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Miracles on the Hudson

WELCOME TO TODAY'S WORSHIP SERVICE



January 18, 2009


MIRACLES ON THE HUDSON

Open your Bible



Light a candle




OPENING SONG 
Our God is An Awesome God
by Michael W. Smith and
Utube video




READINGS

 
 

FROM THE BIBLE
 
Psalm 77
For the director of music. For Jeduthun. Of Asaph. A psalm.
1 I cried out to God for help;
I cried out to God to hear me.
2 When I was in distress, I sought the Lord;
at night I stretched out untiring hands
and my soul refused to be comforted.

3 I remembered you, O God, and I groaned;
I mused, and my spirit grew faint.
Selah

4 You kept my eyes from closing;
I was too troubled to speak.

5 I thought about the former days,
the years of long ago;

6 I remembered my songs in the night.
My heart mused and my spirit inquired:

7 "Will the Lord reject forever?
Will he never show his favor again?

8 Has his unfailing love vanished forever?
Has his promise failed for all time?

9 Has God forgotten to be merciful?
Has he in anger withheld his compassion?"
Selah

10 Then I thought, "To this I will appeal:
the years of the right hand of the Most High."

11 I will remember the deeds of the LORD;
yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.

12 I will meditate on all your works
and consider all your mighty deeds.

13 Your ways, O God, are holy.
What god is so great as our God?

14 You are the God who performs miracles;
you display your power among the peoples.

15 With your mighty arm you redeemed your people,
the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.
Selah

16 The waters saw you, O God,
the waters saw you and writhed;
the very depths were convulsed.

17 The clouds poured down water,
the skies resounded with thunder;
your arrows flashed back and forth.

18 Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind,
your lightning lit up the world;
the earth trembled and quaked.

19 Your path led through the sea,
your way through the mighty waters,
though your footprints were not seen.

20 You led your people like a flock
by the hand of Moses and Aaron.



FROM SWEDENBORG


I have stated on occasion that love is what constitutes our life, but
this does not mean love separated from wisdom, or what is good separated
from what is true in the cause. This is because love by itself, or what
is good by itself, is nothing. Consequently, the love that constitutes our
deepest life, the life that comes from the Lord, is love and wisdom together.
So too, the love that constitutes our life to the extent that we are
open to it is not love by itself in the cause, though it is by itself in the result.
Love is incomprehensible apart from its quality, and its quality is
wisdom. That quality or wisdom can come only from its underlying reality,
which is love. This is why they are a single whole; and the same holds
true for what is good and what is true.  Divine Providence #13 NCE


 
MESSAGE


 
MIRACLES ON THE HUDSON

It seemed to be an ordinary Thursday afternoon as US Airways flight # 1549 took off from New York’s LaGuardia to Charlottesville. Within moments, the engines were both disabled – presumably by a flock of geese – and the pilot made a split-second decision to land in the Hudson River; about 3 blocks from the World Trade Center.

As the plane plunged to the earth, most passengers expected to die momentarily. “I was thinking — no, I was positive — we were all going to die,” said Paul Jorgensen, 38, of Charlotte, N.C., who was in seat 1A.

The pilot calmly chose a spot near boats to land his plane, to increase the chance of rescue. The landing was so smooth, that everyone had time to get out safely. Passengers moved respectfully, helping each other get out. They gathered on the two wings, as ferries quickly arrived and started rescuing people. One man urged those on the wing to dance … as a way of staying warm.

All 155 people on board the plane survived, leading New York Gov. David Paterson to say, "We had a miracle on 34th Street. I believe now we have had a miracle on the Hudson."

The pilot, Chesley Sullenberger, walked through his sinking plane twice checking for anyone left behind. He said he was simply doing his everyday job.

What a great true-life story for us to ponder as we continue our theme of starting the spiritual journey.

The media grabbed onto this story with a happy ending as a miracle. One article this morning said: These days, words such as "superhero" are bandied about a lot, mainly among fictional characters. Because that's so, somehow such a description of Chesley B. Sullenberger III doesn't quite bestow the honor that he deserves. After all, Sullenberger is the real deal. He proved what a real-life superhero he is last week when he guided to safety all 155 people aboard the US Airways jetliner he piloted.
Another one commented: Just when we really needed a miracle, we got one.

Was it a miracle? Was it just people doing their everyday jobs?
To help you ponder the event, here is a video with music:
 




The Crash with Music




Was it a miracle? Was it just people doing their everyday jobs?

We tend to think of miracles as something outside of ordinary reality and expectations. It is often something that comes from the Divine to bring about an outcome that is beyond human capacity to achieve. Yet, Swedenborg reminds us that reality is about God and humanity together creating a different world. A world where people strive to care for each other is not a miraculous expectation; it is the kind of world for which we were created.

Swedenborg wrote of a loving Divine who supports us in learning to love each other and to live with loving actions every day of our lives. We have come to expect cruel and violent behaviors in our world. Our media are full of stories of people cheating, lying, and defrauding. The world is filled with people who are hungry, sick, discouraged.

But from Swedenborg, we get the idea that God did not create us for the purpose of our suffering. Rather, creation was about light coming into darkness. It is the “light” that is to be our norm; not the darkness.

Martin Luther King said much the same thing. His “I Have a Dream Speech” was not about a dream that could only be fulfilled through a suspending of our ordinary reality. It was to be achieved through our everyday reality of human and Divine together.
King said:

“It’s alright to talk about ‘streets flowing with milk and honey,’ but God has commanded us to be concerned about the slums down here, and his children who can’t eat three square meals a day. It’s all right to talk about the new Jerusalem, but one day, God’s preacher must talk about the New York, the new Atlanta, the new Philadelphia, the new Los Angeles, the new Memphis, Tennessee.”

The pilot was doing his job. His job was to put the welfare of his passengers above his own needs. His job was to use all of his experience and training to make sound decisions in a crisis. It wasn’t an event of God intervening to suspend ordinary reality; it was God being a part of our everyday reality with us.

Let’s not give into the discouragement around us, that our normal expectation is a world where people focus on  fraud, disinterest, and personal gain. Let’s think instead of Martin Luther King’s “Beloved Community” and Swedenborg’s “New Jerusalem.” They are our birthright, and we are on the road.

Others just “doing their job” were a school of painters called the “Hudson River” school. They were inspired by the beauty of the Hudson River, and painted landscapes that showed the Divine in nature. Many of them were influenced by Emanuel Swedenborg.

Perhaps the Hudson River can be for us a reminder of God-with-us to make everyday reality an experience of “miracles” through the love we express in our lives everyday.
 
 

CLOSING SONG
He's Got the Whole World in his hands
by Laurie London

 
Now extinguish your candle                         



And close the Bible.            
 

 
Go forth; knowing that you and God are creating miracles every day.



 

Downloads

Title Date
Hudson River Miracles
01/18/2009
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