“Our Inner Earthquakes” by Rev. Christine Emmerling 4/16/2023
Today my talk titled Our Inner Earthquakes is about the things that shake our life up, and how we approach these unexpected challenges. We can relate this back to Jesus’ disciples the night Jesus Christ was taken from them. They ran in fear - scattering, hiding from the authorities in fear for their lives.
Christ Jesus had spent his last days with the disciples to prepare them for their mission to continue on with the teaching and healing works. Jesus knew they would be challenged to continue in his name, meaning in his same nature or consciousness. Jesus even told Peter, who represents the power of faith, that he would deny him three times before the night was over, and he did.
Suddenly they were on their own without their beloved teacher and leader. Its hard to imagine what it must have been like for the disciples not knowing what’s next or what to do.
Early Sunday morning the earth trembled and the rock rolled open to Jesus’ tomb. When the disciples heard that the tomb was empty, they thought the worst. That his body was stolen. They had forgotten what he had told them, and the promise in scripture. They had temporarily given up their faith and belief in eternal life.
Then the women having gone to the tomb, heard Jesus speak to them, and did not recognize him at first. Their eyes through fear and sorrow were blinded from the truth. It took insight, intuition to know that it was Jesus Christ standing there with them.
Then their faith and love opened their eyes to reveal the truth. They excitedly went home to tell the others that Jesus had resurrected - he was actually alive.
Jesus told the women to tell the disciples to go to Galilee, and that he would meet them there in the upper room. Galilee represents Energy of life; soul energy; power, acting in conjunction with substance. There in Galilee the disciples went to the upper room as instructed to pray together.
The upper room is our inner holy temple that we go to for prayer, meditation and listening for the “still small voice” the Christ within. So Jesus told the disciples to collect together in high consciousness. There the activity of life and faith would be renewed and a new way of being will be established.
Jesus instructed the disciples to remain together in this upper room of consciousness until the Holy Spirit came upon them. Then they would be ready to go out in the world to minister. Jesus then ascended leaving the disciples to carry on their spiritual work. It was 40 days from the ascension to the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came upon them. This was the beginning of their ministry to spread the word, teach and heal. The number 40 is symbolic of a period of time to complete the process for the next stage to commence.
I shared this story because we have had times in our lives that events have taken us over, shaken our faith, and may have even threatened our way of life and loss of loved ones. What do we do at such times? Do we give up? Run away and hide in fear? Or retreat inwardly to regenerate our faith, inner strength and spiritual power.
It is during a crisis that it is most necessary to take time out, to go to our upper chamber or room, and close the door from the appearances. We pray and meditate and be with the Christ. Be open to seeing things differently. We center ourselves in love, regaining our faith to face the world with new spiritual insights and direction.
Many today are faced with the loss of their employment. There are those who have lost their homes and loved ones. Their seeming stability and security shaken to the core. It is natural and necessary to grieve such losses, but then there comes a time that we need to dig deep within and pick ourselves up and move forward with our lives. We have a choice to remain in sorrow, anger and blame, or to find that inner strength and courage to begin anew.
Whenever we put our faith in outer circumstances to sustain us we will face insecurity and loss. When we have a strong faith in the Omnipresence of God, then the earthquakes of life may shake us, but not destroy us. Instead we will have a renewed faith and even greater courage to face the world.
I’m reminded of the Bible stories that offered such courage. Adam and Eve, the day after leaving the garden of Eden. Now having to fend for themselves for food and shelter. Noah the day after landing on ground; here the real work was to be done starting over with his family in a strange land.
The day after Moses led the Hebrews across the river to freedom. But, now they had to have faith that God will provide daily for their needs. The real work just begun in establishing their faith. A new consciousness had to be established prior to arrival. It took 40 years to arrive to the promised land. And, then what? Again, a new beginning, a new work to be done.
Our challenges are always for our spiritual unfoldment or growth. Bringing forth our own higher good. We may kick and scream for a while, but then we must get on with the work we are called to be doing. We can delay, take side journeys. Even in that delaying more challenges will be faced, that give us the opportunity to dig deeper into our soul. Someday, these experiences can be gifts to help other people on their soul’s journey.
We also have the other kind of events. Those that we look so forward too, as a wedding, birth or graduation. Following there can be a great let down from all the planning and excitement. Now comes the day after. Is this all there is? Or, it can be a great sense of overwhelm. The new demands, and fear of being incapable.
