Fourth Sunday in Advent
Intent: The Nature of the Redeemer

All the readings for today in one way or another speak about God’s mercy. For it is because he is merciful that he has sent a Redeemer in our midst. The paradox which Gnostics contemplate most deeply is the fact that the Divine can be “Emanator” and “Redeemer” at the same time. That is both the source of our existential problem and its solution. For if God had not expressed away from himself the things that exist then they would not need to be brought back to Him through Love.
But then there would be nothing to Love, now would there be?
But isn’t this missing the mark somehow? Isn’t this still thinking in and overly simplistic way? Perhaps all the things which were emanated from Him are actually still Him and it is man through ignorance which creates the idea that he is somehow not part of Him. Isn’t this the meaning of the fall? The illusion and ignorance of separateness?
Why do we keep doing this? Is it a natural consequence of sentience or is it because, like the Demiurge, we would rather create and control our own petty little worlds away from the Divine so that we can be served by them?
Gnostics have answered this question in many different ways but most, if not all of them, have revealed to us that we are helped in this beautiful and grand "enterprise of unity" by a universal force of attraction. Something which was emanated by the Divine and which works within all things to bring them back to Him. We call it the Christ and he is the supreme example of God's mercy.
But even the recognition of this external force working on us will not solve our sense of separateness if we do not learn to recognize the Redeemer or Christ as a power working its "miracles of unity" within us.
Therefore, let us as One Gnostic Community and One Universal Gnostic Church, pray that we may know the reality of that force called Love ever drawing us gently back to the bosom of our Divine Mother; and may we experience the strength of this force working in us, so that we may all be able to reach even greater heights of unity with our Divine Father and with all the things which are part of the miracle which is His Body. Amen.
But then there would be nothing to Love, now would there be?
But isn’t this missing the mark somehow? Isn’t this still thinking in and overly simplistic way? Perhaps all the things which were emanated from Him are actually still Him and it is man through ignorance which creates the idea that he is somehow not part of Him. Isn’t this the meaning of the fall? The illusion and ignorance of separateness?
Why do we keep doing this? Is it a natural consequence of sentience or is it because, like the Demiurge, we would rather create and control our own petty little worlds away from the Divine so that we can be served by them?
Gnostics have answered this question in many different ways but most, if not all of them, have revealed to us that we are helped in this beautiful and grand "enterprise of unity" by a universal force of attraction. Something which was emanated by the Divine and which works within all things to bring them back to Him. We call it the Christ and he is the supreme example of God's mercy.
But even the recognition of this external force working on us will not solve our sense of separateness if we do not learn to recognize the Redeemer or Christ as a power working its "miracles of unity" within us.
Therefore, let us as One Gnostic Community and One Universal Gnostic Church, pray that we may know the reality of that force called Love ever drawing us gently back to the bosom of our Divine Mother; and may we experience the strength of this force working in us, so that we may all be able to reach even greater heights of unity with our Divine Father and with all the things which are part of the miracle which is His Body. Amen.