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"What If God Was One of Us"




Welcome to today's worship service.
 

Feb. 21, 2010




Open your Bible



Light a candle

 






OPENING SONG

What If God Was One of Us






READINGS



 
 

 Psalm 91

1You who live in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,

2will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust.”

3For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence;

4he will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.

5You will not fear the terror of the night, or the arrow that flies by day,

6or the pestilence that stalks in darkness, or the destruction that wastes at noonday.

7A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.

8You will only look with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.

9Because you have made the Lord your refuge, the Most High your dwelling place,

10no evil shall befall you, no scourge come near your tent.

11For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.

12On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.

13You will tread on the lion and the adder, the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot.

14Those who love me, I will deliver; I will protect those who know my name.

15When they call to me, I will answer them; I will be with them in trouble, I will rescue them and honor them.

16With long life I will satisfy them, and show them my salvation.
 

Luke 4:1-13

4Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, 2where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. 3The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.” 4Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’” 5Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6And the devil said to him, “To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. 7If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” 8Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’” 9Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,’ 11and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’” 12Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” 13When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.
 


From Swedenborg:

The underlying divine reality is intrinsic reality, and is also an intrinsic capacity to become manifest.  Jehovah God is intrinsic reality because from eternity to eternity he is the I Am, the Absolute, and the first and only thing from which comes everything that exists and to which everything owes its existence.  Because of this and nothing else he is the beginning and the End, the first and the Last, and the Alpha and the Omega.  True Christianity, #21, NCE

In the Divine-Human One, reality and its manifestations are both distinguishable and united.  Wherever there is reality, there is manifestation :  the one does not occur wiithout the other.  In fact, reality exists through manifestation, and not apart from it."  DLW, #14, NCE

 


MESSAGE

What If God Was One of Us
Does God communicate with you?  Does God respond to your prayers, your questions, and your confusions?  Some people, such as Joan of Arc, have claimed to hear God speaking to them.  Was Joan insane?  Is Joan a rare occurrence in human history? Or does God speak to everyone in some way? 

What if God actually speaks to all of us in some way every day?

This question was explored through a television series called Joan of Arcadia.

It was about a sixteen -year old girl who had conversations with God, and tried to live by God's direction. The series was on CBS from September, 2003 to April, 2005.  Reruns are currently being aired by the SyFy cable channel.  The episodes are available on DVD, and in segments on U-tube.

The series won some awards, including the prestigious Humanitas Prize and the People's Choice Award. It was nominated for an Emmy Award in its first season for "Best Dramatic Series".

The title of the series was a play on "Joan of Arc."  Arcadia was a fictional "every town," and Joan was an ordinary U.S. teen-ager.

The series was entertaining, and also thought-provoking.

Writer and executive producer, Barbara Hall, considered a number of possible songs for the theme song.  However, once she heard, What If God Was One of Us used as a background for the pilot episode, she knew that that HAD to be the song.  She felt that that song was a summary of the entire series:  that Joan is an ordinary teen, that God can appear as any of us, and that anyone we encounter could be God.

This is the first week of the Christian season of Lent.  It is a time to remember the 40 days that Jesus spent in the wilderness coming to understand his purpose and his relationship with God.

You are invited on a journey this Lent to explore your purpose and your relationship with God through a modern dramatic expression of these issues in a TV series.

Today, we're going to enjoy the first 20 minutes of the pilot episode, and ponder its implications for our own lives.

Below, is a U-Tube video of the first 10 minutes of the pilot episode.   In it, we meet the primary characters in the drama, including God.

 

 

 

 

In this segment, we see Joan as an ordinary teen-ager. She thinks she hears her name being called, but she is partly asleep, and isn’t sure. Then we see a scene of Joan’s father at work as a chief of police.
Through the juxtaposition of Joan's growing relationship with God and her father's work with criminal justice, we are reminded that any relationship with the Divine must be grounded in the realities of the world we live in.

