What if, we DARED TO QUESTION…….?
What if, like Jesus, instead of being born ‘sinful’ and in need of redemption and ‘saving’ because of our sinfulness, we came to understand through Grace and the Spirit of Love, that we are born, in, through and with Love into the Unfolding Wholeness of Being – not ORIGINAL SINFULNESS but ORIGINAL LOVE?
What if the doctrines and rules that emerged out of the theology of Original Sin were re-IMAGINED around a theology of Original Love and Grace – how might this renew and transform some of our long held traditions, doctrines, beliefs and sacramental practices?
What if we came to see that Jesus was born of the Sacred Earth in the same way we are and came into Being through the same LAWS OF NATURE we ourselves have come into Being?
What if, like Jesus, instead of believing this Spirit of God is looking DOWN upon us from on high, with judgement, separation, disappointment, condemnation etc, we came to know a God who can ONLY LOVE from WITHIN THE WHOLE OF CREATION – A GOD WHO IS FULLY INCARNATIONAL AND RELATIONAL?
What if we came to see that EVERY NEW LIFE AND FORM is CONCEIVED of the HOLY SPIRIT?
What if we came to see that Every NEW CREATION is BORN IN AND THROUGH LOVE, is a NEW CREATION FILLED WITH HOPE, filled with the Mystery of the Unfolding Future and MYSTERY OF LOVE from that very moment of CONCEPTION AND receiving that FIRST BREATH?
What if, like Jesus, we came to see the MIRACLE, SACREDNESS and MYSTERY of EVERYTHING – OF ALL WOMEN, ALL MEN, the Conception of ALL CHILDREN, the Birth of ANY CHILD, the growing up of every Child, and in our more awakened consciousness, the Evolutionary story that brings us all to this moment in time AND IS GUIDING US ALL TOWARD THE FULLNESS OF OUR EVOLUTIONARY FUTURE OF LOVE?
What if, like Jesus, where both WOMEN AND MEN WERE ESSENTIAL PARTS OF HIS MINISTERIAL JOURNEY, and as he continuously ‘outraged’ and DISTURBED those around him, we did the same?
What if, like Jesus, we were RELEASED FROM THE PRISON OF OUR CULTURAL, SOCIAL AND RELIGIOUS CONDITIONING and were RADICALLY ‘OUTRAGEOUS’ culturally AND RELIGIOUSLY, because we lived a life that was FREE TO LOVE FAITHFULLY WITHOUT EXCEPTION?
What if, like Jesus, non-violence, forgiveness and compassion were a CONSCIOUS part of our daily living?
What if, like Jesus, we saw the EUCHARISTIC TABLE AS SHARING LIFE with the outcast, with the ‘unclean’, with the ‘poor’, with the ‘prisoners’, with the ‘hungry’, with the ‘sinners’, with the ‘tax collectors’, with the ‘lepers’, with those who hated us, with those we Love - ‘do THIS in memory of me’? Luke 22:19
What if, like Jesus, as a refugee family with his parents in their own time, we could FIND ROOM IN OUR HEARTS TO WELCOME THE STRANGER/THE CHRIST, WELCOME all the displaced to share our EUCHARISTIC TABLE (in the broadest sense of the term) WITH US WHERE EVER WE MAY BE?
What if, like Jesus, we came to see that God does not INTEFERE with Nature or GO AGAINST NATURE (which is in the process of EVOLUTIONARY UNFOLDING) and does NOT work miracles for some and not for others, or offer favours for some and not for others – but that the Spirit of God continuously Births us ALL into Freedom – Freedom to CHOOSE – FREEDOM TO LOVE, FREEDOM to EXPERIENCE THE MIRACLES HAPPENING AROUND US WITH EVERY BREATH THAT GRACES THE EMERGENCE OF ABUNDANT LIFE FROM WITHIN US?
What if, like Jesus, we come to understand that NATURE has many DEPTHS, many of which are still to be DISCOVERED or UNCOVERED – ‘YOU WILL DO GREATER THINGS THAN ME….’? John 14:12
What if, like Jesus, we came to see that NOTHING IS SEPARATED FROM THE LOVE OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD – there is no god out THERE, watching, waiting, ‘SENDING DOWN’, pulling strings for some and not others, BUT only the Spirit of God/CHRIST, that is DEEPLY IMMERSED WITHIN THE ESSENCE OF THE WHOLE COSMOS and has been since that Original Breath of Love that BIRTHED THE COSMOS INTO BEING, in all of its EXTRAORDINARY UNFOLDING POTENTIALITY AND GLORY?
What if we came to see that the whole Cosmos is in Process – knowing we are UNFINISHED as a Cosmic Story, as a People COMING INTO GREATER UNIFYING CONSCIOUSNESS/WHOLENESS/LOVE?
