Dear Community of Christians,
 
there are many different points of view from which we can look at the figure of John the Baptist, and also, from which we can look at the Festival of John. But ultimately, we struggle to understand this world- historical individual of the Baptist and His significance for us today.
 
His connection to the Father God is significant. Everything that is in earthly existence has developed to maturity, in nature, in human life, in social life. It carries the power of the Father God within. It is the earthly expression, the reflection of the cosmic creative power of the Father God. John the Baptist is an exemplary example. How can we further understand that, in addition, this individual carries the impulse of the cosmic-earthly advancement of all mankind in his being?
 
We human beings are not only a collection of material parts; we are all also spiritual beings. Each individual carries the spiritual power in their personality. The different degrees to which we have developed spiritually is certainly also connected with our different earthly lives. It is thus, a question of how much we have connected ourselves with the life of  the spirit, in the earthly as well in the afterlife.

We are all designed within our development to become spiritual beings, even, angelic beings. Some individuals come before, having  followed a faster path of development, and show the way. So it was with John the Baptist, who carried both a physical body, as well as his angelic being at the same time. Through his angelic being, he has worked as a bridge, between the past, and towards the future.

With every earth incarnation we also become a bridge between our past life and the future seed self that we carry within us. Our understanding of the world-historical being of John the Baptist can be found in our willingness to bring to fruition, the angelic part of our being and to build bridges between past and future. This bridge will have to be based on our karmic tasks. In addition to past karma, angelic forces are also at work in us as seeds for the future. And in fact, we are all designed within our development to become spiritual beings, even angelic beings. Why, therefore, should not single individualities have followed a faster path of development?  So why shouldn't John the Baptist be imbued of a physical body as well as his angelic being at the same time? Through his angelic personality, he has worked back then as a bridge, of the past, that means of the history and into the future.

Actually, with every earth incarnation we also become a bridge between our past life and the future within that we want to strengthen the angelic being in us.

Gospel Reading: Mark 1:1-11

Dear Community of Christians,

John the Baptist is an outstanding personality. He is firmly rooted in the Jewish spiritual stream. With the intensive observance of the laws, the Jewish people and nation became very strong. We can still see this iron adherence to the Jewish law, which lacks compassion and understanding for others who does not come from their worldview.

John the Baptist carries this in his personality and he was just as strict and sharp with his wake-up call. Was this extreme what woke him up for what was needed to come? Out of this he suspected, at the same time, the old, the no longer contemporary, must create space for an upcoming new. Then he grabbed hold of his task and destiny.  So, the Baptist, the forerunner, became the distributor of the new.

But in order to seek the future, people had to find him. In order to hear about the new, they have to seek him out.

With our intellectual-materialistic thinking we have become strong and rich as individuals and as a nation. However, it is clear and not to be overlooked that our economic and scientific system is used-up. Yet old forces are still at work that perpetuate this system.

Who now shows the way to the new? Since more than 100 years the initiate saw the need to bring the new into the world. But like then, few found him or even heard of his new impulses.

This newness, announced by John the Baptist came into the world with the Baptism of Christ. But even until today the new, with its compassion, love and understanding for others was grasped by only a small part of humanity.

How long must we wait until even a small part of humanity grasps the new; a new impulse and era as the urgent need for the development of future civilization.  

Gospel Reading: Mark 16: 17.29

Dear Community of Christians,

​For the development of humanity, it is necessary that wise people come to earth at pivotal times and bring impulses to lead society forward. Society can take those impulses for their present evolution, or else they become seeds and disappear underground.  

Before the events of Christ, developmental impulses were brought to society by human leaders along invisible paths. These impulses came out of the mystery temples, received and taken forward by those who could spread them.

The arrival of John the Baptist on earth is connected with a mysterious angelic encounter by his father Zacharias, as a last glimpse of the reception of wisdom in the Mystery Temples. His strong impulse was the awakening call: change your consciousness. The time is at hand.

The mystery Temples were no longer sources of wisdom and faded into history. Jesus Christs life on earth, with its world-transforming impulse of individualization, of love, compassion and will forces of sacrifice could be grasped by every single person, then and now. These new mysteries are open to every single person.

Today great leaders of humanity incarnate among us, but are inconspicuous, bringing those important impulses to fruition. They are in the public eye and yet are not taken seriously, neither the leader nor their impulses. Perhaps they are even scorned and ridiculed.

