Copyright Ian Ellis-Jones 2005 - All Rights Reserved.

1. THE NATIVITY STORY
AN INTERPRETATION
by Ian Ellis-Jones
AN ADDRESS DELIVERED BEFORE THE SYDNEY UNITARIAN CHURCH
SUNDAY, 18 DECEMBER 2005
THE ETERNAL BETHLEHEM
Two thousand years since Bethlehem!
O measure not that Birth by time
Alone! Each soul potentially
A hidden Bethlehem-to-be.
Two thousand years since Bethlehem!
Yet angels garnering earth’s good will
Proclaim the Star shines now as then
To guide new Shepherds, new Wise Men.
Two thousand years since Bethlehem!
Man spirals towards its lucent fields:
Now fails, now falls – but, climbing still,
Finds Christ new-born on Bethlehem’s hill.
- Phyllis V Campbell
Within the heart of every person
The Christ Child will be born again –
Not as a child in swaddling clothes
But as a light that grows and grows
Until the universe will ring
With peace on earth … and angels sing
As each person turns to face the light.
The star of Bethlehem did shine and
Children sang “Star light, star bright,”
But know this, brothers and sisters of the light:
Your radiance from the light within
Will far outshine a brilliant star.
You are a light, a light of truth …
Go forth and shed your light afar.
- Emily Sanford.

2. Introduction
"And the angel said to them, 'Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good
news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born
this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord" (Lk 2: 10,
11).
"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government will be
upon his shoulder, and his name will be called 'Wonderful Counsellor,
Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace"' (Is 9: 6).
" ...a little child shall lead them" (Is 11: 6).
The Christian Nativity Story is, first and foremost, the account of the birth of
Jesus of Nazareth. The story itself may be regarded as being historical, at
least in small part, although clearly much of the language of the Gospel
accounts of the event is "mythical" and symbolic. To refer to the story as
mythical is not to deny its historicity or authenticity. A great deal of myth is
based on historical events, even if not all such events acquire the mythic
character. It is simply to state that there is a level on which the story may
properly be regarded and interpreted as a pattern of images with spiritual
meaning. This is the case with all sacred scripture. Much of it is written in
allegorical and spiritual language, and it is remarkable the extent to which this
language is common to all the different sacred scriptures of the world’s
religions.
When properly understood, the Nativity Story is both an account of the birth of
Jesus as well as a symbolic representation of the "new birth", the birth of the
“Christ Child” within our hearts. I use that expression, not in any narrow
evangelical sense, but in a fairly broad psychological sense. There is a part
of us that is our genuine authentic self, our real self, our I Am-ness. Carl Jung
called it the "Divine Child". Emmet Fox called it the "Wonder Child", the
indwelling Presence of God within each of us. Charles Whitfield called it the
Child Within. Some psychotherapists refer to it as the Real Self or True Self.
Theosophists refer to it as the Reincarnating Ego. Esoterically speaking, the
“new birth”, or birth of the Christ Child within us, refers to the awakening within

3. us of the conscious but choiceless awareness of the indwelling presence of
Life, Truth and Love occasioned by a profound sense of the numinous. The
“new birth” experience has been well described by Felix Adler, the founder of
Ethical Culture, in terms that make sense for Unitarians and others who wish
to understand that experience without the unwanted baggage of
supernaturalism:
The experience to which I refer is essentially moral experience. It may be
described as a sense of subjection to imperious impulses which urge our
finite nature toward infinite issues; a sense of propulsions which we can
resist, but not disown; a sense of a power greater than ourselves, with
which, nevertheless, in essence we are one; a sense, in times of moral
stress, of channels opened by persistent effort, which let in a flood of
rejuvenating energy and puts us in command of unsuspected moral
resources; a sense, finally, of the complicity of our life with the life of
others, of living in them in no merely metaphorical signification of the
word; of unity with all spiritual being whatsoever.1[1]
Christian mystic Angelus Silesius has written these powerfully confronting
lines:
Though Christ a thousand times in Bethlehem be born,
But not within thyself, thy soul will be forlorn,
The Cross on Golgotha thou lookest to in vain
Unless within thyself it be set up again
I propose to review the Christmas Story by focusing on its key elements and
characters so as to draw out the spiritual significance of the event which was
to change the entire world. Journey with me below the surface of the text to
the underlying metaphysical meaning. The Apostle Paul writes, "We impart a
secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our
glorification" (1 Cor 2: 7). So, “Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing that
has happened, that the Lord has told us” (Lk 2:15).
1[1]
Felix Adler, Life and Destiny (London: Watts & Co, 1913), pp 22-3.

