From the Pastors – Past Messages - The Bryn Athyn New Church

Bending Near the Earth

From Rev. John Odhner

From the Pastor's Box

December 14, 2011

The Lord’s birth was a time when angels drew near the earth with messages of hope, joy and peace. “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid...” (Matthew 1:20). “Arise, take the young Child and His mother...” (Matthew 2:13, 20). “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard.... And you will have joy and gladness...” (Luke 1:13-14). “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God” (Luke 1:30). “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy...” (Luke 2:10). “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” (Luke 2:14).

In the first verse of his well-known hymn, Edmund Sears, a New Church minister (nominally Unitarian) wrote of these angels “bending near the earth” with their “glorious song of old.” The later verses, though, are not about the Lord’s first coming, but His second: “Still through the cloven skies they come...Above its sad and lowly plains they bend on hovering wing.” To those “who toil along the climbing way with painful steps and slow,” Sears announces, “Look now, for glad and golden hours come swiftly on the wing.” “The days are hastening on” to circle again to the “age of gold when the new heaven and new earth will own the Prince of Peace, their King.”

The New Church descends from the New Heaven, and in the new revelation--from the first publication, Secrets of Heaven, to Heaven and its Wonders and Hell to those that tell “Angelic Wisdom...” to the final publication, the “Universal Theology of the New Heaven and the New Church”--every book tells us of heaven, of angels and of how close they are to our thoughts whenever we read the Word, think about the Lord or turn from a hurtful intention. They tell us that angels are watching over us every fraction of a second, that spirits of married partners are not separated by death, that thinking of others makes them present in spirit, and loving them makes a permanent connection. Though we may grieve to spend the holidays without the physical presence of some whom we dearly love and miss, we may find some consolation in trusting that they are among the angels who are even now bending near the earth with news that “glad and golden hours come swiftly on the wing.”

(JLO)

From Rev. Erik Buss

From the Pastor's Box

December 1, 2011

June 16, 2010

We know that the main image for the New Church in the Word is of the Holy City, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. That is a curious juxtaposition of images – a city and a bride. Both are beautiful (the city is made up of beautiful precious and semi-precious stones), so they have that in common, but little else.

They represent two important building blocks of the New Church. The Holy City represents the doctrine on which the New Church is based, and a life according to it (AR 879). Our understanding of the Word and our life according to that understanding is what makes the church in us (TCR 245). The Lord’s picture of this doctrine is that it is beautiful and appealing because it is the source of happiness for us.

The Church is called a bride because the church is joined to the Lord by means of the Word (AR 881). The thing that strikes me about a bride preparing for her husband is the yearning this describes. A bride does not get up the day of her wedding and decide what to wear. She prepares and ponders; she wants to look her best. She aches to be connected to her betrothed.

The Lord could have chosen many other images for His church, but He chose these. We build our lives on the truth from the Word, and it shows us how to live well. And when we live well we gain a deeper connection with our Lord. This is striking in part because many people think of spiritual living as learning to love those people around them. And it is. But in its final analysis, spiritual living is about having a relationship with the Lord whom we can love and love in return. All the truth He teaches is to help us achieve this.

(EJB)

Lessons: n/a

From Rev. Erik Buss

From the Pastor's Box - Keeping Positive in the Rain

May 18, 2010

We’re having a cloudy week, and likely a rainy week. After some very sunny times when lots of people were outside I’m guessing more people will stay indoors, and may even find that they are more open to the negative thoughts the hells offer.

I’m a gardener so I’m pleased with the clouds and rain. It’s been dry for too long and my young garden needed some rain. And the slightly cooler weather means that the iris that just came out will last longer for all to enjoy.

We’re told in the Doctrines that clouds stand for the literal meaning of the Word (AE 594; AR 24, 642). The literal meaning of the Word is, relative to the internal meaning, veiled over, just as the sun is veiled over by clouds. When the sun is shining and you can see for miles that’s like seeing the deeper, spiritual meaning clearly. That’s what we like – clear insight and the feeling that all is possible. And when clouds come in, hanging low, we can feel closed in, lacking insight and direction in where to go.

But we know we need clouds, just as we need bright sunlight. Without clouds there’s no rain. Rain stands for the inflow of the Lord’s Divine truth (AE 644), and for the understanding of the truth (AE 594:11). “As the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:10, 11)

So here’s a question: Why did the Lord create the world such that rain comes from clouds? Why does the understanding of the Word that gives life come from the literal meaning, not from the deeper meaning? There are many answers to this question, but for today I’ll just focus on one: The teachings of the literal sense are what tell us to do things. The inner meaning explains why and how to do things more than what to do. And what changes our lives, what gives us life, is when we move from not doing to doing.

So if you are feeling low because of the cloudy weather, make sure you are keeping busy enough. Usefulness lifts our spirits. And if you are feeling spiritually under the weather, go back to some of the clear literal teachings you know so well and ask what you could be doing about them. The Lord is present in use more than anything else (AC 10087:2; AE 820:7; cf. AE 9).

(EJB)

Lessons: n/a

From Rev. Jeremy Simons

Sermon - Receive the Holy Spirit

May 3, 2010

"Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.’ And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit.'" (John 20:21, 22)

Our topic is the significance of what the Lord did when He passed the Holy Spirit to the disciples. Were they really filled with power? The small dove, in the window at the front of the Cathedral, flying from the Lord down to the disciples - and the licks of fire in the windows on either side - seems to be crucial in enabling the twelve disciples to do their work. How does this work?

In the work called "The Coronis" we are told how the New Church comes into being:

"The Lord Jehovah is producing a new Church on earth, which is effected by a revelation of truths from His mouth, or from His Word, and by inspiration." (Coronis 18)

There are two things: the revelation of truth, and inspiration. By "inspiration" here is meant that the Lord will inspire people to accept and believe the truth that is revealed. If the truth was revealed and no one was inspired to receive and practice it, then there would be no New Church. So how does this inspiration by the Holy Spirit work?

The Holy Spirit is really nothing but the Lord, as He is omnipresent throughout creation, and it is therefore His continual influx into and presence within all created things. It is especially associated with enlightenment and regeneration.

"After death very many people put away the idea they had formed in this world about the Holy Spirit, and receive the idea that it is the Lord's presence with a person through angels and spirits, by and according to which the person is enlightened and taught." (Doctrine of the Lord 46)

The key thing here is that the Holy Spirit is the Lord's presence with a person through spirits and angels. Whatever a person loves, and therefore whatever he thinks about and does, attracts angels and good spirits, or evil spirits, depending on its quality.

Even though it is what you love that attracts the angels, an amazing thing happens when a person is exposed to the truth, especially the truths of the Word. We read in the "Arcana Coelestia" that the truths of the Word, "are nothing but celestial and spiritual vessels within which is what is Divine. And because they hold the Divine, that is, the Lord, within them, they therefore stir a person's affection, and thereby the Lord is joined to angels and to people." (Arcana Coelestia 3365)

The way that the inspiration that is called the work of the Holy Spirit works, therefore, is that when a person learns the truths of the Word the Lord's presence within those truths attracts angels to the person and these angels affect them. As we read in our lesson:

"To be inspired is in fact to be inserted into angelic communities." (True Christianity 140)

The inspiration is intrinsic to the truths themselves. A person who allows himself or herself to learn the truths of the Word well is very likely to be deeply influenced by them.

The Holy Spirit descends like a dove, or enters like a breath, into your world. It is also like a fountain of water that will satisfy your thirst forever.

"If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. This He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive" (John 7.37)

(JFS)

Lessons: John 20:19-30; True Christianity 140; Arcana Coelestia 10330

From Rev. Jeremy Simons

From the Pastor's Box in the Post (newsletter)

April 14, 2010

From a minister's point of view Easter presents challenges that are not there in other major church holidays. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and even New Church Day are fairly straightforward celebrations. They have interesting and exciting themes. They don't raise many confusing questions. Easter is different.

The imagery surrounding Easter is beautiful, and its themes are extremely moving. It is a celebration of new life, of the dawn, of the spring, of joy in the risen Lord. There are beautiful colors, flowers, and things that remind us of new life such as eggs, chicks, and rabbits. In a more complicated way it is about victory over death and hell, about faithfulness and deep love in challenging and stressful times.

All of the beauty of Easter, however, is set against a backdrop of forces that can only be seen as negative. The Lord came into the world and He was rejected and crucified. It is unbelievable that this could have happened. It is hard to understand how the events preceding Easter were part of the Lord's victory and the salvation of the world. The explanations that jump to people's minds are mostly mistaken. The formulated doctrine about this in the Christian world about this is so erroneous that the Writings say that it "has ruined the whole church to the point that there is nothing spiritual left in it anymore" (True Christianity 132).

These things are challenging to explain, although the Writings have beautiful and satisfying explanations of every part of it. Challenges are good things, though. In a way it is good to have a major festival that raises questions in people's minds, because the questions are surprisingly closely related to questions about the hardships that we all face. To me it makes the whole thing very real.

So I love Easter, despite its complexities. It is about the sweet springtime after a dark and cold winter - a theme that is hard to complain about.

(JFS)

Lessons: n/a

From Rev. Erik Buss

From the Assistant Pastor's Box in the Post (newsletter)

February 24, 2010

Spring has sprung! The early snowdrops are out and we’ve gotten above 60 already. I went for a run in shorts! The snowdrops are blooming. I went for a walk with my wife and found many others out enjoying nature. Yes, I know there are predictions of possible snow or ice and the weather is turning colder again, but it sure is different to know that the world outside is starting to come to life again. As I look around at the warming world, I have the feeling of “God’s in His heaven, all’s right with the world.” Has your mood lifted like mine?

I was thinking about the warming the sun is providing as a wonderful analogy for the Lord’s Providence. We get cold in winter, not because the sun stops giving us warmth, but because the part of the world we live in becomes unable to receive that heat for a time. The sun is giving us the same consistent heat; we’re the ones who change. It is the same with the Lord. He is always present with the full power of His love and wisdom; we just receive Him differently (DLW 124).

We often look outside of ourselves, blaming the people around us for our feelings of discontent. I’d like to invite you to turn that gaze inward. Our spiritual winters and springs really reflect our willingness to turn toward the Lord in the course of our daily life – praying, reading the Word, attending church, shunning what is evil and doing what is good.

Let yourself consider this passage, one you likely know quite well. Reflect on how radically it asserts how much our attitudes and approaches affect our happiness.