But human development must continue whether the impulses are taken up or not. Accordingly, humanity may be subject to errors, or have to make difficult detours.
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Our intellectual thinking has the tendency to doubt everything. How then, can we ever recognize which impulses really serve human development? Perhaps we also need to learn from history. Many things are initially rejected, laughed at, scorned and doubted, but these very things may contain the new impulse of what will and must come. Through the long eye of history we see, and will see, how such impulses have slowly manifested themselves in society.

Gospel Reading:  John 17:1-11

Dear Community of Christians,

Today’s reading comes from the John Gospel and is part of the High Priestly Prayer. In previous times, as described in the Old Testament, the high priest entered the innermost temple to create a bridge between the father God and the people. Yet in this text he is not mentioned at all, because the Son of God took up the High Priests mantle. Christ took this on to bring people into a new relationship with the divine Father. Through this great prayer Christ fulfills this relationship for all people.

What actually happens when we create relationships? As children we have a totally pure relationship to our parents, and this relationship is quite natural. During the time of our youth, we want to create new relationships with various friends, out of our own impulses.

When we create relationships as adults, the circumstances become much more complex. We can meet people who we suspect are relationships from previous incarnations, as well as those casual acquaintances which come about for professional reasons. The extent to which such different relationships develop into friendships or even enmities does not happen out of our fully clear consciousness. Deeper, karmic friendships require inner as well as outer efforts, but we carry out such activities with joy and inner sympathy.

Difficult relationships, on the other hand, also inwardly occupy us, especially through constant probing questions: how could it come to this, what is my part in it, how could the relationship be healed? And even more difficult questions.
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A burning question begins to haunt us in our modern times: do we need a relationship with the father God and with Christ at all, even though Christ has created that relationship with us?
We know that for many people the events surrounding Christ's life and death on earth are connected with questions, or even disbelief. How can a relationship be formed with so many uncertainties and inner difficulties with the divine world?
There is no simple answer, even though the relationship was once forged through Christ’s deed. But for the spiritual world, and for Christ, the free decision of every human being is paramount.
The unquestionable, childlike relationship with parents is a thing of the past. In the course of human biography, every adult is again given opportunities to look at this difficult relationship. He can then ask himself, is there a task in front of me that needs to be taken up? The decision of yes or no is left entirely up to each person.

Gospel Reading: John 4: 1-26

Dear Community of Christians,

In Grimms' fairy tales we can find a story called “The Water of Life.” There was a king who was fatally ill. His 3 sons were weeping and very desperate, when an old man came into the king’s garden and gave them advice to search for the Water of Life. With this healing medicine they could help and heal their father. But he added that finding it would be very difficult.

It is our task today to recognize clearly that the kingdom of humanity is deadly ill. The disease of capitalism, and in the end materialism, led to this deadly illness. Many people already experience real desperation in the face of this disease.

In the fairy tale the 3 sons want to help the father, without asking the old man for the way to this healing Water. Two of them fail right at the beginning because of their arrogance and their selfish wish to win the fathers favor and inheritance. They are not motivated to bring healing, but to serve their own desires.

We know the Water of Life was given to us two thousand years ago through the sacrifice of Christ. It was given to mankind as a healing medicine, but to make it effective as a healing medicine, it seems man still has to find the way to achieve it. To do this he will need to pass many, severe tests.

The youngest son finally won the water of life but the two older brothers had not changed their immoral attitude at all. As the youngest slept, they changed the sweet spring water for bitter seawater. They wanted to be recognized as healers. To this day, and especially today, human beings are constantly cheated of the healing medicine.
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These brothers in our society, even if they are our brothers, live in their selfishness. Because they have not rightfully earned this healing Water, their understanding of the healing medicine is lacking.

The youngest brother in the kingdom of man is our Ego. If we compare all the incredible trials the youngest has to go through on the way: losing the healing water, being thrown out of his father’s kingdom, nearly losing his life; then we might foresee that our present situation is certainly not the end of the obstacles to becoming a true “I am”.

Are we aware that the kingdom of man, our society, is rich in resources, a wealth of supports? A highly developed culture, spiritual science and a new religious wisdom. But the deadly sickness in society puts everything at risk of being lost. It is the single individual who can recognize the need for the water of life, the healing medicine and battle with inner readiness to find the way, and pass through the illness of our time. 

Reference: The Water of Life by the Brothers Grimm (click to read)