With What Kind of Heart Should We Celebrate Jesus Birth?

2 Kings 8

 Some time later Elisha went to the capital city of Damascus to visit King Benhadad of Syria, who was sick. And when Benhadad was told he was there, 8 he said to Hazael,[b] “Go meet with Elisha the man of God and have him ask the Lord if I will get well. And take along a gift for him.”

9 Hazael left with forty camel loads of the best things made in Damascus as a gift for Elisha. He found the prophet and said, “Your servant, King Benhadad, wants to know if he will get well.”

10 “Tell him he will,” Elisha said to Hazael. “But the Lord has already told me that Benhadad will definitely die.” 11 Elisha stared at him until Hazael was embarrassed, then Elisha began crying.[c]

Lamentations 1

Won’t you look and see
    how upset I am, our Lord?
My stomach is in knots,
and my heart is broken
    because I betrayed you.
In the streets and at home,
    my people are slaughtered.

Heaven’s Sorrowful Heart

Rev. Sun Myung Moon
January 3, 1959

Had Joseph and Mary had the same determination while Jesus was growing up as they had at his conception, they would have been able to block the path of the cross for him. We are aware that because the mother and son failed to complete the internal and external circumstances through cooperation, Jesus abandoned his home and went forth to look for disciples.

For that reason, when asked by Mary to make water into wine at the marriage feast at Cana, Jesus said, “Woman, what have you to do with me?” (John 2:4) When we think about this, we realize that Mary did not understand Jesus. Neither Joseph nor Jesus’ brothers knew. Jesus felt concern about Heaven and the physical living environment. We must understand that it was natural for Jesus to feel concern about God, yet it was a sorrowful fact for him to have to feel concern about the living environment.

Jesus was born and raised in a sorrowful environment. The environment in which he was to live, caring and feeling concern only for God, was lost. Therefore, we must understand the sorrowful fact that Jesus was put in a situation where he had to feel concern about God and be concerned about his physical livelihood. Continue reading “With What Kind of Heart Should We Celebrate Jesus Birth?”

The Heart of Mary and Joseph

Cheon Seong Gyeong 963

To this day, no one has been regis-
tered into the heavenly kingdom. The
kingdom did not have a nation. It did
not have a family or nation. When you
go to the spirit world, your parents, and
– if there are ten people in your family
– all ten of your family members would
be separated. However, from now on it
will not be that way. You should know
that originally, if human beings had not
fallen, heaven would be the place where
you enter with your mother, father and
clan.
If your grandparents, mother and
father, couple, and children, become one
based on true love, and inherit God’s
true love that lives for others, then even
God would be absolutely obedient to
that. In the world that strives to live for
others – a world that moves according
Book 6 • Our Life and the Spiritual Realm 964
to the love that submits to the tradition
of living for others – the basis for peace
would surely emerge even if it resisted
being formed. (210-354, 1990.12.27)

Cheon Seong Gyeong 1419

Do you know what registration is?
Once a woman is married, she needs
to have her name entered into the fam-
ily register of her husband. She needs to
have her name removed from the register
of her original family and have it moved
to that of her husband. (177-302, 1988.5.22)

Heaven’s Sorrowful Heart

Rev. Sun Myung Moon
January 3, 1959

Matthew 1:18-2:12

Mary was of an immovable heart, such that even if she had to give up everything in this world, she could never give up the Father’s Will. She would take on any matter with gratitude to realize the Father’s Will. We must learn that the very moment Mary sacrificed all her pride and dignity and her own life on behalf of humanity, the connections for the Messiah to be born were put into place for the first time.

At the same time, we must know the situation of Mary, who was pregnant with the Messiah, immeasurably concerned in her mind about the path she must walk after his birth. That situation closely resembled God’s pitiable one. Her state of concern closely resembled the mind of God, who worries about the evil earth. For that reason, God commanded Joseph, through an angel, to protect Mary.

