Is There Any Hope? -a Sermon for first Advent

Is There Any Hope?

Sermon for the Advent of Hope; 
Rev. Alison Longstaff, Dec 7, 2014

Bath Church of the New Jerusalem

Isaiah 11:1-2, 6-9; Luke 1: 5-14; HS 8165:2

It was deeply profound to be writing this week's sermon about “Hope” as the nation raged and despaired in response to the acquittal of Officer Darren Wilson for the shooting death of Michael Brown. My Facebook feed was alive with outrage on the day the news broke. One cousin posted report after report about the injustices experienced by dark-skinned Americans, and the obscenely high number of unarmed black youth shot dead by police every year without any hope of justice for their families.

The despair among my friends and connections was palpable. Outrage and anguish, futility and frustration—more and more stories in the news telling tales of humankind’s regression from integrity, moral courage, or any sense of interconnectedness and accountability. While there are many voices out there speaking truths that need to be heard about justice and compassion, there seem to be just as many proclaiming a rhetoric that harnesses blame and entitlement to reinforce a fortress mentality, barricading the entitled from any sense of compassion or “there but by the grace of God go I.”

I have had to work hard to maintain a sense of optimism since moving to the United States. While I am sure there are many other factors figuring in, I genuinely believe that it is a harsher psychological climate here than I experienced in Canada. There is more fear and mistrust in the air. The news is darker, the rhetoric more polemic, and “belief perseverance” (which is rigorously sticking to one’s original beliefs despite all evidence to the contrary, and is now a known, named, and studied phenomenon in the world of psychology) is everywhere. The truth simply cannot set us free if we put our fingers in our ears and hum so that we cannot hear.

My Facebook feed shows increasing frustration and despair among my cyber friends. It is as if a great madness has overtaken this country we love, and we do not know how it has happened or how to correct our course. And as the group anxiety ramps up, our intelligence and ability to work together deteriorates. For under distress, humans regress. It is just a fact of life. Is there any hope at all?

The loss of hope is called despair. And the loss of hope is perhaps one of the most terrible losses of all. To quote modern day prophet J. Michael Straczinski:

“There is a darkness greater than the one we fight. It is the darkness of the soul that has lost its way. The war we fight is not against powers and principalities...it is against chaos and despair. Greater than the death of flesh is the death of hope, the death of dreams. Against this peril, we can never surrender. The future is all around us, waiting in moments of transition to be born in moments of revelation. No one knows the shape of that future, or where it will take us. We know only that it is always born in pain.”

I found this quote peculiarly resonant with today’s words from Swedenborg. But while Straczynski exhorts us never to surrender, Swedenborg says that the very surrender itself is the turning point in a spiritual temptation. The same way any addict must first admit powerlessness over the addictive substance before recovery can happen, God allows a spiritual temptation to progress beyond our ability to fight back, so that we might re-experience that it is God that does the fighting, not us. Because it is the ways that we separate ourselves from God that create hell to begin with, even so it is the “healing crisis” or turning point in a spiritual temptation that reconnects us to God's strength and God’s love. Though painful, this is the only way to birth us back from hell into heaven (connection with God).

Our spiritual existence is a paradox. We live as if we are independent and yet must remember that God does everything. Our sense of independence from God is a vital part of our ability to receive life and experience spiritual freedom. But it can be a curse too, for that independence is made possible by our ego, and our ego pretty much just creates hell. This is because the minute we think it is all up to us (ego), life starts to get hellish. The minute we think we have all the answers and God should just listen to us (ego), we have manufactured misery. We don’t mean to. We can’t help it. It is what the ego does until we learn to master it.

So we both feel like our life is our own and yet we need to remember it is really God’s power and strength that accomplishes everything. God allows us to experience spiritual temptation when we forget that God’s help stands ready at every second. Despair is the extreme suffering that occurs when we feel as though God is nowhere around and not helping at all. (Jesus Himself experienced this in Gethsemane and on the cross, so the next time you go through this, don’t beat yourself up. Even Jesus couldn't escape this illusion.) Despair is inevitable. But staying stuck in it is optional.

