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The Messenger Published by the Swedenborgian Church of North America Volume 235• Number 3 • March 2013

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The Messenger Published by the Swedenborgian Church of North America Volume 235• Number 3 • March 2013 the Messenger Published by the Swedenborgian Church of North America Volume 235• Number 3 • March 2013 189th Annual Convention: Heaven Is Now: Living Spirit in Service By Kit Billings Come to Urbana his summer, the theme June 26–30, 2013 of our an- he 189th Annual Conven- nualT church con- tion of the Swedenborgian vention in Urbana, Church (the General Con- Ohio, is Heaven Is Tvention of the New Jerusalem) will Now: Living Spir- take place June 26–30 in Urbana, it in Service. This is Ohio, on the campus of Urbana one among many of the very special University. This is the institution of theological views of the New Church. higher learning inspired by Johnny Instead of primarily looking at heaven Appleseed’s suggestion and the gen- as some distant spiritual reality that is Swedenborgian Church Convention erous donations and collective work far away, something that we will only June 26–30, 2013, Urbana, Ohio of a number of Swedenborgians liv- experience after death, our church ing in Ohio around 1850. It was the sees heaven as a spiritual reality and in all natural life. It influences the very second college in America open to energy of love and wisdom, which is substance and forms of the natural women and was based on Sweden- intimately flowing into life here and universe, revealing itself through the borgian principles of learning and now! That is, heaven’s light of love, faces of infants, in the beauty of a sun- regeneration of the whole person, goodness, and healing (which are God) rise, or of the morning sun shining glo- including spiritual growth. are organically flowing into life now. riously upon everyone and everything, After testing a shorter session last Yes, heaven is constantly flowing and within the constant, warm beating year, the convention has been re- within the atoms that make up our of your own heart. And this energy of turned to its full length, with min- physical reality, and the Divine Spirit love and wisdom moves through life as Continues on page 38 remains present and available to inspire a pure desire to be useful, to be of ser- us for meaningful living. The Lord our vice to others. God did say, “Yea, I am with you al- Heaven indeed is now, and it is a ways, even until the end of time.” deeply inspiring force that longs to Heaven is also the spiritual home make a positive difference in the lives for good people after natural death, for of others. We find this spiritual reality those who lived heavenly love and wis- reflected often in God’s Word, for ex- dom while on earth, whose ruling or ample when Christ said, “The Son of central love inside is good and true. Man did not come to be served, but Heaven as a living, shining, healing, to serve, and to give his life as a ran- and powerful spiritual dimension is ev- som for many” (Matthew 20:28). And Bailey and Barclay Halls, Urbana University erywhere and constantly flowing with- Continues on page 31 3 Kings—SPLATz Retreat in La Porte • Swedenborg in Cuba • Call for Nominations More Inside: A Detective Story: New Contestations on Swedenborg’s Biography • Angels in the Garden Temenos Community Is Reaching Out • Borges, Swedenborg, and Mysticism 26 the Messenger March 2013 The Editor’s Desk Letter to the Editor But this is done by design. Our read- ership is composed of individuals who Chrysalis are seriously looking for spiritual re- Convention 2013 Many thanks for your fine re- sources; they are not looking for THE While you are view of Patterns: Make ‘Em and Break answer, but for many possibilities. For fighting the win- ‘Em in the February 2013 issue of the nearly thirty years, Chrysalis has tan- ter doldrums by Messenger. talized these readers—both Sweden- c ont e mpl a t i n g Your comment, however, in the sec- borgians and non-Swedenborgians— the coming sum- ond paragraph about the Swedenbor- by raising universal issues and show- mer, think about gian content in Patterns may be mis- ing the relevancy of the New Church the pleasures of joining the annually read as a shortcoming of Chrysalis. perspective standing side by side with assembled community of Swedenbor- True, not every poem, essay, and other viewpoints. gians called the Annual Convention, story explores or references “Sweden- On the back cover of Patterns, the this year in Urbana, Ohio. Make your borg or Swedenborgianism directly.” comment by Dr. Mehmet Oz sums plans now to avoid conflicts in your it up, saying these are real-life peo- schedule; registration forms will be ple with real-life spiritual issues as de- available soon at swedenborg.org and and encouraging to note that an inter- scribed by Swedenborg. next month in the Messenger. est in Swedenborg is alive and well in —Robert F. Lawson, editor, Chrysalis Cuba, an interest that goes all the way