"Those who trust in the Divine are altogether different. Though concerned about the morrow, yet are they unconcerned, in that they are not anxious, let alone worried, when they give thought to the morrow. They remain even-tempered whether or not they realize desires, and they do not grieve over loss; they are content with their lot. If they become wealthy they do not become infatuated with wealth; if they are promoted to important positions they do not consider themselves worthier than others. If they become poor they are not made miserable either; if lowly in status they do not feel downcast. They know that for those who trust in the Divine all things are moving towards an everlasting state of happiness, and that no matter what happens at any time to them, it contributes to that state." (AC 8478)

The Lord is present in your life, loving you. What can you do to open yourself to that love? What truth, what way of life, can you make your own, so His life can spring up in you and winter can end?

(EJB)

From Rev. James "Jay" Barry

Sermon - Come, and Follow On

March 27, 2010

Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions (Matt. 19: 21).

Possessions were the very things that prevented the young man from following the Lord. He had kept the commandments from his youth. Then, after asking the Lord face to face what he must do to gain eternal life, and after hearing the answer, the young man did something unusual: he walked away sorrowful, not being able to do what the Lord asked of him. He simply could not let go of his possessions.

The Heavenly Doctrines explain that “to sell what you have” means, "to divest oneself of merit" (AE 1044:3). This agrees perfectly with the Greek verb in the text, "to possess," which means to gain, to acquire, to win favor. [1]

The physical possessions themselves were not the issue, though it may have included them. He was unable to let go of his sense that he deserved merit for the good that he had done.

Overcoming this tendency is no small task. It is indeed, a lifelong task. Is it any surprise that the young man walked away sorrowful, having realized that his possessions were so great?

The theme of selling your possessions is again taken up in the book of Matthew:

"The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, sold all that he had, and went and bought it" (Matthew 13:45).

The pearl of great price is spiritual life itself, the life of regeneration and spiritual growth; for the merchant to ‘sell what he had’ in order to acquire it means: "to reject what is ones own [the life of love of self and love of the world] in order to receive life from the Lord" (AE 1044.3).

The young man asked: "What must I do to acquire eternal life?" The Lord’s answer used four verbs: sell what you have, give to the poor, come, and follow Me. Each of these words indicates an action that will lead us to the spiritual life.

To sell is to divest oneself of all self pride and merit, as we just learned. To give is to become a channel of the influx of the Lord for the happiness of others; (see Arcana Coelestia 6378). To come means to respond to the Lord’s calling to spiritual life, and to follow means to acknowledge the Divinity of the Lord and live the life of the commandments (see Apocalypse Explained 864).

A poignant aspect of this story is the image of the young man walking away sorrowful. However, we do not really know the end of the story; it may be that denying the Lord was what this particular young man had to endure in order to follow the Lord at a later time. It is the same with us: The Lord may be asking something of us in our spiritual growth that we just cannot do today; we may be sorrowful about this, convinced that we will not be able to ever to "get it right." But the Lord’s invitation to "come, follow me," isn’t given once, and then the opportunity is closed. It stands as an eternal invitation for us to come and follow Him, at any time, in any place. Amen.

(JHB)

Lessons: Isaiah 44:21-23; Matt. 19:16-26; TCR 481

From Rev. John L. Odhner

From the Assistant Pastor's Box in the Post (newsletter) - Learning, Celebrating, Serving

February 10, 2010

The ground is still covered with snow. Some of us are tired of shoveling, slipping and being cold. There are times of warmth and cold in marriage and other relationships, ups and downs in our jobs, community and even in our relationship with the Lord and the church. Sometimes getting through the cold spots can be a lot of hard work. A cup of hot chocolate can help. Even better, take a day or two to celebrate the best things in life.

Even in heaven, angels get tired from their efforts to do their very best to provide for others, so they have official days of celebration, “to relax people's spirits from the fatigue that the drive to excel may have produced in some of them” (Married Love 17).

If your marriage needs work, the Marriage Conference is an excellent opportunity to learn and grow. We have dozens of workshops to inspire and encourage you. On the other hand, you may have been already working hard on your marriage and spiritual life. So maybe it is time for a break and relaxation. The Marriage Conference also has “playshops”--opportunities for you to relax and celebrate the blessings and promise of the love the Lord has given us.

Weddings are meant to be celebrated with festivities (Married Love 309). Sharing our joy makes it multiply. That’s something we can do again and again, not just on our wedding days, and not just our own marriages but those of our friends as well.

The Marriage Conference has both learning and celebration and also some opportunities to be of service, especially Sunday afternoon, when we will be making meals to share with people who can benefit from some warmth and friendship.

Marriages become better and happier through “the uses that both husband and wife by mutual aid perform in society” (Married Love 137.3). These uses are primarily their daily work (True Christianity 431.2), but volunteer work is also beneficial in many ways, especially for people who are learning how to show love for others (True Christianity 426). The Meals on Heels service program will be a fun event for both single and married people, and you don’t even have to register or pay for the conference to come and have a wonderful time helping your community. So take a break from the snow (as temperatures soar into the high 30’s) and warm your heart and others’ by helping to provide meals! It will be a great way to get in the mood for Valentines Day.

(JLO)

Lessons: n/a

From Rev. Erik J. Buss

February 3, 2010

How often have you heard a truth of some sort and felt the burden of obeying something you don’t really want to do? The reason they are called the Ten “Commandments” is that commands are by definition something you are told to do that you don’t really want to. Otherwise they’d be the Ten Wishes or Hopes, knowing we’d automatically do what the Lord wants. And we know the many teachings about the need to compel ourselves to do what is right, and the need to shun evils as sins (meaning to shun things that we want to do because we know that it’s a bad thing). And on top of that the Lord expects us to read the Word every day, pray every day, and go to church every week. There are a lot of have-to’s in this scheme of spiritual living, and it can make good seem to be burdensome.

The Lord gives us a different view in a lot of passages. Here’s one: “Truth that goes forth directly from the Divine is called truth, though essentially it is good because it goes forth from Divine Good; but it is good with which all truth from God is united” (AC 7056). “Truth that goes forth directly from the Divine... essentially is good.” What that means to me is that every truth the Lord gives is essentially a manifestation of His love for us.

What would it mean if you were to look at the have-to’s in your life from that perspective? What burdens are you carrying because they have to get done? What things are you compelling yourself to do because the Lord says so (or because you don’t want to get in trouble)? How would your attitude change if you could ask what good the Lord wants to bring out of that same situation? What if you could ask how that truth is a manifestation of the Lord’s love for you and others? What if you were to do the same thing for teachings that may trouble you? Everything the Lord gives us is a manifestation of His love. Our job is to find the love within any teaching we come into contact with. Once we see the love and can hold it in our minds, it’s much easier to bring that truth into our lives.

(EJB)

Lessons: n/a

From Rev. James “Jay” Barry

January 27, 2010

Personal Crisis and Spiritual growth - From the Assistant Pastor's Box in the Post (newsletter)

Each of us has faced, or will face, a personal crisis in some form during the course of our lives.

For some of us, it occurs when young, with the loss of a parent or other childhood trauma. For others, crisis comes in adult life. The precipitating event can be compared to the wake of a large ship that passes a little boat. The peaceful waters that were taken for granted now churn with trouble, threatening to overturn our lives.

A crisis is simply defined as a time of intense difficulty or danger, when important decisions are made which may determine the outcome of everything that follows. It is a time when we may feel extremely alone, and ask ourselves: Will my life ever be the same? How will I handle the things I must do? Is there any hope for me in this situation?

The New Church has many hopeful and comforting teachings that support and comfort those in crisis.

One is everything happens for a reason. God does not will anything bad to happen to anyone, but permits a crisis to occur when He knows for certain that good things will come to each and every person who is involved. We may not understand this noble truth in a time of crisis or temptation, but we are taught that even the most difficult experiences in life can lead to spiritual growth. The work Divine Providence says in our darkest hours, when we feel most alone, the Lord is nearest to us, encouraging us to hold our course toward what is right. This poem by a unknown Confederate soldier from the US Civil War provides an illustration of this:

"I asked for strength that I might achieve; was made weak that I might learn humbly to obey.
I asked for health that I might do greater things; was given infirmity that I might do better things.
I asked for riches that I might be happy; was given poverty that I might be wise.
I asked for power that I might have the praise of men; was given weakness that I might feel the need of God.
I asked for all things that I might enjoy life; was given life that I might enjoy all things.
I got nothing that I had asked for, but everything that I had hoped for.”
Almost despite myself my unspoken prayers were answered; I am, among all men, most richly blessed."--- [Unknown Confederate soldier]

In the midst of suffering, we have the ability to respond according to spiritual principles of love, loyalty and compassion toward others. We can also find solace and faith in a God who cares for us even when it seems we are most alone. These spiritual principles are the very agents of our spiritual growth and rebirth, and in the big picture, the transformation of the world into a better place for all mankind.

"Do not hide your face from me...You have been my helper, O God, my Savior" (Psalm 27).

(JB)

Lessons: n/a

From Rev. Erik J. Buss

January 20, 2010

From the Assistant Pastor's Box in the Post (newsletter)

More than anything we want to be connected to other people, to feel at one with them. And we want to feel connected to the Lord, knowing that He is in our lives, protecting and nurturing us.

What gets in the way of that connection? One answer is selfishness; self-love communicates nothing meaningful (AC 2057:2). This makes sense. When you are thinking about yourself first you can’t see others for looking in the mirror.

Another barrier is when we become caught up in the ideas the other person is presenting. Does that seem odd? What could be more important than carefully listening to what the other person is saying? It’s often how we show respect!

The Lord teaches that love is active and wisdom is its passive recipient (AC 7022). This means that the ideas someone expresses are simply clothing for their affections. What a person says is really about affections, and then, more incidentally, about the ideas that clothe them. And since communication between two people occurs only when the two people have something in common (ML 396), our job is to find a similar love. What do you value in common with that person that you can connect with in order to hear what he or she is saying?

We’ve experienced this phenomenon many times. You get into an argument with someone and spend 30 minutes saying lots of things to each other that neither person really hears. Then, when you calm down and are looking at each other with more kindness, the person can say one simple sentence, maybe one you’ve heard 5 times already, and his meaning is totally clear.

So next time you hear someone say something that seems silly, pay attention. If you want, you will be able to point out the errors in what that person said, and maybe you will be right. But no communication will have occurred. To be connected to that person you need to ask what affections you have in common. Find a point of connection and connect. Then, and only then, go back to the ideas. I bet you’ll hear those same words quite differently. Maybe you’ll be able to agree with what the person meant, even if it’s not what he or she said. Even if you still disagree, you’ll be able to do so with much greater respect and kindness.

