Rev. David Fekete

Religious people may have mixed feelings about the Covid-19 virus. In addition to the strange new restrictions on our social life, the growing numbers of sick, and the death toll, religious people may want to force meaning onto this pandemic.

I think that we are in a kind of state of shock as we try to understand what is going on. Religious people may ask why this is going on. But asking theological questions while in a state of shock, or panic, is not wise.

The first thing that Swedenborgians would assert is that this is not punishment from God. God doesn’t punish. From one way of looking at it, you could say that God can’t punish. God is good and can do only good. God can do only loving things. God does only loving things. God does only good to us. Consider this quote from Swedenborg,as He wills only what is good he can do nothing but what is good. . . .

“From these few statements it can be seen how deluded those are who think, and still more those who believe, and still more those who teach, that God can damn any one, curse any one, send any one to hell, predestine any soul to eternal death, avenge wrongs, be angry, or punish. He cannot even turn Himself away from humanity, nor look upon anyone with a stern countenance.” (True Christianity n. 56).

So Swedenborgians would say that the pandemic is not punishment from God. The pandemic is not a sign of the Last Days. The Book of Revelation talks about a plague coming in the Last Days. Swedenborgians say that the Book of Revelation is about what goes on inside us. The battles and plagues and earthquakes are symbolic of our spiritual struggles. After all, Jesus said, “The kingdom of God does not come visibly. Neither will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is.’ For the kingdom of God is inside.”

There have been several “plagues” in my lifetime. There was h1n1, swine flu, and the sars virus. Either one of these could have been called the plagues pointing to the end times. Then there was the Black Plague of the middle ages. That happened in the 14thcentury. People then thought that they were in the end times. But we got through all these plagues and forgot about them and the end times. And we will get through this.In these hard times, more than ever, we need to think about our neighbor.

We need to practice social distancing to protect ourselves and our neighbors. Many of us will experience financial hardships. Those of us who are fortunate financially are in a position to wisely help out when they can and as they are able. I don’t mean to minimize the difficulties we will go through in the months ahead. But we will get through it.

Now, more than in times of prosperity, neighbor love is needed. As we all struggle through the uncertainty, fear, and hardships, love will get us through. And though we practice social distancing, we are not alone. God is going through this with us. “Behold I am with you always.” Let’s be with one another, too, always.

Rev. Kit Billings of LaPorte New Church in LaPorte, IN, shares a message of hope and faith amid the global COVID-19 crisis. How can a Swedenborgian image of an endlessly and indiscriminately loving God help us in times of challenge?

Click below for Rev. Kit’s printable PDF sermon:

Do Not Fear – Remember the Basics

Rev. Kit Billings, his wife Penny, and their daughter Julia moved to LaPorte, Indiana in 2012, where he is Pastor of the LaPorte New Church, a historic Swedenborgian sacred space.

Kit enjoys ministering with people of all ages, and supporting others in their journey of growth with the Lord.

Rev. Sage Cole and her team at Swedenborg Chapel in Cambridge, MA, right by Harvard Square, continue their exciting and proactive work establishing the Helen Keller Center Spiritual Life Center, to be housed at the Chapel.

The Center will celebrate and continue on the legacy of one of the most notable and well-known Swedenborgians: The activist, writer and thinker Helen Keller (1880-1968), who stands out in American history as an embodiment of the Swedenborgian ideals of useful service and active faith through her passionate advocacy for women’s rights, disabled rights, racial and social equality, and non-violence, among other causes.

The Helen Keller Spiritual Life Center will provide a space for spiritual growth programs, education, non-profit and social justice work, and hopes to become a hub for many kinds of active service in the spirit of Helen Keller.

Here’s a video with a recent update, and an invitation to join the effort:

If you are interested in hearing more about the Center and Rev. Sage’s work around Helen Keller, you can catch her at one of her presentations! Here are some upcoming dates:

Of course, you can find more information at the Center’s website at 

www.hkslc.org

In this sermon, Rev. Robert McCluskey of Wayfarer’s Chapel in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA, Rev. Robert McCluskey discusses the Swedenborgian perspective on the ideas of “heroes” and “saints”.