And so, on this Sunday of HOPE, let us look for the hand-grips and toe-holds we might want to use when we next find ourselves stuck in the pit of despair. On the same day that I felt bombarded by the depressing news coming out of Ferguson, such that I wanted to renounce membership in the human race, I caught the edge of an MPBN radio show devoted entirely to good news stories. So I turned it up. After less than half an hour, I had tears of joy in my eyes. In fact, some of the stories of ingenuity, collaboration, and human kindness were so beautiful they would have made Scrooge himself a bit verklempt even before the three spirits visited. I went from disgust and despair, to hope and joy in half an hour, just by changing my internet feed.

There’s a lesson in that. What we pay attention to affects our state of mind. While my morbid curiosity pulls me towards bad news like a fly to, well, things flies like—I can intentionally steer my mind towards the things that uplift and feed my soul as well. Not only did the MPBN show transform my day, its web-page had a link to the Good News Network.org—a site dedicated completely to good news stories, yes, round the clock, seven days a week. And so now, now, whenever the regular news feels too heavy for me to bear, I tune into the good news and get an instant spiritual boost. There will always be bad news. This good news site focuses on the myriad stories of hope and triumph happening in the midst of the tragedies—which stories the big networks can’t be bothered to share.

There is the story of the over $175,000 that has been donated to the tiny Ferguson Library. That library is creating "healing kits" for kids that include books dealing with trauma, and a stuffed animal that they can keep. And there is the story about Natalie DuBose, a Ferguson baker and mother of two who was left trying to clean up and figure out how to fill her Thanksgiving orders after rioters smashed her bakery windows and damaged her equipment. A friend suggested she set up a fund-raising page so DuBose decided on a goal of raising $20,000 to get back on her feet. Two days later DuBose had received $252,000 from more than 7,000 doners. “I’ve never felt such love,” she said. “The outpouring of support … has been amazing. I was in tears.”

And in these stories we see a mirror of both our scriptures: life side-by-side with death. Long after all hope is lost for Elizabeth and Zacharias, their prayer is answered. Her womb quickens with a healthy, viable baby. Where once was a long-dead dream, a complete resurrection is happening.

We see a “poisonous serpent”—the angry voices of blame, the lies, the cover-ups, and the twisted versions of events—creating confusion, and paralyzing the process of justice in Ferguson, and seeking to kill our innocence; yet somehow the innocent and vulnerable people caught in harm’s way—the “infant”—transcends and survives despite the venom and violence. Here is the lion and the lamb; the wolf and baby goat, side by side. It is telling us that life and hope will always transcend death and despair. For in God’s holy mountain, which is the realm of all that is good and true within the human spirit, nothing can be hurt or destroyed. The part of each one of us that is created by God and lives forever can never be hurt or destroyed no matter what happens to us in this physical world.

Despair, and joy; darkness and light, death and life side-by-side. The one is born in the other, like a new baby born in the midst of pain. They are actually two faces of the same thing. We would not despair so intensely if we did not love so deeply, and the depth of our love is a manifestation of God with us. In fact the comfort and consolation that God delivers after we come through a dark night of the soul will be in direct proportion to the depth of the despair. Beautiful new life after every death.

It is our old ideas and attachments that die at the height of temptation, not anything that is doing us good. This hurts. We may cry out in pain like a woman in labor, but we are undergoing the birth of a new self—a new understanding. The relief and joy and transformed life that rises from this small death will be so rewarding that we won’t even remember the pain. God puts before us death and life and says, “Choose life!”

And so, as we celebrate this advent of Hope, let us always look for the new life amidst the ashes of old dreams. It is always there, waiting to burst into vibrant expression like the sun is behind the storm clouds and the spring flowers from beneath the frozen ground.

In closing I offer you this poem by Joyce Rupp. 

It is called, 

“A Closer Look at Thanksgiving.”

If you look at a sunset, you might see only the disappearance of daylight.

If you look beneath, you may see darkness opening the splendor of stars.

If you look at illness and disease, you might see only physical diminishment.

If you look beneath, you may see it as a teacher bringing you vital wisdom.

If you look at a broken relationship, you might see only a harsh ending.

If you look beneath, you may see the courageous seeds of new growth.

If you look at lost dreams, you might see only disappointment and doubt.

If you look beneath, you may see the stuff that new dreams contain.

If you look at the death of a loved one, you might see only pervasive sorrow.

