It was past 2-am this morning when I went to bed, after the midnight Christmas service at Knox United and driving Elisabeth home. I’d stopped at her son’s place at nine-pm to bring my good wishes there and to meet up with her as well. The one week old little baby kept the new parents quite busy and I’d bought a little Christmas tree decoration for this good looking addition to the family.

It was past 2-am this morning when I went to bed, after the midnight Christmas service at Knox United and driving Elisabeth home.

The service at Knox United lacked a bit in its usual warm ambience, with the brass being a bit over the top. The ministers were new this year, taking the place of Dawson who used the lead the service and tell his heart warming stories, but he too is now retired like so many people around me!

I started attending those services in around 1994 when had moved into my rented condo. Either that year or 1995 I went there with Linda, our former back neighbour from 36th Ave. SW. In those days that church was packed, but that attendance became less and less over the years. Now with the downtowne population having increased out reach is called for to reinforce the ranks.

Later today I’ll join John’s family in law for their customary Christmas dinner and gift game. I phoned my family in Holland and Derrick - now Metta and with all my cards away in time this year, I feel quite accomplished in this season of emotional tugs, bumps, surprises and blessings.

Getting up yesterday and later through out the day I entertained a new notion about Existence Divine and the religious meaning of the Christmas celebration. This notion shaped and morphed over the day, the evening and this morning even and now I want to give it some expression.

I will start with a morning affirmation that I do every morning and use it as a basis to develop yesterday’s and this morning’s insight. Making such an affirmation and repeating it three times is something I have done for quite some time. However, the formula itself has changed and expanded over time. That is a narrative in itself, which I will skip for now and I’ll just use the present form of my present morning affirmation.

I will start with a morning affirmation that I do every morning and use it as a basis to develop yesterday’s and this morning’s insight.

My Morning Affirmation.

Existence Divine
Is my commitment and dedication
With my whole heart, my whole mind and all my power,
Within the traditions of Humankind and its diverse community
In which I choose Christianity for my expression
Balancing Aim and Way.
Amen.
This affirmation I repeat three times at the beginning of my day.

Explication:

Existence Divine includes all that is, giving meaning to existence and significance to divine, constituting a knowable mystery. The knowable becomes known through the process of revelation as recorded in the handed down traditions of humankind. Existence Divine implies that the sacred and profane are present side by side in continuity.

Existence Divine implies that the sacred and profane are present side by side in continuity.

It is through my personal experience of working with these ideas and applying them that I gained the insight that I need to embrace or adopt a tradition of my choice in order to function within a working reference. As a human being I felt the need to adopt a tradition and I chose Christianity, the tradition of my up bringing. However, not as a confessing member of a denomination, but rather in the manner of a personal commitment to Christian values and traditions, valuing and honouring them.

How to give a place to the Christian ideas of the Christmas message, symbology and teachings in the framework of Existence Divine? That was the notion that surfaced yesterday morning and stayed with me all day and is present still!

The traditional teaching:

The Luke’s gospel narrative and related teachings of the Christian churches is that the ’Son of God’ was borne as a human baby of a human woman. His - Jesus, God’s son - teachings and message were that through my belief in him as mediator, God the Father is prepared to accept me as a person and forgive all my trespasses or sins. This is the redeeming action and function of Jesus, God’s Son, yet borne a human being and undergoing the human experience.

Existence Divine includes all there is, including every human being. The human being so included and being Existence Divine allows for every individual to be of divine as well as human nature, analogues to the Gospel teachings regarding Jesus.

Existence Divine formulation:

Existence Divine includes all there is, including every human being. The human being so included and being Existence Divine allows for every individual to be of divine as well as human nature, analogues to the Gospel teachings regarding Jesus. The redemption then arises from myself as conscious human being to live in this world in accord with the values taught and acquired during my life time on earth.

This puts the responsibility for my redemption on me as an human individual and the redemption comes from my making my conscious choices as I live and practice as a person. This makes me my own mediator as it were, to put that in terms of the traditional teachings of the Christian Church, bestowing on me that very responsibility.

You could say it this way, that to recognise the Christ in the street person or the thirsting beggar now translates into my ability to see that person in myself and do something about it. It is like being redeemed through recognising your own true nature as falling short at times and yet being within Existence Divine all the same.

This is as clear as I can make for now. However, I do want to emphasise that this is my very first attempt at expressing in terms of the Christian tradition my understanding of Existence
Divine as I said in my affirmation. 12:05pm