Blessed and Broken - sermon October 5 2014

“Blessed and Broken”

Alison Longstaff, October 5th, 2014

Bath Church of the New Jerusalem

Jeremiah 18:1-6; Luke 9:12-17; Heavenly Secrets 2343

           

       Take. Bless. Break. Share.

       Did you notice this progression in our reading from Luke today?

       Take. Bless. Break. Share.         

Whenever we find this progression in the New Testament, a communion is taking place. In today’s reading from Luke, Christ takes the meager offering of loaves and fishes, which is certainly never going to be enough to feed the large crowd; He blesses it and breaks it and gives it to the disciples to share.  And it becomes more than enough.  There is a message in that.

            Take. Bless. Break. Share.

            It struck me, as I researched this story, that this is what we can do in response to God’s gift of life to us: accept it, give thanks for it, break into it, and share it.  Also, this is what the gift of life does to us.  It comes on us and blesses us … and breaks us.           

          Life both blesses us and breaks us.  Loving others blesses us and breaks our hearts.  Living in community, as church and as family, brings untold blessings, and can break our spirits.  Nevertheless, there is something about that breaking that opens the way to a new richness in our souls and lives.

            Many of us here have parts of us that feel broken.  Though we do our best to look fine most of the time, we also hide the parts of ourselves that feel, well, “unsuitable for public consumption.” We all have memories of words and behaviors of which we are not proud. All of us at some point have said the wrong thing and hurt someone else’s feelings. We have all, at some point done the wrong thing and offended someone. For that matter, sometimes we do the right thing, and still someone misunderstands and gets offended.  No one can live in any real community for any length of time and not experience how communications can go wrong, good intentions can result in hurt, and resentments can erupt in sharp words.  Is there any congregation on this planet that has not had one scandal or another based on clashing personalities, conflicting control issues, poorly chosen words, or disappointed expectations?

Nadia Bolz-Weber, a tattooed pastor in Denver, Colorado, made famous for her colorful language and raw honesty, jokes that she thinks her church motto should be, “We will disappoint you.” She believes in reality over naive idealism.  She insists, “Any human community is flawed and will end up hurting people and not living up to their ideals.” So tells each new inquirer, “Listen. I need you to hear me say this: ‘At some point, this church will not meet your expectations. It will let you down. At some point I’ll say something stupid and hurt your feelings.’” She then invites each one to consider at the beginning if they are willing to continue in the community after that happens. “Because,” she says, “when we leave the minute our community disappoints us, we miss out on the way that grace can come in and fill in those cracks that are left behind from our brokenness and our mistakes, and it is too beautiful to miss.” (from the CBC radio show, "Tapestry" Season 20, Episode 3, "The Irascible Pastor") 

     Certainly we have all been offended or had our feelings hurt in this spiritual community or some other.  BUT we have also experienced being held close and cared for when we have been broken apart. That gift: that way a community can hold us together when we are at our most broken is one of the most meaningful aspects of being church together. Think about it. Recall some of the acts of kindness, great and small that have come your way simply because that is what we do.  Recall a time when you realized your small act of service made a difference, and how that felt.

            We are broken and we are blessed by each other. We cannot have one without the other, it seems.           

     In our Hebrew Testament reading we heard about a Potter throwing a pot on the potter’s wheel.  As we listen, the pot becomes deformed under the Potter’s hands.  Anyone who has attempted throwing pots knows how the clay seems to have a mind of its own. Either the clay is too wet or it is too dry, or there is an impurity in it that ends up causing a crack.  One minute the pot is shaping up nicely, and the next minute the clay thins too quickly, or it splits, or flops over from excess moisture. . . .  And the envisioned vessel becomes a broken blob.

            In my life I have often felt not so much like the useful vessel I intend to be but more like a broken blob.  Have you ever wondered if you were just too broken or flawed to ever become the person you dream you could be?

            But notice this: the pot is in the Potter’s hands while the deformity happens. It isn't that the Potter was careless, yet the pot is spoiled.  It isn't the Potter’s fault, and it isn't the clay’s fault either, even though the flaw is inherent in the clay.  This text is not telling us: “Be careful because you too might mess up like the pot.” No. This story is in God’s Word exactly this way because this is how life goes. We will be broken. We can’t help it. We come flawed. That’s not the point. The point is that we are held, known, and loved right through the brokenness and back to wholeness. The text is reassuring us that we are always in the Potter’s hands. He’s never faltered for a minute. We are already being made new.
      We never leave God’s hands. The brokenness is always a gateway to a new and more beautiful plan.