If you look beneath, you may see that love lives on forever in the heart.

If you look at the planet’s pain and creatures’ woe, you might see only despair.

If you look beneath, you may see hope woven in the compassionate care of many.

If you look at yourself, you might see only tarnished unfinishedness.

If you look beneath, you may see your basic goodness shining there.

If you look for the divine being, you might see mostly unresolved questions.

If you look beneath, you may be astounded at the availability of divine love.

Amen

References:

Good news MPBM November 14: http://news.mpbn.net/post/good-news-stories-being-thankful

The Good News Network http://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/ https://www.facebook.com/thegoodnewsnetwork

The Readings

Isaiah 11:1-2, 6-9.  A shoot shall come out from the stock of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the baby goat, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze, their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the poisonous snake, and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den. They will not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain; for the earth will be as full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. 

Luke 1:5-14. There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years.  So it was, that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division, according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense. Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.  But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.

Heavenly Secrets 8165 [2] Paraphrase

The final phase of spiritual temptation is despair. During this phase we feel as if we cannot stop ourselves from sliding into hell. Temptations compel us to experience our powerlessness, for a temptation pushes us beyond our endurance until we cannot hold on any more, at which point we begin to tumble into hell. But the Lord catches us right at that point, stopping our descent. This brings relief and comfort and even joy. The only reason God would allow us to experience such terrible despair is so that our beliefs and our attachments can be reformed, and then by means of new insights and a deeper sense of interconnectedness, we are strengthened, and become even more deeply integrated. 

Noticing the Mistakes - Thanksgiving Talk

Noticing the Mistakes; or Noticing What Is Good.

Thanksgiving Festival Service

 Nov 23 2014

Rev. Alison Longstaff

Bath Church of the New Jerusalem

Jeremiah 33: 6b-11, Matthew 9:35-38, Heavenly Secrets 6478

This was a festival service so we had a longer children's talk, extra hymns, and no sermon.  I have included the opening prayers and the closing blessing, along with the children's talk.

Opening Prayer

Bountiful Creator, we come to you from many walks of life; we come on this Thanksgiving Sunday with full hearts.  Some hearts are full of gratitude.  Some hearts may be full of care and concern for troubles in the world and in their families. Lord, You love us and understand us no matter where we are today.  You know that some days and some times, we struggle to feel thankful.  Sometimes we struggle to trust that You are providing.  Sometimes we struggle to see how You are anywhere present in the things going on in our lives.  We may be worried about money, or our health, or the health and well-being of someone we love.  Perhaps a relationship isn't going well, or we have neighbors that are giving us a hard time. 

Lord, just for this hour, we lay all these worries in Your capable hands.  And we ask that you open our eyes to see the ways you are showing up with love and care, though acts of kindness, words of love, and small miracles that answer prayers.  Help us to look for these signs, Lord, that we may be reminded of your love, and rest easier.

The Talk to the Children

I will have a mark on my face or in my teeth, or lint on my clothes, and sit down among the kids to wait for their reaction.  I will ask them how they are, and what day we are celebrating, and are there things they are thankful for? 

I will ask, “Don’t I look beautiful today?” 

(The funny thing is.  They said, "Yes."  No comment on the lint or smudge.  I had to really dig to get them to mention and find the flaws!  Too funny.  "The best laid plans..." as they say.)

After they tell me about the mark on my face or clothes or teeth, we will talk about how, even though all the rest of me looked pretty good, the one blemish drew all the attention.  We will talk about how that human dynamic shows up in our lives.  I will ask for examples of when maybe everything was good except for one small thing in their lives, and yet somehow they could only see the small thing that was wrong, like noticing one piece of lint on a beautiful sweater.

Then we will look around the church, and I will notice and point out all the things that are “wrong”, like the cracks in the walls, and the old, crooked rug, and the shutters that won’t hang flat and the pews that need painting, the weird quote that kinda doesn't make sense.  Then I will check how we all feel.

(They felt kinda down.)

Then we will look around the church and see the things that make us happy—the beautiful arched ceiling; the big windows; the wonderful light.  The smiling faces of love.  Then I will check how we feel.  

(They felt much happier.)