4. Gabriel
"And the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid, for you have found favour
with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and his name
Jesus" (Lk 1: 30, 31).
The Annunciation is a dramatic revelation of a fundamental spiritual law
which, traditionally expressed, says, “God seeks, the soul responds”. Now,
God can be seen as Life, Truth and Love. Not just Life, but the very
livingness of Life, the oneness of all Life, and the givingness of Life to Itself.
Life is there in all its fulness. There is nothing else. Life cannot otherwise be.
It is our response to Life that makes the difference to our existence.
Luke records how “the angel Gabriel was sent from God" (Lk 1: 26) to the
Virgin Mary to announce the imminent virgin birth. In spiritual language, an
angel is a projection into human consciousness of an exalted spiritual idea
direct from the fountainhead of God. The exalted idea is sown in the mind
and the seed quickens into the cell. The coming into activity of the Christ
Child within us is the result of an exalted idea sown in the mind by the Spirit of
God - the realisation that the human soul is to be the bearer of the Divine.
When we have an exalted idea, the angel Gabriel comes into our
consciousness, metaphorically speaking. If we say yes to Gabriel – that is, if
we really want change in our life at a very deep level - then something
wonderful happens. Something is born in our souls that stays with us for the
rest of our lives.
Mary
If some have accorded to the Virgin Mary more honours than are properly
hers, it can equally be said that there are others who, anxious to avoid the
same mistake, have failed to give her any attention at all. Anyway, scripture
tells us that Mary's honour is due to the One who is said to have done for her

5. great things. Her soul '”magnifies the Lord" (Lk 1: 46) and her spirit "rejoices
in God [her] Saviour" (Lk 1: 47).
Now, this is very important. Mary signifies the "virgin soul", the soul in love
with God/Life/Truth, the soul which puts spiritual values and principles first
and which is completely concentrated and focused on those things. In such a
soul there is a total orientation of thought and affection towards God/Life/Turth
and a radical detachment from all earthly things. There can never be
obedience without such a disposition.
Let us never forget that the Nativity is a virgin birth. With such a birth,
conception is by perception. Catholic archbishop Fulton Sheen writes that
Mary had already conceived in her heart that which the Holy Spirit conceived
in her womb. Esoterically, the Christ Child waits not on nature but on the
Virgin's acceptance of the Divine Will. We are told that Christ is born anew
within us by virtue of God's initiative, not our achievements. What this means
is that we are changed, not so much by what we do, but by our willingness to
be changed, our willingness to surrender, give up, let go. In order to change
spiritually, and grow spiritually, we must be prepared to give up everything in
our lives that holds us back and keeps us in bondage to our lower selves.
The Roman Catholic Church teaches the Perpetual Virginity and the
Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary. There is no need to affirm either
of these dogmas in a literal sense, but allegorically they reinforce the notion of
Mary as a symbol of the "virgin soul". The first dogma - Mary's continued
virginity - speaks of a lifelong commitment to and communion with God and,
as such, symbolizes the spiritual life. The second dogma - Mary's immaculate
conception - attests to the divine essence of the human soul, the sacredness
of human life, as well as speaking of purity and innocence. Being filled with
the Spirit of God, the virgin soul can contain nothing else. Nothing that is
impure, nothing that is not God, can linger in it for an instant.
The Virgin Mary, in short, symbolises all those qualities that are essential