      A famous Leonard Cohen song says, “There is a crack, a crack in everything; but that’s how the light gets in.”  I’ve heard this quote so often, it has become cliché. Nevertheless it remains true. Sometimes the only way the light gets in is through our cracks.

     The cracks open a way for us to learn things we could learn no other way. Babies learn how to walk by falling down. Skiers and skaters learn balance through repeated spills. We learn how to love each other well, by loving clumsily and hurting each other sometimes first. And new pastors learn how to write good sermons only after inflicting some real clunkers on some long-suffering congregations. It is just what the process looks like.

            Besides, we’re the ones that want perfection straight out of the gate, not God.

            God designed a system in which being broken is part of the process.

         Honestly, in this very little denomination, inspired by the writings of a brilliant man, whom some considered a bit of a crack-pot, we of all people should recognize that sometimes the light gets in best through the cracks. Swedenborg saw visions; he talked to dead people; he said there are people living on the moon. But despite his oddness and his unorthodox teachings—many of which still leave us scratching our heads—his writings have also brought healing, enlightenment, and new hope to tens of thousands.  He has opened the Bible in a whole new way.  He has taught us about heaven and hell, the internal meaning to the Bible, about Love and Wisdom, and about salvation for peoples of all faith and all walks of life.

      So let’s hear it for crack-pots! Let’s hear it for anyone who is brave enough to speak their truth into a world that isn't ready to hear it. Let’s hear it for all the ways and means that God devises to help the light break through into our lives.

     After all, Jesus was considered a crack-pot. He certainly was broken for His efforts to speak the truth into an unready world. And He certainly blessed us by His willingness to be broken.  Perhaps that is part of what he was trying to tell us—that we need not fear brokenness. That brokenness is always the path to being made new.

        I think it is in our nature to fear our brokenness. We want to hide it, cover it over, and paint a smiley face on it. We feel sure that it means we are weak, that we are not good enough, that we should be ashamed, that we have failed.  But it is not so. It simply means we are human. It means we are alive.

            Take.  Bless.  Break.  Share.

         Isn't it so often true that our vulnerabilities end up being our strengths?

         Accept your life! Give thanks for it, for it is perfect, no matter how inadequate it may seem. Break into it, live it, eat it up, let it change you. And share the gifts you are given, no matter how meager they look in your hands. In God’s hands they become an overflowing abundance.

     Yes, this life can sometimes break us. But embrace it—all of it—for it is only through the breaking and the eating that we find and share our deepest blessings.

       Amen.

Rewritten from a sermon preached January 28^th, 2007, Kitchener, Ontario

Readings

Jeremiah 18:1-6 (NKJV)

The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying:  “Arise and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause you to hear My words.”  Then I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something at the wheel.  And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make.

 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying:  “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?” says the Lord. “Look, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel!

Luke 9:12-17 (NKJV)

When the day began to wear away, the twelve came and said to Him, “Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding towns and country, and lodge and get provisions; for we are in a deserted place here.”

But He said to them, “You give them something to eat.”

And they said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we go and buy food for all these people.” For there were about five thousand men.

Then He said to His disciples, “Make them sit down in groups of fifty.” And they did so, and made them all sit down.

Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude. So they all ate and were filled, and twelve baskets of the leftover fragments were taken up by them.

Heavenly Secrets 2343. “And they ate” means they accepted it and made it part of their life.  “Eating,” means accepting and ingesting, and so to make something a part of one’s life. “This is My Body;” and “this is My Blood” means the Lord's Divine Human and the Lord’s Holy Spirit, from which and by means of which come all life and salvation. That is why communion is so sacred. Whether you say “His Divine Human,” or “His Body”, or “His Flesh,” or “the Bread,” or “the Divine Love,” it is the same; for the Lord's Divine Human is pure Love.  It is being from Divine Love that makes something sacred.              

