Preached on 12-12-99

DOROTHEA E. ABBOTT

A Memorial Address by the Rev. Patrick A. Rose

LAST MAY AT the age of 77 years, Dorothea Abbott was called by the Lord into the spiritual world. In July there was a memorial service held for her in the United Methodist Church in Arlington. Now, at Christmastime, we have gathered together in this church in Glendale so that we, her friends in the church here, can join with her family in saying farewell to a lovely lady, a lady who has left this world and is now actively living her life in the spiritual world.

It is one of the most basic teachings of the New Church that there is a life after death, a life in a far more perfect world, a life that begins within days of the departure from this earthly life. For this reason, death is both sad and happy. It is sad, very sad, because of the separation that results, as loved ones are left behind here on earth, left behind to grieve and to feel lonely, and, often, to question why. It is happy, though, for those that leave. Their spirits are raised to life by the Lord to a wonderful world, the world for which we are destined, and the world where we are to live forever. And for those who have lived lives of good, there waits for them a kingdom of unbelievable happiness, the Lord's kingdom in the heavens.

It is perhaps appropriate that we are gathered here at Christmastime. Christmas is a time of both happiness and sadness. It is a time when we celebrate the birth of our Lord. It is a time of goodwill and of peace. But it is also a time for memories of the past, a time for those who have lost loved ones to miss them intensely. Christmas is a family time, and when those who are loved are no longer here, they can seem to leave behind a big dark hole.

Now this tension, between happiness and sadness, is found within the Christmas story itself. The Lord was born at a time when there was overwhelming spiritual darkness in the minds of people here on earth. The forces of evil were growing uncontrollably. Think of that wicked king, King Herod, a man of unbelievable cruelty, who, in his attempt to destroy the Christ child, slaughtered little babies throughout his kingdom! Think of the sadness of those who loved what was good, yet lacked any clear vision of spiritual truth. Yet, into this world of darkness was born a Baby who would bring light, and peace and comfort and joy to those who would receive His Gospel. The Lord's love reached down, He came down, to rescue those He loved.

The loss of a loved one is also a time of darkness, of sadness, of pain. It can plunge people into a world of blackness, a world in which the Lord and His peace can seem so far away. And yet into this world also, the world of personal grief, the Lord's love can shine, not by removing the grief, but by bringing some comfort through a knowledge of the truth.

What is the truth now, about Dot Abbott? Where is she? What is she doing? Of course we cannot know her life in detail, but from the teachings of the New Church, we learn a great deal about the world in which she now lives.

One thing that we are taught is that the other world is very, very real. It is not a physical world, but it is nevertheless a real world. People's spirits are real, very real, and so is the world in which they live. It is a world of landscapes, of mountains and valleys, of lands and seas, of meadows and forests, of countryside and towns. People there have real bodies, real houses, real jobs. And into this world go eventually all who live on earth. And so, think of Dot living there now. Dot was an historian. She loved research, loved finding out the stories of the past. Think of what she can find out now. Think of living in a world where the people of the past are all alive, a world where all peoples from all times can, if the Lord allows it, communicate with one another. Imagine what conversations she has. Imagine the research she is doing.

Another thing about the spiritual world is that in that world what is in our hearts and minds comes out for all to see. For those who are evil, this is an alarming thing, for they eventually find it impossible to hide their true nature from others. But for the good, for those who have love and gentleness in their hearts, this is a wonderful blessing. The inner beauty of people shows itself in their faces and in their bodies. And the love within their hearts expresses itself in their speech, and in their voices. This is why the angels love to sing. This is why they sing so beautifully. Remember the Christmas story. Remember how there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God (Lk. 2:13). They were saying,"Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!" Surely though, they were also singing, singing with all their hearts, that the Lord had been born on earth. Swedenborg described how once in the other world the sky was lit up and there was heard singing all the way from the east to the west as the angels of heaven glorified the Lord, and celebrated His advent (CL 81). Dot was a trained singer, a beautiful singer. She surely will find plenty of occasions to sing in the spiritual world.

A third thing to remember about the spiritual world, and we will close with this point, is that the Writings teach that the spiritual world is not really far away at all. Even though we do not see those in the other world, and even though they do not, normally, see us, still, the hearts and angels and people on earth are very close to one another. They feel what we feel and we feel what they feel. And so it is that Dot is not far away this Christmastime. She is close, very close, especially to those who loved her and love her. Remember that the final farewell is really only a temporary separation. No matter how bitter it might feel, no matter how deep the emptiness in one's heart, those who loved one another will always meet again.

About 2000 years ago a small baby was born in Bethlehem. And this baby grew up to become our Savior. In times of sadness, in times of trial, remember these words of His, words He spoke to all of us, the words of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. "These things I have spoken to you," He said. "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world" (Jn. 16:33).

Amen.