At the end of this segment, we see God appearing as a teen-aged boy chatting with Joan.  Here is part of that conversation:

Cute Boy- Joan, I wanna talk to you.
Joan- I must be missing something, we are talking.
Cute Boy- I mean, I wanna be honest
Joan- Ok, Who are you?
Cute Boy- I saw you today.
Joan- Saw me where?
Cute Boy- Outside of your house. Look, I didn’t mean to scare you
Joan- Wa-wait that was YOU?
(Cute boy shakes his head in confirmation)
Joan- That guy was an old guy
Cute Boy- Ok, this is the difficult part. I don’t always look the same
Joan- W-What are you talking about? What do you want with me? Cause I gotta
warn you, my Dads a cop. He’s not just any cop, he is The Cop. 


This conversation continues into the next segment, which sets the context of the entire series in terms of Joan's struggle to relate to God.

This segment has subtitles in another language.  I'm sorry for that!  There were very few U-tube videos of this scene that had any audio with them.

We'll back up a bit to the start of this crucial conversation.
 

 


 

Here is the transcript of this crucial conversation between Joan and God:
Joan – I intend to give my father a full description and a composite drawing of you, both before dark.
God - Maybe, he’ll be too busy looking for creative ways to ground you for mouthing off in French class.
Joan - Are you spying on me?
God- I’m omniscient Joan, comes with the job.
Joan- Ok. So, you're God.
God - Yes
Joan - As in - God.
God - Right.
Joan - Old Testament, Tower of Babel, Burning bush, Ten Commandments - God
God - I come off a little friendlier in the new testament and the Koran but uh, Yeah, same God..
Joan - And, I'm supposed to believe you - because?
God - Because you have a feeling.
Joan - No, I don’t. (She turns to walk away)
God - How about you believe me if I agree to over look that promise you didn’t keep.
Joan - (she turns back) What promise?
God – Let’s see. That you would study hard, stop talking back, clean your room, and even go to church, if I recall, If I let your brother live.
Joan - (after a very long pause) How did you know about that?
God - Omniscient! Look it up.
Joan - So - you let my brother live, and now you’re here to collect?
God - No. I don’t bargain. That would be cruel.
They both start walking away from school
Joan - Ok. So, Let’s say you’re God.
God - Thank you.
Joan - I want to ask you some questions.
God - No.
Joan - No?
God - No. As a general rule, I ask the questions.
Joan - Are you, Are you being snippy with me? God is snippy.
God - Let me explain something to you Joan. It goes like this: I don’t look like this. I don’t look like anything you’d recognize. You can’t see me. I don’t sound like this. I don’t sound like anything you’d recognize. You see I’m beyond your experience. I take this form because you’re comfortable with it. It makes sense to you. If I’m snippy with you it’s because you understand snippy. Do ya get it?
Joan - Sort of.
God - Good, cause I’m really not snippy. I’ve got a great personality. You’d like me.
Joan - Uh, I’m not religious you know.
God - It’s not about religion Joan. It’s about fulfilling your nature.
Joan - Oh, Uh, I definitely haven’t done that.
God - Exactly
Joan - Uh, um well, let’s say you’re God.
God - Joan, I am God! (Getting a bit tired of trying to convince her)
Joan - Ok, well let’s see a miracle.
God - Ok, How bout that? (He motions to a tree)
Joan - That’s a tree.
God - Lets see you make one.

After her meeting with the principal Joan is walking through the halls and sees the Cute Guy again leaning against a wall.
Joan - Hey God! Get lost, I mean it.
God - I know you think you mean it
Joan - You know, I’m going
They continue to walk
Joan - So, do you just go around, appearing to people?
God - Um, a minor correction. I’m not appearing to you. You are seeing me.
Joan - Ok fine! (pause) Is it kinda weird that I have a crush on you?
God - I’m not gonna look like this the next time.
Joan - The next time?
God - I’m gonna be dropping in on you Joan. Now and then.
Joan - Why?
God - Let’s just say I need you to do some errands.
Joan - Why?
God - Do you notice how I’m not answering any of the whys? I want you to get a
job, at the Skylight bookstore. It’s about 3 bus stops from here. Manager’s name is Sammy. Now, He’s snippy. It’s important you do this pretty soon. Don’t ask why.
Joan - And if I say no? Am I gonna burst into flames?
God - (laughing) Where do you people get this stuff? Have I ever made any body
burst into flames? Do as I ask. I’ll see you around.
Joan - Wait one more thing.
God – Soon, Joan.


