(Lasting) Peace! (09/03/21)

Published: Fri, 09/03/21

(Lasting) Peace! (09/03/21)

Friends,

I've recently been reflecting a lot on peace and was reminded of a favorite passage:

Peace has in it confidence in the Lord, that [the Lord] directs all things, and provides all things, and…leads all things to a good end. When a person is in this faith, they are in peace, for they then fear nothing, and no concern about things to come disturbs them. A person comes into this state in proportion as they come into love to the Lord. (Emanuel Swedenborg, Secrets of Heaven 8455)

I want to focus in on that last sentence for a moment: "A person comes into this state in proportion as they come into love to the Lord." This is the key then, right? Overcoming spiritual anxiety is about coming to love God (and Divine Ways) more than our own.

Easier said than done, right?! There are so many aspects of life in this world that distract us us from this spiritual view…that threaten the goal. When money's particularly tight and we sit down to work out a reasonable budget, it can be overwhelming to consider where next month's bills will come from. When we’re starting adult life and feeling at a loss discerning our career path. When we’re older and wanting to provide for ourselves effectively enough that we aren’t a burden to the ones we love the most in our twilight years. Then there are the "big picture" worries: fear for the health of a loved one, concern for the spiritual path of a friend, or the anxiety that sometimes comes with self-examination (if we feel disheartened at the evils that are still an active battle for us).

All of these are the kinds of concerns (both natural and spiritual) we are sure to face on a regular basis if we are working on becoming more spiritually focused people. But we cannot let ourselves get caught into thinking that their only resolution involves drafting some sort of "master plan," where we are in control. Instead, the Word advocates an “open hand” approach to life, not a clenched fist…where we work to surrender our own will in order to follow the Lord. (We could think of Jesus’ own prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane - "Would that this cup would pass from Me...nevertheless...not as I will but as You will"):

“When people are in the throes of temptation they usually stay their hands and resort solely to prayers, …but [they] should battle against the falsities and evils which the hells introduce. The truths of faith are the means for fighting that battle, and they are of help because they strengthen ..forms of good…opposed to false [messages from the hells] and evil. In the conflicts brought by temptations a person should fight as if they did so in their own strength, yet they should acknowledge and believe that they do so in the Lord's.

If a person does not fight as if in their own strength, they do not make their own the goodness and truth which flow in from the Lord by way of heaven. But when a person does fight as if in their own strength (believing that they do so in the Lord’s) they do make those things their own.

People in the throes of temptation who take no action other than to send up prayers do not realize that if their temptation were terminated before running its full course their preparation for heaven would not be accomplished, and so they could not be saved…for the Lord desires the end in view. The Lord knows that end, but the person does not, and the Lord does not do what prayers ask for if that is contrary to the end, which is our salvation.

In prayer, when inspired by God, there is always the thought and belief that the Lord alone knows whether what is sought would be beneficial or not. Therefore the one who prays leaves the Lord to decide whether to listen to what they ask for, then accordingly pleads that the Lord's will may be done, not their own, in keeping with the Lord's words uttered in Gethsemane during severest temptation, Matt. 26:39, 42, 44.” (Emanuel Swedenborg, Secrets of Heaven 8179)

My understanding is that the 72 “choose joy” tasks which form the foundation of Sunrise Chapel’s spiritual practice are grounded in this principle. It is true ideas from the Word applied to the everyday experiences of life in this world that can strengthen “forms of good” opposed to the lies we are being told in our minds all the time - about ourselves, and what will make us truly happy. Eventually, we are promised that if we are steadfast in doing this work - the Lord can help us “flip the script”, get out of our spiritual basement, and experience heavenly joy!

Love and (Lasting) Peace,

Ethan

ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR THIS SUNDAY (09/05/21)

New SRC Carpet and Paint:

With a huge thanks to all who have helped move, paint, and prepare for this major undertaking (especially Claudia Wood-Osmus, who has overseen and organized for it) - WE HAVE BRAND NEW CARPETING in Friendship Hall and NEW PAINT AND CARPET in our offices! We encourage you to come take a look this Sunday. There is still more to do to move items back in to these spaces after the baseboards go on, so we encourage you to contact Claudia (avery.hampton@cox.net) if you are able to help this week!

A "Hike To Remember"

This week, Kelly Woofenden and I attended an online launch event for a hike in memory of Frank Rose. The idea is that everyone plans their own hike, tracks it, and collects donations using an online engine called "Just Giving" (find the event page here: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/swedenborgsummitchallenge?bbeml=tp-9xoXVNR-vUSoW7Er1K8t-g.jQiWxEC__FkKy8Pf2oDGU7g.rlpd1E3pF1EmDtdXlhBwa-Q.l7P9JQBEB7EuXJe9yUG5vtA)

The hope is that this will culminate in a shared fundraising event for the Swedenborg Foundation to take place on September 11th (which is also Frank's birthday). For more information, or to learn more about how to participate - please contact Kelly Woofenden: kelly@woofenden.net

(Continuing to) Care For One Another:

Several folks have recently expressed a desire for SRC to make clear its own hopes for the health and safety of our attenders (some of whom are uniquely vulnerable), and we are therefore continuing to request that those attending indoor worship to consider masking.

Also this Sunday (at 12:30pm) we will have our first meeting of a new Health and Safety Advisory group to look at our mitigation plans in light of rising virus cases in Pima County. In the coming weeks, we will update you on these conversations.

Great When It "Works":

With apologies for some recent mishaps (including a slide show on Sunday which did not function), SRC wishes to convey its thanks to Dave Larson (our local IT guru) for his help this week with the pastor's laptop and the Friendship Hall monitor for watching services...both of which are once again functioning!

A New Schedule (for the Pastor)

Going forward, the pastor will be taking Monday as his day off. This does not mean there will not be availability for urgent challenges, but in general the hope is that the congregation might treat this as part of his weekend in the future. Thank you!

(Ongoing) PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE

The Asplundh Family Foundation is once again granting Sunrise Chapel funds to continue upgrading and maintaining our facilities and grounds!

This time they have awarded us $45,000 to help us with the following projects:

A: Continue to refresh the interior look and feel of our Friendship Hall wing so people appreciate it as a well-kept, safe, clean, functional, and welcoming church home:

• Refurbish two more bathrooms in Friendship Hall (two bathrooms have already been refurbished) (Approximately $8K)
• Replace more old flooring, sliding door screens, and drinking water fountains in the Friendship Hall wing (these well-worn items are over 25 years old) (Approximately $30K)

B: Continue to improve our property’s curb appeal from the street view:

• Maintain our parking lot and front landscaping (Approximately $12K)

NOTE: As part of our "investment" in these projects, we now need to raise $3,000 locally.

Please consider a gift to support and promote these projects.

You can use PayPal on sunrisechapel.org or send your contribution by check to "Sunrise Chapel" via our treasurer. Make a note that it is for "Asplundh Grant Support."

BLESSINGS ON YOUR WEEKEND!

Your church home for partnering with the Lord and each other in the practice of cultivating spiritual growth and choosing heavenly joy

www.sunrisechapel.org

Office 520-298-1245

Click here for an archive of these weekly updates