(EJB)

From Rev. Eric H. Carswell

December 12, 2010

Sermon - The Joy of the Angels at the Lord's Birth

I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. (Luke 2:10).

These words of the angel were truly good tidings of great joy for all people. The Savior and Redeemer of mankind had finally been born. The unbounded joy of the heavens was seen by the shepherds.

Why were the angels so joyful? The angels had known that the Lord would be born on earth ever since the first hint of evil had appeared in mankind. At that moment the angels could foresee in a general way that the human race would eventually turn completely from the Lord's life and His blessings and would be condemned to the anger, discontent and destructiveness of an evil life. The Lord immediately foretold in prophecy that He would be born as a Savior to ensure that all people would have a real choice between a heavenly life and a hellish one.

Prophecy sustained hope with the angels. It held in check their fears when they saw the growing power of evil. They were concerned for the salvation of each individual soul. They seek above all else to bring happiness to others. We read that “to save a soul from hell, the angels would regard death as nothing, indeed if it were possible, they would undergo hell for that soul.” (AC 2077:2) The angels suffered with and for those who wandered in spiritual darkness. They waited, praying, hoping. They knew that the darkness and suffering would end when Jesus Christ, the Savior and Redeemer, came in glory. So it was that when the Lord was born, the angels rejoiced. And with joy they brought the news to a small group of shepherds who were in the fields that night watching over their flocks.

When we consider the Lord's birth, we too can be joyful. If the Lord had not come, we would not be able to choose good over evil in our own lives. But something of the true spirit of Christmas is shown in the joy of the angels. We can form some idea of their joy if we think of what the Lord's coming means to all those whom we love. When we watch loved ones and others we know live their lives, it is not always easy. Perhaps we worry that they are making bad choices and that we cannot prevent it without taking away their essential freedom. It is then we need to remember the Lord's coming. Because the Lord was born into the world, He is able to be very near to teach and lead our loved ones with His infinite wisdom and infinite love.

This is the joy with which the angels celebrated the birth of the Lord. They were rejoicing at the Lord's expression of His love and mercy to all of us.

(EHC)

Lessons: Isaiah 40:1-2,9-11, Arcana Caelestia 2523:1

From Rev. Philip B. Schnarr

November 28, 2010

Sermon - May God Bless the Work of Your Hands

The LORD your God will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, so that you surely rejoice (Deut 16:15).

Think back just a few days. How many hands and how many hours did it take to put your Thanksgiving celebration together? The shopping. The driving. The meal preparation. All of these things involve the use of our hands and in some cases hard labor. It takes so many hands. God has truly blessed the work of these hands and it is fitting that we give thanks for these blessings.

Now try to imagine having the work of your hands blessed not just at happy times like Thanksgiving but all year long. And not just all year, but forever. Because that is what the Lord intends. He wants to bless the work of your hands…no He wants to bless ALL the good things we try to do. Now and forever.

I will recompense them according to their work and according to the doing of their hands (Jer. 25:14).
Behold I come quickly, and My reward is with Me to give to each one as his work shall be (Rev. 22:12).
So do not doubt that your works are important not only to the people you serve and to your Creator, but to your own feelings of satisfaction and happiness.

What is Work?

AC 8121: Charity is to do right in every work. Our works are “the effects” of a purposeful effort. It is the hidden purposes, the ends, the intentions which are at the heart of them.

To be enjoyable, to give us an inner sense of heavenly delight, the quality of the motive and the thought behind our actions is an essential consideration. To become an angel of heaven is to act continually on the basis of good willing and true thinking and it is perfectly possible to enjoy much of this same state here on earth.

A Vision for this State?

Real charity… can be defined as doing good to the neighbor daily and constantly, not only to the neighbor as an individual but also collectively; and the only way of doing this is by good and fair dealing in the position, business or work in which one is engaged and with anyone with whom one comes into contact (TCR 423).

“Good and fair dealing”….”with anyone with whom one comes into contact.” This is the secret to a true, living, soul-satisfaction that applies in every circumstance in every deed.

(PBS)

Lessons: Deut 16: 13-15; TCR 424, 394; Psalm 107.

Bryn Athyn Post's Pastor Box (autumn 2010) - Rev. Erik J. Buss (assistant pastor)

How important is it to your spiritual life to go to church? People hear New Church teachings saying that real worship is how you live your daily life: “Essential Divine worship does not consist in going to church and hearing preaching, but in a life of love, charity, and faith, in accordance with religious principles. Preachings in churches serve solely as means of instruction in matters of life” (HH 222). Based on this they say church is an not essential and they don’t need to do it.

While it is true that we don’t need to go to church to get to heaven, I don’t think this is what the Lord meant. Consider this teaching: “While a person is in the world he certainly ought to participate in external worship as well; for internal things are stimulated by external worship, and by means of external worship external things are kept holy so as to enable internal to flow in. Furthermore a person is endowed with concepts by this means, and is made ready to receive celestial things, and also has states of holiness conferred on him, though he is not conscious of this” (AC 1618). I love the last phrase – we receive spiritual states from attending worship that we are not even conscious of! In fact, we are told that genuinely spiritual people “frequently go to church, go to the sacraments, hear sermons, pray, observe feasts, and the like, and this very earnestly and diligently” (AE 1175:2). In one passage, going to church is likened to breathing and living a good life to the beating of the heart (HD 125). You can hold your breath for a time (i.e., you can skip church every now and then), but clearly it’s an essential part of spiritual living.

People sometimes say that church is not working for them. They don’t like the services available to them so they are holding out until they find something that works better. I’d like to turn the question around. We can look for what we are getting out of church, or we can look for what we can give. You give at church by putting aside time in your day to worship the Lord as the one God. Your spiritual life you give over that time to the Lord as a priority. You support your community by joining in worship with them, supporting them in their spiritual journey.

I would urge you to make coming to church a regular part of your spiritual program. Make it a commitment to come to church every week for the next two months. Then take stock and notice what the Lord has been able to do in your life.

From Rev. Grant H. Odhner

November 7, 2010

Sermon - Going to Meet Him

Before the peak moment when Jesus saved the disciples from the raging sea, there were many events that beg for answers. Why did Jesus send the disciples away so abruptly after they fed the multitude? Why was He so insistent that they go? Why did He linger on land by Himself into the night, knowing of their struggle? Why did He wait until the early hours of the morning before going to their aid?

The Lord’s actions were calculated to teach—teach the disciples and us. His positioning and timing were to this end. The Lord manages our mental states with infinite wisdom to promote learning and draw us to Him.

One way the Lord leads us is by managing our mental cycles. He brings us into good states—charity, peace, love for others, unselfish enjoyment, sense of accomplishment. But He wisely lets these states give way to duller states—ordinariness, apathy, struggle, conflict, disquiet.

The disciples’ trouble at sea was clearly a low-point. But it was preceded by a high point. They had had a great day! Their Master was sought-out by 5000 people. He taught them words of hope and healed many afflictions. And finally He fed them! The disciples undoubtedly felt affirmed by all this. They felt a sense of ownership in His work. “You give them something to eat," Jesus had said. And they distributed the food, to thousands of hungry people! This was a moment of glory!

The Lord builds on our high points of new love and realization. He sends us out into our natural life (the sea). We move from the glow of our good state, making efforts to practice what we’ve learned and share what we’ve gained. And what happens? It’s not long before we run into struggles. These struggles lead eventually to a crisis point at which we are ready to connect with the Lord in a new way. He comes to us in the fourth watch, as a new day is beginning to dawn. His love has the power to draw together the “fluid” and shifting “waters” of our natural life into something that is purpose-filled, something solid we can make progress on.

Like Peter (who represents faith) we must recognize the Lord’s voice and be willing to move out of the perspective that’s been limiting us (our boat) to connect with the Lord. Like Peter’s, our efforts will be imperfect. But the Lord is there to catch us and lift us up! And to step again into our boat with us.

As the Lord and Peter got into the boat the wind ceased. We can imagine the sky growing blue with light and the sun beginning to break over the rim of hills on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee. …The boat now rocking gently on the water. … A new day. A new state. Praise the Lord!

(GHO)

Lessons: Deut 1.19-31; Mt 14.13-33; TCR 73.2

From Rev. Ethan D. McCardell

October 31, 2010

Sermon - Rise, Take Up Your Bed and Walk

“Should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot discern between their right hand and their left?” (Jonah 4:11)

Jonah’s a strange one. He really is. He’s thought of as one of the most wishy washy, misdirected, and often faithless characters in the Word. But I love him. I love him so much in fact, that he became the inspiration for the name of one of our children. Why would I love such a mixed up character? And why would I cherish what in most cases is a pretty stark list of personality traits? Because I hold them all! And so do you! And the lessons we learn through these Jonah tendencies, about what it means to be truly spiritual (i.e. moving from what we care about to what God cares about) are an invaluable part of human spiritual growth.

So, put yourself in the other guy’s shoes for a moment, and imagine that you’re Jonah, in shock as the Lord asks you to go to this terrible people and warn Nineveh of the judgment that’s coming. Because Assyria was feared and hated by the Israelites, you might have thought that a Prophet of Israel would be delighted with the idea of going and speaking warnings of judgment against them. Isn’t it strange, then, that instead of obeying the Lord, Jonah took a ship from the coastal town of Joppa, and refused to carry out God’s command? He was suspicious that God might change His mind and not condemn the Ninevites after all. My question is: do we do this? Are we often so bent on an outcome it obscures our ability to see the truth about which outcome is best? This is one of the big lessons of Jonah’s life. Here then we have a pretty incredible contrast. The people who did not know the Lord or have the revealed Word of God at their fingertips, the Ninevites, listened to the Lord and repented, while the people who had the Word and knew the Lord, didn’t obey Him, and were at the same time filled with a spirit of hatred and contempt. Jonah even acknowledged the reality of God’s relationship with His children when he said: "I know that you are a gracious and merciful God, …abundant in loving kindness, One who relents from doing harm."(Jonah 4:2)

Jonah’s life is so touching to me because its an example of each of our lives, as we struggle with this combination of beauty and truth, or ugliness and falsity inside each one of us – more or less depending on our state. In our freedom, God knows we’ll struggle not once, but lots of times to have heaven born in a place where hell has before lived in our hearts. And there will be times where our failures will seem like more than our victories. But we must stay strong in the knowledge of what the Lord has done, and is doing in each life to show us the way to heaven’s peace. Remember: He knows all of your life, but He’s planned you for a destiny beyond what you can see now, and a joy beyond all experience. Yes, there will be times where you may even feel like Nineveh, filled with such things that give us little hope of redemption, and yet, there’s the voice of the Lord to Jonah – and to us right here right now – “Should I not pity Nineveh?” – I love you! AMEN.