What was your experience watching this segment?  How did you react to Joan's conversation with God?

I've watched the episode many times now -- on Utube, by DVD, and on TV rerun.  I am most impacted by the quality of the relationship between Joan and God.  We often relate to God with reverence, joy, fear, or even anger. Rarely, however, do we see God as light-hearted, sarcastic, and snippy.

In her conversation, Joan brings in typical stereotypes of God.

Joan - And if I say no? Am I gonna burst into flames?

She encounters a laughing Deity:

God - (laughing) Where do you people get this stuff? Have I ever made any body
burst into flames? Do as I ask. I’ll see you around.

Joan – Wait-- one more thing.

God – Soon, Joan.

God departs with a modern back-wave that has a somewhat haughty and dismissive tone to it.  God?  We'll find God doing this throughout our time with Joan of Arcadia.

The two executive producers, Barbara Hall and James Hayman, discussed their work on the DVD.  Hayman said that one of his goals in becoming part of the show was to emphasize the humor in the relationship between Joan and God.

How do you feel about humor and God? This depiction of the Lord was one reason that the series was controversial for many -- esp. fundamental Christians.

This Lent, let's enter the wilderness and explore all aspects of our connection with the Divine -- the joy, the anger, and the fear -- and even the humor!

Joan of Arcadia will be our tour guide, with Swedenborg as our technical consultant.  His expert guidance will be especially important to us as we explore the meaning of our theme song:  What If God Was One of Us? For what God is, and what we are, and what we and God are together, is at the heart of Swedenborg's writings and of the Easter story from his perspective.

How do you respond to the question:  What If God was one of us?  Is God one of us?  Or perhaps all of us?  Or are all of us God?  What is the Divine-Human One?  What happened on the cross when Jesus, through glorification, became one with God? Are we all one with God?

In TC 210 Swedenborg says,  Divine being is being in itself and presence in itself.  If the Divine is presence in itself, how is the Divine present in our lives, day by day?

Join the journey and the conversation through the wilderness with Joan and Swedenborg during the coming weeks, as we prepare ourselves for Easter by exploring the meaning of the Divine-Human One.

Venturing into the wilderness requires a lot of protection.  We began today's worship with Psalm 91.  Let's end our worship with a song based on this psalm.

 
 

CLOSING SONG

On Eagles Wings

 



Now extinguish your candle                         



And close the Bible.            
 
Go in peace, knowing that you are carried on eagle's wings through the wilderness.


 
 



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Topic: "What If God Was One of Us?"
By Rev Wilma Wake
02/21/2010 12:48a [Reply]

How does God communicate with you?  Do you have any reactions to the Joan of Arcadia tv series?
By Dwight Dirks
02/21/2010 02:42p [Reply]

 My computer is old, slow, and has little memory.  Hence, I cannot access videos -- only audio files.  I'm glad you included transcriptions.
As to how God appears to me:  I think God appeared to me as Spock in my experience from the other night. LOL.  I think this provides evidence that God has a sense of humor.

By Rev Wilma Wake
02/21/2010 05:52p [Reply]

Yes, I agree; that was an example of a mystical experience where God showed a definite sense of humor --and a willingness to appear to you in a way that you  could relate to!
By elbert smith
02/21/2010 09:43p [Reply]

The Principles of Lent from Swedenborgian Doctrine
Lent, in Christian tradition, is the period of the liturgical year leading up to Easter. The traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer — through prayer, penitence, almsgiving and self-denial — for the annual commemoration during Holy Week of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus, which recalls the events linked to the Passion of Christ and culminates in Easter, the celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
There are traditionally forty days in Lent which are marked by fasting, both from foods and festivities, and by other acts of penance. The three traditional practices to be taken up with renewed vigour during Lent are prayer (justice towards God), fasting (justice towards self), and almsgiving (justice towards neighbour). Today, some people give up a vice of theirs, add something that will bring them closer to God, and often give the time or money spent doing that to charitable purposes or organizations.[7]
ELEMENTS:
 