I went through my greatest fear of parenthood prior to giving birth to my second child. The overwhelm hit me just a few weeks prior to giving birth. The realization of the next some 18 years of commitment. Was I going to be up to the challenge? Then an inner assurance came and I was once again looking forward to the baby’s arrival. Once the baby was born, it was going through the immediate tasks of caring for the new born and 18 month old. No more thought of years off into the future, or even of tomorrow. It was just moment to moment loving and caring for my babies.
I had other challenges come up that required me to gather faith, strength, and courage. I spent almost two years in study, prayer and meditation preparing myself in consciousness. Not knowing exactly for what. I thought for my spiritual unfoldment, and yes that was true. But also to prepare me to have the spiritual tools needed to support my new way of life as a single parent. The day after became, “now what?” for there really was no plan.
At times there was anxiousness about the immediate needs and future, and I made some questionable decisions. But I had my tools to put to practice that helped me to get through these situations. When faced with challenges my favorite sayings were, “I can make molehills out of mountains or mountains out of molehills.” and then I would reply, “I choose molehills.” Another is “The Christ goes before me making the crooked roads straight.”
In time of financial need I would turn away from the worldly appearances and affirm, “God is my unlimited source, and has countless channels for money to flow through to me. I am now open to receiving my full measure.” I could replace the word “money” for any need to be fulfilled, such as employment, housing, or relationship.
The parable of the 10 virgins; 5 wise and 5 foolish; is about being spiritually prepared. To daily fill our spirit, the oil lamps of our soul. Then we will always be prepared. In the story they were preparing for a wedding feast to be held that evening and would need their lamps to guide the way. The foolish virgins played around all day, and then realized they didn’t have enough oil for their lamps. They then asked to borrow oil from the 5 wise virgins. The wise virgins only had just enough oil for their own lamps, and so refused to give any. That evening when the call came the wise virgins joined the bridegroom’s procession. The 5 foolish virgins missed the call and without their lit lamps were refused entrance to the wedding feast.
This story is symbolic of our own inner light that we can’t get from another person, they can only point the way. We must be prepared for we do not know when we will be called upon. We must feed our light daily through study, meditation, prayer and application. I say application because we have to put to practice what we have learned to make it ours. We gain strength as we exercise our faith, and our light grows even brighter. And, eventually we become a beacon of light for others, truly a light unto the world.
There are so many predictions of fearful world disasters. I’ve lived through a few of these that have yet to come to pass. Most recent was the coming of the year 2,000. Dec. 31, 1999, and was waited by many in great fear. Then the day after was just another New Year’s Day. Then there was Dec. 21, 2012, the end of the Mayan calendar with many believing the end of the world. People prepared for the worst, and again the day after people resumed their lives. Now people have pushed this date out to sometime in the mid 2020s or 2030s to 2050s. There is something coming. Change is always coming. There is an end to the world as we have known it, and is not the end of all life, but another new beginning.
Emmet Fox wrote about the coming new Age of Aquarius, as the end of a 26,000 year cycle which is also the end of a 52,000-year cycle. His understanding is that humanity is due for a major evolutionary change. There is a slow transition period of 2150 years from one age to another. Presumably we are already in this transition period symbolized by the many inventions beginning with electricity and all its uses. And more recently computers, space travel and the worldwide internet. We see more personal freedom and equality. Can you just imagine how all this changed peoples lives? For some it is frightening and are resisting holding onto the past. While many others are courageously moving forward.
This evolutionary change is much more than inventions and lifestyle. It is an awakening to our Christ self or God within us. First a few, then a major shift on a worldwide scale. The potential of who we are is already present within us but is a new way of being and to experience life. We become centered in unconditional love with our actions driven by compassion. Our inner 6th sense is fully awakened, and our mental capacities are expanded. We become conscious creators for a better world. The scripture “The lion lays down with the lamb” is fulfilled. Meaning all creatures shall be living together on earth in peace and harmony.
This is a milestone in our unfolding consciousness. Not the end, but another beginning as with Adam and Eve, Noah, Moses and the disciples. And how will you greet this new way of being? We have a choice to live in fear or embrace every moment with love and courage. Let us affirm: “Today I choose life, light, love and laughter.”