The Christian Community in Johannesburg
  • Home
  • About
    • Photos & videos 2016 onwards
    • Social media
    • Library
    • Stories, Poetry & more
    • Articles >
      • Contributions by members
    • History
    • Artists in our community
  • Community Notice Board
  • News 2023
  • Programme
  • Contemplations 2023
  • Market
  • Links

Holy Week theme talk

11/5/2022

0 Comments

 

Talk by Rev. Michaël Merle: Finding the Inner Balance Point, The outer and inner aspects of the moods of the days in Holy Week – Initiative ​

reported by John-Peter Gernaat
​

Holy Week is an extraordinary week because it begins on Palm Sunday and it goes up to, and draws into itself, Easter Sunday. Easter Sunday is the first day of a new week and equally the eighth day of Holy Week. The eighth day is a completion that also begins something new. It gives a sense of an octave of what unfolds towards Easter.

Sunday is a day of the sun and the rising of the sun. There is a rising on Palm Sunday and again on Easter Sunday with the Resurrection. Each day of any week begins with a reflection on the previous day, a reflective mood as befits Monday, the day of the moon. Then the business of the day begins and we are into the mood of Mars, Tuesday. The day invariably requires that we become flexible which is the mood of Mercury, Wednesday. But the day does not end before we organise everything, knowing that we have met the unexpected. This is the Jupiter time of the day, Thursday. When we realise that day has been good and we feel good about what has been accomplished we experience the Friday mood of the day. By evening we go into rest and sleep, the Saturday time of the day. In this way the moods of the week are expressed in a single day.

This talk is about taking initiative. In John 1:35 we read that John the Baptist says: “See the Lamb of God” and two of his disciples leave to follow Jesus. What prompted this? On the previous day John speaks of the Lamb of God which prepared his disciples to take an initiative. There was a capacity in the disciples to do something out of themselves. They needed some preparation and the words of John on the previous day would have been sufficient: John 1: 29-34. In these words John speaks about the Lamb of God as: “he it is who baptises with the Holy Spirit”.

This baptism of the Holy Spirit that occurred on the first Whitsun is a baptism of which we are the inheritors. We have received this baptism of the Holy Spirit. As a result of this great event, possible only through the Resurrection, something became integrated in us. The earthly “I”, the capacity to organise ourselves, became integrated into the human being. Before this we were not truly able to take true initiative.

Initiative comes from Latin meaning to start. Initiative starts from me, an “I” response. An initiate can initiate something. An initiate is someone who is anointed for a task. In taking initiative we recognise that some aspect of ourselves has been anointed by the Holy Spirit and through this anointing a part of ourselves is integrated within us. Before we could take initiative from our true self human beings did things, but what they did was out of need. What they did was a reaction to their situation, not a response, and therefore it was an instinct – an appropriate human instinct. In time, drive and desire caused human beings to act. Initiative occurs out of freedom. It is an ability that arises in us through motivation. Motivation is entirely self-generated. The word comes from ‘to move’.

Initiative requires an “I” which is more than a physical body, the etheric life force or an astral capacity. This capacity wakes up on Palm Sunday. It is the first step. Not yet the completion. The ability to motivate ourselves out of our own freedom is a gift of the Holy Spirit. Prior to this the activity of human beings was driven externally and therefore not yet free. Humanity was under a condition that may be described as ‘The Fall’.

The disciples of John acted out of themselves because this ability was dawning for the human being.

Jesus turns to these two disciples and asks: “What are you seeking?” They are seeking out of their own sense of something of importance. They answer that they wish to know where they can find him. It is clear they have not yet found themselves, their own home. Jesus responds with an invitation. It will be revealed to them. This generates a new initiative in their freedom to go out and invite others to also come and find it as well. This next step in their initiative is vital. They send themselves out to find others.

Modern initiation, in the time of the Consciousness Soul, is leaning to get on with other people. We are all modern initiates because we are capable of beginning something, of taking initiative.

This talk was followed on each evening of Holy week with a contemplation at the altar that spoke of the mood of each day as described in a word in the second paragraph of the report above.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Use Ctrl-F to search this page
    Picture
    Follow us on Twitter. We put reminders of events and notices on Twitter.
    Contemplations

    Article Archives

    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022

    2021 - January to December
    ​2020 - January to December
    2019 - January to December
    2018 - January to December​
    ​2017 - January to December
    2016 - January to December
    2015 - January to December
    ​2014 - November & December
    2013 - July to December
    2013 - January to June
    2012 - April to December
    Picture
    Send us your photos of community events.

      Feedback

      Please give feedback on anything related to this website and the content on it. Do anonymously or with your name.