  1. prayer, (justice towards God),
  2. penitence, fasting (justice towards self), both from foods and festivities, and by other acts
  3. almsgiving and charitable purposes or organizations. (justice towards neighbour).
  4. self-denial (give up a vice of theirs, add something that will bring them closer to God)
 
 
Prayer:
 
359. Man cannot be an image of God, after his likeness, unless
God is in him and is his life from the inmost. That God is in man
and, from the inmost, is his life, follows from what has been shown
above (n. 4–6), that God alone is life, and that men and angels are
recipients of life from him. Moreover, that God is in man and that
he makes his abode with him, is known from the Word; for which
reason it is customary for preachers to declare that men ought to
prepare themselves to receive God, that he may enter into them,
and be in their hearts, that they may be his dwelling place. The
devout man says the same in his prayers, Divine Love & Wisdom, #359
 
222. But essential Divine worship in the heavens does not
consist in going to church and hearing preaching, but in a life
of love, charity, and faith, in accordance with doctrine;
preachings in churches serve solely as means of instruction in
matters of life. I have talked with angels on this subject, and
have told them that it is believed in the world that Divine
worship consists solely in attending church, listening to the preaching, observing the sacrament of the Supper three or four
times a year, and performing other acts of worship according to
the requirements of the church; also devoting special times to
prayers, and at such times, behaving devoutly. The angels said
that these are outward acts that ought to be done, but are of no
avail unless there is an internal from which they proceed,
which is a life in accordance with the precepts that doctrine
teaches. Heaven & Hell, #222
 
Different topic about children going to Heaven.
 
336. It was also shown how tender their understanding is.
When I was praying the Lord’s Prayer, and from their
understanding they flowed into the ideas of my thought, their
influx was perceived to be so tender and soft as to be almost
solely a matter of affection; and at the same time it was
observed that their understanding was open even from the
Lord, for what flowed forth from them was as if it simply
flowed through them. Moreover, the Lord flows into the ideas
of little children chiefly from inmosts, for there is nothing, as
with adults, to close up their ideas, no principles of falsity to
close the way to the understanding of truth, nor any life of evil
to close the way to the reception of good, and thereby to the
reception of wisdom. All this makes clear that little children do
not come at once after death into an angelic state, but are
gradually brought into it by means of knowledges of good and
truth, and in harmony with all heavenly order; for the least
particulars of their nature are known to the Lord, and thus
they are led, in accord with each and every movement of their
inclination, to receive the truths of good and the goods of
truth. Heaven and Hell, #336
 
Un-Lent-like teaching on prayer:
 
528. There are some who believe that to live the life that
leads to heaven, which is called the spiritual life, is difficult,
because they have been told that man must renounce the
world, must divest himself of the lusts called the lusts of the
body and the flesh, and must live spiritually; and they
understand this to mean that they must discard worldly things,
which consist chiefly in riches and honors; that they must walk
continually in pious meditation on God, salvation, and eternal
life; and must spend their life in prayers and in reading the
Word and pious books. Such is their idea of renouncing the
world, and living in the spirit and not in the flesh. But that this
is not at all true it has been given me to know by much
experience and from conversation with the angels. Heaven & Hell, #528
 
And the reason why this prayer
was commanded for the present time is evident, namely, that
through his human an approach may be had to God the Father. True Christian Religion, Part 1, #112
 
But the name of God, because it is
holiness itself, must be used continually in the holy things
pertaining to the church, as in prayers, psalms, and all worship, also
in preaching, and in writing on ecclesiastical subjects. This is so
because God is in all things of religion, and when he is solemnly
invoked he is present through his name and hears. In such ways is
the name of God hallowed. True Christian Religion, Part 1, #297
 
Consider also, in whatever state you may be,
whether you are able to think about anything without freedom of
choice, either in your conversation, or in your prayers to God, or in
preaching, or even in listening. True Christian Religion, Part 2, #480
 
695. Fourth memorable relation:
At the present day most of those who believe in a life after death,
also believe that in heaven their thoughts will be nothing but
devotions, and their words nothing but prayers; and that all these,
together with the expressions of the face and the actions of the
body, will be nothing but glorification of God, thus their houses
will be houses of worship or sacred chapels, and they themselves
will all be priests of God.
But I can affirm that the holy things of the church do not occupy
the minds or homes of men there any more than in the world
where God is worshiped, although worship there is purer and more
interior; while the various matters pertaining to civil prudence and
to rational learning are to be found there in their excellence. True Christian Religion, Part 2, #695
 
