“Christmas the New Dispensation” by Christine Emmerling, D.D. 12/21/2025

For our Christmas service I’m sharing an essay originally published in Harmony Magazine December 1888 by Divine Science founder Malinda Elliot Cramer titled Christmas. This was republished in 1990 by the Divine Science Federation Int’l in the book Hidden Harmony; it’s a collection of writings from Harmony Magazine 1888-1906. Now imagine Cramer sitting in her San Francisco home in 1888 writing her Christmas message.

Thinking back now over nearly nineteen hundred years of the world’s history, we reach that particular period during which happened the event whose anniversary is to-day. From the days of Noah to the time of which we are now speaking, the world was passing through the experiences which we heralded by its baptism by water–the flood–a symbol of the Lord, or the Soul. The chief characteristic of this reign of the Soul or Lord was individuality; the experience of the world at this time was one that pertained to the individual.

Hence we find it a period of what may be termed, Individual Law; law setting forth carefully and in detail all the observances necessary for each man, woman, and child, both in moral and material affairs, for public or private observances. We find it a period of law setting forth the different sacrifices and sacraments, fastings and feastings, each in its proper season. It was a period of law setting forth the natures of the planets and the stars and their relation to individual life. And it was of this law whence came records of the past and prophecies of the future. Thus we find, that the Old testament and bibles of pre-Christian times, are in general histories of individuality. As to the New Testament and contemporary bibles, we find on the other hand, and for reasons hereafter made clear, that they are witnesses or records of universality and unity.

A truthful interpretation of St. Paul’s Epistle to the Hebrews, Chapter IX, will throw much light on the two dispensations; the dispensation of law and the dispensation of love, which is the fulfilment of the law, to which the Old Testament and New Testament respectively bear witness.

The first tabernacle wherein the priest went always accomplishing the service of God, is the symbol of the body; the second tabernacle, wherein the priest went once a year, is the symbol of the Soul. But into the holiest of all, which symbols the Spirit, went no man; for under the old dispensation the way into the inmost sanctuary had not been revealed. Nor could it be, because the old dispensation was of the Soul, of which the second tabernacle is the symbol of the Soul, of which the second tabernacle is the symbol; the world had not yet reached beyond the worship of a personal God, the Lord or Soul.

It was known by a few enlightened souls, that in pursuance of Divine law and order, the world would sometimes reach a further consciousness, a consciousness of the Spirit or impersonal God–the symbol of which was the inmost sanctuary–and which consciousness could not be revealed by one who manifested a personal consciousness (so to speak), but would be revealed by one who manifested an impersonal consciousness; by one who was high priest of a tabernacle not made with hands; by the Messias, who was expected.

This expectation was fulfilled in the coming of the Christ – or the consciousness of universality and unity manifested in Jesus of Nazareth. Hitherto the world had not known the Father, but had known His child – the Sou l– the Lord; and until the Christ consciousness is reached no one can know the Father; thus through Christ all come to Him. Hitherto the law had been the observance of Individual Will; now came the law to observe the Father’s Will.

The birth of Jesus of Nazareth marked the transition from personality to impersonality, from distinct individuality to inseparable unity, from Lord to God. The teachings and works of John the Baptist are the link that binds the old with the new; the expanse out of which the present emerged from the past. John baptized with water–the symbol of the old dispensation, at the same time declaring the baptism with fire, or the Holy Ghost, of which the Star of Bethlehem is the sign, the symbol of the new dispensation.

These remarks apply in principle to the world as a whole; whether under Buddhistic, Confucian, Zoroastrian, Brahminic or Mosaic teaching.

Let us look still further back, and see the condition of the world before the days of Noah and the Flood. We will find it thoroughly materialistic; we will find that the people on the earth in those days expressed a degree of sensuality and ignorance that was the very ultimate of sensuousness and idolatry. These were truly the dark ages of the planet. It will be noticed we are dealing with the planet as a whole, whose history is that of the nations and people inhabiting it. And it is in order that a clear idea may be formed of the earth’s evolution, that we refer to antediluvian times.

During the materialistic period then, prior in the days of Noah, the consciousness of the whole earth was throughly immersed in the darkness of sensual desires, to such an extent as can scarcely be conceived of in these days. And the manifestation of that consciousness, or the appearance of the world (and its people) in those times, corresponded exactly, that is, the latter would be the appearance of the former.

Thus we understand, that these dark ages were the product of dark thought, and in it the Nations lived until they saw the folly of darkness and longed for light. The whole world longed for better times – it was tired of materialism, found nothing substantial in sensation, nothing of peace or rest, but only perpetual war and discord. Thereupon the World’s thought changed; a universal demand set in for a holier and healthier state of affairs, and the first appearance of this thought upon earth was the flood. The cleansing waters of the Lord were an answer to the general demand for a consciousness of something higher than material things.

Then we have seen that the period extending from this time to the days of Jesus, was marked by a consciousness of a Soul of things; that the worship of the Lord was the worship of the Universal Soul, of which the Sun is a symbol. This period was one of phenomenal appearance and phenomenal worship as in sun worship; but in time, the people of the earth began to aspire to something beyond this, still the numbers of the gods that were worshipped, increased and uncertainties arose as to the true God; and uncertainties drove men, that they began to seek something higher than phenomenal worship, something nearer than a far-off God.

