Resurrection Sunday

nEaster Sunday Morning at Springfield Christian Churchnn“Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, why do you weep?’ …. Jesus said to her, ‘Mary.’ She turned around and said to him in Hebrew, ‘Rabbuli!’ which means, My Teacher. Jesus said to her, ‘Do not come near me; for I have not yet ascended to my Father; but go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, and my God and your God.’ Then Mary of Magdala came and brought glad tidings to the disciples, that she had seen our Lord and that he had told her these things.” (John 20:15-18)nnJesus demonstrated there is no death by resurrecting his body as he said he would. (John 10:17-18) All of creation possesses the power to regenerate what may appear dead, but in actuality is lying dormant … awaiting the season to once more spring forth into newness of life. Even the flowers we call “annuals” produce seeds for regeneration. nnWhy would Jesus ask Mary of Magdala not to come near him? Jesus is now in his “incorruptible” body—the body in which he will ascend to the Father. Jesus has fulfilled his destiny by “Being the Will of God In Action” … all vestiges of a lower self have been crucified. Remember Jesus is demonstrating the Initiatory process to all of us, thus to say “all vestiges of a lower self have been crucified” relates to us. We are to crucify all vestiges of our lower self (the lower figure in the Divine Self Illustration), so that we can resurrect into our incorruptible body.nnnThe Divine Self (Elizabeth Claire Prophet)nnWe tend to think in terms of the events in Jesus’ life belonging solely to him. We forget that Jesus placed no limits on how far we are to follow in his footsteps. nnThe 5th Initiation we are to undertake is Resurrection/Ascension. Lest we think this is impossible, let’s look at some examples.nnJoan Carroll Cruz’ book entitled THE INCORRUPTIBLES provides examples. The most outstanding example is that of Saint John of the Cross, who returned to spirit (i.e. died) in 1591. In 1859, nearly 300 yrs. after his death, St. John of the Cross’ body was exhumed. It showed no trace of decay. His body was again exhumed in 1955 and once more, revealed no sign of decay. (Quoting from Mark Gaffney’s book, Gnostic Secrets of the Naassenes)nnThe phenomenon of incorruptibility is the “most thoroughly documented of all miraculous phenomena, with dozens of other known cases recorded. Nor is the phenomenon limited to Christian saints. The body of Paramahansa Yogananda, who passed away in 1952, was also uncorrupted.” (Mark Gaffney, Gnostic Secrets of the Naassenes: The Initiatory Teachings of the Last Supper) Gaffney quotes a notarized document signed by Harry T. Rowe, mortuary director of Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles, where Yogananda’s body had been temporarily placed. “The absence of any visual signs of decay in the dead body of Paramahansa Yogananda offers the most extraordinary case in our experience …. No physical disintegration was visible in his body even twenty days after death …. No indication of mold was visible on his skin, and no visible desiccation (drying) took place in the bodily tissues…. No odor of decay emanated from his body at any time.” nnReading the following books will allow us to see the type of life these men led, resulting in their incorruptibility:nDark Night of the Soul, by St. John of the Cross – this book is very esoteric, so you may want to read Joel Goldsmith’s The Contemplative Life first.nAutobiography of a Yogi, by Paramahansa Yogananda – Yogananda’s book is much easier to read.nnRemember there is ONLY ONE TRUTH … the various religions simply focus on parts of the Whole. We profit greatly by reading a huge variety of books. In Jesus’ words, “Seek and ye shall find.” “The truth will set you free.”nnThe 5th Initiation of Resurrection/Ascension tends to occur simultaneously. As we increasingly fill our physical bodies with Light, our conscious awareness is also heightened. We become an Enlightened One.nnnAn Enlightened Individual (C.W. Leadbeater)nn“And when he had spoken these things, he ascended while they were looking at him; a cloud received him and he was hidden from their sight.” (Acts 1:9)nnLest we think we cannot ascend, let’s look at some examples. In Genesis 5:21-24, we find Enoch. “Enoch found favor in the presence of God three hundred years after he begot Methuselah, and begot sons and daughters…. And Enoch found favor in the presence of God, and disappeared; for God took him away.” Enoch ascended.nnMelchizedek appears in Genesis 14, then in the New Testament book of Hebrews, we find a description of him. “Melchizedek was king of Salem, the priest of the most high God…. Neither his father nor his mother is recorded in the genealogies; and neither the beginning of his days nor the end of his life; but like the Son of God, his priesthood abides for ever.” (Hebrews 7:1-3) Melchizedek appears to have moved back and forth between the world of spirit and the physical plane without the necessity of being born of a woman and without dying. Melchizedek was an ascended being.nnII Kings 2:11 tells the story of Elijah’s ascension. “And it came to pass, as they still went on and talked, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire and horses of fire, and separated the two; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it.” Elijah ascended.nnLife is far, far more than we have suspected. May we resurrect our conscious awareness to this fact and embark on what can be the most exciting journey of your life—the search for the One Truth in its entirety. We are just beginning … the journey will take eons within the higher dimensions of existence. nnWe are not to settle for stepping on the first rung of the ladder into the higher heavens. Jesus arose clothed in a new incorruptible body with which to ascend to the Father. We are to do the same.nnAscension completes our earth plane journey. With ascension, we become an Ascended Master.