Water "Communion" and summer review

“The Waters of Our Lives”

Rev. Alison Longstaff, Sept 28, 2014

Psalm 37:23-29, Luke 9: 1-6; AE 453:11

This morning we celebrated our travels and activities over the summer.  I chose readings, prayers and hymns focused on water and travel, trust and community.  Overall, the focus was a celebration of our accomplishments so far, as we gird our loins for the upcoming year. The readings reminded us to trust in the Lord’s leading.  To trust, and trust some more, and keep on trusting.  They also speak of how we travel through life in community.  We need each other to get through.  God works through us and we can be God's presence for each other sometimes, while God is also directly with each one of us.


Instead of a children's talk we celebrated a "water communion"---a lovely ritual brought to us from the Unitarian Universalist tradition.  In it, we each came up and poured water into a common container, our baptismal font, naming the places we have been and what they meant to us.  We had vessels of all shapes and sizes, and water from near and far pouring into our common bowl.  It was beautiful to hear all the stories of where we have been and what we have celebrated.  It makes a special space to hear and see each other, which helps us to feel more connected and know more of each others' lives.
Then we watched a slide show of all the various activities and events that we have been part of as church members this summer, including the many pictures of the renovations to our building.  With a musical accompaniment, it celebrated all that we as a community are doing and how we are growing and loving each other along the way.  In creating it, I worked with the pictures I was able to find. Some events are better represented than others.  Some pictures are not from this year.  But overall, the presentation tried to capture the spirit of our group and of the many individuals who contribute to making BCNJ a vibrant spiritual community.
(Click on this link for the slide show)
Our Summer, 2014
This is BCNJs story for the summer.  May we go forward from here, strengthened in courage and hope, continuing to grow in love and wisdom and service to our community.
The Readings
Psalm 37:23-29 (ESV)The steps of a person are established by the Lord, when we delight in His way;though we fall, we will not be cast headlong, for the Lord holds us up by our hands.I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken     or his children begging for bread.He is ever lending generously, and his children become a blessing.Turn away from evil and do good; so shall you dwell forever.For the Lord loves justice; he will not forsake his saints. They are preserved forever, while the issue of the wrongdoers shall be cut off.The upright shall inherit the land and dwell upon it forever.

Luke 9 

When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases,  and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.  He told them: “Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt.  Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town.  If people do not welcome you, leave their town and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.”  So they set out and went from village to village, proclaiming the good news and healing people everywhere.

The Apocalypse Explained 453:11  [Regarding portions of Isaiah 33:15,17:] “to walk in honesty and to communicate justly,” means “to behave in all things according to loving-kindness, right-thinking and deep perception.” “To walk” means to live, “in honesty” is describing a person’s goodness, and “to communicate justly,” is describing a person’s truthfulness or thinking.  “The king in his beauty,” is describing each of us as we progress in wisdom, for a “king” means true thinking springing from compassion, and “beauty” means the consequent wisdom. The Divine truth in its most beautiful form is such wisdom. 

It's All About Relationship - a sermon

“It’s All About Relationship”

Rev. Alison Longstaff, September 14, 2014

Bath Church of the New Jerusalem

Leviticus 19:9-18; Matt 7: 1-6; Heavenly Secrets 7262

Right now I am reading a book called, “A Fountain Filled With Blood.”  It is a murder mystery set in upstate New York, with a female pastor as the protagonist. I did not pick it because of the cover, and definitely not because of the title.  I picked it because someone I love and respect recommended it.  In fact, it is the third book I am reading that Rev. Sarah Buteaux recommended, and I have yet to be disappointed. I trust her judgment.

When my kids were little, I befriended another mom of young kids on my street in Brampton, Ontario.  She and her husband were immigrants to Canada, and her husband dreamed of working at Motorola, where my husband worked.  I said we would see what we could do to help him get an interview.  Zoltan did apply to Motorola “through the front door” (or the standard way) but at the same time he also applied “through the back door” via a recommendation from my husband.  I kid you not, Zoltan was turned down for the job for the front door application, on the very same day that he was offered a job via the back door application. 

It truly is not what you know but who you know.  It is about human connection and trust.

We humans work through trust. We long for genuine human integrity.  We crave somebody and something to trust in and believe.  And we are drawn to those who seem trustworthy—we gravitate to those who are “real.”  Let’s face it, in today’s world, where the news broadcasters seem more interested in melodrama and ratings than unbiased coverage, where advertising is as trustworthy as the paper it is printed on, and where some big corporations treat their employees like slave-labor and their customers (politely) like shoe scrapings—Sam, did you get your refrigerator yet?  How many days has it been?—is it any wonder so many of us are jaded, suspicious, and unwilling to trust anybody’s word?