6. prerequisites to new spiritual birth - willing obedience, openness to
Life/Truth/Love, and humility. She represents a pure state of mind that
ponders spiritual things and believes in the so-called miraculous as a
possibility: "let it be to me according to your word" (Lk 1: 38). E S Lamb
writes:
Beyond celebration of gift and carol, candlelighting and “Merry
Christmas!” there is another ritual of season when I turn within to the still
centre of my own being, celebrating within the shape of silence, the
star’s radiance, the birth of love, the peace angel, and let vibrations
flow out from that centre’s energy to bless, to heal, to give the gift
of radiant love.
Joseph
“When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord
commanded him. …" (Matthew 1: 24).
Joseph, no word of whose does the Bible record, is the silent witness to the
Nativity Story. He is the privileged sharer of the thoughts Mary pondered in
her heart, delicate of mind and gentle of heart. Like Mary, he was ever
obedient to the Will of God, the spiritual impulse - a shining symbol of
believing strength.
The Journey
"And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth,
to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because
he was of the house and lineage of David, to be enrolled with Mary,
his betrothed, who was with child" ( Lk 2: 4 , 5 ).
It was less than 112 kilometres from Nazareth to Bethlehem, but the road lay
through deep valleys and over mountains. The way was dusty and difficult. It
was a long, laborious and wearisome journey in order that our Lord may be
born in abject poverty. We, too, are on a journey. We are travelers on the
road of life, and it is said that if we want to travel far, we must travel light.

7. Norman Vincent Peale wrote that the real purpose of time is for the
discernment of God. Bethlehem means "house of bread"; esoterically,
Bethlehem, where Jesus was supposedly born, represents substance and life,
that spiritual state of consciousness, deep within our minds, where the Christ
Child, metaphorically speaking, is formed - deep in our subconscious, down
among the “animal forces”. The journey to Bethlehem is a spiritual quest for
the "true bread from heaven", or the experience of the new birth.
The Donkey
"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit
within you, which you have from God?" (1 Cor 6: 19).
Those childhood pictures of Mary and Joseph and their little donkey are
indelibly imprinted on our hearts. In particular, we see Mary seated on the
beast, with Joseph leading it by the halter rope along the road to Bethlehem.
Many have seen the donkey as representing our physical bodies. We must
not forget our physical bodies if we are to bring the Christ Child to fruition in
the place where it is to be born. To ignore or reject our physical side prevents
the birth of real spirituality.
The Stable
"And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling
cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in
the inn" (Lk 2: 7).
The Christ Child was born in a stable "because there was no place" in the inn.
He was born in humble and unworthy surroundings. If Christ can be born in
such a place, then the spiritual experience I’m describing can take place in
any person, regardless of their past or present circumstances. William
James, in his Varieties of Religious Experience, has written that almost all
conversion experiences, whatever their variety, do have a common
denominator of ego collapse at depth in which a person faces a seemingly

8. impossible dilemma and lets go … surrenders … to whatever is. Yes, only
amidst humility and perhaps even brokenness will the “Christ Child” ever be
born in us. He can never be born in the inn - that is, in the heart of the person
who has no room for Christ, who is too busy and too proud to let the Christ
Child come to life, who has no time or patience for spiritual ideas and truths.
Pride, indifference and selfishness close the door against the new birth.
Metaphorically speaking, the Christ Child knocks on every door, yet those
things fill the inn and bar the way. Only can the humble open their doors to
the Christ Child - those who realise that, without a deep spiritual dimension to
their lives, they are nothing and have nothing. There’s an old Welsh grace,
which goes like this:
Let not our hearts be busy inns
That have no room for Thee,
But cradles of the living Christ
And His nativity.
The stable is symbolic of our present state of consciousness with its feelings
of unworthiness, shame and lack of purpose and direction. It symbolises the
“new life” that is born into anyone of us the moment that we give our whole
hearts to God as we understand God. That is when the Christ Child is born,
when we make up our minds to put God as we understand God first in our
lives and not second. Ask any recovering alcoholic or addict about this
process. It is real and vital. Yes, so great is the power of change in our lives,
that if we really want change, at a deep level, we can and will have it! By way
of example, in the “Big Book” of the twelve-step fellowship Alcoholics
Anonymous, itself entitled Alcoholics Anonymous,2[2] Bill Wilson, cofounder of
the fellowship, describes his “white light” conversion experience:
Lying there in conflict, I dropped into the blackest depression I had ever
known. Momentarily my prideful depression was crushed. I cried out,
"Now I am ready to do anything - anything to receive what my friend Ebby
has." Though I certainly didn't expect anything, I did make this frantic
2[2]
Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd ed (New York: Alcoholics Anonymous World
Services, 1976).

