The Precursor
November 2001
The Newsletter of the Cincinnati Society
of the General Church of the New Jerusalem
Trusting in the Divine Love
". . . for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things" (Matt. 6:32).
WHEN WE STOP TO REFLECT UPON how much the Lord has given us, we can see so very clearly
that He must love us. He must love us more than we could ever fully understand.
The Lord loves us! It is something that is so important to remember. Yet so often people forget this: they forget that the Lord loves them. The Lord speaks of this in the New Testament, in His Sermon on the Mount. He speaks of how people worry about so many things. They worry about whether they will have enough food. They worry about whether they will have enough to drink. They worry about whether they will be able to afford clothes. They worry about what is going to happen in the future: what will happen tomorrow, or next week, or next year. And people who worry so very much have usually overlooked and forgotten the fundamental constancy of the Divine love. They have forgotten that the Lord loves them and always watches over them.
And so the Lord suggests that we do something. He suggests that we take a look at the birds which He has made. Though they are not as important as people, still the Lord provides for them. He gives them wings to fly with. He gives them a place to live. And He makes food for them, food that they can catch. And if the Lord does all this just for the birds, think how much more He must do for us! And the Lord suggests also that we think about the flowers. The flowers really aren't that important. We even cut flowers just to use for decorating. And yet the Lord even watches over the flowers, giving them a miraculous beauty that we can never fully duplicate. Even King Solomon, the greatest and richest of all the kings of Israel -- even he did not have clothes that are as beautiful as a flower. If the Lord looks after the flowers and makes them so very beautiful, then surely He will look after us.
The Sermon on the Mount speaks, in its letter, of truths that are simple yet profound. It speaks of truths we all know so well, and yet so often forget. The Lord will look after us. He will look after each one of us. He will look after you, because He loves you.
As you give thanks to the Lord this Thanksgiving, remember this: remember that He is your Heavenly Father. He gives you so many things because He loves you. And because He loves you, He will look after you, and protect you, and take care of you. He will look after you forever and ever. It is a truth that even children can understand easily. But it is a truth that adults so often forget.
An acknowledgement that the Lord is watching over us must be at the very heart of our thanksgiving to the Lord. We can get so caught up in the anxieties, the worries and the cares of the world, that we forget this most basic, this most simple, and yet this most majestic and wonderful of all truths: the truth that our Lord is a God of Love.
And so we need to stop and take the time to think and to reflect. The Lord is a God of infinite love. We are surrounded by His mercies. We see His goodness all around us. We see it in the sunshine that falls upon our world and warms it, and makes it fertile. We see His goodness in the beautiful earth which brings forth the harvest. We see His goodness in the prosperity with which He blesses human endeavor. And we see His goodness in the peace that comes through civil government. We see His goodness in small things as well -- in the beauty of each flower, in the song of each bird, in the innocence in the faces of little babies, in the laughter of children. And we can sense the goodness of the Lord in the satisfaction we gain in our own individual jobs and uses, in the warmth and peace of our homes, in the friendships we have, in every smile we see, and in every act of human kindness.
The Lord loves us. We see this in so many ways. And because of this, we need to learn to trust in His love. We need to stop worrying so much. We need to place our confidence in Him. We need to rest in the strength of His arms. He loves us. He is looking after us. And He will protect us, forevermore.
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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. Nov. 4 Lay service. 11:00am. Meeting room. Lay Leader: Max Blair. Regular Service in Indianapolis. 11:00am (contact pastor for details).
Wed. Nov. 7 Trustees. 7:30pm. Postponed from Oct. 24.
Sat. Nov. 10 General Doctrinal Class. 7:30pm. Subject: "Worship." Workshop. No suggested advance reading.
Sun. Nov. 11 Regular service. 11:00am. Usher: Volunteer needed. Sunday School: Volunteer needed. Sunday School Subject: Ask Jane. Flowers: Volunteer needed.
Mon. Nov. 12 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. Nov. 13 Reading Discussion Group. 7:30pm. Bring along a Bible. Eph. 5ff.
Sat. Nov. 17 Homeopathic Study Group. 10:00am. Meeting room. Privately sponsored event. All welcome.
Sun. Nov. 18 Lay service. 11:00am. Meeting room. Lay Leader: Patrick Mayer.
Wed. Nov. 21 Glendale Community Thanksgiving Service. 7:30pm. St. Gabriel Church.
Thur. Nov. 22 Thanksgiving Day Family Festival Service. 11:00am. Fruit Offerings. Recitation: Liturgy: 97 p. 199. Usher: Volunteer needed. Flowers: Volunteer needed.
Sun. Nov. 25 Regular service. 11:00am. Usher: Volunteer needed. Sunday School: Volunteer needed. Sunday School Subject: Ask Jane. Flowers: Volunteer needed.
Mon. Nov. 26 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. Nov. 27 Reading Discussion Group. 7:30pm. Bring along a Bible.
Wed. Nov. 28 Trustees. 7:30pm. Meeting will only be held if needed.
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New Addresses
Please email the editor for this information.
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