What if we came to see that Jesus THE CHRIST reveals to us WHO WE TRULY ARE - AND WHO WE ARE BECOMING, not some wayward static children in need of static redemption, but Human Persons holding within us the very Fullness of UNFOLDING, RELATIONAL AND UNIFYING Love?
What if, like Jesus, we came to see THE CHRIST as a truly universal Presence, that IS equally at Home in a Mosque, a Temple, a Church or within this Holy Ground and Cosmos that sustains EVERYTHING?
What if we came to see that this Spirit of Love is Present within EVERY PERSON, EVERYTHING from a grain of sand, to a petunia to a magnificent oak tree and even a speck of dust and then Present in the furthest Universes of which science now reveals to us, count in the billions?
What if, like Jesus, we realised that Love is the ESSENCE of EVERYTHING AND IN EVERYTHING AND ALL PRESENCE IS THE FRUIT OF LOVE – AWAKENING TO A WHOLE COSMOS INCARNATIONALLY PREGNANT…?
What if, we loved the EARTH AS MOTHER and our lives were filled with HOPE?
What if, like Jesus, we came to understand that Heaven is not something GIVEN to a SELECT GROUP/FEW, AS A REWARD EARNED for good behaviour when we die, but is something FULLY PRESENT to us ALL RIGHT NOW with NO EXPECTATIONS, OTHER THAN AN OPENNESS TO THE SPIRIT OF LOVE?
What if we came to SEE that Resurrection is the FULLNESS OF LIFE THAT EMERGES THROUGH DEATH AND CONTINUES GIVING LIFE?
What if we consciously awakened to the Truth that every person we meet, everything that has walked this Earth or is part of the Cosmos, holds Within it the MYSTERY OF THE COSMIC CHRIST?
What if we came to understand and ‘know’ Jesus’ CROSS and Resurrection is ALSO our Cross/Resurrection?
What if, like Jesus, we CONSCIOUSLY opened into LIVING LOVE FIRST, and FROM THIS EXPERIENCE the RITUALS EMERGED AND THEIR FULL MEANING UNFOLDED FOR US FROM WITHIN OUR LIVED EXPERIENCE (The Last Supper), instead of placing the RITUALS FIRST and then FORGETTING WHO WE TRULY ARE – CREATIVE LOVERS? (They gathered around Jesus and showed him all they had done and taught.) Mark 6:30
What if, like Jesus, we embraced the CREATIVE ENERGY we are born with and into, and then became who we truly are - CO-CREATORS WITH LOVE?
What if, like Jesus, we DARED TO IMAGINE a COSMIC COMMUNITY OF WHOLENESS, INCLUSIVE OF ALL BEING, WELCOMING OF DIFFERENCE AND DIVERSITY, AND FREE OF DOMINANCE, DIVISION, PATRIARCHY, HIERARCHY, AND FULLY OPEN TO THE CHRIST IN ALL THINGS – TO THE GOD THAT KNOWS NO SEPARATION?
What if we DARED to truly LISTEN to Jesus the Christ, to LOOK at Jesus the Christ, to be TAUGHT by Jesus the Christ, AND TRULY BELIEVED WE ARE ALL MADE IN THE IMAGE OF GOD, NOT ONE PARTICULAR RELIGION?
What if we DARED TO WILDLY IMAGINE, and LIVED LIFE AS JESUS DARED TO LIVE IT?
What if we OPENED OUR HEARTS AND MINDS, and became WITH the Christ residing WITHIN EVERYONE, CULTURALLY, SOCIALLY AND RELIGIOUSLY ‘OUTRAGEOUS’ by challenging static religious and cultural WORLD VIEWS that have blinded us to the TRUTH - that CREATIVE LOVE IS THE FIRST PRINCIPLE OF BEING?
What if, like Jesus, we dared to IMAGINE THINGS COULD BE DIFFERENT – We thought outside the square?
What if, like Jesus, ‘we came away to a quiet place for a while…’ and LISTENED for Love’s CONTEMPLATIVE WORD BREAKING OPEN OUR HARDENED HEARTS – DRIVING us CONSCIOUSLY INTO THE FUTURE? Mark 6:31
What if, like Jesus, we DARE TO QUESTION THE CULTURAL AND RELIGIOUS conditioning of our day, or anything that goes AGAINST CREATIVE UNFOLDING LOVE, OR ANYTHING THAT DIVIDES AND SEPARATES our ability to be CO-CREATORS WITHIN THE FULLNESS OF LOVE?
WHAT IF WE DARED TO LISTEN TO THE CHRIST WITHIN OUR OWN HEARTS, AND BEGAN TO QUESTION: WHAT IF……..
©Annemarie Reiner