I will talk about how what we focus on and pay attention to affects how we feel. That we are created to notice what is wrong so we survive, and yet often that instinct isn't needed and just makes problems and can make us feel bad.  But we have the ability to learn to override that instinct and develop “an attitude of gratitude” which helps us be happy and loving and not quite so focused on what is wrong.

So practicing Thanksgiving actually makes us happier.  And letting gratitude make us happier helps us notice more things that are going well. It is a positive cycle.

Then I will give them all Hershey’s kisses representing God’s love from the sparkly bag that represents God’s love.  And we will take one moment to be thankful.

After a musical interlude, the children did a presentation with their Sunday School teacher on the 7 days of creation, and how they are a metaphor for our own spiritual development.  And then they filled paper heart pockets with colorful paper leaves, each representing things for which they are grateful.

Closing Prayer

We have gathered in the spirit of gratitude and thanksgiving.  We have looked at the ways we are naturally designed to notice flaws, and how we can practice looking for the good.  We have considered how there is always something to be grateful for, and that by focusing on the positive things, we can change the color of our glasses from darker to brighter.  May we be comforted in the knowledge God’s love is always present, and that God’s forgiveness is broader than any human can imagine, and that no matter what the physical facts of our life may be, our spirits are guided and cared for with great tenderness.   May we now go forward into our week encouraged by this message and ready for the week ahead.  

Amen

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

The Readings

Jeremiah 33: 6b-11

I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security. I will bring Judah and Israel back from captivity and will rebuild them as they were before. I will cleanse them from all the sin they have committed against me and will forgive all their sins of rebellion against me. Then this city will bring me renown, joy, praise and honor before all nations on earth that hear of all the good things I do for it; and they will be in awe and will tremble at the abundant prosperity and peace I provide for it.' "This is what the LORD says: 'You say about this place, "It is a desolate waste, without humans or animals." Yet in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem that are deserted, inhabited by neither humans nor animals, there will be heard once more the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom, and the voices of those who bring thank offerings to the house of the LORD, saying, "Give thanks to the LORD Almighty, for the LORD is good; his love endures forever." For I will restore the fortunes of the land as they were before,' says the LORD. 

Matthew 9:35-38

Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."

From the teachings of the church

Heavenly Secrets 6479 by Emanuel Swedenborg Paraphrase.  Some not so upright people who were with me were constantly expressing doubts that were based on the illusions of the senses, and which went against any idea that God Provides all things.  I told them that doubts cannot easily be removed with people who have a negative frame of mind, that is, who are infected through and through by a negative attitude; for with these people one small difficulty carries more weight than a thousand proofs.  But people who have an affirmative frame of mind, that is, who are ruled through and through by an affirmative attitude, overlook small difficulties; and don’t allow challenges to overthrow their positive attitude.

However the people mentioned above paid little attention to what I was saying because of their negative frame of mind.  (That last sentence made everyone smile.)

Spiritual Boundaries - a sermon

“Spiritual Boundaries”

Rev. Alison Longstaff, Nov 16^th, 2014

Bath Church of the New Jerusalem

Deuteronomy 19:14; John 10: 7-10; HS 3727

The doorbell rings.  Perhaps you are washing dishes, or in your pajamas, or heaven forbid, in the “loo”, but you scramble to be presentable and scurry to answer the door.

And there stands a collection of sincere folks intent on saving your soul.  Perhaps they are Jehovah’s witnesses, perhaps they are Mormon, but the scenario is pretty much the same.  They are probably nice people.  They are very sincere.  But they are there to convert you.  The underlying message is that your beliefs are wrong, their beliefs are right, and you should listen to them.  

What is your reaction? 

  

Annoyance, discomfort, avoidance—these are common reactions to the approach of religious recruiters. There is a reason for that. Just the same way that we place boundaries around what is ours in the physical world, God has set spiritual boundaries around what is “ours” spiritually.  We cannot see when our spiritual boundaries are being crossed, but we certainly can feel it.  Religious recruiters are always attempting to cross our spiritual boundaries.

Spiritual beliefs are deeply personal, and root deeply down into our emotions.  To mess with another’s spiritual beliefs is to step into that other’s inner space and start redecorating according to our tastes without their consent.  However, since most of us come from a long-standing cultural habit of “my religion trumps yours” thinking and behaving, we have stopped seeing how disrespectful this can be.  Is it any wonder that so many today are “spiritual but not religious?”  Is it really my job as a religious person to fix everybody else? 

