New Church Westville Weekly Sermon Podcast New Church Audio

Last week we explored how the Last Judgment is not a future event that will sweep away all the evil of the world and bring an end to all our issues, but rather a spiritual event that took place hundreds of years ago, paving the way for us to freely deal with our issues. That was not the only thing that happened though: at the same time the Lord made His Second Coming, His long-awaited return to Earth. He made His advent not by appearing in person however, but through a series of books that we know today as the Heavenly Doctrines, or the Teachings of the New Church. This Sunday we’ll talk about how the Lord comes to each one of us through these new ideas.

One of the most astonishing teaching of the New Church is that the Last Judgment and the Second Coming of the Lord have already taken place... and hardly anyone noticed! This is because they are spiritual events rather than physical ones. This Sunday we'll talk about how a Last Judgment, which took place in the spiritual world hundreds of years ago, paved the way for a new spiritual era and impacts all of us even today. Then the following Sunday we'll explore how the Lord can come again into our lives, as His Second Coming continues with every individual.

With the recent elections many of us are reflecting on the future of this country. There is a decent amount of fear and worry, along with some hope perhaps. But how are we to think of these things spiritually? Sometimes we separate the political from the spiritual as if they are totally distinct parts of life. But the realm of laws and governance is supposed to be a support for a moral and spiritual society. If that support is shaky, morality and spirituality suffer. But regardless of the despair or hope we may feel, the Lord calls us to remember to put our trust in Him, and believe that He is still in charge, regardless of the apparent outcomes.

The Lord asks us to see in a new way.  Maybe that is why healing from blindness was a such a common miracle.  But it was not physical blindness the Lord healed but spiritual blindness as well.

Anxiety is all around us in today’s world. It is in ourselves, our friends, our communities. Does this abundant anxiety exemplify a lack of faith in the Lord? Not necessarily. It is true that faith in the Lord can help overcome anxiety; and as we grow in faith we may find that anxiety lessens. But as long as we love what is good, we will feel fear when that good thing is put at risk. The real question is what will we do with the anxiety that we feel, and can we be motivated by it to make a more loving, safe, world?

And she made a vow, saying, “LORD Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.”
(1Samuel 1:11)