Penitence:
 
[3] It is plain from this that the religion common to all churches
in Christendom is that one shall examine himself, see and
acknowledge his sins and then desist from them, and that otherwise
there is no salvation, but damnation. This, moreover, is divine
truth itself, as is plain from passages in the Word in which man is
bidden to do penitence, Divine Providence, #114
 
114. (4) Only with man’s participation can evils in the external
man be removed by the Lord. In all Christian churches it is an
accepted point of doctrine that before coming to the Holy
Communion a person should examine himself, see and confess his
sins, and do penitence, desisting from his sins and rejecting them
because they are from the devil; and that otherwise the sins are not
forgiven him and he is damned. True Christian Religion, #114
 
Charity:
 
(for faith is of truth and truth is of
faith, and charity is of good and good is of charity), Divine Providence, #22
 
This he can also make a matter of his
reason if he will, since he has liberty and rationality. His rationality
and liberty emerge, become manifest, take charge and give him
perception and power so far as he shuns evils as sins. So far as he
does this he regards the goods of charity as neighbor regards
neighbor in mutual love. Divine Providence, #77
 
[4] Be it known, therefore, that goods are appropriated to man
only in that they are constantly with him from the Lord, and that
as a man acknowledges this the Lord grants that good shall seem to
be the man’s, that is, that it shall seem to him that he loves the
neighbor or has charity, believes or has faith, does good and
understands truth, thus is wise, of himself. From this an
enlightened person may see the nature and the strength of the
appearance in which the Lord wills man to be. The Lord wills it for
salvation’s sake, for without that appearance no one can be saved.
Also see what was shown above on the subject (n. 42–45). Divine Providence, #79
 
heat in the natural world corresponds to the good of charity in the
spiritual world, and light in the natural world corresponds to the
truth of faith in the spiritual world; Divine Love and Wisdom, #83
 
Thus reception of love and
wisdom in equal measure is the very angelic state, and therefore an
angel is an angel of heaven according to the union in him of love
and wisdom. It is the same with the man of the church, when love
and wisdom, that is, charity and faith, make one in him. Divine Love and Wisdom, #102
 
Charity, faith, and good works are in a
series of like degrees, for charity is of affection, faith of thought,
and good works of action. Divine Love and Wisdom, #214
 
216. It is according to angelic wisdom that unless the will and
understanding, that is, affection and thought, as well as charity and
faith, clothe and wrap themselves in works or deeds, whenever
possible, they are only like something airy which passes away, Divine Love & Wisdom, #216
 
From all
this the conclusion is formed that the all of charity and faith is in
works, and that charity and faith without works are like rainbows
about the sun, which vanish away and are dispersed by a cloud. On
this account “works” and “doing works” are so often mentioned in
the Word, and it is said that a man’s salvation depends upon these;
moreover, he that doeth is called a wise man, and he that doeth not
is called a foolish man. But it should be remembered that by
“works” here are meant uses actually done; for the all of charity and
faith is in uses and according to uses. There is this correspondence
of works with uses, because the correspondence is spiritual, but it is
carried out through substances and matters, which are subjects. Divine Love & Wisdom, #220
 
when yet faith in its essence is
truth, and truth is manifold, and charity is all the work of his
calling which man does from the Lord; he does this from the Lord
when he flees from evils as sins. Divine Love & Wisdom, #253
 
430. All that has been said of love and wisdom in this chapter
may be said of charity and faith, if by charity spiritual love is
understood, and by faith the truth whereby there is intelligence. It
is the same whether the terms will and understanding, or love and
intelligence be used, since the will is the receptacle of love, and the
understanding of intelligence. Divine Love & Wisdom, #430
 
for all who are in heaven are forms of love and charity, Heaven and Hell, #17
 
But in the case of man, so far as he is in
accordance with Divine order, that is, so far as he is in love to
the Lord and in charity toward the neighbor, are his acts uses
in form, and correspondences, and through these he is
conjoined to heaven. To love the Lord and the neighbor means
in general to perform uses. Heaven and Hell, #112
 