Raise your hand if you have felt the discomfort when friends or family have commented negatively on or tried to change your spirituality. So, you know how unpleasant that feels.  But somewhere in our development as a culture, we have overlooked that inner warning—that spiritual “no trespassing” sign, and decided it was our right and duty to go about correcting everybody else’s spirituality when it is not like ours.

Yet telling someone else that their beliefs are wrong and should be more like ours is moving their spiritual boundary-marker.  It is claiming their spiritual territory as something we have a right to manage. 

From ancient times, stone markers have been used to designate important places.  They mark a spot.  Whether they are large stones, or a pile of stones, we can find them throughout the world. They are called monoliths, standing stones, pillars, cenotaphs, boundary markers, pyramids, cairns, and many other things.  They are humanity’s attempt to say, “Here.  Right here.  This is the spot.” 

Stone has a permanence that wood will never have.  We speak of things being “set in stone” to indicate their immovability or permanence. Wood rots, planted trees die and fall down, even rivers change their beds.  But stones have a way of staying put unless moved by human agency.   

In Swedenborgian spirituality, stones represent facts.  One might even say “hard” facts.  The old translations say stones symbolize “truth,” but as Swedenborg also says that clothing, wine, water, light, silver, and many other things symbolize truth, then it must be the qualities and characteristics of these different elements that tell us what kind of truth we are talking about.  Stones are very, well, concrete.  They are not fluid, flexible, or easy to move around.   And so stones represent the most concrete truths.  They are the anchoring, foundational facts of life, like gravity; like the human need for water and shelter and food; like our spiritual needs for love, belonging, and meaning.  This implies that the boundaries God created around our souls deserve such markers.  We have spiritual “no trespassing signs” marked around our inner worlds.  They draw the line between what is “mine” and not mine, “yours,” and not yours.

In that light, let us re-read our law from Deuteronomy: “You shall not remove your neighbor’s landmark, which the men of old have set, in your inheritance which you will inherit in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess.” (NKJV)

or in an alternate translation: “When you arrive in the land the LORD your God is giving you as your special possession, you must never steal anyone's land by moving the boundary markers which your ancestors set up to mark their property.” (New Living Translation)

This law is about how to live in happy, healthy spiritual relationship with other spiritual beings.  There would have been no need to state this prohibition if moving boundary markers wasn't a big problem.  Laws are created in response to a problem.  Stealing land by moving another’s boundary marker was definitely a problem with this people, or this law would not be here.  And according to a Swedenborgian understanding of the Bible, stealing spiritual land by moving other people’s spiritual boundary markers is an ongoing problem with humankind or this law would not be in our sacred Scriptures either. 

We cross each other’s spiritual boundaries when we presume we know what is best for another person’s spiritual life.  We are “picking up their boundary markers and moving them” when we treat anything that is their rightful spiritual territory as our own.  Some of these intellectual and conversational boundary violations are so common in our culture that we all pretty much accept them as normal.  We hardly blink until it happens to us.  And then, when it happens to us, we will know we are upset, but we may not understand why.  Our boundaries are being crossed, that’s why.

The truth is, good fences help make good neighbors spiritually as well as naturally.

So where exactly are these spiritual boundaries?  Spiritual boundaries surround our inner sense of self.  They are the edges of the domain that is “us.” Swedenborgian minister and practicing psychologist, Mark Carlson, has been observing and teaching about spiritual boundaries for many years, and the lives and relationships of his clients have been transforming as a result.  

So buckle your seat-belts.  Some of this information will be new to you. And, if you are like most people, you may learn that you have several boundary-crossing habits you didn't know about.  Welcome to the club. 

Also realize that these rules are outlining a spiritual dynamic that is nuanced and many-layered.  They may sound simplistic.  Remember that the realm of spirit is fluid and these rules do have exceptions. 

Don’t assume you know what is going on inside someone else.

Raise your hand if you have a memory of someone accusing you of feeling, thinking, or intending something you never felt, thought, or intended. They were sure they were right and would not believe your protestations.  How did it feel?  How easy was it to convince them of your own inner experience?  That is a form of spiritual violation.  This happens to a lot of us far too often.