Cuba back to Cuba’s liberator, José Martí. The Messenger is pleased to have a re- I have a particular interest in the re- the Messenger port from the recent New Church Swe- port from Cuba, having been one of © The Swedenborgian Church of North America denborgian conference held in Cuba the fortunate members of a the dele- Published monthly except July and August by this past January (page 29). It is grati- gation to Cuba from the Cambridge the Communications Support Unit of the Swe- denborgian Church of North America (founded fying to read about this effort to extend Church in 2000. We visited several re- 1817, incorporated 1861 as the General Conven- tion of the New Jerusalem in the United States of the reach of Emanuel Swedenborg’s ligious institutions, and the highlights America), Ken Turley, president. writings and revelations to Cubans of the trip revolved around exploring March 2013 and the larger (and very large) Span- Havana with Ray Guiu, a member of Volume 235, No. 3 Whole Number 5378 ish-speaking world. It is interesting the Cambridge Church who was born Editor: Herbert Ziegler and grew up in Cuba and then emi- Design and production: Herbert Ziegler grated to the US, met Rev. Everett Copy editor: Robert Leith Contents Proofing: Beki Greenwood & Renée Helenbrecht Bray and his daughter Elizabeth, mar- Communications Support Unit: Ros Taylor, Steve 189th Annual Convention: ried Elizabeth, and eventually settled Sanchez, & Kristina Madjerac, Heaven Is Now: in East Bridgewater, Massachusetts, Reproduction: Gnomon Copy, Cambridge, MA Living Spirit in Service ............. 25 where they now reside. -Herb Ziegler Editorial Address: The Editor’s Desk .......................... 26 Herb Ziegler, The Messenger Letter from the President ............ 27 2 Hancock Place 3 Kings—SPLATz Retreat Cambridge, MA 02139 in La Porte................................ 28 Tel: 617.491.5181 Swedenborg in Cuba ................ 29 Church Calendar Email: [email protected] Call for Nominations ................... 30 • April 13: General Council telecon- Business and Subscription Address: A Low-Cost Maine Vacation The Messenger, Central Office ference meeting 11 Highland Avenue and Event Spot ....................... 31 Newtonville, MA 02460 A Detective Story: New • April 15: Reports due for inclusion in Advance Reports Tel: 617.969.4240 Contestations on Email: [email protected] Swedenborg’s Biography ...... 32 • May 3–4: SHS Board of Trustees Subscriptions: free online subscription at Temenos Community Is meeting • Berkeley, California www.swedenborg.org. Printed and mailed to US Reaching Out ......................... 33 address, $20/year; to Canada address, $30/year; to SHS Conflict of Interest Policy ..... 34 • May 24–27: West Coast Memorial all other addresses, $35/year; single copies, $2.00, Day Retreat • Sonoma, California Libraries, prisoners, free. Other requests, write Borges, Swedenborg, Central office. and Mysticism ........................ 36 • May 24–27: SCYL Memorial Day Deadline for submissions is six weeks before Angels in the Garden ................. 37 Retreat • FNCA, Fryeburg, Maine the first day of the month of issue. Passages ...................................... 39 The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect News from the Online • June 26–30: 189th Annual Conven- the views of the editor, the Communications Sup- Community ............................. 40 tion • Urbana, Ohio port Unit, or the Swedenborgian Church. the Messenger March 2013 27 ety of ministries, and a parallel constant change Letter takes place within the membership and leadership of each of our churches and groups as well. from the And yet with all of this change, Convention is a constant. We exist. We as a one, and as the various President individuals that make up that one, continue to do our part to contribute to the Lord’s New Church Dear Friends, here on earth. We, together and individually, are Every one is formed from part of the Second Coming as it unfolds. As we look the harmony of many things; and such as the harmony is, at our future, readjust our vision and our goals, and such is the one: A thing which is absolutely one cannot sub- make our plans and strategies and lists of things to sist; but only a harmonical one. Every Society in Heaven do, I would invite us all to keep before us what it thus forms a one; and all the Societies together a one; and means to be part of the Second Coming. One thing this from the Lord alone, through love. is clear to me: the Second Coming, the manifesta- —Emanuel Swedenborg, A.C. 457 tion of the Lord’s New Church on earth, is not de- All for one, and one for all! fined by denominational labels or constrained to —Alexandre Dumas, The Three Musketeers specific earthly organizations. It is busting out all It is quite remarkable how much change goes on over, all around us, and yes, even within our little within and under the surface, while from without band of self proclaimed Swedenborgians! It is like all looks stable and constant.
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