(EDM)

Lessons: Jonah 3-4, Matthew 12: 38-41, AC 2261

From Rev. Scott I. Frazier

October 24, 2010

Sermon - Rise, Take Up Your Bed and Walk

This week we will be looking at the question "how does the Lord work in my life" through the story of the man by the pool in Bethesda. This is a story about how unhappiness comes from falsity we accept, and the Lord gives us the power to see that falsity and change.

Everyone finds reasons to be unhappy. While this happens every day on a minor level and then quickly fades, sometimes the sources of unhappiness in our lives persist and grow. Each of these reasons for unhappiness are at heart a falsity; giving up the falsity will free us from our unhappiness.

The Lord offers three steps to cooperating with Him so we can break free of this kind of unhappiness: "Arise, take up your bed, and walk."

Step one: get up. Take a moment and examine your habits of thought, the conclusions you are reaching. This ability of reflection lets us get beyond our normal, possibly distracted, state of mind and see if there is something in our thoughts that does not belong there, or something that does belong but is missing.

Step two: pick up your bed. A bed represents our habits of mind, our doctrinal default position, things we think because we have always thought them. Sometimes, though, our beds are actually the thing keeping us unhappy. The Lord says, pick it up. Look at what you believe. And, if you realize you’ve been wrong, you get to change.

Step three is about responsibility. Rather than lie down in our habits of thought, take action. Live the beliefs we actively choose to make our own, and cease to wait for a solution from any other source.

But there’s a secret to step three. This process requires our admission that all power comes from the Lord and nowhere else. Trying to live the truth we see in His written Word is an act of humility.

The Heavenly Doctrines tell us that each of us has been gifted by the Lord with the two faculties of freedom and rationality. Rationality is the ability to see truth, and freedom is the ability to do it. Along with our freedom and rationality, the Lord has given us His Word, the most perfect expression of what He wants for us, and the storehouse of all his truth. We have to use the gifts He has given us and cooperate with Him in living the truth He has given us.

Our responsibility is to read and listen to his Word, and do what He says. Today, he tells us to rise, take up our bed, and walk. Amen.

(SIF)

From Rev. James "Jay" Barry

October 10, 2010

Sermon - I am the Vine

We are in week two of our journey program, "Pause, Make Space for God." Last week we looked at how the eternal truths within the Word rest perfectly in the parables.

This week, our reading is taken from the final discourse that the Lord had with His disciples the evening before the crucifixion. He said: "I am the true vine, and my father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may be more fruitful" (Jn. 15:1-2). Here, the Lord as the Master Teacher, uses vine tending and cultivation to teach a powerful and eternal spiritual lesson.

The cultivation of vines for grapes and winemaking was widespread in the Greco-Roman world. The Oxford Classical Dictionary states: “by the earliest historical period, wine had already become a fundamental component of classical culture,” this appears to mean that the beginning of vine growing and wine making precedes our knowledge of classical history, placing it in the time of the Ancient Church. Not surprisingly, the first reference to vines in the Word appears early in Genesis: "Noah, a man of the soil, was the first to plant a vineyard" (Gen. 9:20).

Throughout the Prophets and the Psalms, vines and vineyards are mentioned many times, but most often in a context illustrating destruction and sadness. One example is from Jerimiah: "O vine of Sibmah, I will weep for you. The plunderer has fallen on your summer fruit and your vintage; joy and gladness are taken from your plentiful field" (Jer. 48:32-33). In this passage, we see a picture of the state of the church where mutual love and the good of faith are overcome by the love of self and the world (see A 6377.5).

The Lord included a teaching about regeneration in His final talk: "Every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit" (Jn. 15:2). Pruning involves cutting back, decreasing, and downsizing. How often do we sometimes feel ourselves diminished too far, cut back too much? How many of us may feel that when the Lord is ‘pruning us,” we are being punished! In fact, He is cutting us back in just the right area so more spiritual fruit may be yielded from our efforts. He helps us by diminishing one area of our efforts, so He can lead us to another one that will bear more spiritual fruit. This is a topic for much personal reflection.

The Lord wants to build a spiritual church among us; this is what He meant when He said: "I am the vine, you are the branches" (Jn. 15:5). What does this church look like? Look around at your friends and neighbors, they are the branches, and so are you. It is a teaching where love to the Lord and charity to the neighbor form the essentials: "The primary thing of the spiritual church is charity, in which the Lord is present, and by means of which He conjoins Himself with man, Himself alone working every good, therefore the Lord compares Himself to a vine, and also describes a person who is of the spiritual church in the words of John 15" (A 1069).

May your spiritual journey in the week ahead bear much fruit!

(JHB)

From Rev. Jeremy F. Simons

September 26, 2010

Sermon - Why Did Adam Name the Animals

"And the man gave names to every beast, and to the birds of the air, and to every wild animal of the field; but for man there was not found a help suitable for him" (Genesis 2.20).

Our topic this morning is a look at the way that the Lord brings the animals to you over and over again in your life, and the way that, like Adam, you name them in your search for your own identity. Included in this idea is a description of why it was “not good” for the man to be alone, and why the animals did not fulfill Adam’s need.

The story here isn’t really about Adam’s search for the perfect companion. According to the Arcana Coelestia, it is about the innermost sense of self that everyone has. The need that Adam felt was to have a sense of self. The truth is that everything belongs to the Lord and you are nothing but a receptacle of the life that flows from Him. This is the issue that Adam is grappling with in Genesis 2, which the Ancients spun into such a pleasing story. You are constantly observing the world around you as well as the world of your own thoughts and feelings. As you observe them you recognize qualities, and that recognition is what is called “naming” in this story. The affections and thoughts meant by the different animals were presented to Adam and he knew them.

People intuitively understand that animals represent thoughts and emotions, and mentioning them or seeing them can evoke strong feelings. People adore their pets. Dogs show qualities of eagerness and devotion; cats are graceful and affectionate; horses are strong intelligent partners. People love to make connections with these animals and the qualities that they possess.

People are also affected by the characteristics of wild animals, and encounters with them can be memorable. Why is this? It is because these animals symbolize spiritual qualities, both positive and negative, that people either admire or wish to avoid, and so they stimulate their emotions.

A newly married couple said that when they entered their home for the first time it just so happened that a wild bird flew in the door. It was a white dove, which flew around momentarily in their house, and then flew away, as if blessing their union. A woman whose teen-aged son had just died encountered a stunning butterfly near her home. It landed on her hand, at which point she heard her son’s voice saying “Don’t worry, Mom, I’m fine.” And at the moment of our beloved Bishop King’s passing last June the family reported that a blue heron appeared at the window, looked in, and then turned and launched itself down the valley, as if carrying his soul to heaven on its majestic wings, as if it was Freya coming back to take him with her. Like the animals that the Lord brought to Adam you encounter an endless stream of events, words, and actions in your life. The Lord brings these things to you and you name them, you know their quality, and you respond to them, changing and growing in a continual process. You make these animals your own.

Adam named the animals, but he knew that they weren’t his. You live in your Eden as you come to see the Lord as the source of all good things, recognizing the beauty and goodness of what He has made - and making that goodness your own even as you know that it is His.

(JFS)

Lessons: Genesis 2:1-20; Arcana Coelestia 142; Divine Providence 320.

Bryn Athyn Post's Pastor Box (9/22/10) - Rev. Jeremy F. Simons (head pastor)

The heart and soul of the Bryn Athyn community is the effort and desire of the people here to live a life according to the Lord's teachings. The events of your personal life, both the joys and the sorrows, all happen in the context of your relationship with the people who surround you on a day- to-day basis, who form the community of people that you depend on and who depend on you. The idea behind the BA community is that a shared love of the Heavenly Doctrines will make that bond stronger, both supporting you as an individual and unifying all of us behind a vision of service to the Lord - a vision that finds passionate expression in many different ways here.

It is only natural that as a community becomes larger and more spread out its vision will expand and change, and that varying takes on that vision will produce sub-groups within the community and sometimes tension between them.

Why should you come to the Bryn Athyn Church Semiannual Meeting at 7:30 this Friday, the 24th , at Heilman Hall? It is one of many opportunities that you have to participate in shaping this community and understanding how the Bryn Athyn Church is playing its part in the changes that are happening here. We will hear reports from the Pastor and Assistant Pastor. We will hear about the financial status of the Bryn Athyn Church, what is happening at the Cathedral, the state of our newcomer programs, and our strategic plans. There are questions hanging in the air about when and where we will build a new school and preschool, and what will happen with our existing facilities.

But the underlying reality of the community is that things happen in the personal lives of its members every day, and the love and support that we mutually receive and provide enable us to move forward and do the work that the Lord has given us to do. We are in the business of nurturing happy marriages, providing an environment for raising happy families, educating both adults and children in the life-saving truths of the New Church, supporting people during hard times, and encouraging the worship of the Lord Jesus Christ. How well this community does these things depends on all of us, and we each play our part. Community meetings have an important role, and I warmly invite you to join us on Friday evening.

From Rt. Rev. Thomas L. Kline

September 16, 2010

Sermon - The Potter and the Clay

“But now, O Lord, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our potter” (Isaiah 29: 16).

When we feel distant from the Lord we can have the beautiful image of His hands on the spinning clay of our daily lives. We are that close to the Lord. Literally, we are in His hands, as He recreates and restores our lives.

And let us remember “vessel building truths,” truths that allow the vessels of our lives to receive His divine love.

You are special in His sight.

You have been created for a use that no other person can perform.

The Lord has great things in store for your life.

He has predestined you to heaven.

You can fight against the hells, and He will be on your side.

If you ask anything in His name, He will do it.

If you have the faith of a mustard seed, you can move mountains.

The Lord loves you.

He is the potter and we are the clay. It is a beautiful picture of an artist at work. He loves the vessels he is creating. He is busy, forming it in His image – an angel of heaven.

(TLK)

Lessons:

From Rt. Rev. Peter M. Buss

September 23, 2010

The Disobedient Prophet

A young prophet came out of Judah to curse the golden calf which King Jeraboam had set up in Israel. Jehovah told him not to eat or drink in Israel. But an old prophet who wanted to talk with him said that Jehovah had sent an angel to him, saying He, Jehovah had changed his mind (the old prophet lied). The young prophet returned to eat, and this cost him his life.

