In This Issue
I
n a New Year’s sermon, A New Beginning, the Rev. Dr. Andrew M. T. Dibb shares the
perspective: “At Christmas we look back to the events of the Lord’s life, and consider
its implications on our own lives. At New Year’s we look into our own future to see how
to make the implications of Christmas change our lives and make us different.” (Page
15)
In a sermon, Building Spiritual Reserves, the Rev. David H. Lindrooth talks about
dealing with spiritual scarcity in our lives and how to build up the reserves we need to
deal with the demands of our lives on a spiritual level. He uses the parable of the ten
virgins at the wedding feast – five of whom came prepared and five who did not – and
what this teaches us about having what we need spiritually when challenging situations
arise. (Page 22)
We all know Swedenborg’s Rules of Life. But did you know that he never wrote
them down? They appear nowhere in his papers and manuscripts. So where did they
come from? The Rev. Dr. Erik E. Sandstrom, Acting Curator of Swedenborgiana in the
Swedenborg Library, explains the mystery and the history. (Page 27)
What is New Church education and why should we care? In the first of a two-part
series the Rt. Rev. Peter M. Buss Jr., who oversees education in the General Church,
answers the question in a presentation to New Church educators last fall. We may
assume a common definition of New Church education but Bishop Buss offers eight
ways that clearly frame the use. (Page 34)
E. Kent Rogers writes about Love in the Celestial Spheres: Seeing Our Relationships
in Earth, Moon and Sun. He says: “Though the moon seems lifeless and less important
than earth, it is the earth-moon system that allows for life to exist. A perfect parallel
is the relationship between hearts and lungs, which Swedenborg often uses to describe
the relationship between love and wisdom and also wife and husband.” (Page 43)
Patrick L. Johnson, a member of Conference in England, offers an interesting
address which he gave at Purley Chase last September: How the Academy/General
Church Was First Launched in England in 1874. We date that beginning to 1876 in the
United States, but Mr. Johnson gives a fascinating history of a talk on The Authority of
the Writings that helped launch the Church and the Academy, which first was delivered
at Purley Chase but got a lot more attention and action when it was repeated in America.
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