Although Joseph heard the news through an angel, he found it difficult to accept that Mary, who was pledged in marriage to him, was pregnant. He suffered from a humanistic point of view. However, knowing that God raises a man to realize His grand Will and unfolds the dispensation through him, Joseph took Mary home according to the angel’s command. Mary and Joseph cooperating in this manner became the base to revive Adam, lost in Eden. Continue reading “The Heart of Mary and Joseph”

Mary’s Life or Death Situation

Levitius 23

37 I have chosen these festivals as times when my people must come together for worship and when animals, grain, and wine are to be offered on the proper days. 38 These festivals must be celebrated in addition to the Sabbaths and the times when you offer special gifts or sacrifices to keep a promise or as a voluntary offering.

Richard:  I have gotten this verse or the next one three times in the last week.  God is telling me that Sabbath with Him is important.

Psalm 93

The ocean is roaring, Lord!
    The sea is pounding hard.
4 Its mighty waves are majestic,
    but you are more majestic,
    and you rule over all.
5 Your decisions are firm,
    and your temple will always
    be beautiful and holy.

Heaven’s Sorrowful Heart

Rev. Sun Myung Moon
January 3, 1959

Matthew 1:18-2:12

However, even Joseph and Mary, who should have toiled for Jesus and stepped forth pursuing the Will for him, could not relate to Jesus with the earnestness of God’s sorrowful heart. The three wise men from the East could not look at Jesus as Heaven looked at him, bearing a sorrowful heart.

Today we must first look back on the Shim Jung with which God grieved before Jesus’ birth. You must reflect in your minds on the sorrowful heart of God when He cast out Adam and Eve, because they fell in the Garden of Eden. You must reflect back upon that sorrowful and pathetic scene when God watched Adam, his only begotten son, being borne off by the enemy Satan.

To dissolve this sorrow, God came forth unfolding the dispensation for 4,000 years after the fall of Adam and Eve. God notified all of humankind of this sorrowful situation by sending numerous prophets and sages. Yet human beings could not comprehend God’s sorrow nor could they comprehend the grief of the Heaven-sent prophets. For this reason, the Israelites happened through the historical course where they betrayed Heaven. Since God will certainly attain His Will, He toiled without a moment of rest. Eventually, for the first time after the lapse of 4,000 years, God was able to restore the lost Adam. Continue reading “Mary’s Life or Death Situation”

The Three Wise Men Should Have Followed Jesus

Cheon Seong Gyeong 489

What kind of people are true wives
and true husbands? When people
mature, they have a family. Taking their
spouse as an eternal partner of love,
they should form a family of love where
their initial love grows as the days go
by. When that love at the family lev-
el expands to form a tribe, these tribal
members will be eternal embodiments
of love, which can expand love eternally.
Such a husband and wife will be a true
married couple and a true husband and
true wife. Also, such a husband and wife
will be able to participate in God’s love.
(Blessed Family – 880)

Cheon Seong Gyeong 1190

If you are to be victorious, you must
go out into the world. You must go out
and restore the rights of the firstborn
son. The firstborn son must ultimately
attend the second son, who is the young-
er brother, as though he were an older
brother, and come to the point where he
can say, “I will receive all the blessings
through you.” In this way, the firstborn
son comes down to the position of the
second son, and the second son must
rise up to take the position of the first-
born son. So only after the first son says,
“You go up, instead of me,” and pushes
the second son forward, does it becomes
possible to move from the family level
rights of the first son to the tribal level
rights of the firstborn son, and so on. In
this way, you can go up stage by stage.
Only when the first son pushes you, can
you go up. You cannot go up as you are.
Because of this principle, you must ful-
fill the standard of restoring the rights
of the firstborn son in this way. Without
doing so, and this is the secret of history,
the dispensation of God cannot be suc-
cessful. That is why, in order to go the
way of a true religion, you must leave
your home. This is where the words,
“You must leave your country and your
home, renounce the world and become a
monk,” come from. (138-204, 1986.1.21)

Heaven’s Sorrowful Heart

Rev. Sun Myung Moon
January 3, 1959

Matthew 1:18-2:12

Today is an important day, which could have been the day to which God was looking forward. I myself also looked forward to this day as I came forth unfolding the Will. You must remember that this hour, when we indemnify through the number four and at the same time through a new number three, is the time of a historical act of providence.

