12/21/08 The Power of Peace

December 21, 2008

Rev. Ron Fritts

Emmet Fox begins his book, Power Through Constructive Thinking
with these words: “Strange as it may seem to you, there
exists a mystic power that is able to transform your life so thoroughly,
so radically, so completely, that when the process is completed
your own friends would hardly recognize you, and, in fact, you would
scarcely be able to recognize yourself.”

This power can heal you, bless you with abundance, inspire you
with new ideas and especially it can bring you PEACE. We explore
today, a metaphysical interpretation of some well-know verses often
read during the Advent and Christmas season: Isaiah 9: 2, 6, 7.

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light…

For a child has been born for us, a song given to us…

The government shall be upon his shoulders; and he shall be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of
Peace.

Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no
end.

The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

The quotes are from Fox’s book.

The child that is born represents indwelling power, inner light
or a spiritual idea.

“The conscious discovery by you that you have this Power
within you, and your determination to make use of it, is the birth
of the child.”

People who walked in Darkness have seen a great Light

“Walking in darkness, moral or physical, dwelling in the
land of the shadow of death – the death of joy, or hope, or
even self-respect – describes well the condition of many people
before this light shines into their weary, heartbroken lives.”

In 1907 W.Y. Evans-Wentz, a UCLA anthropologist and religious
scholar, launched a 2-year journey through Ireland, Scotland, Wales,
Cornwall and Brittany investigating people who had allegedly encountered
fairies and other supernatural beings. The poet William Butler Yeats
had told him that as twentieth-century values replaced old beliefs
the encounters were becoming less frequent and needed to be documented.

He heard stories of encounters with beings of all sizes, human-like
creatures, dressed in a variety of clothing from different periods.
One elderly gentleman described numerous sightings and then, said,
“Before education came into the island more people could see
the fairies; now very few people can see them.’”

Michael Talbot writing about this in 1991 said, “Once again
this underscores the enormous power our beliefs have in determining
which of our extraordinary potentials we manifest and which we do
not The Holographic Universe/204

In 2008 I heard Gregg Braden talk about reaching into the quantum
soup of possibilities and locking onto one with our thoughts. Not
all education brings enlightenment. Not all past experiences are
to be discounted.

Government shall be upon His shoulder

“It means that once you have contacted the mystic Power
within, and have allowed it to take over your responsibilities for
you, it will direct and govern all your affairs from the greatest
to the least without effort, and without mistakes, and without trouble
to you.”

His name shall be called - over and over in the Bible a person’s
name is more than something to call them; it represents their character,
their qualities.

Look at the names Isaiah gives to the Messiah

Wonderful: full of wonder, full of miracles

Counselor: gives advice and guidance

The Mighty God: this child is God himself, omnipotent, omniscient,
omnipresent

The Everlasting Father: not just Creator; “we as the children
of a good Father may expect to find ourselves provided with everything
that we need for body or soul.”

The Prince of Peace: “If your soul were truly at peace,
what in your life could go wrong?” If this child, this Prince
of Peace, this spiritual light, this indwelling power has been born
in you, has come alive, what else could you possible need?

Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end

We can rise higher and higher in consciousness. We have unlimited
potential.

The Zeal of the Lord of Hosts will perform this – no personal
responsibility for the demonstration. As a friend of mine says we
just have to suit up and show up.

Isn’t it incredible? Fox closes the chapter with this statement,
“Have we not seen that the gist of the whole matter is just
this very point – that the government shall be upon his shoulder.”

Part of the Christmas story we read in Matthew refers to Isaiah
7:14 “Behold a virgin shall conceive and shall bear a son
and shall call his name Immanuel, which means God with us.”

Born of a virgin – metaphysically, the virgin soul is the
soul that looks to God alone; when we reach the point that we are
really ready to put God first the Spiritual Idea will be born.

Born in a stable, not a palace, which helps us when we are inclined
to feel unworthy. Born in a stable, yet destined to be the savior
of the world, of your own individual world.

To access this power, this Christ Child, you only need to be receptive.
You only need to become quiet and still to make conscious contact
and all that is God, life, energy will begin working in your affairs.

At one of our “Prayer for Peace” gatherings last year,
a bright student from Quincy University talked about song “Dona
Nobis Pachem” which means Lord grant us peace. She said it
seemed more like a demand than a request. And so it is. God has
already planted the idea of peace in our subconscious. We can claim
it. We don’t have to beg for it, wish for it or even petition
for it. It is ours for the asking.

“Dona Nobis Pachem”