Once upon a time, a person’s word was their bond.  A person’s ability to keep their word shaped their reputation.  We didn’t have Google, we didn’t have television or radio. We didn’t even have newspapers.  We only had our experience, our intuition, and the word about town whether or not to trust the man who was selling us the camel.  We still use the saying, “what is the word on the street?” when we want to know the reputation or story about something.  We still say things like, “Take my word for it,” or, “Don’t take his word for it,” when discussing the reliability of information.  And word of mouth is still the hands down, number one, BEST form of advertising, because we trust our friends far more than a piece of paper or a TV commercial.

Your word.  My word.  In the beginning was the WORD.

            What do you want from your neighbor most?  Honesty or fakery?  To be objectified and used, or valued and respected?  Do you want trustworthiness, or promises that never pan out?  Therefore, how do you love your neighbor as yourself?  Be honest, respectful, and trustworthy!  “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”  Be as good as your word.

The heart of spirituality is genuine connection.  Spirituality is born from our relationship with God, is shaped by our relationship with ourselves, and is tempered by our relationships with each other. In Swedenborgianism, we call spiritual growth “regeneration,” and regeneration is the process by which we learn trustworthiness and healthy relationship. 

We all of us, every one, have pockets of shame, things we think we must hide, parts of us that drive us to manipulate others and to lie, and not even see that we are doing it.  It is easy to see when someone else is being passive-aggressive, or phony, or manipulative.  It is much harder to see it in ourselves.  But to the extent that you and I have pockets of shame and fear in ourselves, to the extent that we are hiding and not showing up in the world with our whole hearts and selves, to that extent you and I will be doing and being all those unattractive things too.

Spiritual growth, “regeneration,” the hero’s journey—call it what you like—that is our number one purpose here in this church and in this world.  We are here to serve our neighbor and be less selfish, yes. And the best most foundational way to do those things is to become more personally responsible for our word through self-awareness, humility, and courage. 

The fall in the Garden of Eden was because Adam and Eve felt they must hide from God.  (As if we can hide from God, or need to!) They saw their “nakedness” and were ashamed.  It is we who judge ourselves for our imperfections, we who think we must hide parts of ourselves to be loved and lovable.  But the hiding starts a spiral of dishonesty that leads to pretense, gossip, and judgment of others for their imperfections (because we think ours are so well hidden) until we are all hiding and judging and pretending.  As if we have it all together and everyone else has the problems!  We do this within our congregations, families, and workplaces. 

Is it any wonder we gasp with relief when we encounter someone who seems truly authentic?  Is it any wonder truly genuine people draw others to themselves because of their trustworthiness and lack of pretense?  The truly authentic are not trying to be “attractive,” they are trying to be real.  They are trying to be as good as their word.  A side-effect of their authenticity is attractiveness.  Brene Brown, who has leapt to fame and a big following because of her research on shame and whole-heartedness, did so not because she was smart (she is) or nice-looking (she is) or has a Ph.D (she does) but because she was willing to be completely open and vulnerable.  We crave that honesty.  We crave leaders who admit to their failings with humor and self-forgiveness, because it gives us room to be imperfect and still lovable too.

I am a CBC radio buff, and was completely captivated by one show about businesses that make their goal excellent customer service.  These businesses are not about profits, but about integrity.  Their goal is not growth, but they grow steadily and thrive because the word gets around that they are trustworthy.  Their businesses thrive, not because they have found the cheapest and most clever way to move product, but because they treat their customers WELL.

Regeneration starts with self-honesty.  In the twelve steps, the fourth and fifth steps are: “We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves,” and “We admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.”  This isn’t about shame. This is about removing the blocks in our own character to building healthy whole-hearted relationships with God, ourselves, and others.  Submission to this process brings out our most authentic selves.  It transforms each of us into who God meant us to be.

 

Regeneration or the path to authenticity shows up in many spiritualities by many names.  The twelve-step programs provide all sorts of tools to help us along the way.  A call to self-awareness and service to others is found in some form in Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and many other spiritualities.   There are all sorts of tools, classes, and programs, all of which can help us.  Never believe that only Christianity has the ticket to this salvation.  If it did, all Christians would be the most authentic and trustworthy people on the planet.