It seems unfair. But the young prophet received a direct, very clear command from God, and he listened instead to a person who told him God wanted something different.

Are we tempted to be persuaded out of a proper course of action by someone we love? Each of us has our own conscience. It is represented here by the young prophet - truth from the Lord’s own Word, making up your principles. Others often have very different views. Of course we should listen to them, and be influenced by them. But in the last analysis, what should we do?

There is a special teaching about true married love. It is between two people who are united in “supreme love to the Lord.” And again, the Lord says, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” At times this seems unreal. How can I say I love the Lord more than my wife, more than my children?

The story of the disobedient prophet answers that question. A completely loving married couple love the Lord above each other. How? Because no matter how much you adore someone, you will not agree to do something for him or with him that goes against your clear conscience. The young prophet heard directly from Jehovah. Each of us has a conscience straight from the Lord’s Word. We love the Lord above all others if we say, “however much I love you, wife or husband or mother or child or friend,, I will not suppress my conscience in favor of yours. Even if you are more right than I am, I must follow what I think the Lord is telling me.”

We all have a temptation to try to overlay our conscience upon the conscience of someone we love. But the most wonderful trust between married couples, or friends, or family members exists when each person’s freedom to listen to the Lord first is honored and supported. This is “supreme love to the Lord” - with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. Amen.

(PMB)

Lessons: I Kings 13

From David H. Lindrooth

August 29, 2010

Be a Peacemaker

"“These things I have spoken to you, that you may have peace. In the World you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16: 33)."

Hell would love nothing more than to rip our dear church to pieces by leading us to fall in temptation. Swedenborg describes the miserable intent of the hells with the following words from the book Heaven and Hell 538: “It has sometimes been given to me to perceive the sphere of falsity from evil flowing in from hell. It is like a perpetual effort to destroy all good and truth, combined with anger and, as it were, fury. The effort is especially to destroy the Divinity of the Lord.

These “temptations bring varying states of vastation and desolation, states of despair, and consequently of grief and anger in addition to other painful emotions” (AC1917). One consistent byproduct of temptation is a sense of being lost and alone.

However, while the Lord does not lead us into temptations. He does help us grow by means of them. They are important times were we come to realize that we need to change. The change is one of coming into a closer relationship with the Lord. They are times where we must pursue a better and more functional relationship between what is good and what is true in our lives. These experiences help us to understand the true nature of evil. These unpleasant experiences are the beginning of evils being broken up and pushed out of our lives.

We can only overcome temptations through a reliance on the Lord to sustain us. In John, He reminds us that: “in the World you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. (John 16:33). The Lord said this as a reflection on his own crucifixion. It remains as a powerful reminder that He protects us in our temptations.

The Writings for our Church teach that a church is established through temptations. As our church struggles with temptations today, we, collectively, can renew our commitment to building a community based on uniting the truths He teaches us in His Word with the Love that comes from Him. The Church is a place where people gather for this relationship with Him. It is time for us to gather as one in creating a new presence of the Lord. Through this change our church can become known as a place where people turn to find the support and peace that comes from Him.

(DHL)

Lessons:

From Stephen D. Cole

August 8, 2010

Lucifer, Son of the Dawn

"How art thou fallen from the heavens, O Lucifer, son of the dawn!" Isaiah 14:12

This passage is the only place in Scripture where Lucifer is mentioned. Many have supposed that this verse alludes to some kind of cosmic combat that took place even before the creation of the first human being, wherein Lucifer and his followers tried to revolt against God, but were defeated and cast down. But nowhere in the Old or New Testaments is there reference to an order of spiritual beings who preceded the human race, let alone that they engaged in some sort of primordial conflict.

But this is not to say that the Word does not speak of battles in the other world. We read in Revelation: "There was war in heaven." But this confrontation was not before the creation of the world, nor yet was it even at the time of the Lord’s first advent into the world. In Revelation John is reporting a vision of the war against the dragon at the Lord's second coming.

This is the last and, in many ways, the greatest spiritual battle. But there have been cycles of spiritual combat throughout human history, especially at times of judgment.

The idea of spiritual war is not some mere metaphor. Spiritual war really is war, with all the tragedy and horror involved in natural wars. It is the wars in this world that are the mere reflection of the real more terrible wars in the other world.

None of us can avoid spiritual combat. Sometimes for some of us this means standing up for what is right when this is threatened in our society. But all us will find ourselves in some form of the struggle reflected in the words of the text.

Lucifer clearly represents some enemy that must be cast down. The chapter from which the text is taken makes it clear that the enemy represented by Lucifer is Babylon, the love of ruling over others from the love of self. But why is this enemy called "Lucifer," the bearer of light, the shining one, the son of the dawn?

The love of ruling over others does not usually manifest itself in us as some ugly lust for making everyone else our slaves. Most often it presents itself as the shining idea that we really do know better than others how the church, our places of work, or our families should be run. Even when this is true, it does not give us license to manipulate or force others to our own way of doing things. This is the love of dominion presenting itself in luminous guise.

There really is spiritual warfare. It continues that this day and it is intense as the New Church struggles to gain its foothold in the world. People are hurt by it and lasting damage is done. Each of us is called to fight the good fight, to combat evil in some arena. There are false ideas and wicked practices in the world that need to be challenged. Individually, we may or may not find ourselves active in this conflict.

But each of us must strive at least on the battlefield of his or her own spirit, resisting the allure of Lucifer, son of the dawn, the confidence that our own ideas and plans are superior to those of others, to the point that we try, by whatever means to implement them. The contest is won within ourselves as we allow the spirit of humility and service to overcome the enthusiasm for bending others to our own way of doing things. AMEN.

(SDC)

Lessons: Mat. 20:23-27; AC 8678; Is. 14:4-15; AE 1029:11.

From Glenn "Mac" Frazier

2009 Feature - from August 6, 2009

How to Forgive

The Lord, who is Mercy itself, forgives everyone. Furthermore, He commands us to always forgive others. But forgiveness is hard.

There are really three separate activities involved in forgiveness. First, there is the actual forgiving: the letting go or releasing of the feeling that one is owed. Second, there is the act of repentance: honest self-examination, admission of guilt, and desire to change. Third is the actual transformation: the reformation and regeneration of a person's mind. When someone wrongs you, you can only do the first part. You cannot make someone else repent, and only the Lord can transform a person's soul, so all that is left to you is to forgive--to let go.

In the eighteenth chapter of Matthew the Lord lays out a series of steps to take when someone wrongs you. First you are to go to that person alone. If that doesn't work, you are to go to them with "two or three witnesses." If that still doesn't work, then go to them with the matter before the assembly, or the church. And if they still won't listen, they are to be as "heathens and tax collectors" to you.

Now, the law of "two or three witnesses" is an Old Testament law that said a person could not be convicted of murder based on the testimony of only one person. Spiritually, this is a warning to us not to focus on a single truth to the exclusion of all other truths; a single truth by itself cannot produce anything good, any more than a single note makes up a melody.

So, seeing this series of steps on a deeper level as having to do with how we relate to truth, here's a way of applying it to our lives. When someone wrongs you, first be certain you are correct: is it true that they did what you think they did? If not, then you need to let go. If it is true, though, then look at it in the context of what else is also true--two or three witnesses. If you still are not able to let go and forgive, then look at it in the broadest context possible, and in light of the most general teachings found throughout the entire Word. Still can't forgive? Well then let the person be to you like "a heathen or a tax collector."

Now, when Jesus referred to heathens (gentiles) and tax collectors, the casual listener of the time would have thought "bad people, of little or no value". But His disciples would have realized that's not what he meant, given the way He treated these two groups. In fact, one of the disciples was himself a tax collector!

So if you cannot find it within yourself to forgive another person after checking and verifying all the facts and truths of the matter, then you STILL must forgive them, based on the idea that they either acted ignorantly (as "heathens"), or, if they were not ignorant, at least they were flawed (like the "tax collectors" that served the "heathens").

Practice this process of forgiveness. You will not only improve your own life in this way, but if we as individuals, families and a community work hard over the coming years to embody the Lord's Divine Mercy in this way, we will strengthen the church and change the world around us. Every church--including our own--comes under assault by the falsity of faith separate from charity. When we cling to a single truth apart from any good--as we do when we fail to forgive someone who has wronged us--we are damaging the church. So when we shun that evil and instead work to become a community known for forgiveness, we are helping to build the Lord's kingdom on earth.

(GMF)

Lessons: Mat. 18:15-22; AC 2335:2-3; 4197:7, 6148:6.

From Dr. Andrew M.T. Dibb

From July 25, 2010

Eating the Fruit

And the snake said to the woman "you are not going to surely die, because God knows that on the day when you eat from it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil" (Genesis 3: 4, 5).

We all have a “snake” in us. It convinced Eve to eat the forbidden fruit. Eve gave the fruit to Adam, and he ate as well. This snake-side of us is the part of us closest to our senses. Our senses are important to our life in this world. Our senses serve us but they can also mislead us.

Eve is an image of our will. The senses show us the world around us, and the will listens to the senses. Together they dominate the mind. The understanding is represented by Adam. Thus the whole mind ignored the Lord’s teaching. The Lord is also active in our lives. He shows us a pathway back.

The story of Adam and Eve describes what happens when we sin. As soon as they ate the fruit they realized they were naked. This represents a loss of innocence. To hide their shame, they made loincloths of fig leaves. We make up excuses for turning away from the Lord. People are adept at making excuses.

They heard the voice of Jehovah, were afraid and hid. The Lord's voice is our conscience. They hid "from Jehovah’s face." The face of the Lord is “mercy, peace and everything good.” The Lord works ceaselessly for reconciliation. No matter how many excuses we make, we are eventually faced with the truth. Adam and Eve blamed each other, and the snake.

As there is a process when people sin, so there is one to lead us out of sin, that brings us back into innocence:, repentance. And the steps of repentance mirror the story of Adam and Eve.

First we examine ourselves to see the quality of our sins. The second step ties in closely with Adam and Eve—we need to make ourselves guilty. Unless we take responsibility we cannot move forward. The third step is to appeal to the Lord. Finally, the last step is to begin a new life. As we sin, one process begins to unfold, as we repent, another unfolds. Governing this process is the Lord. It is comforting to know that the Lord is never angry, never punishes, never abandons us in these processes.

Since His face is mercy, peace and everything good. AMEN

(AMTD)

Lessons: Genesis 3, AC 222-224.

From Rev. Erik J. Buss

From July 18, 2010

Letting the Lord Be in Charge

"The land is Mine" (Lev 25:23).