      * Indicates a required field.
    Submit

    Subscribe to our newsletter or notifications

    * indicates required
    I wish to receive
    Email Format

    Articles (prefaced by month number)

    All
    01 - January
    01 - The Christ-element In The Chemical-elements
    02 - February
    02 - January Cultural Evening
    02 - The Christ-element
    02 - The Mercury Cross
    02 - The Salt Cross
    02 - The Sulphur Cross
    02 - Understanding Capital
    02 - What Is New About The Movement For Religious Renewal
    03 - February Cultural Evening
    03 - February Discussions On The Creed
    03 - February Gospel Study
    03 - February Old Testament Study
    03 - March
    03 - Sulphur Cross - Nitrogen
    04 April
    04 - Deepening Our Understanding Of The Inner Working Of The Trinity
    04 - Growing Point By Alfred Heidenreich - Chapter 1: Roots
    04 - Ordination Weekend
    04 - The Christ Element In The Chemical Elements - Carbon
    04 - The Day The Sun Stood Still (Joshua 10)
    04 - The Old Testament Study: The Book Of Judges
    05 - Growing Point
    05 - Holy Week Theme Talk
    05 - May
    05 - Preparation For Confirmation
    05 - The Christ-element In The Chemical-elements - Hydrogen Oxygen Carbon
    05 - The Old Testament Study - Samuel
    06 - Biography Through Story
    06 - Growing Point By Alfred Heidenreich
    06 - June
    06 - Kabbalah Tree Of Life
    06 - Magnesia
    07 - Carsten Rieger
    07- Comprehending The Spirit Within – The Whitsun Theme
    07 - Growing Point
    07 - July
    07 - St John's Weekend Events
    07 - The Christ Element In The Chemical Elements - Sulphur
    07 - The Gospel Study
    07 - The Old Testament Study - King David
    08 Alkalis And Halogens
    08 - August
    08 - Growing Point By Alfred Heidenreich
    08 - Old Testament Study
    08 - Rising Serpent To The Restful Lamb
    08 - The Chakra Path – The New Way Of St John
    08 - The Gospel Study
    09 - Growing Point By Alfred Heidenreich
    09 - Petition
    09 - September
    09 - The Christ Element In The Chemical Elements - Limestone And Silica
    09 - The Memorial For Sophia Turner
    09 - The Old Testament Study - King Solomon
    09 - Theosophy
    09 - Theosophy And Petition By Bridgette Siepker
    09 - The Tarot
    10 - Birthdays
    10 - October
    10 - Our “ZORBA” In Johannesburg – In Memory Of GEORGE NURSE
    10 - The Christ-element In Aluminium And Phosphorus
    10 - The Christ-element In The Chemical-elements Aluminium And Phosphorus
    11 - Goethean Observation Of Our World
    11 - Gospel Study - Luke
    11 - Michaelmas Conference - Carrying The Michaelic Impulse Further
    11 - November
    11 - The Christ Element In The Chemical Elements - The Mineral Cross
    12 - December
    12 - Goethean Observation Of Our World
    12 - The Gospel Study - The Gospel Of Luke

    RSS Feed


On this site

Home
About us
Library
Photos
Stories
Articles
   ​
  from
​     Member
​
Where are
     our
​     members
History
Community Notice Board            News About The Community      Community Programme       Contemplations      
Businesses in the Community    Links to other Communities         Webmaster
Links to other websites of our community
Artists in our community

Services

The Act of Consecration of Man
Sunday                            10h00
Wednesday                    07h00
Friday                               08h30
Always check the programme for the latest information.
Sunday Service for Children precede by a story
Sunday                            09h30

Contact information

​Address
46 Dover Street corner Pine Avenue
Ferndale
Randburg

GPS:S26.0887400, E27.9962600
​Telephone & Email
Telephone             +27 11 789 3083
WhatsApp              +27 76 697 1340
​Email                       joburg@thechristiancommunity.org.za
​Office hours           08h00 - 13h00

Priests

Rev. Reingard Knausenberger
Office    +27 11 886 2220
Mobile  +27 82 218 1515
​Email     lenker@thechristiancommunity.org.za
​Rev. Michaël Merle
Mobile  +27 83 675 0836
​Email​     michael@thechristiancommunity.org.za

Webmaster

webmaster@thechristiancommunity.org.za
Copyright © 2012 to 2023. | All rights reserved. | Powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • About
    • Photos & videos 2016 onwards
    • Social media
    • Library
    • Stories, Poetry & more
    • Articles >
      • Contributions by members
    • History
    • Artists in our community
  • Community Notice Board
  • News 2023
  • Programme
  • Contemplations 2023
  • Market
  • Links