(And just as a side note, philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre saw jazz as an artistic representation of authenticity and relationship. How fun that we happened to find jazz musicians to accompany our worship about becoming more authentic!) 

           

This church wants to grow.  How do we grow?  Is it by being the smartest or rightest church?  No.  Is it by having the biggest most modern facility? Nope. Is it because we are doing the most in the community?  Not that either, though that would be nice.  It will be because we are genuine.  It will be because we are truly authentic in our presence in the world, as individuals, and therefore as a community.  Let us be trustworthy in our word and heart, let us be all about healthy inner and outer relationship, and the Lord will do the rest.

Do you want to feel more comfortable in the world and more at peace in your soul?  Set your relationship with the God of love and yourself right first. Do you want all your relationships to thrive?  Submit yourself to a discipline that calls out your own weaknesses and blind spots for healing and forgiveness. Do you want this church to grow?  Set yourself to the work of personal and congregational regeneration.  Become as good as your word.  And the word will get around.  Do your own inner work, and all these other blessings will happen naturally.  As we read in Matthew, “Seek first the kingdom of God, and all these things will be added unto you.” 

At 9:30 this morning, I was trying to find a perfect summation for this message to wrap it all up, and Barb made a great suggestion.  I think it fits my down-to-the-wire attempt to have a worthy message for you this morning along with everything else, and here it is:

“Tada!”

Amen

For further study and inspiration, I recommend these podcasts:

 “Satisfaction Guaranteed,” Talks a lot about L.L Bean, June 6 2014

http://www.cbc.ca/undertheinfluence/season-3/2014/06/07/satisfaction-guaranteed-1/

“Customer service,” March 28, 2014

http://www.cbc.ca/undertheinfluence/season-2/2013/03/16/tales-of-customer-service-1/ 

Enwaken radio, “Shifting from fear to flow.”

http://www.enwaken.com/meditations/breaking-the-fear-trance-shifting-from-fear-to-flow-enwaken-radio-episode-34/

The Readings:

Leviticus 19: 9-18 “When you harvest your crops, don’t reap the corners of your fields, and don’t pick up the stray grains of wheat from the ground.  It is the same with your grape crop—don’t strip every last piece of fruit from the vines, and don’t pick up the grapes that fall to the ground. Leave them for the poor and for those traveling through, for I am the Lord your God.

“You must not steal nor lie nor defraud. You must not swear to a falsehood, thus bringing reproach upon the name of your God, for I am the Lord.  You shall not rob nor oppress anyone, and you shall pay your hired workers promptly. If something is due them, don’t even keep it overnight.  You must not curse the deaf nor trip up a blind man as he walks. Fear your God; I am the Lord.

“You must do no injustice in court. You must not be partial to the poor nor to the powerful, but with justice be completely fair in your dealings. 

Do not gossip. Do not spread rumors about each other, for I am the Lord.

“Do not despise your neighbor. Reprimand the one who sins; and don’t turn a blind eye, or you will share in the guilt.  Do not seek vengeance. Do not bear a grudge; but love your neighbor as yourself, for I am the Lord.

Matt 7 1-6, 12

“Judge not, that you be not judged.  For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the tiny splinter that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the giant beam that is in your own eye?  Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the splinter out of your eye,’ when there is the beam in your own eye?  You hypocrite, first take the giant beam out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the splinter out of your brother's eye.

 “Therefore whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”

Heavenly Secrets 7262.  In actual fact the Word consists of nothing else than teachings about love to the Lord and love towards the neighbor, just as the Lord also teaches in Matthew (22:37-40), “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself. From these two commandments spring all the Law and the Prophets.

“The Law and the Prophets” mean here the whole Word.

“Why have you deceived me?” - When God Lets Us Down - a sermon

“Why have you deceived me?” - When God Lets Us Down

Rev. Alison Longstaff, Aug 10, 2014

Fryeburg Church of the New Jerusalem

Genesis 29:14-30, and Luke 11: 5-13; DP 221

‘So Jacob said to Laban, "What is this you have done to me? I served you for Rachel, didn't I? Why have you deceived me?"’

Who can hear the story of Jacob and Rachel and not feel indignant on Jacob’s behalf?  Jacob worked seven years for Rachel, the beautiful woman whom he loved, and yet the morning after the wedding, he discovers that it is Rachel’s older, less attractive sister Leah in his marriage bed and not Rachel.