In answer to this came the prophets, who foretold of better things, or a Messias who would come and lead the children of God into the way of truth and eternal life, into a certain knowledge of The One God. Hereupon, great expectations set in; and the whole looked for the coming of a God, who would deliver them from uncertainty and its results, a God who would deliver his people, all people from their enemies, their own unconsciousness, and who would abide with them forever. The dispensation of which the Old Testament bears record marks the true middle ages in the planet’s history. These, however, passed away with the coming of a new consciousness, in which the whole Earth is folded today.

In order to understand fully the import of the mission and message of Jesus to the world, we should understand the state of the world prior to his birth; and what led up to it. We have only laid a foundation for such an understanding in the foregoing remarks, but sufficient perhaps to enable our readers to realize, that the appearance of Christ upon Earth was an answer to preceding universal thought and search, or demand. What led up to that demand has been in a few words generally set forth.

With the coming of Christ, the World entered upon its last days. Hence the event was one of two-fold importance; first, as marking an era in the history of the World’s progress; and, second, as being the second coming of God Himself to the Earth. His first coming was on the Day of Creation; His second coming was to the Day of Christ; His last coming will be in the Day of Awakening.

Just now we have to deal with the Day of Christ – let us see how it was the second coming of God. That the first coming of God to the World was in the Day of Creation, needs no explanation – for God is the Creator of all things. That no similar manifestation of God was expressed between the Day of Creation and the Day of Christ, will be clear if the Order in the evolution of the Planet be comprehended, and if the evolution in expression be understood as the corresponding consequent of activity in thought; and this may be gathered in principle in the preceding pages. Then, it only remains to show, that Jesus was Christ or God manifest, which will appear in the following remarks.

From the day of Creation to the Day of Christ, the Planet passed through all its stages of unconsciousness. By which we mean, that although God was just as much present to the World during all these stages, as now or at any other time, still the World had no knowledge of that. In its evolution we are treating of the Soul or consciousness — it had to pass through all the experiences that were necessary for the unfoldment of the Christ consciousness, which is knowledge of the Omnipresent God and at-one-ment with the Father. This knowledge is the consuming fire before which ignorance or unconsciousness disappears as grass in the furnace. That Jesus had this knowledge, was and is manifest, proven; hence Jesus was Christ or God manifest.

Now, then, we can plainly see, that as soon as the Soul becomes conscious of the Omnipresent God, God has come to Her; and forthwith she manifests that consciousness—upon the plane of manifestation. Let us apply this to the Earth; the consciousness of the World is its Soul; when the Soul becomes conscious of God, she knows herself to be one with Him.

The Soul of this Planet Earth reached that consciousness at about the time of the appearance of the Star of Bethlehem in the East. Then having reached that knowledge she proceeded to manifest it—yet, no longer SHE, as in the last dispensation, but HE, the Father, through her; for she was at one with Him—and thus came Jesus, the Christ, God manifest on Earth.

Christmas 1888. Where do we stand in consciousness to-day? If you had been asked this question 1900 years ago, you might have answered – well certainly the World at present does not afford conditions for the appearance of the Messias it expects; one nation is intent upon its Hippodromes, and another upon its material aggrandizement, and others are in barbarism, and so forth; certainly the Messias cannot appear now. In thus passing judgement you would have lost sight of the fact, that the Messias would appear when the World was ready in Soul and Thought.

Appearances are not the cause of thought, but the result of thought; thought is the forerunner of every appearance; therefore appearances are no index of the present. Then, remembering this, where does the World stand in consciousness today? Far indeed from the appearances would indicate; on the threshold of a great awakening; in the dawning of a Light that has already come. OLD THINGS HAVE PASSED AWAY, BEHOLD ALL THINGS ARE NEW!” (End of essay).

Here we are December 2025 some 137 years later, the world is witnessing the crumbling of the old dispensation based on false beliefs as in material power, separation, division and fear. While the new disposition of oneness, unity and love is building up, becoming strong in mind and heart.

Ego’s mask is being taken off to reveal all its faces of fear (hate, anger, cruelty, bully, victim). Ego can no longer hide that it is a false power based in ignorance and is powerless in the light of Truth - the power of God’s love, oneness and unity. Humanity is working through its masks of ego, everyday its veil is thinner, and dissolving into the nothingness from which it came.

More and more people are awakening to this truth that we can create a beautiful new world based in the frequency and vibrations of the highest and purest form of unconditional love, compassion and helpfulness for all life including our planet earth.

We shall see the whole person and honour the Christ in everyone. Knowing our oneness in God we lovingly serve each other. Together we build inclusive communities, treat our planet and all life upon it as a God created living body and soul. We shall have new means of educating to prepare and awaken the soul’s of children for this new world. All is generously provided for this is heaven on earth. This is the world Jesus the Christ came to help prepare humanity to bring forth. Let us affirm: Old things have passed away, behold all things are new!