The title of today’s sermon is “Heaven’s Sorrowful Heart.” I would like to honor the memory of this day with words to this effect.

God created all of creation, in order to create one man. Looking at all creation from the first day to the fifth, God rejoiced in Himself with unlimited desire and hope.

God created our ancestors, Adam and Eve, as the central figures of all creation, the masters who would rule over all creation in God’s place. Bearing an immeasurably happy heart, He then blessed all for their sake. God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.” (Genesis 1:28) That He gave such words of blessing to us means that we were created to make God happy. God blessed us for such a purpose.

However, Adam and Eve could not realize that blessing from God. You must, therefore, look back again upon the fact that a sorrowful history has flowed forth without that blessing being realized.

Heaven was immeasurably glad while Adam was growing. Through Adam, all creation was returning happiness to God. Yet Adam, not comprehending the Will of the heavenly principles, could not uphold Heaven’s Will and Word. Therefore, he ended up being chained to the sorrowful restraint called “the fall.”

Because Adam and Eve fell, God, who set up the laws of heaven and earth, could not help putting them out of His bosom of love. Although all creation knew about God’s sorrowful heart, as did the good spirits of the angelic world, we, the descendants of fallen man, have not really known this until now. You may know this very well. Continue reading “The Three Wise Men Should Have Followed Jesus”

The Sorrow of Jesus Remains on this Earth

Leviticus 23

39 Remember to begin the Festival of Shelters on the fifteenth day of the seventh month after you have harvested your crops. Celebrate this festival for seven days in honor of me and don’t do any work on the first day or on the day following the festival. 40 Pick the best fruit from your trees[n] and cut leafy branches to use during the time of this joyous celebration in my honor. 41 I command you and all of your descendants to celebrate this festival during the seventh month of each year. 42 For seven days every Israelite must live in a shelter, 43 so future generations will know that I made their ancestors live in shelters when I brought them out of Egypt. I am the Lord your God.

Lamentations 2

Those who pass by
shake their heads and sneer
    as they make fun and shout,
“What a lovely city you were,
the happiest on earth,
    but look at you now!”

Heaven’s Sorrowful Heart

Rev. Sun Myung Moon
January 3, 1959

Matthew 1:18-2:12

Father, please extend Your hands of blessing over the whole of humankind in this hour. Please extend Your hands of blessing over the thirty million Korean people. Over the numerous children who remember Your name, please grant Your grace of love. Moreover, Father, please lift Your hands of love in blessing over the heads of the children, who are prostrated to pray from the depths of their heart in a lonely place in this hour. I pray from the bottom of my heart that You remember the members who are concerned for You in this hour, wanting to comfort You in the space of a generation for the sorrow You left behind on this earth where sin and evil dwell. Please bless them in this hour.

People on the earth do not know about this day nor do they know about Heaven’s festering sorrow. They know even less about Your infinitely sorrowful heart. Father, we cannot help being grateful for the glorious grace with which You granted this day to us, we who were unaware of the lamentable fact of this day. Now we may celebrate this day, which none of humankind recognizes as Christ’s birthday. Please remember Your sons and daughters gathered here.

Please allow our celebration this day to be the start for us to be able to console the heart of Jesus, who has grieved for 2,000 years. Please allow this to be the hour when, looking back on Christ, we can inherit his old battlefield as an unfinished work. He cared nothing about the path of Golgotha, giving his life after having been born in a sorrowful position. We realize that this must be the hour when we have to inherit the great achievement he left in his lifetime as our mission. Continue reading “The Sorrow of Jesus Remains on this Earth”