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From the Pastor - Past Messages |
Confidence in the Lord - New theme for the year (September 13, 2009)
“Peace has in it confidence in the Lord, that He directs all things, and provides all things, and that He leads to a good end. When a man is in this faith, he is in peace, for he then fears nothing, and no solicitude about things to come disquiets him. A man comes into this state in proportion as he comes into love to the Lord.” (Arcana Caelestia 8455)
Our new theme for this year is “Confidence in the Lord”. The Writings for the New Church tell us that having a true confidence in the Lord brings with it many blessings: Internal peace and tranquility; the knowledge that all things lead to a good end; the ability to overcome any evil and get through any difficult time; the knowledge and perception of the Lord’s constant presence; the confidence that true marriage love will again descend into this world from the Lord and will some day be a reality in your own life. These are blessings that all of us would like to enjoy. But how do we achieve this genuine confidence in the Lord?
Having confidence in the Lord is not something that we achieve overnight. The Writings for the New Church give us a wealth of teachings about the process that we must go through in order to achieve this confidence along with its many blessings. For example, if we want to develop a true confidence in the Lord we must be willing to go through the difficult process of letting go of our own ideas and understanding, and instead learn to trust in the Lord’s Word. The passage quoted above tells us that we can only experience true confidence in the Lord to the extent that we go through the process of learning to love the Lord and do His commandments. In general, the process by which we develop a true faith and confidence in the Lord is summarized in these words: “It is clear that there are three things by which faith is formed in man; first by going to the Lord; secondly, by learning truths from the Word; and thirdly, by living according to them.” (True Christian Religion 348)
I invite you all to join us this year as we explore the wonderful New Church teachings that show us how we can develop a true confidence in the Lord. May we all as individuals and as a church learn to trust not in ourselves but in the Lord’s own Divine love and infinite wisdom: “For thus says the Lord Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength.” (Isaiah 30:15)
Matthew
Suggested Readings: Psalm 37; Arcana Caelestia 4352, 8455
Rest and Relaxation (July 9, 2009)
Being a useful member of society and doing your job honestly, justly, and faithfully is an important part of being a spiritual person. The Lord Himself often teaches us of the importance of "bearing fruit" in our lives. The Writings for the New Church teach us very clearly that loving the Lord above all things and our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22) means performing useful services for them. The happiness of the angels in heaven comes as a result of them being useful and serving the Lord and their neighbor: "Whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant....For even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve." (Mark 10:43-44)
That said, we live in a world where we tend to over work ourselves. Working to serve the Lord and your neighbor doesn't mean that you have to kill yourself. In fact, Emanuel Swedenborg reports that in heaven angels tend to be involved in the work of their occupations until about noon at which point they enjoy various recreational activities for the rest of the day. Sounds good to me!
So why is rest and relaxation so important? Why does the Lord Himself want you to make sure you're taking enough time off to relax and have fun? It's simple. If you don't take time off, then the love you have for being useful and serving others will eventually burn out. As an example, you can have a sincere love for teaching, but if you don't relax and take some time away from teaching that love will eventually become strained and even dull. I'm sure we've all had the experience of needing a break from something that we really love. There is a book called The Doctrine of Charity written by Swedenborg that says:
"There is an affection in every employment, and it bends the mind, and keeps the mind intent upon working or applying itself, and this latter mind, if not relaxed, becomes dulled, and its desire loses its keenness; just like salt when it loses its saltiness and is consequently without any savour or stimulus. It Is also like a bent bow, which, unless it is unbent, loses the force it derives from its elasticity. It is precisely the same if the mind is kept a long time in the same ideas without any change; as is the case with the sight when only a single object or a single color is looked at continuously." (Charity 190)
So remember that serving the Lord and your neighbor is something that should be fun and that you find joy in. Learning to serve the Lord and others from a real love for what is good, is what life and religion is all about. But an important part of making sure things stay this way, is taking time off to relax and enjoy the various recreational activities in life. This Summer take the time to read a good book, go to the beach, go hiking with the kids, or do anything else that helps you relax. If you do this, then the Lord will be able to gradually renew the various loves you have for serving people in different ways. When you come back to your job you'll be able to serve the Lord and your neighbor with a renewed sense of purpose and delight.
I wish you all a peaceful and relaxing summer!
Matthew
Suggested Readings: Psalm 37:5-9, Matthew 25:1-13; Conjugial Love 17; Charity 190