Advent Week 1

Advent is the 4 week period leading up to Christmas which marks the birth of Jesus. The word Advent is from Latin adventus “a coming, approach, arrival”. The arrival of Jesus didn’t happen once and for all time 2,000 plus years ago, it is a continual event in our lives. At this time of the year we have the opportunity to replay this event inwardly.

Our soul, Mary, is pregnant with baby Jesus. Jesus was the first person on earth to have a conscious experience of the human I AM. Before that the I AM was experienced as Jehovah, as a group I AM, because humanity was not able to hold the power of the I AM within them. As any pregnant mother would, this is the time to form imaginations of the child within us as we prepare to give birth.

Part of this imagining is to think about the source of this mysterious I AM. Jesus revealed a secret about this that is recorded in Matthew 6.

“But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

Could this room be a womb? Could the Father actually be our I AM? In Exodus 3, in reply to Moses asking what is your name, “God said to Moses, “I am [the] I am”.

To assist us to prepare for the birth of Jesus in our soul Jesus himself gave us the secret formula in the form of the Lord’s Prayer. “Pray then like this:

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.”
Matthew 6:9–13

Try praying this prayer in this way, “Our I AM in heaven, hallowed be your name;”

In my book Who is Jesus : What is Christ? Volume 2 I examined The Lord’s Prayer in detail.

“Our father, pater-ego – the source of our I AM
In heaven, ouranos – what is above us, which can mean our spiritual being.
Hallowed, hagiazo from hagos – an awe-ful thing, worthy of fear and respect
Name, onoma – meaning the whole nature of what is named, the I AM.”

The source of our I AM that we experience in our daily life is the master I AM dwelling in the spiritual worlds. Each time we incarnate we work on an aspect of this great I AM’s purpose. Our I AM is always there for us if we need guidance. The worst thing we can do is cut ourselves off from it and think that we can do it on our own. The next worst thing we can do is to think that this I AM will do it for us.

Our task is to connect as much as possible with our I AM so that we can live our lives according to the purpose that was agreed upon before we incarnated. This life we are living today is just one aspect of our I AM. We are not strong enough, wise enough or loving enough to be aware of the fullness of our I AM. During this Advent period the angels of Christ draw near to the earth to give us a glimpse of who we really are so that we enter into the new year stronger, wiser and more loving. Let’s Pray The Lord’s Prayer, The I AM’s Prayer, on waking every morning, and last thing at night – and anytime in between – during Advent.

Image by Iris Sullivan