Click below for a printable PDF version of Rev. McCluskey’s sermon:

_”Heroes, Saints, and Nobodies”_- Rev. Robert McCluskey

Rev. Robert McCluskey, B.A., M.A., is a graduate of the Swedenborg School of Religion, and was ordained into the Swedenborgian Church of North America in 1984.

Rev. McCluskey has pastored Swedenborgian churches in Portland, Maine and New York City, and for 17 years served as Swedenborgian representative to the National Council of Churches. 

He currently serves Wayfarer’s Chapel, the National Monument to Emanuel Swedenborg, in Rancho Palos Verdes, California.

Birrell Walsh, PhD, discusses the teachings of the influential Greek mystic/philosopher Diatima, and their relation to Swedenborgian love-theology.

Click below for a printable PDF version of the talk:

The Tantric Teacher of Ancient Greece

Birrell Walsh, PhD is a writer and scholar of comparative religion and mysticism. He has written several novels, as well as poetry and the book “Praying for Others”. He is a regular contributor to “Our Daily Bread”.

Birrell is an active member of the Swedenborgian community at Hillside, an Urban Sanctuary, in El Cerrito, California, where he lives with his wife Nancy.

To explore more of his work, visit http://btwreviews.com/

In this sermon, Rev. Kit Billings discusses the essential Swedenborgian concept of angelic beings, and how they form an integral part of spiritual reality, which effects us deeply in our own inner (and outer) journeys.

Click below for a printable PDF version of Rev. Kit’s message:

“Your Angel Allies” – Rev. Kit Billings

Rev. Kit Billings, his wife Penny, and their daughter Julia moved to LaPorte, Indiana in 2012, where he is Pastor of the LaPorte New Church, a historic Swedenborgian sacred space.

Kit enjoys ministering with people of all ages, and supporting others in their journey of growth with the Lord.

In this sermon, delivered and recorded at the San Francisco Swedenborgian Church on January 5, 2020, Rev. Junchol Lee explores the depth of symbolism in biblical and mythological narratives from a Swedenborgian angle.

Rev Junchol Lee – “The Raven and the Dove” (Jan 5, 2020):

Rev, Junchol Lee is pastor at the historic San Francisco Swedenborgian Church in San Francisco, CA. He enjoys integrating Eastern and Westerm philosophy and spirituality, eriching his community with deep insight into the teachings of Daoism and Buddhism. He lives with his family in San Francisco.

sfswedenborgian.org

In this Advent sermon, Rev. Kit Billings discusses the themes of light and darkness, and how the biblical story of the Advent and Nativity of Christ relates to our own inner struggle for meaning and illumination.

Click below for a printable PDF version of Rev. Kit’s sermon:

“While Shepherds Watched” – Rev. Kit Billings

Rev. Kit Billings, his wife Penny, and their daughter Julia moved to LaPorte, Indiana in 2012, where he is Pastor of the LaPorte New Church, a historic Swedenborgian sacred space.

Kit enjoys ministering with people of all ages, and supporting others in their journey of growth with the Lord.

In this Advent sermon, Rev. Shada Sullivan discusses the ancient image of the “Peaceable Kingdom”, and how its inner and outer manifestation is reflected in a Swedenborgian understanding of the power if the Advent story.

Click below for a printable PDF version of Rev. Shada’s sermon:

The Peaceable Kingdom – Rev. Shada Sullivan

Rev. Shada Sullivan is a graduate of United Lutheran Seminary in Philadelphia and The Center for Swedenborgian Studies in Berkeley, CA. She grew up in Australia, and  came to the United States in 1994 to attend Bryn Athyn College, a small Swedenborgian liberal arts college outside of Philadelphia. She has spent time as a chaplain as a stay-at-home Mom, and as leader of the sermon writing team at NewChurch Live (newchurchlive.tv). She now lives in Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania, with her husband and two children and serves the Church of the Holy City in Wilmington, Delaware as Pastor.