You see, we simply cannot know what is going on inside another person. We can speculate.  We can guess.  We might sometimes have a pretty good idea.  But to assume we know for sure and then to act or comment on that assumption is wrong.  It is a violation.  It is stealing.

Do not assume you know what is best for someone else’s beliefs or worship practices.

Even if you are sure you know what someone else should be doing spiritually, you don’t get to comment, compel, manipulate, or coerce in any way.  That is not your job.  You wouldn't like it done to you, so don’t do it to another, especially someone you love. Period.

A person’s spirituality is between that person and God.  To presume we need to step in and teach and fix it is to presume not only that we know better than that person what is good for them, but maybe even that we don’t trust God to be leading them according to what is best for them.  If God isn't worried, you needn't be either.

Do not assume you know what is best for someone else’s priorities.

Have you ever had someone looking over your shoulder, questioning how you spend your time or your money?  How did that uninvited criticism feel?  Typically it feels terrible.  It is a spiritual violation.  How an individual manages his or her personal resources is that individual’s domain and no one else’s.  Yet people cross this boundary with each other all the time.  I have seen a boss criticize an employee for getting her coffee at Starbucks.  I have seen someone who lived at the lower end of the pay-scale criticized for going on a cruise.  I have heard criticism of how much people donate to charities and which ones by those who decided they knew better how that person’s money should be spent. And I have seen this boundary crossed in my profession every time I have heard a parishioner say something like, “What does the minister do all day anyway?  What are we paying him for?” 

It is somewhat different when resources are shared, as in a business or a marriage.  But there are guidelines about how to communicate around such shared resources too that preserve clean boundaries.  In every other case, try not to judge or comment on how someone else prioritizes their spare time and money and energy.  You don’t like it done to you, so don’t do it to others.

To move someone else’s boundary is a form of stealing.  It is saying that we believe we could manage their spiritual domain better than they can.  Even if you are sure you could manage someone else’s personal life better than they do, it is not yours to manage.  Your job is your own personal inner life, mine is mine, and theirs is theirs.  End of story.  And if we are honest, there is typically plenty to keep us occupied within our own spiritual boundaries for us to bother looking over the fence at anyone else’s.

I am going to ask you to watch for spiritual boundary markers in your interactions this coming week.  Are you having an inner discomfort or even anger at what someone is saying to you?  It is possible that your spiritual boundary is getting crossed.  Or perhaps you will run into a situation where you realize your words are crossing boundaries.  Especially watch for how quickly people can step from guessing what might be going on inside another person, to believing that what they guessed is fact, to commenting upon it as if it is fact. 

If you truly want to respect spiritual boundaries, practice of the Golden Rule.  Anything that you wouldn't like someone to do it to you, don’t do it to them.

Finally I want to lift up the promise that we found in our New Testament reading today.  It reminds us that Jesus is the door of the sheepfold.  In other words, the only way to enter into spiritual relationship is with compassion, love, respect, and with trust in God.  The door is the legitimate way through a boundary.  This parable has many meanings, but one clear one is this: When we approach each other with respect and love, with compassion, and with trust in God’s ability to lead that other, then we approach with Jesus as the door. When Jesus is the door to our relationships, we will be kept back from trespassing, we will have life in our relationships, and we will have it abundantly.  Amen

The Readings

Deuteronomy 19: 14

¹⁴ “You shall not remove your neighbor’s landmark, which the men of old have set, in your inheritance which you will inherit in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess.

John 10:7-10

⁷ Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. ⁸ All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. ⁹ I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. ¹⁰ The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

Heavenly Secrets 3727.  In most ancient times people used to place a stone or pile of stones to mark where the boundaries ran which separated one person's property or inheritance from another's. These served as a sign and witness to the presence of the boundaries there. This is the reason why a ‘pillar’ or stone marker symbolizes a spiritual boundary.  They also symbolize the way heavenly order finds its most complete expression in the details of our lives. This is why pillars or stone markers were introduced into their worship, and why they erected them where they had their sacred groves and later their temples, and also anointed them with oil…. This then is why ‘pillars’ mean a holy boundary, and symbolize Divine truth as expressed in the details of life.