Leviticus 25 gives a series of laws that, when seen at a deeper level, challenge us to look at how much we are letting the Lord into our lives. The laws include:

Every seven years was a Sabbath year in which nothing was to be planted, and people were to live off the grain and grapes from the year before and whatever the land produced on its own.
After seven Sabbath years (i.e., after 49 years) there was a year of Jubilee. In that year all slaves were to go free, all debts were canceled, and all land reverted to its hereditary owner.

The Children of Israel were being asked to make radical commitment of trust to the Lord. In that era there were no grocery stores or shipments of food from distant parts of the world to sustain them. In modern terms it would be as if we went without income one year out of every seven.

The Lord’s message was simple: "The land is Mine," He said. The Israelites were simply stewards of all they owned. They had trust that the Lord would give them what they needed, and they had to be willing to give land back to the people to whom the Lord had given it.

We do the same thing. We work hard, putting in effort to do a good job, to be kind to people when it is an effort, to address our spiritual weaknesses. This is like the six years of sowing and reaping. But then we need Sabbath years, times when we stop and allow the Lord to be in charge.

Sometimes it is harder to stop than it is to keep going. We get so busy that stopping to rest and let the Lord be in charge doesn’t happen. We know, for instance, that reading the Word and praying is important, so why does it get pushed out? The business of life seems so urgent that the two minutes it takes to stop and say a prayer is too hard. We need to stop and rest in the Lord.

Here are a few of the ways that we can apply this series of laws:

Gather enough only to feed yourself. Stop focusing on making money and start living. Do you believe that the Lord will bless you with what is important? Are you able to take time to stop and let Him into your life? "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you."
All debts were canceled. In the Lord ’s Prayer we ask for our debts to be forgiven. What if you were able to cancel the spiritual debts you are holding on to? What if you could give up the hatred and resentment and contempt in your heart? This does not mean you pretend it never happened, but it does mean you let go of the hellish resentments you are harboring.
Land reverted to its hereditary owner. All the land in Israel was divided up into hereditary tracts. This is a picture of how the Lord has arranged our lives in a perfect order. He knows what should be where – He is the Divine architect of our lives. Our job is to acknowledge that His plan is the correct one. Can we let go and apply His rules assuming they will lead to what is good?
All Israelite slaves were freed. This is about rearranging priorities. At times of crisis in work, the family is put too low on our priority list. When we struggle with an issue in our lives we let other important issues slide. But we need to set free those things that have been subordinated, bringing our lives back into balance.

What if we made this week a Year of Jubilee? What if we let the Lord be in charge in our lives more fully? "Abide in me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in Me."

(EJB)

From Dr. Rev. Erik E. Sandstrom

From July 11, 2010

The State of the Church from the Word

"For three transgressions of Israel and for four, I will not turn away its punishment" (Amos 2:6). "Behold, the days are coming says the Lord, when the plowman shall overtake the reaper … And the mountains shall drip with sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow. (Amos 9:13)"

The state of the Church depends on the Word of the Lord, and how the Word is regarded. Many false ideas about our understanding of the Word must be removed meant by the harangue of Amos, “for three transgressions and for four,” namely not loving the Sacred Scripture, meant by Damascus, using Scripture for heresies meant by Gaza, injuring the external sense of the Word meant by Tyre, and so losing the contents of doctrine, meant by Edom. The very truth and good found in the Word are thus perverted, meant by the transgressions of Ammon and Moab. Finally, the celestial and spiritual senses themselves are destroyed, meant by Judah and Israel. With these transgressions overcome, by repentance, however, the full spiritual state of the church is earned, meant by the plowman overtaking the reaper, the hills flowing.

The Lord in Gethsemane also depicts the same structure of the Word, with Moses and Elijah standing for the Old Testament, the light around the three disciples being the Doctrine from the internal sense, and the voice "This is my Beloved Son” being the Lord revealing Divine truth from the Divine to the Human,. (cf. Sacred Scripture 48). The Lord's Divine Human now seen in the Writings is meant by "they saw Jesus only." (Matthew 17:8).

Accepting the Writings of the New Church, written under Divine inspiration and now translated into over 30 languages, as the Word of Heavenly Doctrine, obviates all these transgressions: for they draw out the spiritual and celestial senses from the Scriptures, and show the doctrine of genuine truth in the literal sense of the Word. And all that the angels speak in their ineffable language can be put into "rational terminology, into natural language." "There is nothing spiritual, celestial and Divine that may not be put into natural language." (De Verbo 6). The Writings have done this, and state point blank all the inexpressible doctrines that angels talk about and know. Therefore accepting the Heavenly Doctrines as the Word of the Lord, because they so say, is the plowman overtaking the reaper, which means "the doctrine of truth and the understanding of it, will be in that Church, which will be in the place of the former church." (Prophets and Psalms Amos 9:13) Then the members of the New Church will commit an abundance of truths meant by the "hills flowing," to life, and also receive Conjugial Love which depends on the "state of the Church" (Conjugial Love 130), from the Lord alone, who has made His Human Divine, meant by "I will plant them in their land, and they shall no longer be pulled up from the land I have given them, says Jehovah your God." Amen

(EES)

From Rev. James "Jay" Barry

From July 4, 2010

A Harmony of Many

Today in the United States we celebrate our Independence Day.

I would like to suggest that as a nation, we are stronger spiritually in this day than we might realize. This affirmation stands in contrast to many troubling aspects of American life. However, to illustrate my point, I would like for you to think of how this nation has grown in 225 years, but not in terms of an earthly measure, but rather, by a heavenly one. Let’s look at this growth in terms of societies.

Societies, is a special word in the Heavenly Doctrines. The word is used for an "association with a group of people," "a group of people living in a community," also, "a group of spirits or angels in the other world."

The Heavenly Doctrines inform us that societies are the basic frame of reference in the spiritual world. We are affiliated with a society in the other world according to the things we love and are affectionate about in this life.

What is the glue that binds societies together? The answer is Use.

Let’s turn our eyes to this world now. Think of the many different layers of society in this country which are gathered around the idea of 'use.' There are countless benevolent societies, friendship organizations and charities. There are others also, which you might not think of as societies.

A hospital is a little society, devoted to the heath of the community. Think of all the uses under that one roof. Your local firehouse is a little society with its own culture, connected to and serving a larger society. A janitor in a water treatment plant is one member of a society participating in an essential use for the larger community.

Those who love their work have learned to love the highest mission of the organization, no matter how imperfectly it is managed at the top, no matter how low on the ladder they might be. They see the shining promise to help others in the use of their occupation.

In the case of a school, the faculty is energized according to their connection with the stated purpose, mission or use of the school. The energy in this connection, for those who feel it, is love, love of use; this is the link between heaven and earth in every good school, and in every organization that is dedicated to serving the well being of the community.

Human society is necessary for heaven, for heaven rests upon it. From the work Last Judgment we read: "The angelic heaven without the human race would be like a house without a foundation, for heaven closes into it, and rests upon it." (Last Judgment 9) From the same work, we read: "when there is no spiritual, no society can be formed" (LJ 10.2). This means that the spark for the formation of community is a spiritual seed planted by the Lord the hearts of those who want to serve others, which is then given form by the organizing principles and stated values of the organization. When organizations are structured around the principle of serving God and loving the neighbor, something beautiful happens: there is a connection with heaven in the hearts of those who love the work.

You and I are a Divine work, individually, and collectively. Think of our regeneration as the Lord's job; He is striving to help us and needs our cooperation. Heaven depends on us also. Our strength as a nation, and as a church, rests upon us, and in each of the groups that we form, each association and organization, each committee or small group within our church. When we carry on useful work for society as a whole, with love of God and neighbor as our goal, we strengthen ourselves, our companies, our neighbors, our church, and all of heaven itself. Amen.

(JHB)

Lessons: Deut. 4:5-9; AC 686-687

From Rev. James "Jay" Barry

From June 20, 2010

Holiness Before Our Eyes

In True Christian Religion we read: "It has pleased the Lord to reveal the spiritual sense of the Word, to enable this church, (the New Church) to enter into the real use and benefit of the sacraments of [baptism and holy supper] and this is done with people, with the eyes of the spirit, that is with the understanding, to see the holiness that is concealed within them, and apply it to themselves by the means which the Lord has taught in His Word"(TCR 700).

To see the holiness that is concealed within them... In one short phrase, we can see an important contrast between the Christian church before the Last Judgment, and the quality of the New Church.

Holiness is subtle, but very real. In the former church, its presence was described as "sand in a river where scarcely visible grains of gold [are present] in great abundance" (TCR 710.3). But in the New Church, where the holiness of the internal sense of the Word has been revealed, "it is like gold collected from the sand and melted in a great mass, and made into beautiful forms" (ibid).

What kind of forms would the Lord make for us with all of this gold? When you consider that holiness is predicated of charity, and not faith alone, then we can see that the forms are all of the forms of love and service to the Lord and the neighbor. This begs a personal question: What kind of forms would I like the Lord to form in my life? How can I do better in serving the Lord and my fellow man?

Holiness was concealed at the end of the former Christian church, barely detectable. The spiritual riches in the Word were buried as a treasure in a field, overlaid with falsity and misinterpretation (True Christian Religion 701; 701.4). When the doctrine of faith alone rules, good works are held to no account. Therefore, it pleased the Lord to reveal the spiritual sense of the Word, by means of which, we can learn again about the Lord, and then, love and follow Him.

The Lord’s presence in the Word, His care and guidance in Divine providence, and the beauty and fairness of the teachings of the Heavenly Doctrines are all evidence that the Lord has brought a new light to shine upon the understanding of the world, and within that light, His presence can be found by all who seek Him. "To the end that the Lord may be continuously present, with me, He has unfolded the spiritual sense of His Word, wherein there is Divine truth in its own light...and it is in this light that He is continually present..." (True Christian Religion 780).

The sacrament of the Holy Supper is placed in the very center of this teaching, where the Lord invites us to share His Divine love, signified by the bread, and Divine truth of His Word, signified by the wine. More than a ritual observance, we can now see for ourselves with our understanding, the true meaning of the bread of life, and the cup of salvation.

In Isaiah, we read: "O Zion, put on the garments of thy beauty, O Jerusalem, the city of holiness" (Is. 52:1-2). The garments of beauty signify holiness, which we can now see in the internal sense of the Word. Garments of beauty, where before none was seen.

