The Earth is the Lord's

Preached on 04-09-00

THE GATE OF HEAVEN

A Sermon by the Rev. Patrick A. Rose

"This is the gate of heaven." (Gen. 28:17)

WE ARE COMMANDED BY THE LORD to observe the sacrament of His Holy Supper. When He instituted this sacrament in the New Testament, He told His disciples, "This do in remembrance of me" (Lk. 22:19). Not only are we commanded to observe the Holy Supper, but this ritual is said in the Writings to be the "most holy thing of worship" (HD 210).

For many people these are puzzling teachings. Why, they ask, does the Lord command us to partake of the Holy Supper? What is so important about this ritual of eating and drinking? Why is it not only holy, but more holy than any other act of worship?

Throughout the history of Christianity many people speculated about what it is that makes the Holy Supper so holy. Some concluded that it is holy simply because it is something the Lord has commanded. Others imagined that it is holy because of the fact that sections from the Word are read during the ritual (TCR 699). But neither of these views fully explained just why it is that the Holy Supper itself is so very holy. The Holy Supper, we learn in the Writings, is holy because within it dwells something more sacred and more precious than anything else on earth. This holiness, this most precious thing, is none other than the presence of the Lord Himself.

The Lord is of course omnipresent. He is everywhere. But still the Lord's presence goes unnoticed unless a person opens his heart and mind to receive Him. It is when the Lord enters a person and is received by him that He can then be present in a very special way. And this does or can happen in the Holy Supper. Within this Sacrament, the Lord Himself can become present to us. And since the Lord's presence is heaven itself, therefore this most holy sacrament is called in the Writings the gate to heaven (TCR 721).

How, though, can this be? Since there is nothing magical or mystical about the bread or the wine, how can eating and drinking them bring us closer to the Lord and heaven? It is easy to see why leading a good life can bring us closer to the Lord and closer to heaven. But it is more difficult to see why a ritual like the Holy Supper is also necessary. After all, it appears to be merely symbolic.

This is true. The Holy Supper is only a symbol. But let us not forget the tremendous power in symbols -- in physical things which stand for and represent internal things. Take for example a wedding ring. It is only a piece of metal. And yet think what powerful meaning a wedding ring can have for a couple in love. Think of all the joys, the affections and the hopes associated with it in their minds. Think also of a house. A house is only a material thing. And yet think of all the thoughts and feelings which are associated with it in the minds of those who call it home.

A house is a particularly interesting example of a symbol, because not only is it associated in our minds with the warmth and delight of family life, but it also plays its part in making this life possible. Stone or cement, timber and bricks, do not of course produce love and friendship. But they do provide shelter: they provide a place for people to live their lives. And the lives that are lived within a house, and the experiences and communications that occur there, can themselves become a framework within which mutual love and charity is developed and strengthened.

Now the way in which ultimate things, the things and the experiences of this world, can serve purely spiritual things like love, is dealt with in the internal sense of the story of Jacob's ladder. Isaac had sent Jacob away to Paddan-aram to search for a wife from amongst his own people. On the way, while stopping for the night, he fell asleep and dreamed. "And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. And behold, Jehovah standing upon it" (Gen. 28:12,13).

The general theme of this story in the internal sense is the communication between lowest and highest things, and the way in which even the physical things of this world can serve the higher and internal things of the human mind, and so form a basis by which love from the Lord can be received into the human mind. After this happens, higher things can descend into lower things, as love from the Lord is expressed even in the physical actions of everyday life.

For example, take the performance of a simple act of kindness. Though it is done with the body, and may, on the surface, be a purely physical action, still, because it is done with kindness, it has an effect on the mind of the person who does it. As his mind is focussed on doing something kind, the effect is for the whole mind, all the way up to the inmosts, to open and receive in greater fullness the affection of charity from the Lord Himself. This affection of charity can then descend down through the mind into other actions, as the person is inspired to perform other kind deeds. In this way even a simple act of kindness can as it were rise up through the human mind to invite the presence of the Lord. Even a simple act of kindness can be a ladder reaching to heaven.

Good and kind deeds by themselves, though, are not sufficient. If the Lord is to be present in our lives, or, what is the same, if He is to influence our words and our deeds, then He can only do so through our minds. Therefore, if our deeds are to be truly good, there must be genuine charity within our minds. We do not really do good if our seemingly kind actions proceed from a mind that is full of hate and contempt. Such deeds are hypocritical, and only appear good. The Lord cannot be present in good deeds if a person's mind is filled with evils. Evils within the mind must be removed. They must be cast to the side.