215. In the Lord’s spiritual kingdom the government is
called judgment; because those in that kingdom are in spiritual
good, which is the good of charity toward the neighbor, and
that good in its essence is truth;155 and truth pertains to
judgment, as good pertains to righteousness. Heaven and Hell, #215
 
308. There is also a conjunction of heaven by means of the
Word with those who are outside of the church where there is
no Word; for the Lord’s church is universal, and is with all
who acknowledge the Divine and live in charity. Heaven & Hell, #308
 
[2] Man can be formed for heaven only by means of the
world. In the world are the outmost effects in which everyone’s
affection must be terminated; for unless affection puts itself
forth or flows out into acts, which is done in association with
others, it is suffocated to such a degree finally that man has no
longer any regard for the neighbor, but only for himself. All this makes clear that a life of charity toward the neighbor,
which is doing what is just and right in every work and in every
employment, is what leads to heaven, and not a life of piety
apart from charity Heaven & Hell, #360
 
charity is willing and doing what is just and right in every
work, and faith is thinking justly and rightly; and faith and
charity are conjoined, Heaven and Hell, #364
 
402. In uses all the delights of heaven are brought together
and are present, because uses are the goods of love and charity
in which angels are; therefore everyone has delights that are in
accord with his uses, and in the degree of his affection for use. Heaven & Hell, #402
 
They were then shown by
many evidences that angelic life consists in performing the
good works of charity, which are uses, and that the angels find
all their happiness in use, from use, and in accordance with
use. Heaven & Hell, #403
 
also that God has no need of praises and
glorification, but it is his will that they should perform uses,
and thus the good works that are called goods of charity. Heaven & Hell, #404
 
a life of
charity consists in acting honestly and justly in every
HEAVEN AND HELL 448
employment, in every business, and in every work, from an
interior, that is, from a heavenly, motive; and this motive is in
that life whenever man acts honestly and justly because doing
so is in accord with the Divine laws. Such a life is not difficult. Heaven & Hell, #535
 
the Lord cannot protect man
unless he acknowledges the Divine and lives a life of faith and
charity; for otherwise man turns himself away from the Lord
and turns himself to infernal spirits, and thus his spirit
becomes imbued with a malice like theirs. Heaven & Hell, #577
 
 
Justice:
 
77. Who cannot from his faculty called rationality understand
that a given good is serviceable to society, and a given evil harmful
to society? That, for example, justice, sincerity, the chastity of
marriage are serviceable to it, and injustice, insincerity, and
misconduct with the wives of others, harmful? Divine Providence, #77
 
From external thought and
from its affection, too, a man can talk about love for the neighbor
and for God when in his internal thought he cares nothing for the
neighbor and does not fear God. From external thought together
with its affection he can talk about the justice of civil laws, the
virtues of the moral life, and matters of doctrine and the spiritual
life, and yet in private and from his internal thought and its
affection speak against the civil laws, the moral virtues, and matters
of doctrine and spiritual life. So those do who are in lusts of evil
but want to appear to the world not to be in them. Divine Providence, #104
 
Such are all hypocrites. Such are priests, also, who at heart care
nothing for the neighbor and do not fear God, yet preach about
love of the neighbor and of God. Such are judges who judge by
gifts and friendships while affecting zeal for justice and speaking
with reason about judgment. Such are traders who at heart are
insincere and fraudulent while dealing honestly for the sake of
profit. Such are adulterers when, from the rationality every man
possesses, they talk about the chastity of marriage; and so on. Divine Providence, #109
 
110. With those in a heavenly love, however, internal and
external of thought or internal and external man make one when
they speak, and they are aware of no difference. Their life’s love,
with its affections of good and the perceptions of truth from these,
is like a soul in what they think and then say and do. If they are
priests, they preach out of love to the neighbor and to the Lord; if
judges, they judge from justice itself; if tradesmen, they deal with
honesty, if they are husbands, they love the partner with true
chastity; and so on. Divine Providence, #110
 
