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What do you need to let go of? I'm standing at my closet door once again, wondering if I should let go of a certain piece of clothing that I haven't worn in a
while. But I just can't, at least not yet. This kind of decision comes up time and time again throughout life. Is it time to let go of the car that is requiring more repair, or is it better to hold on a little longer? We ask the same question about investments, goals, hypotheses, compulsions, various thoughts and feelings, and sometimes even relationships. The deeper the love, the bigger the challenge.
This Sunday one classic story we'll consider is of Moses in Egypt confronting the Pharaoh with the plea, "Let my people go!" It's a story about each of us getting to the point when we've had enough of the slavery gig (whatever we happen to be enslaved by). We're ready to let it go and move
on.
Children's Talks on the 23rd Psalm
I am having fun doing a Sunday series of talks for the children on the 23rd Psalm, about shepherding and how the Lord uses this beautiful and beloved Psalm to teach us about his leadership as well as how to be "good sheep." I'm taking one simple phrase at a time, and there is so much to learn. So far we have covered (1) The Lord is my shepherd, (2) I shall not want, (3) He makes me to lie down in green pastures. This Sunday we'll look into (4) He leads me beside the
still waters.
New music in Sunday services
Our musicians, Pablo, Katrina, and Nenah, are working hard to learn some new hymns and introduce you to them in our
church services. It takes quite a bit of coordination to do this, including the purchase of a license to legally download, print, and distribute new songs. Last week we introduced "Gentle Shepherd" in connection with our children's talk series on the 23rd Psalm. This Sunday we'll add a beautiful and inspiring song called "Open the Eyes of My Heart." Thank you for your willingness to learn new music and to support the development of our "music ministry".
Next Sunday (Sept 3) - Holy Supper Just a heads
up. Our custom is to offer the Holy Supper every other month on the first Sunday of the month toward the end of the worship service. It is an open invitation. All are welcome.
With love and respect,
Nathan |
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UPCOMING ACTIVITIES AT SUNRISE CHAPEL 11 am Sunday Worship Service 12:00 pm Luncheon "Arizona Mountain Camp" - Everyone
Welcome!
MONDAY 8/28/2017 11 am Tai Chi Class in Friendship Hall 2 pm Swedenborg Study Small Group - Friendship Hall
TUESDAY 8/29/2017 6:30 pm Bereavement Support
Group
WEDNESDAY 8/30/2017 9:30 Worship Team meeting in Pastor's
office THURSDAY 8/31/2017
11
am Tai Chi Class in Friendship Hall 5:30 pm New Church Foundations Class #3 7 pm
Women's Group. Contact Elise G, Betsy G, or Kelly W for location
SUNDAY 9/3/2017 - Labor Day weekend 11 am Sunday Worship
Service + Holy Supper
12:00 pm Luncheon - Everyone
Welcome!
Small Group Study of Topics from Swedenborg - Mondays at 2 pm |
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This is a group to dig into a smorgasbord of Swedenborgian topics. Our resources are video podcasts by two friends, Curtis Childs and Jonathan Rose. I'm really jazzed by what they 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 This group meets on Thursdays at 5:30 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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Spiritual Growth Group - a new series starting Sept 5 |
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The end of August is coming quickly, and it is time to schedule our next series of Spiritual Growth Group meetings. We will start on Tuesday, Sept. 5, and go for a total of 8 weeks, ending on October 24. We will meet in the Children's Chapel of Sunrise Chapel on Tuesday evenings at 6:30 pm. Feel free to invite a friend. Looking forward to more special time together. Rev. Frank Rose
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A Visit with David Lindrooth - Sept 9 & 10 |
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Rev. David Lindrooth is the Regional Pastor for Sunrise Chapel As regional pastor, part of David's job is to support our efforts as a congregation. He is also my immediate supervisor. I am in touch with him almost weekly, so he has a sense from my perspective of how things are going.
His upcoming visit to Sunrise Chapel is a chance for him to reconnect with as many people as possible over the weekend and to chat - about the local church, the worldwide church, life, etc. You name it. I will arrange for him to meet with the Board and with other groups as appropriate and as time allows.
Feel free to be in touch with him directly at any time. His contact info: cell/text 215-514-0388 email: david.lindrooth@newchurch.org
~Nathan
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Readings/Lessons for this Sunday |
From Despair to Praise
Isaiah 61:1-3
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
to
proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord
for
the display of his splendor.
Grief Will Turn to Joy
John 16:16-22
Jesus said to his disciples, “In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a
little while you will see me.”
At this, some of his disciples said to one another, “What does he mean by saying, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,’ and
‘Because I am going to the Father’?” They kept asking, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he is saying.”
Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, “Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me’? Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. A woman giving birth to
a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.
Spiritual Despair Secrets of Heaven 1820 (parts)
Anyone who is being tested is unsure of the end. The end is love, and love is what evil spirits and evil demons attack, throwing the end into doubt. The more love the victim has, the more doubt they cast. If the cherished end did not become doubtful, even to the point of despair, there would be no struggle… Few people know much about these challenges… Little of this reaches our conscious awareness… In general,
the nature of our trials matches the nature of our love… A trial is as fierce as the love is large.
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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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