The only way for evils to be removed, one by one, from within our minds, is for us to look to the Lord and fight against these evils as sins against Him. When we shun evils as sins against the Lord, we fight against them in His name, He gives us the strength we need to resist them. Without the Lord's help, without strength from him, we cannot win.

This is why it is absolutely crucial that we do not forget the Lord. We must think of Him. We must pray to Him. And even when we are actively thinking about other things, as often we must, still He must be in the back of our minds. Our faith in Him must be within and must guide all our actions, even when we are not consciously thinking of Him.

If this is to be the case, if our minds and our lives are to be focussed upon the Lord, then we must make a habit of turning to Him regularly. Otherwise, even though we may still know about the Lord in a superficial sort of way, we in fact become more and more oblivious to Him. Within our hearts we become more and more centered upon ourselves and the world. To guard against this, we should ensure that thinking about the Lord is a regular part of our lives. Every day we should pray to Him and read from His Word. Every week we should remember that the Sabbath day is a day to worship the Lord, if not in church, then at least in our homes. And then, several times a year a least, we should partake of the Holy Supper.

Partaking of the Holy Supper is a symbol. Like all symbols, it is a reminder, in this case a very powerful reminder. The Holy Supper brings the Lord to mind, for it symbolizes the Lord. When we know that the bread corresponds to the Lord's love, that the wine corresponds to His truth, and that eating and drinking corresponds to receiving Him and His blessings into our minds, then the Holy Supper can very powerfully turn our thoughts to the Lord and strengthen our dedication to Him.

The Holy Supper strengthens our dedication. It does not, and cannot, magically produce such dedication out of thin air. But if a person is genuinely turning towards to the Lord, even if he is doing so in only some small way, then not only his thoughts, but also all his feelings about the Lord, are aroused and brought together and are strengthened by this symbol which is the Holy Supper.

All symbols have a similar effect to this. Most of us have had the experience of having a host of thoughts and feelings aroused in our minds by coming across a simple memento or keepsake. So too, but in a much more powerful way, the Holy Supper arouses those thoughts and feelings that are associated with the Lord. All that we have strived for in the name of religion, all that we have experienced of charity and faith in day-to-day life, is stimulated and brought together in this symbolic experience.

What is more, the Holy Supper does not only affect us; it also affects the angels who are with us. When we partake of the Holy Supper, the angels who are present with us share in our experience on a deeper level. They, far more than we, are aware of what the bread and wine correspond to. Their thoughts and feelings concerning the Lord and His love and wisdom are aroused in the most wonderful ways, and what they feel then flows into our minds, bringing an increase in love and warmth. The angels thus draw close to us as we partake of the Holy Supper, and in this sacrament our spirits are drawn closer into heaven itself.

If we are trying to follow the Lord in some way, then whatever love we may have expressed, and whatever love we may have received in our daily lives, are strengthened as the Lord draws closer to our minds in His Holy Supper, bringing our spirits one step further into heaven. At the same time we receive from Him greater strength and resolve to go forth and live our lives in accordance with His commandments.

Now, in the story of Jacob's ladder, we are told that Jacob, on awakening from his sleep, said of the place where he was: " . . . this is the gate of heaven." In the internal sense these words refer to the way in which outward things can apparently have an effect upon the interior things of the mind. Of course, no outward thing actually enters the mind to produce love or feeling. No wedding ring ever produced love between a couple. No house ever produced love within a family. And neither can the bread and wine of the Holy Supper ever produce the Lord's presence. But still, the experience of partaking of the Lord's sacrament can invite His presence. For those who are striving to live a good life, to participate in the Holy Supper can indeed be the gate by which they enter into the closer presence of the Lord and His heaven. The Holy Supper therefore actually is the gate of heaven.

It is a gateway we enter many times. Throughout our lives, we can enter more and more fully into heavenly life. Each time we partake of the Holy Supper we can enter further and more deeply into the presence of the Lord. Whether we are miserable sinners, who have only just resolved to begin mending our ways, or whether we are regenerate people who have already been rescued from evil by the mercy of the Lord, all of us, whatever our state, can enter into the presence of the Lord Himself, and draw closer to heaven, as we partake of this most holy act of worship.

"This is the gate of heaven."

Amen.

Lessons: Gen. 28:10-e; TCR 721 (part), 728