose to.
If you are at home, you can go to mysticheart.org to use our Donate Button or to find our mailing address.
We also have a Gracious Giving Program for those who would like to make a heartfelt monthly commitment of support so that we can more effectively budget and plan for our growth.
As we receive your gifts today, we’re going to play a couple of songs for you, because we can, and because we love to play together. Enjoy Mr. Gary French as he leads us in both of these songs.
Diana, Chris J, Dalton, & Gary – Offertory Music
Calling Out Your Name, written by Rich Mullins
Wrap Your Arms Around the World, written by Karl Anthony
Chris N – Blessing for the Offering
Chris N – Invitations
- Fast Track to Wellness is back this week. We’ll see you this Thursday, August 22nd from 12:00-2:00 pm to take a deeper look at the 3rd brain, and its effect on your overall health. We’ll also continue our study of Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself by Dr. Joe Dispenza.
- Metaphysical Bible returns this week, as well. Join Chris Johnson on Thursday, August 22nd from 3:00 – 5:00 pm to begin our exploration of the Book of Revelation.
Mark Your Calendars…
- A Survey of the Christian Bible begins on Wednesday, September 4th from 2 – 5 pm, and runs 15 weeks, ending on December 11th with a week off for Thanksgiving. Join Rev. Diana as we explore the culture, history, metaphor, and symbolism behind one of the most influential collections of stories in the western world. Contact Rev. Diana to register in advance.
- Emotional Intelligence and the Power of Positive Prayer: Join Rev. Diana on Thursday evenings from 6-9 pm, beginning September 5th for a 10-week deep dive into the world of the emotions, how they work, why they’re sometimes triggered, and how we can use affirmative prayer to move toward greater Harmony and Wholeness. Contact Rev. Diana to register in advance.
- The Mystic Heart Book Club will be returning Tuesday, September 10th. We will be reading Conversations With God, Book 2 by Neale Donald Walsch.
- The Mystic OAKS group invites you to join them for a return trip to Dakaro Vineyards, this time for wine tasting and Pizza! Saturday, October 12th, 12:00 – 4:30 pm. Wine tasting is free, purchase of a bottle of wine is appreciated. Cost of pizza will be shared among participants. More details to come…contact Chris Netto for more information.
There is more information available in the August Bulletin and on our website.
Information Cards if new people
Prayer Requests: I am available after service for prayer, or fill out a prayer card and I will get your request to our Prayer Team for daily prayer – We invite everyone to help us make a private space for prayer here in the Sanctuary by joining us next door for lunch
Diana, Chris J, Dalton, & Gary – Closing Song
- Love Be With You, written by Lainey Bernstein, RScP, & Gary Lynn Floyd
Notes:
[i] John 8:12
[ii] Matthew 5:14
[iii] John 14:12
[iv] Thomas Logion 3
[v] 1 Kings 19:12
©2024 Mystic Heart Spiritual Center, All Rights Reserved
Permission is granted to duplicate for non-commercial educational use only.
All rights to music performed remain with the copyright owners.
Diana Johnson’s music is © by Barefoot Angel Publishing, ASCAP.
Chris Johnson’s music is © by SeaJay Music & Publishing, ASCAP.