9. appeal, "If there be a God, will He show Himself!" The result was instant,
electric beyond description. The place seemed to light up, blinding white.
I knew only ecstasy and seemed on a mountain. A great wind blew,
enveloping and penetrating me. To me, it was not of air but of Spirit.
Blazing, there came the tremendous thought, "you are a free man." Then
the ecstasy subsided. Still on the bed, I now found myself in a new world
of consciousness which was suffused by a Presence. One with the
Universe, a great peace came over me. I thought, "So this is the God of
the preachers, this is the great Reality." But soon my so-called reason
returned, my modern education took over and I thought I must be crazy
and I became terribly frightened.3[3]
Yes, the Christ comes into a stable, not into a palace. The only precondition
is the willingness to have one’s ego deflated with the humble acknowledgment
that the self that is held in bondage cannot change itself because it has no
power of itself. Only a power-not-oneself can deliver us from the bondage of
self.
When the Holy Child is born, he is wrapped in swaddling clothes. The newly-
born Babe needs care and nurture but carries its own protection. So we must
attend to our own spiritual development. Spiritual growth involves continuous
letting go. David McClure, minister of Windward Unity Church in Kailua,
Hawaii, writes:
Letting go and letting God is not just an interesting technique that we can
try when all else fails. It is a way of life. In fact, it is the only way of life.
It is the way we are meant to live our lives.
Another way of describing God is as a “stream of living energy and
infinite possibilities.” Actually we are in this steam all the time, but often
do not know it. Part of rowing our boats “gently down the stream” is
becoming conscious and steering our boat out into this living stream.
This is a conscious, free-will choice to move our oars in this direction.
Sometimes this stream becomes for us a raging torrent of energy that
abruptly changes the direction of our lives. But most often, it is a very
3[3] rd
Alcoholics Anonymous, 3 ed (New York: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, 1976), p
….

10. subtle intention that is directing and guiding our lives towards our highest
possible good.4[4]
In the Old Testament it is written, "Take this child away, and nurse him for me,
and I will give you your wages" (Ex 2: 9). Yes, the spiritual life is its own
reward. If we want joy and real happiness in our lives then we must
surrender, let go, give up. We must make room in our life for this Christ Child.
Desire to be relieved of the bondage of self. Give up your self-obsession, and
start to live.
The Shepherds
"And in that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch
over their flock by night" (Lk 2: 8 ).
The Christ Child is born in humility. Who are they who are chosen to know?
Shepherds. Persons who live close to the earth and the simple, lovely things
of earth. Those who are patient, humble, resourceful and above all faithful.
The shepherds stood for the men who followed God's Will, who did what was
required of them, spiritually speaking. From among them had come thinkers
and prophets to whom rulers listened. Others wishing to be holy went out to
live as they did. "The Lord is my shepherd", wrote the shepherd poet who
later became king. The symbolism of the good shepherd had deep meaning
in the Holy Land.
The Wise Men
"When (the wise men) saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great
joy; and going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother,
and they fell down and worshipped him. Then, opening their treasures,
they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh" (Mt 2: 10, 11).
4[4]
David McClure, “The Subtle Stream” [Online]
http://windwardunity.blogs.com/windward_unity_breeze/2005/09/sunday_lesson_h_2.html#m
ore [accessed 11/10/2005].