A man may also be compelled to speak in favor
of religion and to act according to it, but he cannot be compelled
to think in its favor from any faith or to will in its favor out of love
for it. In countries in which justice and judgment are guarded, one
is indeed compelled not to speak or act against religion, but still no
one can be compelled to think and will in its favor. Divine Providence, #129
 
175. The natural man who does not believe in divine providence
thinks to himself, “What can divine providence be when the
wicked are promoted to honors and gain wealth more than the
good, and many such things go better with those who do not
believe in divine providence than with the good who believe in it?
Indeed, infidels and the impious can inflict injuries, loss,
misfortune and sometimes death on the believing and pious, doing
so, too, by cunning and malice.” He thinks therefore, “Do I not see
in full daylight, as it were, in actual experience that crafty schemes
prevail over fidelity and justice if only a man can make them seem
trustworthy and just by a clever artfulness? Divine Providence, #175
 
Victories seem to
be on the side of prudence and not always on the side of justice,
because man judges by the appearance and favors one side more
than the other and can by reasoning confirm what he favors. Divine Providence, #252
 
[11] Take, for example, an unjust judge who regards gain or
friendship as the end or use of his office. Inwardly he is constantly
in those ends, but outwardly must act as one learned in the law and
just. He is constantly in the enjoyment of meditation, thought,
reflection, and intent to bend and turn a decision and adapt and
adjust it so that it may still seem to be in conformity with the laws
and resemble justice. He does not know that his inward enjoyment
consists in craftiness, defrauding, deceit, clandestine theft, and
many other evils, and that this enjoyment, made up of so many
enjoyments of the lusts of evil, governs each and all things of his
external thought, in which he enjoys appearing just and sincere. Divine Providence, #296
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
By Rev Wilma Wake
02/23/2010 12:57p [Reply]

Elbert-

Thank you!!  What a great wealth of information!  You are a great researcher of resources for this community! 

By Page Morahan
02/23/2010 10:39p [Reply]

Elbert,
 I also thank you for your magnificant resources of ES. This is what came to me as I read some of the quotes. What do the rest think about this distillation?

Spiritual Love = charity -- both are in the will which is the receptacle of love – willing and doing what is right

Wisdom = faith, the truth -- whereby there is intelligence – thinking justly and rightly
By Rev Wilma Wake
02/24/2010 11:49p [Reply]

Page, I so love that distillation.  You are really good at helping to bring clarity to Swedenborg's words.
By Bill Peters
02/28/2010 02:08a [Reply]

Elbert,
Thanks, It may take a while to get back on all that!
Peace & Blessings
Bill

By Bill Peters
02/24/2010 09:10p [Reply]

Wilma,
My answer to "What if God was One of Us", I'd ask, What if we were all "-od"?
Bill

By Rev Wilma Wake
02/24/2010 11:53p [Reply]

Are we, I wonder??
By Bill Peters
02/25/2010 10:51p [Reply]

Wilma,
I often wonder in this context, If we heard, did we hear?And, if we heard,did we believe?
Bill

By Rev Wilma Wake
02/26/2010 06:29p [Reply]

Great questions, Bill!
By Bill Peters
03/01/2010 11:00p [Reply]

Wilma,
I guess I wonder if we precive how our "communication" with God, "Should" be?
Must we always hear voice?
Might we not hear in a instant, God's voice, in a gospel hymn, wind, or a bird's song?
Might we not "Hear " God's voice in an experience, of an instant of "Beloninging"?
Bill

By Rev Wilma Wake
03/02/2010 01:15a [Reply]

That's such a great question, Bill.  It gets to the heart of what troubles me about "Joan of Arcadia."  Most of us hear God in our dreams or -- as you say -- in a gospel hymn, wind, or a bird's song.
By Bill Peters
03/03/2010 01:09a [Reply]

Wilma,
I wonder if venues like "Joan of Arcadia", though useful in provoking discourse in "communiconation" with "-od". Are too simplistic.
I use Sam Keen's '-od", reference that he uses in his book "Sightings", as a way of  knowing there is an ultimate reality!
Since I was introduced to Swedenborg. I have always felt that ES was the "Missing Link" for me!
Bill

By Bill Peters
03/13/2010 11:03p [Reply]

All,
Is god one of us? One of All?
Bill