© 2022 Rita Schaad
© 2022 ANZURA, Australia & New Zealand Urantia Association
| The Arena – Summer 2022 — Newsletter | The Arena – Summer 2022 — Index | 2023 Annual Conference in Sydney |
By Rita Schaad, Newcastle NSW
The radio was on in my house most days during the Christmas Season – mainly ABC Classic – and Handel’s Messiah rang out ounce again……
Hallelujah…. The kingdom of this world;
Is become
The kingdom of our Lord – King of kings forever and ever…
And Lord of lords’……… hallelujah ……
And He shall reign forever and ever….
Never on all the worlds of this universe, in the life of any one mortal, did God ever become such a living reality as in the human experience of Jesus of Nazareth. UB 196:0.3
Never on any other world among many systems and constellations – even the entire Universe of Nebadon – did transpire what happened on ours, the first and only lowly planet to have the honour of hosting Christ Michael bestowing himself in the flesh as Jesus. We are known as “the world of the cross” – the sentimental shrine of all Nebadon – we are known throughout the realm for its strife-torn past (and present) and its rebellious mortals. And this still, even after 2000 years of Adjuster indwelling in most inhabitants!
We have the actual records of the birth and life of Jesus of Nazareth – found now in the historical writings of those early years, and via the traditional story we specially remember around the time of Christmas. And we have an actual place on our globe to visit, where the boat builder of Galilee walked up and down the countryside.
Our world being host to such a high heavenly being. WOW!Other worlds must look upon us and our affairs shaking their heads and asking, “how is this possible; they’re so slow in coming forward?”
We were host to the Creator on his noble quest to simply:
….win all mankind to the recognition of the Father’s love and to the realization of their sonship with God. UB 98:7.1
When the magnitude of this gift sinks in deep enough, we are bound to be touched in such a way that stimulates us to ….go out in all the nations to proclaim the good news! It urges us to seek for some kind of engagement in an attempt to answer the charge to spread the truth of this incredible statement.
I always felt hesitant to proclaim anything loud and verbal on the streets but was taught to serve in little ways when an opportunity presents itself. I am simply uncomfortable to do any kind of ‘telling’ about spiritual matters to others. I find especially among us Urantia Book readers that different ideas abound, and some have been practising ‘their calling’ seriously for years and hopefully their seeds are blooming where they are planted. Shouldn’t we just be confident that the Spirit of Truth is a trusty guide at the crossroads of each our lives to lead us into active service and engaging with others?
At the AGM during the conference a couple of months back, this exact query about engagement came up. Most of ANZURA’s members have been a steady and active group for over 30 years and meet up at the yearly conferences with great joy. The governing board has given many of them the opportunity to take on a position and steer the reader groups through the decades. But when we look around in the circle, it’s mostly the same faces we see.
How are we going to attract other Urantia Book readers into this family? And where are the young students and believers of this book? How come so many are not interested these days in getting involved in a group like ours? Where is the long-term commitment?
As you might know, we are getting many reader inquiries during the year, even applications for membership, but sadly they are seldom followed through or are short lived. How come our desire for community and real human contact is not shared more widely? How come talking of our personal experiences with The Urantia Book is mostly relegated to digital interchange and the social media these days? No attachment necessary, no long-term commitment required, no active participation forthcoming.
What is missing here?
If the Christian church would only dare to espouse the Master’s program, thousands of apparently indifferent youths would rush forward to enlist in such a spiritual undertaking, and they would not hesitate to go all the way through with this great adventure. UB 195:10.10
Could we also read this as, “If we would only dare to espouse the Master’s program…”? What is that Program?
What is the difference between being a member of ANZURA and being ‘just’ a reader of The Urantia Book in Australia and New Zealand? Hasn’t it got something to do with belonging and fellowship? Isn’t that the desire of all humans, isn’t the lack of it the reason for all the ills on this sphere?
How do you see this?
It would be great if you could just be bold and communicate your ideas and thoughts about this matter. Also, I strongly encourage you to respond to any article and conference presentation in this issue if you are so prompted. The communication lines are always open. anzura.urantia@gmail.com
With best wishes for the coming new calendar year and looking forward to hearing from you.
Rita Schaad
ANZURA President
¶ References
| The Arena – Summer 2022 — Newsletter | The Arena – Summer 2022 — Index | 2023 Annual Conference in Sydney |