Swedenborgian Community

The Humble Walk to Freedom

July 1,  2012
The Humble Walk to Fredom

THIS YEAR'S THEME:   The Year of the Lord

THIS MONTH'S TOPIC:  What does the Lord require?  Walking Humbly with Your God

TODAY'S MESSAGE:     The Humble Walk to Freedom


Open your Bible

     Light a candle      

Opening Song

From Swedenborg:

Spiritual Experiences (Buss) n. 3786
3786. THAT ONE IS LESS FREE IN PROPORTION AS HE THINKS HIMSELF FREE.
It was perceived and noted from former experience that spirits, while they speak or think through another, infuse largely their cupidities and persuasions into the other spirit, from whence he supposes that he speaks and thinks from himself; for whoever acts from cupidity and persuasion, he thinks he does it from himself and in freedom. From experience also [it was evident] that spirits speaking through another consider that other through whom they speak as nothing. Hence it appears that he who supposes that he thinks and speaks from himself, and is thus in entire freedom, is then in fact in the deepest bondage, and in the eyes of other spirits is as nothing, scarcely even a slave, for they can use him as a mere lifeless instrument. But still spirits are indignant and angry that this should be said, being willing indeed to be deemed by others viler than slaves, provided that they are their own masters in their own eyes wherefore he is in a much better state who perceives that others induce upon him thoughts and discourse.

[4] That it may be further known what it is to be in external things, and what to be in internal things, and that they who are in external things alone cannot conceive what internal things are, and therefore cannot be affected by them (for no one is affected by things of which he has no conception), let us take as an example that in heaven to be least is to be greatest, and that to be humble is to be exalted; and also that to be poor and needy is to be rich and in abundance. They who are in external things alone cannot apprehend these things, for they think that the least cannot possibly be the greatest, nor the humble be exalted, the poor rich, or the needy in abundance, although in heaven this is precisely how the matter stands. And because they cannot apprehend these things they cannot be affected by them, and when from the bodily and worldly things in which they are, they reflect upon them, they feel an aversion for them. That such things exist in heaven they know not at all, and so long as they are in external things alone they do not desire to know them, nay, they cannot know them. Nevertheless in heaven the man who knows, acknowledges, and believes from the heart-that is, from affection-that he has no power from himself, but that all the power he has is from the Lord, is said to be the least, and yet is the greatest, because he has power from the Lord. The case is the same with the man who is humble, in that he is exalted; for he who is humble, acknowledging and believing from affection that he has no power of himself, no intelligence and wisdom of himself, and no good and truth of himself, is preeminently endowed by the Lord with power, with the intelligence of truth, and with the wisdom of good. It is the same with the poor and needy in respect to their being rich and in abundance; for he is said to be poor and needy who believes from his heart and from affection that he possesses nothing of himself, that he knows nothing and is wise in nothing of himself, and has no power of himself. and has no power of himself. In heaven such a man is rich and has abundance, for the Lord gives him all wealth, insomuch that he is wiser than all others and richer than all others, and dwells in the most magnificent palaces (n. 1116, 1626, 1627), and in the stores of all the riches of heaven.

Arcana Coelestia (Potts) n. 4459

 

 

Offering Plate

Message

The Humble Walk to Freedom

 

Today is Canada Day!  Because this is Sunday, tomorrow is the official celebration of Canada's birthday.  Two days later, on Wednesday, we celebrate Independence Day, the birthday of the United States.  Many of us in the General Convention are getting ready for annual convention, which begins in Bridgewater, MA., on Thursday.

The theme of the annual convention this year is "What Does the Lord Require?"  We've been preparing for the convention by exploring this question since May.  We considered "acting justly," and "loving mercy," and in this monthly will ponder "walking humbly with your God."

Swedenborg wrote:

let us take as an example that in heaven to be least is to be greatest, and that to be humble is to be exalted; and also that to be poor and needy is to be rich and in abundance. They who are in external things alone cannot apprehend these things, for they think that the least cannot possibly be the greatest, nor the humble be exalted, the poor rich, or the needy in abundance, although in heaven this is precisely how the matter stands.

Those who live by the internal standards of God can understand that to live in humility on earth is to live in the abundance of heaven.  To walk humbly with God is to listen to the inner guidance, and to follow it, no matter how risky the external consequences may be.  The "founding fathers" of the United States walked with that kind of humility in trusting God’s guidance to take risks in 1776, that we still celebrate today.

Recently, I again enjoyed the delightful and profound musical, 1776, about the events leading to the U.S. Revolution.

I was struck in this movie by how God works through human beings.  The concept of independence for the United States is now a sacred concept.  In 1776, the issues were confusing and muddled.   Decisions were often made by personal egos.  Men wrestled with the reality of young men dying on the battlefield, and the deeply contentious question of slavery in the midst of a fight for freedom.  It was only through people being willing to walk humbly with their God that they had the courage to start a revolution.

The representatives got irritated with each other in the heat and were discouraged by the letters arriving from George Washington about the deplorable conditions on the battlefield.  Here are the words to one song in the musical, “Is Anybody there?  Does Anybody Care?”  In the play, a letter has just arrived from George Washington.  After hearing it, John Adams sings about the loneliness of his position:

[lyrics to "Is Anybody There"

Adams:
Is anybody there?
Does anybody care?
Does anybody see what I see?

They want to me to quit; they say
John, give up the fight
Still to England I say
Good night, forever, good night!
For I have crossed the Rubicon
Let the bridge be burned behind me
Come what may, come what may

Commitment!

The croakers all say we'll rue the day
There'll be hell to pay in fiery purgatory
Through all the gloom, through all the gloom
I see the rays of ravishing light and glory!

Is anybody there? Does anybody care?
Does anybody see what I see?

I see fireworks! I see the pagaent and
Pomp and parade
I hear the bells ringing out
I hear the cannons roar
I see Americans - all Americans
Free forever more

How quiet, how quiet the chamber is
How silent, how silent the chamber is

Is anybody there? Does anybody care?
Does anybody see what I see?]

Swedenborg tells us that God gives free will to humanity.  Without it, we could not learn from our experiences.  The decision for independence was filled with people wrestling with their free will in a humble walk with God

Our struggles in the present are filled with fear and uncertainty, just as the decisions were in 1776.  We don’t know the consequences of our free will decisions.  All we can do, day by day, is to walk humbly with our God.

In the United States and in Canada, this will be a week of parades, barbeques, and fireworks.   Wherever you are, bring your God into the day and walk humbly with that God.

 

 

 

Closing song

 

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