If it were not for the revelation of the internal sense of the Word, we would not know the Lord, or be able to love Him, and all the externals of worship would eventually perish, for the true church is both internal and external, like a soul in the body. But with this new understanding, we can see His holiness before our eyes. We now have hope, and so does the world, for the possibility of becoming the people the Lord created us to become. Amen.

(JHB)

Lessons: Lessons: Ezekiel 11:19-20; Luke 22:7-20; TCR 416.2

From Rev. Dr. Thane Glenn

From June 6, 2010

And Noah Knew the Floodwaters had Receded from the Earth

Consider the utter desolation expressed in the description of the flood that left Noah adrift in his ark: “And the waters prevailed exceedingly on the earth…. And all flesh died that moved on the earth: birds and cattle and beasts and every creeping thing… and every man. …. Only Noah and those who were with him… remained” (Genesis 7:19-23).

When we’re spiritually lost, we know something of Noah’s experience—trapped with all the wild fears and clamor of our animal emotions—alone—not knowing if we will ever find land again.

Think of the young woman who has lost her friend in a totally needless car accident and can’t find any way to make sense of it, and can’t find any way to connect to a God who would allow this to happen.

Or think of the man who has fallen into the daily pattern of actively entertaining the real possibility of pursuing an affair with his coworker. Every day he anguishes over the wrong in what he’s doing, and every day he finds himself pulled back into the emails, flirtations, coffee dates.

Arcana Caelestia talks about the kind of temptation or trial embodied by Noah’s flood: “Before anything is restored to order, it is very common for everything to be reduced first of all to a state of confusion resembling chaos” (§842).

When we’re lost in this confusion and chaos, what kinds of feelers, what kinds of thoughts, what hopes, do we send out in trying to get our bearings?

Noah sends out two birds—a raven and a dove. The raven—the first attempt to find land—just flies back and forth across the waters, completely futile.

Arcana Caelestia suggests that birds always picture our thoughts (§866). Often it seems that our first response in looking for answers when we’re trapped or in trouble is to get fixed—like Noah—on false thoughts that just fly endlessly back and forth (§864-867). Denial, rationalization, blame, hopelessness.

But then Noah sends out a dove. We make a conscious effort to change our thinking, to hold onto a simple truth of faith (Arcana Caelestia §869). And here we come to the hardest part of the story. The dove returns with nothing, the flood of spiritual confusion still covers everything.

Perhaps the man caught in the temptation to adultery commits his mind to the commandments, he resolves to recommit to his marriage, he brings his wife her favorite flowers. And he gets no response. The dark shadow of the raven is still out there swooping across the waters: she doesn’t care, she’s not putting in the effort, why should I? How do we keep faith in the face of the disappointment when our resolve to hold to the truth returns empty?

Noah—patient—waits and lets go of the dove one more time. There is a simple but profound truth here about letting go of the outcome. We learn, through back-against-the-wall struggle, not to force our expectation of the good of a situation, but to say “Not my will but Yours be done.” And maybe something stirs in us; we find new hope that there is purpose in the midst of our struggles (Arcana Caelestia §879-891).

The dove returns to Noah with a freshly plucked olive leaf. After months of hopeless drifting, he knows that land is near.

Perhaps for the man, it’s the simple touch of his wife’s hand on his shoulder one evening as he does the dishes. Perhaps for the young woman who lost her friend, it’s a picture a child draws for her of her friend as an angel in heaven. Something shifts in us, and we know that “with God, all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26). Amen

(TPG)

Lessons: Genesis 8:6-11, Arcana Caelestia §864, 866, 867, Matthew 19:23-26

From Rev. Stephen D. Cole

From May 23, 2010

The Torn

"The torn I brought not unto thee. I bore the loss of it" (Genesis 31:39).

In the internal sense, the text treats of people’s responsibility for things which are no fault of their own. It teaches of evils we may have in us which we receive into ourselves at first through no fault of our own, but for which we are still responsible in the sense that that we have to deal with the consequences.

As we learn from the lesson from the Arcana Coelestia, there are two general origins of evil with us. The first is the inclinations toward evils that we inherit from parent and ancestors. For these we are not responsible unless we act from them, that is, unless we carry them into this life.

The second general origin of evils with man, the Heavenly Doctrine tells us, is from evils which have been acted on.

This second origin is also divided into two: the evils of life which the man receives willingly, and those which he receives through no fault of his own. It is evils of this latter category that are called the torn in our text. The evils which one receives willingly into his life and which can then carry him into hell, which thus bring about his spiritual death, relate to references in the Word to “carcasses,” bodies of animals that have died from something arising within them.

The evils which a man has received and carried into life through no fault of his own, which also work towards his spiritual destruction, relate to the torn, animals killed by something outside of themselves, animals that perish through no fault of their own.

The text is a warning. It warns us to try to protect those around us, especially our children, from persuasions that can rend them. Who does not see that young people, particularly those just becoming rational, are in great danger of faith persuasions that can tear their lives? And to a lesser extent this is true of everyone. We are therefore warned to protect also ourselves. And what protection can we seek for ourselves or for those around us?

Later in the life of Jacob a great tragedy befell him. His sons brought him the bloodied coat of his favorite son Joseph. Just as we may cry out at the injuries done by falsities to our children through no fault of their own, so Jacob wept and cried out that his son had been torn by a wild beast. The other sons and daughters could not comfort him. In the internal sense this means that the literal sense of the Word is not enough to protect against being torn. What is required for comfort and for protection from evils no fault of one’s own is the spirit of the Word, the doctrines of the New Church – these are the rod and staff of the Lord that can prevent us or the lambs under our charge from going astray into false persuasions. And even if there has been straying we can take comfort from the teaching that evils not one’s own fault have no effect on the final outcome of our salvation. We can find that our children, our friends, we ourselves have been preserved just as was the son that Jacob thought he had lost – for Joseph did not in fact die. Jacob ultimately got word that Joseph lived on as a powerful man in Egypt – "and the spirit of Jacob, their father, was revived" (Gen. 45:27).

(SDC)

Lessons: Gen. 31:36-42; AC 4171.

From Rev. Eric Carswell

From April 25, 2010

Living in an Imperfect World

Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all who were carried away captive, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon: (Jeremiah 29: 4)

What does the Lord want us to do when we recognize that there are significant flaws in ourselves and other aspects of our lives? The people of Judea who found themselves as exiles in Babylon were daily confronted with the reality of a huge failure. They and their ancestors had broken the covenant they had with the Lord. As they faced life in Babylon they could easily have responded with anger, sadness or bitter regret.

The Writings of the New Church teach that the seventy years when the people of Judea were held captive in Babylon represents a state of temptation. (Arcana Caelestia 755:3) A state of temptation isn't one during which a person is comfortably doing evil and denying it. It isn't one of spiritual sleepiness or sloth. During temptation people know that there are profoundly evil and false qualities within their motivations and ideas.

Jeremiah sent word to the people of Judea in Babylon that clearly counseled them that they should not withdraw from life. They were not to sink into abject discouragement and inactivity. Life was to go on. He told them: Build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit. (Jeremiah 29:5) Each day the Lord brings us opportunities to make the values of heaven the ones we will live by. He brings us opportunities to live according to what He teaches. Even when our best efforts seem flawed, the Lord calls us to do what we can, where we are now in our spiritual development.

Jeremiah told the people in Babylon: "[S]eek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the LORD for it; for in its peace you will have peace." (Jeremiah 29:7) A city represents the quality of the church with a person. Our lives are imperfect and our understandings are imperfect. But the Lord calls us to seek to bring a heavenly quality to our lives with His help.

Through Jeremiah, the Lord told the people: “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11) It is the Lord’s very strong desire that we should experience the happiness of heaven.

Even as we recognize that we are not living in a perfect world and that we ourselves are flawed, may we search for the Lord, His order, His compassion, with all our hearts. May we be sure that we cannot sincerely search in vain. We will find the Lord. He will lead us from where we are, in the spiritual captivity of imperfect loves and flawed ideas, to the heavenly life He envisions for us. May we truly trust that His plans for us are plans of peace and of hope. AMEN.

(EHC)

Lessons: Jeremiah 29:4-14, Apocalypse Explained 1135: 3-4

From Rt. Rev. Thomas L. Kline

From April 4, 2010

Mary at the Tomb

Would the disciples be able to see the Lord in His resurrection? By the end of those three short years the Lord called His disciples to follow Him, would they really see and believe? Could they elevate their eyes above the natural appearances of the Lord's finite body He took on in the world, and see Him as the Father of Eternity and the Prince of Peace? Jesus would say to them, "Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves." The time would come when He would put off the human He took on from Mary and show them openly the Father that dwelt within.

It is significant that the Lord appeared first, not to any of the disciples but to a woman, a woman with the name Mary. The name pictures an inmost love to the Lord, a love implanted within the hearts of all people. It is a love that can respond to the Lord’s calling.

In the work, the Canons of the New Church we read, "At this day nothing else than the self-evidencing reason of love will reestablish the church..." (Canon 1) Let us remember our love to the Lord as our savior and redeemer in our celebration of Easter this year.

(TLK)

Lessons: John 20, Lord 3

From Rev. Jeremy F. Simons

From March 28, 2010

Palms of Joy

"The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him." John 12:12

At the time of the Passover feast Jerusalem's population of 80,000 more than doubled. The city was overrun with visitors, and crowds gathered at the entrance gates, welcoming and watching notable people as they came in. The Lord at this point was well known, and they were expecting Him with anticipation. The stage was set for His entrance into Jerusalem to be noticed on a large scale. Palms are a fitting symbol for this event because they stand for this high level of interest and the joyful reception of the Lord. Acceptance and belief are key, because this is how the Lord came to save the world, by revealing Divine Truth. Palm Sunday portrays the intense, joyful interest in the Lord’s truth when it catches you in a receptive state.

Along with the palms, the cutting down of other branches from trees, and the laying of their clothes in the way, the people also cried out to the Lord. This crying out not only depicts a joyful acknowledgment similar to what is meant by the palms, but also gives a clue as to the kind of state in a person that facilitates that joyful reception. They cried "Hosanna!" which is an urgent cry of "Save us!" What makes you most likely to receive the Lord with joy? Palm Sunday is about the recognition of our state of need. Without Him we can do nothing. Very often it is not the normal events of a happy life that bring about this realization, but frustrations, losses and failures.

