Luke 1:26-35 "In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee..."

"In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, ’Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.’ But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, ’Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor, David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’ Mary said to the angel, ’How can this be, since I am a virgin?’ The angel said to her, ’The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God’" (Luke 1:26-35).

Question:

What is Unity’s position on the Immaculate Conception?

Comment:

First of all, Unity does not have a “position” on the Immaculate Conception (and if it did, I would certainly not be qualified to express it). Our appreciation of the Bible affirms that the answers to all the mysteries and questions it raises are already within you. Our purpose in exploring the Bible is not to tell you what it means, but to support you in finding its meaning for you. The universal spiritual principles we appreciate and affirm do not depend on the literal accuracy of historical stories, but on the deeper truth that underlies the facts.   We can note that throughout Hebrew Scriptures important spiritual leaders were described as having unusual births. From Isaac in Genesis to John the Baptist in this same chapter in Luke, significant spiritual figures were born to barren women long past childbearing age—“miracle” births that foreshadowed the significance of their later lives. Other religions throughout the world have similar stories—many involving just such a virgin birth as described here.   That doesn’t, of course, make Luke’s story true or untrue. It’s just that its real significance lies deeper than a surface reading can offer. Remember that Unity co-founder Charles Fillmore taught that every character in the Bible represents an aspect of our own consciousness. This means that its dramas and challenges occur within us, as we learn how to reconnect with our spiritual power and create the new consciousness that is the kingdom of heaven.   Metaphysically Mary is the divine feminine, present in all of us as the creative energy of God that expresses as the Christ. It’s clear from the earliest verses of Genesis that the Christ energy eternally emanating from—being created by—Divine Mind is complete in its Unity with its Source. The apparent division into male/female occurs later, and is really the first step into the illusion of duality. In our Christ Self we transcend all duality, so it’s metaphysically true that in order to give birth to the new dimension of spiritual possibility represented by the Christ, we can and must “impregnate ourselves” by allowing the seed of divine Power to activate the creative, nurturing energy of divine Potential within us.   The question of whether a physical virgin can give—or has ever given—birth is beside the point. It’s a beautiful, powerful story that communicates an important spiritual truth to each of us. We are all spiritual virgins -- inexperienced at the rich and mysterious process of being pregnant with spiritual possibility, and giving birth to the Christ Essence that is seeking to move through us into the world. We cannot accomplish this great work—which is the whole reason for our presence here in limited human form—if we insist on waiting for an infusion from beyond. The spiritual guidance represented here by Gabriel wants us to know that we are complete and ready—just as we are—to give birth to the Christ energy that will transform the world. This is why the power of Christmas is so great. Every year we are asked to recommit to a spiritual pregnancy that does not depend on outer circumstances, and to give birth to greater and greater expressions of the love, joy and empowerment that flow through our innate Christ nature.   Blessings!

Rev. Ed