11. Matthew tells us how Herod instructed the wise men to "search diligently" for
the Child (Mt 2: 8). If we truly wish to have a deep spiritual experience we will
do so. It should, however, be remembered that the wise men were directed to
the place where the Child was by "the star which they had seen in the East"
(Mt 2: 9). Exoterically, we are told that we can know God only as God
chooses to reveal Himself to us. Esoterically, we must listen to that “still, small
voice” within us that says … this is the way!
The Star in the East
“ ...and lo, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till
it came to rest over the place where the child was" (Mt 2: 9) .
In metaphysics, the east is where God is. For present purposes, the east
refers to our inner state of consciousness.
Now, wise men knew from their ancient books that God had promised to send
into the world a great king, who would save his people and rule over them.
When suddenly the eastern star appeared, they perceived that the time had
come.
The eastern star is the morning star. It is the first gleam, the first dawning of
the truth of the new birth. In the Bible, the east always stands for spirit, truth
and God. For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the
west, so will be the coming of "the Son of man" (Mt 24: 27).
The star shines for all mankind. It shines within each one of us. It is the light
which leads us to the greater Light, the true light that enlightens every man"
(Jn 1: 9). The star is the outer symbol of the inner light. When we have seen
the star we have not yet found the Christ Child, but we are convinced that he
exists, that we want him, and that we are going to find him. We must follow
the star constantly, that we may be led to the Christ Child's birthplace - also
within ourselves.

12. The Gifts of the Magi
"...opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense
and myrrh” (Mt 2: 11).
When the wise men saw the Child with Mary his mother, they fell down and
worshipped him and offered him precious gifts. When the Christ Child is born
in us, when we awaken to a deep sense of our Being-ness, we receive rare
gifts from God. Gold - the light of truth, the gift of wisdom, the seal of the
royal priesthood. Frankincense - the sweet fragrance of sympathy, sacrifiice,
understanding and healing. Myrrh - love to sustain and heal.
Body, Soul and Spirit
“ ...may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at
the- coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1Thess 5: 23).
In the old tradition and classical pictures of the Nativity Story, there is always
a donkey, an ox and a lamb in the stable, near to the Christ Child. It has been
said that these three animals represent three important aspects of our nature.
The donkey represents the human mind unillumined by Christ - the
unregenerate soul. The ox represents the physical body. The lamb signifies
our spiritual nature. When the Christ Child is born in us, it is said that these
three things are united into a new and wondrous creation. We then become
fully functioning human beings.
The Eternal Bethlehem: Christmas Forever!
“Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel" (Lk 2: 34).
This is the story of the Christmas Child. How wrong it would be of us to think
that the story ended 2,000 years ago. The truth is that the event is going on

13. all the time, whenever someone awakens to their true potential, to their inner
divinity. Charles Fillmore writes:
The bringing forth of the Christ child is not a work that was finished in
Bethlehem. It is taking place in our midst every day. It is this we
5[5]
celebrate.
No sooner is Christmas upon us, it’s over, but the good news is that the new
birth can occur at any time. Indeed, those who have not Christmas in their
hearts will never find it under a tree. So, when the greetings and the carols
have ended, when the angels have ascended to heaven, and the wise men
have returned to the east, never forget that the light that once shone on a
manger still brightens the world from afar. Yes, listening hearts still hear
angels, and wise men and women still follow a star. I leave you with these
beautiful lines from Pauline Havard:
THE DOOR IS OPEN
The door is open! Go in and then share
The nativity scene, so inspiring there!
The door is open within any heart
Where love’s lantern gleams.
Be one of the Wise Men, if you desire,
Or one of the shepherds who left their fire
In the chill of night when they heard the news.
You may be any or all, if you choose;
May come anytime to a Bethlehem!
When you reach love’s door, go in with them;
When you come out, you will carry a spark
From that stable’s lantern into the dark,
Which will help you to lead those under black skies
To the glow and the hope where the Christ Child lies.
5[5]
Charles Fillmore, “The Symbolism of Christmas”, Unity, December 1981, pp 62-3.

14. A CHRISTMAS BLESSING
May you have the spirit of Christmas which is peace, the gladness of
Christmas which is hope, and the heart of Christmas which is love. Amen.