FROM THE BIBLE

Luke 11

The Lamp of the Body
33 “No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light. 34 Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy,[g] your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy,[h] your body also is full of darkness. 35 See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. 36 Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you.”

FROM SWEDENBORG

As in the proper sense the "morning" signifies the Lord, His advent, and thus the approach of His kingdom, it is evident what it signifies besides, namely, the rise of a new church (for this is the Lord's kingdom on earth), and this both in general and in particular, and even in the least particular; in general, when any church on the globe is being raised up anew; in particular, when a man is being regenerated, and being made new (for then the Lord's kingdom is arising in him, and he is becoming a church); and in the least particular, whenever the good of love and faith is working in him; for in this consists the advent of the Lord. Hence the Lord's resurrection on the third day in the morning (Mark 16:2, 9; Luke 24:1; John 20:1) involves all these things (even in the particular and the least particular) in regard to His rising again in the minds of the regenerate every day, and even every moment.  AC 2405


 

Today is the first Sunday of Advent.  The word Advent means "coming" or "arrival” of something we have been waiting for.  Most Western Christian Churches celebrate Advent as the beginning of the Church Year. It begins on the fourth Sunday before Christmas day, and is the season of waiting for the birth of Jesus.


 

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Many churches have an Advent wreath, and light one candle each of the four Sundays of Advent.  The first candle is lit today, and is considered by most to be the candle of hope.

A single candle burning is a powerful statement of hope.

This is certainly true in the story of Hanukkah.  The Jews had to defend their Temple from the Greeks.  The needed to re-dedicate it,  and they wanted to light the Menorah.  There was only enough oil for one night.  But, miraculously, the candle kept burning for eight nights! 

If you would like to know more about the history of the Menorah – that is commemorated in the opening song – click on this link to see a video.

These four weeks of Advent are a new dawn for each of us.

For Swedenborgians, there is an emphasis on the light that is coming into the world and into our hearts. In Advent we celebrate the knowledge that light and love are always stronger than dark and hate. Peace is always stronger than violence. Compassion is stronger than love of the ego. The Light of Christ is birthed in all of our hearts. By connecting with this inner event, we help create heaven on earth. 

Swedenborg wrote:

The Lord [Divine Light] is perpetually present with every person, wicked as well as good, for no one could live without His [This] presence. … It is the Lord's [this] perpetual presence which gives a person the faculty of reason and the ability to become spiritual. This is brought about by the light which comes from the Lord as the sun of the spiritual world, which a person can receive in his understanding. That light is the truth which gives him the power of reasoning. The Lord's [2^nd] coming, however, takes place with the person who combines heat with that light, that is, combines love with truth. For the heat radiated by that same sun is love for God and towards the neighbor. ….   But the Lord's coming can be compared with the coming of heat, which happens in springtime. Since then heat is combined with light, the earth is softened up, seeds sprout and bear fruit. Such is the parallel between the spiritual environment of a person's spirit and the natural environment of his body.




Swedenborg says that before the Lord came into the world, evil had become increasingly stronger.  There were more times of "darkness," when evil was gaining in power.  God decided to come into the world in order to bring light into the darkness.  The birth of the Christ child WAS the light coming into the world.


The next four weeks are a time to prepare for this new birth.  What do you need to do to help your heart be open to the rebirth of the Christ light?


The candle we light today is a candle of "hope."  This week is a good time to consider your hopes and dreams for the new birth in you.



 

Swedenborg  often describes God as "the sun" and the birth of Jesus as the dawn coming into the world.   One way to embrace this view of Advent is to explore meditation that focuses on a new dawn coming into your life.

Here is a meditation that you could try if you wish.  Play the music below as you watch the beautiful photos of dawn.  In what ways is God bringing a new dawn into your life this Advent?


 

The Rushing Wings of Dawn