Maybe even quarantine yourself until you have read every word. Quarantine is the March 2020 word of the month as a considerable number of people are needing to or being told to “self-isolate” for two weeks until they know for certain if they have or have not got coronavirus.

I read about a married couple on a quarantined cruise ship, holed up together for many days, who later said that they had found it a really positive experience. They rediscovered each other, came to treasure their time together against the backcloth of possible serious illness or worse, and spent a lot of time touching each other, laughing and being happy together. Maybe they told each other things they’d not said for years!

The word ‘quarantine’ itself means ‘forty’ which is a lot more than two weeks! Maybe quarantining began with some illness or plague which took a full forty days to manifest or work through. One association we know of about Swedenborg is that as a youngish man he broke quarantine on board a ship and came to shore in London (or somewhere) with a few others and he could have been executed for breaking the law. I think a friend of a friend put good words into someone’s ear and, wonderfully for us, he was allowed to live. But forty is also the number most associated spiritually with temptation. Noah’s ark rose up above the flood caused by forty days and nights of rain. Jesus was tempted by the ‘devil’ in the wilderness for forty days and nights. The Israelites were forty years in the wilderness – and there are many other instances of forty in the Bible. Interestingly, a google search on the Biblical meaning of forty brought up such things as ‘a very long time’, ‘trial and hardship’ and one I liked was ‘the best part of someone’s adult life’.

However you are being quarantined or tempted in your life, may the Lord be with you.

In preparation for New Church Day, we often focus on the promises in Revelation and Swedenborg’s writings about the holy city, the New Jerusalem, and the New Church. These promises are actually old promises as well. In the Hebrew Scriptures, Isaiah also told of new heavens and a new earth:

“See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind…
the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more.”
Isaiah 65: 17, 19

Revelation is a long letter written by the apostle John to the early Christian communities in what was then called Asia Minor, which is now most of Turkey. In the familiar Chapter 21, John reports a vision in which the One on the throne promises a New Jerusalem, and to make everything new.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. … I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem … descending out of heaven from God. … I heard a loud voice from the throne saying: “Look! The residence of God is among human beings. … He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. “Look! I am making all things new!”
Revelation 21: 1-5

Eight centuries earlier, the same promise had been made by the prophet Isaiah to Jewish communities. The promise was then repeated by Swedenborg almost seventeen centuries later, to established Christian communities in Europe. Swedenborg wrote about the New Jerusalem vision:

This symbolizes the New Church to be established by the Lord at the end of the previous one. … It is called a city … because of its teaching and its life in accordance with that teaching.
Apocalypse Revealed 879

Swedenborg restated the ancient prophecy as a “New Church” to be established on earth, which is in harmony with and affiliated with heaven. Clearly, this is an important promise, repeatedly given in the Judeo-Christian tradition and in many other religious traditions as well. It is a hope-filled promise of a new and better way of living.

Throughout human history, a “new church” always follows an advent of the Divine. It brings new teachings, and a new way of relating to the Divine. Isaiah 65 and Revelation 21 and Swedenborg’s writings all promise a beautiful time when people will live in ways that bring heaven on earth, and bring more input from the Divine into human lives. What does this mean for the world we live in today?

Today Swedenborgian/ New Church organisations are bringing onto earth their understanding of heaven and the Divine – amongst themselves, to their local communities, to international communities, and to online communities. Many social movements that have been in part influenced by Swedenborg’s work have made the world a better place. We can see this New Jerusalem in public education, child welfare, anti-slavery movements, and human rights. Despite violence, human trafficking, corruption, and terrorism, the new and more heavenly stands up to what is not consistent with the realm of the Divine. We are already seeing a world more in harmony with heaven, which is likely the descent of the Holy City and the beginning of the New Jerusalem around us.

Roslyn Taylor

But Google doesn’t tell us that the first issue of The New Age came into being that same year. I believe the very first issue is still available somewhere like the Swedenborg Centre. I imagine it came about for very much the same reasons that The New Age still gets produced: to give people a sermon to think about and hopefully help them in their lives; to hear about other New Church activities around the island of Australia (Federation would be 18 years later!); to review new books; to encourage articles and not least to provide another reason for feeling we all belong together.

Today we can put an issue of The New Age together in a few hours plus a few emails. Back then, there would be long waits to receive handwritten or typed contributions (manual typewriters were the state-of-the-art technology in the 1880s), then the printing (yes, letters A-Z were individually set in type-blocks) and the posting (colonial posting unity was only 10 years old in 1883).

