The Joy of Spiritual Caring - conclusion |
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What is the Joy of Blessing? One of the very sad traits of the negative human spirit is the tendency to feel in some way cursed by our situation and then
to respond by blaming and attacking others. There's a lot of angst in our country right now because of this kind of madness. It is especially horrible when it comes out in the open in groups of angry people belittling others. But one of the blessings I see in recent events is the response from those who are repulsed by such displays of hate. It was
heartwarming to hear of a group of ministers who marched arm-in-arm quietly in solidarity for compassion and community. As the prophet Elisha said when his servant was afraid of a great, imposing army surrounding them, "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them." And the Lord opened the servant's eyes to see all the angels
lovingly and powerfully protecting them. This Sunday will be a time to focus on blessing instead of cursing. The Lord has blessed each of us with gifts and abilities for spreading goodness and truth. I hope you are enjoying this series, "The Joy of Spiritual Caring." I'm having a good time working on creating spiritual growth tasks that apply inwardly as well as outwardly - first to ourselves individually and secondly to show care to others. Sky News Interested in oohing and ahhing with others during this Monday's solar eclipse? Come on over to Sunrise Chapel
starting at 9:30 to see what we can see. We'll have some coffee and cookies.
Below is an interesting website that goes into some detail about the epic solar eclipse coming up this Monday. This page is what you need to know about viewing it in Tucson. We will only see it as a partial eclipse locally, but the page shows
the path of the total eclipse across the whole USA. https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/usa/tucson
The eclipse will peak here at about 65% around 10:30-ish
this Monday, August 21. With love and respect, Nathan |
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UPCOMING ACTIVITIES AT SUNRISE CHAPEL 11 am Sunday Worship Service 12:00 pm Luncheon - Everyone
Welcome!
MONDAY 8/21/2017 9 to noon
Solar Eclipse 11 am Tai Chi Class in Friendship Hall 2 pm Swedenborg Study Small Group - Friendship
Hall
TUESDAY 8/22/2017 6:30 pm Bereavement Support Group
WEDNESDAY 8/23/2017 9:30 Worship Team meeting in Pastor's office THURSDAY 8/24/2017
11 am Tai Chi Class in Friendship Hall 5:30 pm New Church Foundations Class 7 pm Women's Group. Contact Elise G, Betsy G, or Kelly W for location 11 am Sunday Worship Service 12:00 pm Luncheon "Arizona Mountain Camp" - Everyone
Welcome!
Small Group Study of Topics from Swedenborg |
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Study Group of Topics from Swedenborg - Mondays at 2 pm We have finally settled on 2 pm as our start time for this group. All are welcome.
I am really pumped about what my two friends, Curtis Childs and Jonathan Rose, are doing to spread really helpful information from a Swedenborgian perspective (1) about how to handle life’s ups and downs and (2) about understanding the Bible. For general topical information, I highly recommend Curtis’ You Tube Channel called “offTheLeftEye”. In just a few years he has gained over 53 thousand subscribers and over 9 million views, and he has a vibrant online
community of people from all over the world tuning in to his excellent broadcasts. They are fast-paced, information-packed, down-to-earth at the same time as being uplifting and “spiritual.” He has so many thought-provoking shows on different topics and of various lengths of time. We will watch and discuss some of them.
Jonathan Rose’s site, www.spiritandlifebiblestudy.com is a set of videos (and audios) from live classes he has been giving almost weekly for several years. His live broadcast is (almost) weekly on Wednesdays. He delves into the spiritual meaning of the Bible from a Swedenborgian lens. See the About tab for more information. His classes have often positively
impacted my own perspective on the Bible and have also given me a deeper and broader appreciation for both the Bible and Swedenborg. We will watch some of these episodes on Mondays, too.
Join the fun! Mondays at 2 pm at Sunrise Chapel. ~Nathan
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New Church Foundations - Small Group Study |
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New Church Foundations Series - Thursdays at 5:30 pm We have decided to meet on Thursdays at 5:30 - 6:45 for this series. This 7-week series of small group
classes highlights the main teachings of our church, and helps give insight into what the New Church movement and the global organization is all about. This is also highly recommended for introduction to baptism and membership in our church.
Open to anyone whether you are a recent newcomer or long-time member who wants a refresher.
One of the things I love about this course is the questions people bring!! It’s an opportunity to ask and discuss any question, no matter how
basic.
Thursdays at 5:30 pm. The group is still open. Contact me to let me know you are interested and to get a copy of the textbook (for purchase or on loan).
~Nathan
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Readings/Lessons for this Sunday |
The Offer of Life or Death
Moses' final challenge to his people
Deuteronomy 30:11-20
Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, “Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to
ask, “Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.
See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.
But if your heart
turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.
This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to
his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Called to Blessing
1 Peter 3:8-17
All of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do
not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. For,
“Whoever would love life
and see good days
must keep their tongue from evil
and their lips from deceitful speech.
They must turn from evil and do good;
they must seek peace and pursue it.
For the eyes
of the Lord are on the righteous
and his ears are attentive to their prayer,
but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” (Psalm 34:12-16)
Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.” But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for
the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.
The Symbolic Meaning of "Blessing"
Apocalypse Revealed 289 (Swedenborg)
In the Word,
"a blessing" means every good that a person has from the Lord, such as power and wealth, and everything that accompanies these, but especially every spiritual good, such as love and wisdom, charity and faith, and the accompanying joy and happiness, which have to do with eternal life. And because all of these come from the Lord, it follows that He has them in Him; for if He did not have them in Him, they could not be present in others from Him.
It is for this reason that in the Word the
Lord is called blessed, and also a blessing, which is to say, blessing itself.
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Helping people experience heavenly joy through spiritual growth www.sunrisechapel.org
nathan@sunrisechapel.org Office 520-298-1245
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