(Okay, let’s not get into how Rachel felt about this arrangement, or the little cultural detail of women being property that can be promised, earned, swapped, and/or given away. Or how Jacob didn't even notice the little switcheroo until the next morning—how drunk was he?  Let alone how Leah felt about the whole thing!  Stinks to be Leah!  BUT, setting aside all that, and identifying with Jacob as we are intended to do…)  

Who can hear this and not feel indignant on Jacob’s behalf?

Jacob did everything he was supposed to do, and yet didn't get the reward promised to him. It was a bait and switch.  Yes, he got Rachel in the end, but this whole story just leaves a bad taste in the mouth.  Why is it in the Bible?  What lesson are we supposed to learn from this story?

Are we to learn that we can do everything right and still not have our prayers answered? Are we to believe that God is fickle and arbitrary and we are simply at the Divine whim and mercy?—that God can pull a bait and switch on us, and that is just the way God is? 

No.  That is not what we are to learn.  This story is about persistence in the spiritual journey. This story is teaching us that sometimes we shoot for a goal and fall short, and that we are to keep trying until we hit the mark.  This story is about God’s mercy and loving kindness in not granting us something we desire until we, not God, are absolutely ready for it.

Take a look at this law of Divine Providence:

“The means by which a person is led by the Lord are what are called the laws of the Divine Providence; and among these is this, that a person is admitted interiorly into the truths of wisdom and into the goods of love only so far as he or she can be kept in them right on to the end of life.”  (DP §221)

Note: it says a person is granted these good things “only so far as he or she can be kept in them right on to the end of life.”  That means that God won’t allow us to achieve any spiritual milestone or earn any spiritual truth or goodness until we can hold on to it without backsliding—until we are spiritually mature enough to maintain it from that moment on to eternity.    That is a key thing to remember when studying our text for today.  In the spiritual sense of the Bible, this story is about how God does grant us our dream come true, in its right time, and what that process looks like.

The Bible is always about the spiritual journey—yours, mine, and that of the whole human race.  So though the stories are cloaked in physical/natural images and sometimes include some unpleasant content, the inner story is always about spiritual and eternal values and point to our greatest happiness.

The story of Jacob, Leah, and Rachel, highlights the value of our own persistence, and the necessity of absolute trust in the Lord’s leading.  We don’t know when we are spiritually ready for something, no matter how we may feel personally, and it is a kindness, not an insult that God allows us to achieve new spiritual states only when we are completely ready.

God’s perspective always includes details that we cannot see.  God ALWAYS says yes to every prayer, if it is regarding our own or anyone else’s spiritual well-being.  We often cannot see how God has said yes to our prayer until much later.  And in the mean time, it often looks like God has said “no” and even sometimes puts massive setbacks in our path as well. 

Things can and do go wrong from our perspective, so much so sometimes that we find ourselves looking at God, as Jacob looked at Laban, and saying, ‘“What is this you have done to me?”’

So let’s look at the Jacob story a little more closely.

Swedenborg takes the Jacob and Laban story sentence by sentence, and sometimes word by word explaining the internal meaning in his book Arcana Caelestia (or Secrets of Heaven). Just this one story goes on for pages and PAGES!  Today I will give us all a very condensed summary, in as plain speech as I am able.  Swedenborg’s abstract way of talking can be pretty heady, but I’ll do my best.  So…..

“Laban” is the part of us that parents our various levels of spiritual love.

'And Leah's eyes were weak' means that our first capacity to see and respond to the Lord’s truth is relatively short-sighted.  It is not a very beautiful form of spirituality, but it is a necessary step in our journey and cannot be bypassed. 

'And Rachel was beautiful in form and beautiful in appearance' is saying that the more developed spirituality (in which we have a deep love for the Lord and therefore a much deeper understanding of life and truth) is a much more desirable spirituality. Rachel is where we all want to end up.  She is beautiful for good reason.

However, our first understanding of truth and what living a truly good life means is fairly shallow.  It tends to be simplistic and more about rules.  That’s Leah.  Leah comes first because that is what we do first as spiritual beings—we can’t help it.  Beginner violinists sound like beginner violinists and every one of us starts out spiritual life relatively short-sighted and spiritually dense.  However, every aspect of what we learn in our “Leah” state of spirituality provides an essential foundation upon which God can build in us the more beautiful and mature “Rachel” spirituality.  It is Rachel that we long for, and Rachel that God intends us to have.