It is a miracle and a mark of people’s dedication that The New Age took off and continued on. Today it is not a miracle and the ease of production doesn’t ask for much dedication. I think the main lesson of looking back at anything is for us not to take anything for granted because everything we have has come about and evolved through ink, ingenuity, trial and often, failure. Now, read on…

I guess most of us keep up with some of the daily news, however, we do that. And truly, right now, we are living in pivotal times. There’s the coming Trump/Kim summit, or by the time you get this, the recent meeting and outcomes from it. Add to this (which I would say is highly important) the recent scandals affecting certain financial institutions, the G7 summit with all its tariffs exchanges, the royal wedding, and the coming excitement of the Soccer World Cup. You will think of others of course.

Throughout my life, I have heard various people say that they never listen to the news because politics is a nasty business, a clownery, or because it is plain boring. And anyway, some say, people with a spiritual outlook on life should not be over-involved in the affairs of this world. Jesus said, ‘My kingdom is not of this world.’

However, I have known others who keep right in touch with the news, listening to the headlines several times a day, or watching some news program. One minister once said to me, “I simply must!” What I get from them is a very different picture than with the news-avoiders. They say that the world we currently live in now is all part of our scope for regeneration and that much of the world news is a theatre for our understanding of human nature and the workings of Divine Providence.

So whatever you decide, for or against news bulletins, do realise that divine providence will support your choice. It’s always there, with you, with world events, with the ‘rolling of the dice’, come what may, aiming for our best outcomes while granting us our personal freedoms. And those who don’t listen will lose out on some helpful areas for reflection, while those who do listen or watch will lose out on personal time and may develop a worldliness we would be better without. Perhaps we should hear the news just once a day.

I have watched Andrew Marr’s History of the World (UK Open University Course). The first of eight episodes was fascinating, but one event thrilled me. The Yangtze River in China floods every now and then causing havoc especially in ancient times. One mighty Chinese emperor ordered a huge dam to be made to stop the water ruining a large part of the country. The next flood simply smashed the dam to pieces and the land suffered as before.

He died and his son became the next Emperor. His son remembered his father’s dilemma and failure, and he ordered a very different solution to this flooding problem. He got thousands of workers to dig deep trenches over a wide area on both sides of the Yangtze River, dug like the branches of a tree. This took most of a year to complete.

When the river next flooded, the water naturally followed the lines of the trenches and dispersed, causing no damage and irrigating the vast land as it flowed. What a different and ingenious solution to a major problem!

While this is true history, it also provides a wonderful spiritual lesson for us. In our own management of how we handle situations we could use force, insistence and raw strength to make certain that we get things the way we want them. Emperor no. 1 method. Or we can collaborate, involve and work towards an agreed solution to whatever it is. Emperor no. 2 method.

Years ago I heard a radio talk on the difference between reacting and responding. They are very different. One looks only to ourselves in reaction against; the other looks towards others in legitimate response.? I do not think Jesus ever once reacted but the gospel story is packed with his loving and wise responses to so many people.

Most people think of ultimate in terms of time or in the future. People are ultimately going to die or pass on into the spiritual world. This world is ultimately going to come to an end and be uninhabitable (although Swedenborg for one is quite adamant that it isn’t going to end).

However, a new meaning of ultimate has crept in in recent years, meaning the best possible version of something. So we have the ultimate bicycle, the ultimate food mixer, and some holiday island is said to be the ultimate destination for perfect bliss.

In the New Church we have even another meaning for what is ultimate.
It’s where you are right now reading this editorial somewhere in the world on the ultimate plane of life. Here ultimate means the lowest or physical or most external level of existence.

Swedenborg uses the word ultimate to point out to us that we are at the bottom end (here) of the whole of creation. Higher up than us is the spiritual world with angels and evil spirits and new arrivals there, and higher than them is the Lord himself. We human beings are the ultimate plane for all the activity of the spiritual world that focuses on us here. We are like its stage or arena and the activity goes on most of all in our minds and hearts prompting us to think well or think badly.

And every Christmas present lovingly given is the ultimate gift conveying our love and appreciation in a tangible form.

And with such seasonal greetings for the Lord’s birth and the coming new year to you all, this editorial must ultimately come to an end.

I am going to be fairly personal in this editorial. We are due to retire next year around May possibly. With a house which we have lived in for 26 years, there is a lot of sorting out to be done, and yes, we have made a start.

