The Precursor
December 2001
The Newsletter of the Cincinnati Society
of the General Church of the New Jerusalem
"Let It Be To Me According To Your Word."
THE CHRISTMAS STORY is not simply about something that happened a long way away, a very
long time ago. It is a story for all peoples, and for all time. The Lord, at a turning point in human history,
came down to earth to save the human race from evils which otherwise would have destroyed them. He came in order
that He might assume power against the hells. He took on power to fight against evil: not simply evil in a general,
abstract sense, but evil as it exists within each individual human heart. So it is that the Christmas story must,
as it were, be re-enacted within the life of each person. The Lord must, as it were, be born within the heart of
each individual man and woman. He must be received within the heart and mind in order that He might deliver us
from those evils which threaten our salvation.
When we reflect upon the story of Christmas we realize that there are, in a sense, two threads running throughout the story. There is a dark thread. When the Lord was born, the spiritual state of mankind was low-very low indeed. It was a time of darkness. Evil had been passed on from parents to their children, accumulating over countless generations. The teachings of the Word had been perverted and twisted. In the spiritual world, the power of hell was beginning to threaten even heaven itself. These dark realities are spoken of in the Gospels. John speaks of the Word being made flesh, and of the light shining in the darkness. But the darkness, it is said, "did not comprehend it" (Jn. 1:5). When John the Baptist was circumcised, his father Zacharias was filled the Holy Spirit, and prophesied. He also speaks of darkness. He speaks of people sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death (Lk. 1:79). And when it comes to the evil of that time, few narratives could ever match the sheer horror of Herod's wholesale slaughter of tiny babies.
The Christmas story takes place at a time of great darkness and great evil. And yet despite this, despite the state of people at that time, there is another thread, another theme, which runs throughout, and ultimately dominates, the story of Christmas. It is a thread of the most wonderful beauty -- miraculous beauty. The miracle of Christmas is that, despite the state of people on earth, despite their falsity and despite their evil, the Lord loved them, came to them, and saved them. The Lord came down to us, and dwelt amongst us, despite our weaknesses and failings. Indeed, He surrounded Himself within a body that contained those very weaknesses and failings which were threatening to destroy the human race. By fashioning for Himself a body within the womb of Mary, a body containing hereditary evils of every kind, the Lord showed, in the fullest sense possible, that He can come to us, and be with us, despite our weaknesses, despite our evils, despite our failings.
No matter how evil a person might be, the Lord can save him. The Lord can be born into his heart, can come into his life. But for this to happen, there must be, within the spirit, a willingness to change. It is this willingness which was represented in the virgin Mary. Mary was not perfect. Indeed, it was through her that the Lord assumed the burden of hereditary evil; before the Human could be glorified, He had to cast off everything that came from Mary. And yet, despite her weaknesses, despite her imperfections, the Lord came to Mary, and through her He was born into the world.
What was it about Mary that meant that she could be chosen for this most special part in the Advent of the Lord? It was, essentially, her humility. When Gabriel appeared to her and told her what was to happen, she did not understand, and asked how it was that she, not knowing a man, could bear a son. Once it was explained to her, though, and once she was told that "with God nothing will be impossible" (Lk. 1:37), she willingly and humbly accepted the decision of the Lord. "Behold the maidservant of the Lord," she said; "Let it be to me according to Your Word" (Lk. 1:38). She was willing to accept what the Lord told her through the angel Gabriel.
We also must be willing to accept and obey what the Lord tells us in His Word. We must submit ourselves to His will. We must receive the Lord's teachings into our hearts, and allow these teachings to govern our lives.
This is the very thing that is necessary if the Lord is to be born within us. We may be evil. Indeed, by ourselves we are evil -- all of us have inherited tendencies towards all kinds of evils. But still the Lord can come to us, and dwell with us. He can come and gradually lift us out of the selfishness and worldliness that is all too often a major part of our lives. All that is required is that we have sufficient humility to submit our hearts, our minds and our lives to a truth and an authority that is greater than ourselves -- to the truth of the Word itself. We must be willing to say those same words which Mary spoke, when the angel Gabriel appeared before her so long ago in the small town of Nazareth. We must be willing to turn to the Lord, humble ourselves before Him, and say, " Let it be to me according to Your Word."
Then the Lord can come. Then the Lord can be born within our hearts.
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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. Dec. 2 Lay service. 11:00am. Meeting room. Lay Leader: Patrick Mayer. Holy Supper Service in Indianapolis. 11:00am (contact pastor for details).
Wed. Dec. 8 Christmas Potluck Supper and Class. Mayers'. 5:00pm. Please phone Gillian regarding your plans.
Sun. Dec. 9 Regular service. 11:00am. Usher: Dion. Sunday School: Dick. Sunday School subject: Luke 1. Flowers: Jane.
Mon. Dec. 10 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. Dec. 11 Reading Discussion Group. 7:30pm. Bring along a Bible.
Sat. Dec. 15 Homeopathic Study Group. 10:00am. Meeting room. Privately sponsored event. All welcome.
Sun. Dec. 16 Lay service. 11:00am. Meeting room. Lay Leader: Max Blair.
Sun. Dec. 23 NO SERVICE
Mon. Dec. 24 Christmas Eve Candlelight Family Service. Recitation: Liturgy 15 p. 183. Usher: Patrick Mayer. Flowers: Jane.
Sun. Dec. 30 Lay service. 11:00am. Meeting room. Lay Leader: To be decided.
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Christmas Greetings
We wish each and every one of you a very happy Christmas. May you draw closer to the Lord as you reflect upon the story of His advent into the world, and may you sense something of that inner peace which can come only when He is present.
Patrick and Dinah.
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