There are so many great gems of wisdom in this story. I am skipping over so much so that we can get out of here before 10:00, but I want you to know how much there is I’m not even telling you!  For example, Swedenborg has a whole section on the difference between Leah and Rachel as they manifest in our lives, basically illustrating the difference between a “spiritual life” as guided by poor judgment vs. one guided by a much deeper wisdom and understanding.

Then there is a very beautiful section about the love Jacob has for Rachel.  This is the strong desire God implants in each of us to seek an ever more wise understanding of God because of the tremendous comfort and beauty this wisdom brings to our lives. 

Then we come to the discussion of finding Leah in the marriage bed instead of Rachel.  Here Swedenborg tells us that to the extent that we continue to be attached to and care about materialistic and earth-bound values, to that extent the Lord will not allow us to attach to deeper, spiritual values, even though we want to.  This is not a judgment on us but a protection.  We don’t allow small children to play with the fine art and breakables, nor have access to the sharp knives, etc. because little children are not mature enough to use them properly.  They could do great harm out of ignorance and clumsiness.  It is the same with us and the great spiritual tools and treasures that God so desperately wishes us to have.  God is wise enough to keep us and them safely apart until we are ready.

And so periodically we, too, wake up to ourselves and realize that we are nowhere near where we wish to be spiritually.  This is a deeply disappointing discovery and is represented by Jacob’s indignation.

So we come to the key lines that inspired me to dig into this subject matter: 'And he said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? And why have you cheated me?”'

This whole story seemed so unfair that I had to know what was going on in the internal sense. It fascinated me to realize that the angels also feel similar feelings when they hear this story, though they understand it on a much deeper level.

We read in Swedenborg:

“There are two parts to the internal sense of the Word—affections and subject-matter. The affections lying within expressions of the Word are not visible to humans but are hidden away deep within. Nor can they be visible since a person during life on the earth is governed by earthly and bodily concerns, which have nothing in common with the affections present in the internal sense of the Word. That sense contains a flow of feelings which belong to spiritual love and to the most heavenly love—feelings which people are scarcely able to imagine because they are so rare on earth. These affections that belong to spiritual love and to the most heavenly love manifest themselves in loving-kindness towards the neighbor and in love to God. These are the tender feelings which, in great variety have been stored away in the internal sense of the Word, residing not only in every sentence but also in every expression, indeed in every detail. And they reveal themselves to angels when the Word is read by humans from a state of simple goodness and innocence.”  Heavenly Secrets 3839

When we read the Word, the angels read it too, but hear it on an entirely different level.  Perhaps that is why we can feel so comforted by it, even when we don’t understand it.  The angels who are with us when we read the Word do understand it and are filled with delight, for the spiritual meaning is always full of hope and promise.  We may not understand it, but simply reading the Word still does a great deal of good. Even reading stories as strange as this one about Jacob and Laban, Leah and Rachel.

So now when we read that Laban said, ‘It is not done that way in our place,’ can you understand the meaning in a whole new way?  This isn’t about an ancient custom of not allowing a younger sister to be married before an older one, nor is it sanctioning polygamy, nor is it sanctioning betrayal and dishonesty.  In the inner meaning it is simply saying, “On the spiritual journey, you must pass through all the preparatory stages of spiritual growth before you achieve the highest and most blessed spiritual states.”

Well that seems fair and sensible.

In the natural story it is neither fair nor sensible, especially to our modern ears.  But the inner meaning is telling an entirely different tale.  It is the tale of God’s very wise and careful preparation of us for heaven.

So Laban commands Jacob, 'Complete this week' which represents God urging us to continue in our diligent pursuit of a truly spiritual and heavenly life.  Yes, we wake up to our failings, and project our failings onto God, while God encourages us to keep trying.

This is where I must mention our quirky New Testament parable.  It is a parable that basically says, “If you are irritating enough, God will answer your prayers.”  A man has come late at night and is bothering his friend for help, knocking and knocking on the door until the homeowner gets up.  Picture the homeowner opening his upstairs window and yelling at the man to go away in not so very gentle language.  But the man just keeps bugging the homeowner until he gets what he needs.  The quote from Luke is this: (11: 8) “yet because of the man's shameless audacity he [the homeowner] will get up and give him as much as he needs.” The word “shameless audacity” in the Greek is “Anaideia” which could also be translated impudence, persistence, or insolence. Essentially the quote says, “Yet because of the man's impudence, persistence, and insolence, the homeowner will get up and give him as much as he needs.”

