The Precursor
April 2002
The Newsletter of the Cincinnati Society
of the General Church of the New Jerusalem
Talking with the Lord
Prayer involves far more than we might at first think. When we pray, the appearance is that we are communicating something to the Lord. We talk to Him, and ask Him for things. This, at least, is the way it appears. Obviously, though, this cannot be all that there is to prayer, for it would then be a meaningless exercise. Why tell the Lord what we want, when He already knows our thoughts? Why try to communicate with Him when He already knows what we have to say? And this is what the Lord points out in the New Testament: "Your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him."(Matt. 6:8).
When we ask the Lord for something in prayer, we are not telling Him something He didn't already know. He already knows what we need. Indeed, if our request be a worthy one, He is the one who inspired us to ask for it in the first place. Prayer is thus, essentially, not so much a way for us to communicate our thoughts to the Lord, as it is a way in which the Lord can communicate with us. He instructs us to pray, and inspires our prayers, in order that our minds might be opened to receive His influx. This is why the Lord wants us to pray to Him. He wants us to communicate with Him and to ask Him for spiritual life, not as a way of telling Him what we need, but as a way of opening our minds to what He already offers us. Without such an effort on our own parts, we would not receive and appropriate what the Lord gives us (AR 376). And so a person must, as if by himself, make the effort to pray to the Lord. What he himself contributes as he prays, though, is far less than what the Lord Himself does during this prayer.
This is why our prayers need not be particularly long. "And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words" (Matt. 6:7). The idea that prayer depends primarily on what we contribute to the process leads naturally to the idea that the longer the prayer, and the more effort we put into it, the more effective it will be. What we do by praying, though, is open ourselves up to influx from the Lord. It is this influx which is important, not the length of the prayer. This also is why hypocritical prayer -- the prayers of those who make no effort at all to live a good life -- are useless. The words of such a prayer are empty and devoid of spiritual life. There is no influx from above. The prayer may be long, but it is exceedingly shallow.
If, though, a person is sincerely endeavoring to live a life of good, if he is making the effort to put away what is evil and wicked, then the words of his prayers are by no means empty, but become vessels into which the Lord Himself can flow. And because such prayer is only an invitation -- inviting the Lord's influx -- such a prayer need not be long. It has depth instead of length.
This is the case with all the prayers of a good person. His prayers tend not to be long and involved, but simple, direct and sincere. His prayers have depth, for they proceed from the heart, a heart that is open to the presence of the Lord Himself.
When prayer is spoken of in the Word, it is said to signify "revelation," and this for the reason that in sincere prayer there is an opening of the interiors of the mind, with an influx into the thought or the perception. In ways we may not be aware of, the Lord has changed the way we think about and look at things. Our perspective has changed. We have received revelation. It is not the same as what we learn from reading written revelation. We are not given new truths. We are, though, given a new perspective on those truths we already have. It is said that "if the person prays from love and faith, and for only heavenly and spiritual things, there then comes forth in the prayer something like a revelation (which is manifested in the affection of him that prays) as to hope, consolation, or a certain inward joy" (AC 2535).
Sometimes we sense this hope, consolation or joy. At other times we may not. But still, through our prayers, the Lord can draw close to us, and fill us with His presence. Through prayer, and in prayer, the Lord speaks to the human heart.
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UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED, all events are at the church building. If you are scheduled for a specific job and are unable to be there, please could you find a substitute, and, if possible, notify the pastor in advance. Thank you.
Sun. Apr. 7 Lay service. 11:00am. Meeting room. Leader: Matthew Mayer. SUMMER TIME BEGINS. PUT YOUR CLOCKS FORWARD OR BE LATE FOR CHURCH!
Mon. Apr. 8 Swedenborg Reading Group. 7:30 pm. Books and Co. 350 E. Stroop Road, Kettering, Ohio. Contact Jane Blair, (937) 859-4466, or the bookstore, at (937) 298-6540.
Tues. Apr. 9 Reading Discussion Group. 7:30pm. Bring along a Bible. Philemon.
Sat. Apr. 13 General Doctrinal Class. 7:30pm. Subject: "Spiritual Sunshine." Suggested reading: DLW 83-88 [Divine Love & WIsdom].
Sun. Apr. 14 Regular service. 11:00am. Usher: Max. Sunday School: Pat. Sunday School Subject: To be decided. Flowers: Jane.
Sat. Apr. 20 Homeopathic Study Group. 10:00am. Meeting room. Privately sponsored event. All welcome.
Sun. Apr. 21 Lay service. 11:00am. Meeting room. Leader: Patrick Mayer.
Mon. Apr. 22 Swedenborg Reading Group. 7:30 pm. Books and Co. 350 E. Stroop Road, Kettering, Ohio. Contact Jane Blair, (937) 859-4466, or the bookstore, at (937) 298-6540.
Tues. Apr. 23 Reading Discussion Group. 7:30pm. Bring along a Bible.
Wed. Apr. 24 Trustees. 7:30pm.
Sat. Apr. 27 General Doctrinal Class. 7:30pm. Subject: "The Meaning of Life." Suggested reading: DLW 151-157 [Divine Love & WIsdom].
Sun. Apr. 28 Regular service. 11:00am. Usher: To be decided. Sunday School: To be decided. Sunday School Subject: To be decided. Flowers: To be decided.
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Atlanta
More on this later, but, now it is official I probably should record in these pages that as of July 1, 2002, I will become the pastor of the Atlanta Society. It is going to be so hard to say goodbye.
Patrick.
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From Michael Cowley
I received email from Michael Cowley, who has learned that he will be the pastor in Phoenix, and at his request I convey to you this message:
"Please convey to the congregation my pleasure at being considered and my hope that a positive solution comes for them too. Michael"
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Welcome
We welcome three new members to the Cincinnati Society.
Seid and Margo Waddell, and Shareen Blair, signed the roll on March 24, 2002. Shareen in fact re-signed the roll, having been a member when living in this area before.
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Nominating Committee
Max Blair and Tom Gladish have kindly agreed to serve as the nominating committee, to propose names for election to the board of trustees.
They have announced that they will be nominating Patrick Mayer to another term, since his term expires this year.
Please note that the bylaws provide for additional nominations:
Max Blair is currently the secretary, and so any additional nominations should be submitted to him.
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Annual Meeting
The annual meeting of the Cincinnati Society of the General Church of the New Jerusalem will be held in the meeting room of the church building at 7:30pm on May 11, 2002.
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New Church Day Gifts
Please let Jane Blair know if you are aware of any extra children who will be visiting the church for our New Church Day Service on June 23.
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