People often wonder how the crowds who welcomed the Lord on Sunday could have been so fickle as to cry out against Him on Friday. There are many explanations, but one is to see the similarity with the book eaten by John on the Isle of Patmos. John said that the book "was as sweet as honey in my mouth. But when I had eaten it, my stomach became bitter" (Revelation 10:10). We read in Apocalypse Revealed that this means:

Acknowledging that the Lord is the Savior and Redeemer is pleasing and agreeable, but acknowledging that He alone is God of heaven and earth, and that His humanity is Divine, is displeasing and vexatious, owing to their falsifications." (Apocalypse Revealed 481)

That is, it is one thing to look to the Lord for help and to see Him as your Savior. But it is something else to actually regard His words as authoritative in your life, to do as He says, and not to do as we please.

This is the basis of the contest that then goes on during the Lord’s final week in this world. Once you have joyfully accepted the Lord as your King, once you have let Him in the door with delight, this is when the contest within you becomes most intense. The question is whether you will do as He says, or whether you will ultimately reject Him and follow your own way.

None of this would happen, though, without the interest and enthusiasm for what the Word teaches that is meant by the palms in the people’s hands and their cries of Hosanna as the Lord rode a donkey in a royal procession into Jerusalem.

(JFS)

Lessons: Psalm 24:7-10; John 12:9-18; Apocalypse Revealed 367; Apocalypse Explained 458.5

From Rev. Scott I. Frazier

From March 21, 2010

Daniel in the Lion's Den

Priests of the Old Testament had three major uses: they sacrificed animals; they read the Book of the Law; and they diagnosed skin disease. Sacrificing animals, according to Moses, was the chief act of worship. In the internal sense, animals represent all the various affections we have. All the things of worship are represented by animal sacrifice. The act of formal worship – which we are here today to do– is for dedicating our lives and our desires to the Lord.

In public worship, with many people gathered together to approach the Lord, it is useful to have a priest present. Just as an Israelitish priest supervises the public sacrifice of animals, priests today supervise the things of public worship. The priest, both then and now, provides a symbol of the Lord.

The second major use of the priest in the Old Testament was to read the Book of the Law. Aside from prophets, this was the chief way the people learned what the Lord wanted. This hasn’t changed. In the internal sense, the priest reading the book of the Law is the presence of the Lord’s truth in our lives.

And this does not take away from the power and usefulness of having the truth taught publicly. Priests teach. This is one of their most important functions.

The priests of the Old Testament also had a third major function – they diagnosed skin conditions. The priest was only responsible for diagnosing the most external of conditions. Furthermore, the priest was not passing judgment on a crime or failing of the person.

On the internal level leprous sores and skin conditions represent the outermost expressions of evils. Self examination is looking for outward expressions of evil and disorder. Sometimes, they are relatively innocuous, other times they are malignant. As our priest and God, we go to the Lord and ask him, "Is this something I should worry about?" Our answers are found in His Word.

And this is also a major use of the priesthood today. Insofar as the priesthood has a ‘counseling’ function, it is found in the diagnosis of leprosy. The questions you might bring to a priest are the same questions the ancient Israelites would bring. He might exercise this use in a board meeting, a casual conversation after church, or by appointment with a concerned congregant.

Are these the uses that priests are performing? Are these the things we are asking of priests? Priests are there to perform uses for people as symbols of the Lord. Priests are there to administer worship, pronounce clean and unclean, and read aloud the book of the Law.

Readings: Lev 1,13 (portions), AR 678

From Rev. Andrew M.T. Dibb

From March 14, 2010

Daniel in the Lion's Den

Babylon represents human selfishness. We all have a selfish side: as we put ourselves above others, think we are more important, that others should bend to our will. Selfishness is the source of the nasty things we say or do to others. It is our most serious spiritual enemy, but the Lord gives us the way to combat and overcome it: He gives us Daniel. Daniel is a symbol of our conscience, the collection of truths the Lord uses to guide us through our lives.

This morning’s story is a stand off between Darius the Mede and Daniel, between states of selfishness, and our conscience. It begins when Darius’ other leaders were jealous of Daniel, but they could not bring him down. They convinced Darius to forbid anyone to worship any god other than himself. The punishment was death by being fed to the lions. Darius was flattered, and passed the law. Left to itself selfishness exalts a person over the Lord Himself. Lions in the service of Babylon represent the willingness to fight against goodness and truth.

But we should never overlook the resistance the Lord gives us. Daniel went home and bowed down before the Lord three times a day. If our conscience is real, we will feel it as it takes a stand against selfishness. At first resistance seems gentle, but we should not confuse gentleness for weakness. A true conscience is never weak.

Daniel in the lions’ den is about temptation. Falsity often seems stronger than truth. Yet nothing is further from the truth. Truth comes from the Lord and draws its power from Him. In temptation selfishness and falsity are stopped up, like the lions in the den. Their mouths were sealed by an angel, and Daniel was protected all night long.

Victory brings a remarkable change in us. Selfishness never goes away completely, but it can be tamed and brought under control. We always need some level of self concern, but this is a far cry from selfishness running our lives. Through temptation selfishness is brought under control. It is replaced by a healthy self-concern making it possible for us to serve the neighbor and the Lord.

From Rev. Glenn "Mac" Frazier

From February 14, 2010

How to Love

Love is vitally important. It is what makes life possible. And the Lord is Love itself. So it is important that we study and understand love.

There are three parts to love. First, love requires some other person as its object. This is why the Lord created us, and it is why loving oneself is not truly loving. Beyond that, loving what we see of ourselves in another is not as meaningful as loving the "other" in someone. Among other things, we are commanded to love our spiritual enemies.

Second, love desires to draw close to, connect with, and even become one with its object. We love the Lord by drawing closer to Him through the reading and living of His Word. We connect with another person by being curious about them, listening selflessly to them, and spending time with them.

Third, love desires to make its object blessed. The Lord's purpose in creating the universe was so that there could be a human race that He could make eternally happy. Just as the Lord's love looks to our long-term happiness, so should we look to the long-term--not just the short-term--happiness of those we love.

The true happiness of a relationship--especially a marriage, but also a friendship--is dependent on the good brought to the relationship by each person. You have no control over the good another person brings, only what you yourself bring. So to strengthen a relationship—all your relationships--work on your own spiritual growth: repent of an evil, and invite the Lord to spiritually regenerate you.

When you work to become better at loving another person, you make yourself a greater vessel for the Lord to flow into and through. By being better at loving other people, you are increasing the degree to which the Lord can be present in the world. Study love, and practice love, and work hard at love, and you will become a blessing to those around you.

Lessons: DLW 47-48; John 15:1-17; TCR 43

(GMF)

From Rev. Erik J. Buss

From March 6, 2003

Perception

As you work to become a good person, many thoughts come to you. Is it God speaking to you or a fanciful thought? We've all had insights that turned out to be wrong and others that were right on the money. How do we evaluate? The topic is our inner perceptions of truth.

Perception has these three qualities: 1) It is the speech of angels with us that filters down to our conscious minds. 2) It tells us whether something is true or not. 3) It is an answer by the inner parts of our mind to a question asked by the external. (AC 5228, 6250-51). It does not tell us what to think. It gives a yes or no answer to a question we consciously ask.

Most Ancient people had perception (AC 125). Because humanity fell, the Lord's inner leading has been drowned out by earthly concerns. Instead we have conscience, which is very different. Perception touches our will first, while conscience is based on the truth we have learned, specifically truth from the Word (AC 2144:2-3). Conscience is subject to verification & cross-check against the truth.

Conscience has important limits. It is not instant like perception; you often need to reflect, to read the Word and pray. It is not spontaneous; your feelings about a situation are not necessarily correct. Most importantly, it is limited by the truth you know; if don't know a truth you can't have any conscience about it.

Conscience is the way the Lord speaks to us today. The more we use it, the more power it has in our lives to make change, and to be the source of peace and joy in our lives.

Two forms of perception still exist with us. The first is called common perception (DLW 361). It is the ability to see and recognize truth when you hear it. It is not the capacity to come up with new formulations of truth, but to hear the ring of truth in what someone else says or reads. This allows us to learn new truth. Common perception is about broad ideas, common sense ideas. It will not answer specific questions.

The other kind of perception is the wisdom of wives. Women who think cleanly about marriage are given perception about their husbands' affections and thus an ability to modify and nudge them in the correct direction. They cannot articulate this perception easily, if at all, and they do not like to talk about it. It is an inner knowing about when things are right or wrong in their marriages, and sometimes a sense of what to do. If your wife says, "Something is wrong in our marriage," but can't give specifics, assume that she is right and try to find out what it is.

These three, conscience, common perception, and the wisdom of wives, are three ways that the Lord uses to show us truth.

(EJB)

From Rt. Rev. Louis B. King

From March 8, 2009

Conjunction with the Lord

"I am in my Father and ye in me, and I in you" (John 14:20).

Creation exists for one purpose, that man may be conjoined with the Lord. For only in conjunction with the Lord is there eternal life and lasting happiness.

To understand how conjunction with the Lord takes place, we must realize that there are three planes of life in man, and conjunction with the Lord is to be effected on every plane. Firstly there is the life or activity of the soul, which is above consciousness - unpervertable by the proprium. Secondly there is the conscious life of the mind, the truly human character which is the man himself. Thirdly there is the life of the body which is an ultimate expression of the activity or life of the mind.

Now let us consider how man is conjoined with the Lord on these three planes of human life - on the plane of the soul, on the plane of the mind, and on the plane of the body.

By means of the soul, the Lord conjoins Himself with all men good and evil. For the finite substance of the soul is divinely ordered so that the Lord's infinite life may be adjoined to it. Man feels this adjunction or presence of the infinite in his soul, as if it were his own life. Thus infinite life from the Lord is present in man's soul; and it is with this infinite life in man's soul that the Lord conjoins Himself.

Inasmuch as the infinite is present in man's soul, the human soul cannot be perverted, nor can its conjunction with the Lord be destroyed. Consequently all men are destined to live to eternity, as if from their own power and intelligence.

But if man would enjoy eternal happiness as well as eternal life, he must strive for conjunction with the Lord on a lower plane, on the plane of his mind or conscious life. This is achieved when evils are shunned as sins, when divine good inflows and produces in the mind regenerate loves, and when divine truths inflow and produce states of genuine faith. Here again it is the divine of the Lord which comes to man, which he receives and feels as his own, and to which the Lord can be conjoined. Here also the Lord dwells in His own with man. (AE 25, 460; AC 9503)

And when there is conjunction with the Lord in man's mind, there will follow a conjunction with the Lord in the third and ultimate plane of life - in the words and deeds of bodily life. Goods of love and truths of faith are the means by which man conjoins his mind to the Lord, and by means of which there is a final and lasting conjunction of the Lord with man. Amen.

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