What a funny parable!  It implies that God is overwhelmingly busy and tired, and if we want to get our needs met, we must make pests of ourselves!  What this text is really about is the necessity of our own persistence in the spiritual quest.  WE are served by our own persistence.  Our diligent labour towards something we desire teaches us on a cellular level how valuable is the goal.  The harder won any prize is, the more cherished it will be, yes?  God knows this and uses this for our benefit.  And so, despite disappointments, we must persist.

'And he gave him Rachel his daughter for his wife' means the joining of the goodness achieved (so far) with the affection for deep, inner truth. We read in Swedenborg:

“The reason these shallow affections (Leah) are the means by which truth is joined to good is that not one single truth of doctrine, nor indeed any item of knowledge, can find a home in anyone except by means of affection or feeling. For affections hold life within themselves, but truths which belong to doctrine and knowledge cannot hold any life within themselves apart from those affections.”  

Haven’t we all experienced this?  We simply cannot learn or retain any knowledge unless there is some motivation or passion driving us to learn.  So God makes sure that these deep inner truths will be joined up with good affections, and that takes time.

Genuine deep affections do arrive in the process of time, but not until a person is ready.

'And he came [in] also to Rachel' means finally we come into a genuine affection for deep inner truth. 'And he loved Rachel also, more than Leah' means we love that deep inner truth much more than the shallow, more external truth. And we are told, this love for genuine, inner truth is “holiness itself.”

What I’d like to leave you with is this: God never lets us down. Life throws a lot of stuff at us that looks pretty rotten, but God has a bigger picture in mind: God makes sure we are fully ready for our own intoxicatingly beautiful “Rachel”-spirituality before “she” is granted. God asks us only to persist, and reminds us that there are no short-cuts, no matter how impatient we may be.

God’s plan is always bigger than we think.  God has plans for a future more beautiful than we dare dream. Our part is to persist in the journey and insist on God’s help.  Life does let us down sometimes.  People and circumstances can seem to be radically unfair sometimes.  So trust in God’s plan, for God will never let you down.  Amen.

Originally preached Aug 1, 2010: Church of the Good Shepherd, Kitchener, Ontario

The Readings

Genesis 29: 14-30 After Jacob had stayed with him for a whole month, ¹⁵ Laban said to him, “Just because you are a relative of mine, should you work for me for nothing? Tell me what your wages should be.”

¹⁶ Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. ¹⁷ Leah had weak^[a] eyes, but Rachel had a lovely figure and was beautiful. ¹⁸ Jacob was in love with Rachel and said, “I’ll work for you seven years in return for your younger daughter Rachel.”

¹⁹ Laban said, “It’s better that I give her to you than to some other man. Stay here with me.” ²⁰ So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her.

²¹ Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife. My time is completed, and I want to make love to her.”

²² So Laban brought together all the people of the place and gave a feast. ²³ But when evening came, he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob, and Jacob made love to her. ²⁴ And Laban gave his servant Zilpah to his daughter as her attendant.

²⁵ When morning came, there was Leah! So Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? I served you for Rachel, didn’t I? Why have you deceived me?”

²⁶ Laban replied, “It is not our custom here to give the younger daughter in marriage before the older one. ²⁷ Finish this daughter’s bridal week; then we will give you the younger one also, in return for another seven years of work.”

²⁸ And Jacob did so. He finished the week with Leah, and then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife. ²⁹ Laban gave his servant Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her attendant. ³⁰ Jacob made love to Rachel also, and his love for Rachel was greater than his love for Leah. And he worked for Laban another seven years.

Luke 11: 5-13  ⁵ Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; ⁶ a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ ⁷ And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ ⁸ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.

⁹ “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ¹⁰ For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

¹¹ “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead?¹²  Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? ¹³ If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Divine Providence 221. The means by which a person is led by the Lord are what are called the laws of the Divine Providence; and among these is this, that a person is admitted interiorly into the truths of wisdom and into the goods of love only so far as he or she can be kept in them right on to the end of life.