Hidden Teachings of Christ - from Authentic Freedom Ministries

If you pluck a grain of wheat from its stalk, there would be nothing within that grain to indicate the plant that it is destined to become. And yet, this grain, when given good soil, proper nourishment and light has no choice but to become the stalk of wheat. In becoming the stalk of wheat, however, it has not yet reached the fullness of its potential. Only in surrendering to death and shedding its seeds can the wheat grain (that became the stalk) take on its new incarnation as the life-giving seed that can then bring forth new life - either in the form of food or in returning to the earth to bring forth yet another stalk of wheat. It is letting go of the old to welcome the new that is the message of the Ascension that we celebrate this week.

The ascension marks the final stage of Jesus' journey as a Divine being living a human experience. Through the incarnation, God became human and lived a fully human experience through the person of Jesus. Once this stage of growth was accomplished, the person of Jesus had to die so that that seed that would come forth from his lived experience could take root and bloom. In ascending, the person of Jesus surrendered the human form and all his attachments to that experience so that he could fully embrace the Christhood for which he was destined.

Only in becoming the Christ was the fullness of God's plan in Jesus able to be made real. In doing so, the seed of his Spirit was released into the world for all - past, present and future - to know and receive. This is the miracle of the Ascension - all of humanity is now invited to the greatest fulfillment of their own potential by not only participating in, but becoming the Body of Christ themselves. "Now you are Christ's body and individually parts of it." (1 Corinthians 12: 27) And, in accepting this call, God's intention in Jesus can now be fully manifest.

Yes, in order for God's plan in Jesus to be fulfilled, we too must reach the fullness of our own potential by being the Body of Christ. Looking to Jesus' life as a model, we are invited to cultivate a deeply intimate relationship with God through prayer, we are invited to be open to receiving God's guidance, comfort and support in our lives, we surrender our own will, desire and plans for the plans that God's wisdom will prove to be in our highest good, and we must surrender to death those things that stand in the way of our ability to fully receive the plan that God has in store for us. As we allow ourselves to shed the layers of things that keep us from reaching the fullness of our potential in Christ, it is no longer we - with our fears and ego attachments - driving our lives, but God.

So as we move forward in our journey this week, let us examine the invitation to our own ascension by reflecting on the following questions:

1. Have I reached the fullness of my potential by accepting and living in the Body of Christ?
2. Have I cultivated a deeply intimate relationship with God by maintaining a daily discipline of meditation and contemplation?
3. What is standing in the way of my ability to fully embrace my human and divine potential?
4. What attachments am I currently being invited to shed so that I can live more and more fully within the Body of Christ?