I have a fairly big and reputable library, in many ways almost identical to that of any other New Church Minister! I have already given Lifeline a lot of boxes of books but visually it’s not made a big impression. I recently changed tack on downsizing and instead of choosing books I could get rid of, I have decided which books I will definitely keep. The rest will all go! And that will be around 70% of them gone. This made me think that spiritually, the same change works too. If we look at our life and wonder what we should stop doing, that’s a hard ask.

But if we look at our life and make up our mind what beliefs, attitudes, truths and values we will certainly keep, that is more purposeful and other things can be left to fall in line with these. I also, of course, have a lovely piano, except that it is 112 years old and it is gradually dying. So I have made the decision after 57 years of using it, to give it my thanks, have a final play ceremony, and swap it for a smaller modern piano. But bide my time and be very fussy over that choice.

Spiritually, it reminds us that during our lives we will part with various things and we should thank them for what they have given us. We will also move on from some people (thank you to them too!) and face the loss of loved ones which means a sense of separation before we meet in the spiritual world.

But it is a great truth that really we lose nothing at all.

Saying that the world is changing is a bit of a platitude because this will always be the case. But I imagine that all of us feel that the world is dramatically changing these days in all kinds of ways. It would be tempting to start elaborating on all the changes but this isn’t really the place for that.

With rapid extensive change, there is an even greater need for people to find and use what doesn’t change – what will not ever change – and be mindful of such things which are divine and eternal, and which are the laws which apply to our lives. Such laws direct us to what is true and what is good, and we know that these really matter.

Some of the changes going on in the world are actually good ones. We tend not to notice these as much as the others. But they’re certainly there. A greater transparency and accountability is just one example. Good changes like that and others are like a global version of what are hopefully good changes going on individually, in us. We call that the work of regeneration but it really means that we are aware of becoming surer and more faithful to what we believe.

This is gradual, maybe imperceptible, but hopefully noticeable. If we are working with the Lord, the Lord will always take us further on from where we were before. This is the way the Lord quietly blesses us and encourages us to keep it up. So, enjoy being in it and being a part.

Autumn is often a bit of a relief! We have certainly had a hot summer this year extending well into the first two months of 2017, probably breaking even more records. The sun is wonderful, enabling life to exist, and each of us and each living thing receives its own share – usually quite gently – of all that comes out from the mass of the sun.

In this way, the physical sun is the perfect representation of the Lord who equally and accommodatingly gives out love, truth and divine presence to all living things including each of us where we are; “For He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good…” (Matthew 5 v45)

When the sun we receive is so hot that it is dangerous, it is something else! I always pause a bit when I read these words from Psalm 121: “The sun shall not strike you by day nor the moon by night.” (v6) If the sun means the Lord, it could be thought that He might harm us or punish us in some way, but we know that the Lord does not do those things.

Every representation, or correspondence, can be applied to evil as well as good things. We can be refreshed by water but we could also drown.

It is the same with the sun. Yes, it is the Lord’s love and truth, but in this psalm the intensity of the sun stands for our (burning) self-love and self-righteousness. Little wonder that immediately before the verse I quoted it says, “The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade at your right hand.” He guards us so that this “sun” in us will not strike us.

I remember hearing about a New Church minister who said in a discussion about the sun being descriptive of the Lord, “Aah, the sun which hardens the clay yet softens the wax!” Now there is a meaningful thought for us to contemplate where we have hardened and softened.

David suggested that societies be invited to contribute what they do in this way. Some societies have responded to that call.

In fact, this work of natural charity can also be taken on by individual New Church people. They have their spiritual beliefs, they understand the heavenly doctrines, and they feel moved to help outwardly in a practical way. Probably very few people get to hear about it, but it is the work of the church, as something living, in them and from them.

But really, while that is very good, it is not the only desirable thing. A church community – any community in fact – should sometimes be seen to be actively helping others, as a church. If it isn’t, then surely something is not quite right. We can promote our teachings and so we should, but we should also promote and be seen to be involved with help and care. Not because it gives us credibility (which it does) but because we see this as the life of religion, which is to do what is good.

The timing of this theme of natural charity is good because it is coming up to Christmas and the Lord’s birth and our giving and receiving. We wish one another across the region a very happy and sacred Christmas. Let us also keep the meaning of Christmas with its themes of joy, birth, incarnation, visitations, poverty and even that census – a roll-call – keep it going into the coming year and include as we can our part in bringing the Lord to others in a practical way.