“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
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Tag Archives: Peace
Merry Christmas from the New Church of Montgomery
“Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on Earth!”
Luke 2:14
#WeekendPlans: “Deep Peace” w/Rev. @Jonathanscsd
When the oppressor falls, are we free? When wars cease, are we at peace? Superficially maybe, but at a deeper level not necessarily. History shows one oppressor arising after the fall of another. Every truce, every armistice is no more than a pause before the outbreak of new hostilities. By contrast, heaven’s peace, the peace we wait for during Advent, the peace Swedenborg describes, is just that: the life of Heaven flowing into us.
Join us this Sunday, (Dec 5, 2021, at 11:00 am-worship, 10:30 am- fellowship) as we ask what it means to be truly at peace, within ourselves and with each other.
Rev. Dr. Jonathan Mitchell
Zoom link will be emailed to church members and their contacts.
We will be exploring the following readings:
Scriptures:
Psalm 85
Luke 2:8-14
Swedenborg:
[AC 5662, excerpts, adapted from the Potts translation]
“Peace” … is the inmost, and hence the universally reigning thing, in each and all things in heaven. For peace in heaven is like spring on earth, or like the dawn, which does not affect us by particular visible things, but by a universal beauty that flows into everything that is perceived, and fills not only the perception itself with this beauty but also the particular objects. At the present day scarcely anyone knows the meaning of “peace” when mentioned in the Word, as in the benediction, “The Lord lift up His face upon you, and bring you peace” (Num. 6:26); and in other places. Almost everyone believes peace to be security from enemies, and also tranquility at home and among companions. Such peace is not meant in this passage, but a peace which immeasurably transcends it – the heavenly peace just now spoken of. This peace can be bestowed on no one unless someone who is led by the Lord and is in the Lord, that is, in heaven where the Lord is all in all. For heavenly peace flows in when the obsessions (cupiditates) arising from the love of self and the love of the world are taken away.
#PsalmOfTheDay: Psalm 29
Please leave your reflections in the comment section:
Psalm 29 New Living Translation (NLT)
1
Honor the Lord, you heavenly beings;
honor the Lord for his glory and strength.
2
Honor the Lord for the glory of his name.
Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.
3
The voice of the Lord echoes above the sea.
The God of glory thunders.
The Lord thunders over the mighty sea.
4
The voice of the Lord is powerful;
the voice of the Lord is majestic.
5
The voice of the Lord splits the mighty cedars;
the Lord shatters the cedars of Lebanon.
6
He makes Lebanon’s mountains skip like a calf;
he makes Mount Hermon leap like a young wild ox.
7
The voice of the Lord strikes
with bolts of lightning.
8
The voice of the Lord makes the barren wilderness quake;
the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
9
The voice of the Lord twists mighty oaks
and strips the forests bare.
In his Temple everyone shouts, “Glory!”
10
The Lord rules over the floodwaters.
The Lord reigns as king forever.
11
The Lord gives his people strength.
The Lord blesses them with peace.
Merry Christmas #Cincinnati
Wishing you peace, joy and a heart full of love to share with others.
Merry Christmas #Cincinnati
Wishing you peace, joy and a heart full of love to share with others.
“Servants of God’s Peace” Today at 11; Glendale OH
Today, Sunday, July 7, our local guest minister, Rev. Dr. Sherrie Connelly will share her message, “Servants of God’s Peace,” with you. Come to Glendale to receive it!
Hospitality: 10:30 am, Service: 11:00 am.
845 Congress Avenue, Glendale, OH
Peace Songs #Tunesday #PeteSeeger
With more talk of war, let’s sing about peace. A little Pete Seeger for you on #Tunesday:
Where does peace start? Within.
“Mirror” Peace #MindfulMonday @RiceUniversity
“Mirror, 2012” Sculpture by Jaume Plensa, on the campus of Rice University.
#ThursdayThoughts “Inner Peace, Outer Peace”
Inner Peace, Outer Peace
Dec 23rd Sermon by Gloria Toot
If you can start the day without caffeine, If you can get going without pep pills, If you can always be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains, If you can resist complaining and boring people with your troubles, If you can understand when your loved ones are too busy to give you any time, If you can take criticism and blame without resentment, If you can resist treating a rich friend better than a poor friend, If you can conquer tension without medical help, If you can relax without liquor, If you can sleep without the aid of drugs, Then You Are Probably The Family Dog!
Today’s world is filled war, conflict, anger, fear and hardship. It’s easy to become more worried and anxious every day as you face relationship struggles, financial problems, bad news, and grief. And at Christmas time life can be very stressful. Many of us are feeling sadness because of a loss or other family situations. Or worried about the bills we’re racking up. Or lonely. It seems to me that this time of year might be the hardest time to be conscious of inner peace.
“Without inner peace, outer peace is impossible. We all wish for world peace, but world peace will never be achieved unless we first establish peace within our own minds. We can send so-called ‘peacekeeping forces’ into areas of conflict, but peace cannot be opposed from the outside with guns. Only by creating peace within our own mind and helping others to do the same can we hope to achieve peace in this world.”
― Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, Transform Your Life: A Blissful Journey
But how do we achieve inner peace? There are, of course, many web sites devoted to the practical aspects of developing serenity. Just a few of the steps I saw included: Leave nothing unresolved. Surrender and accept what is. Take full responsibility for how you react to others. Become aware and sensitive to feelings rather than ignoring them. Interestingly, much of what I read sounds a lot like the 12 steps.
The ability to achieve it comes only from God. I believe if we have faith in the
Lord, trust in the Lord and accept his grace into us then we will be more able to take the necessary steps to more fully feel peace within ourselves. In Phillipians we are reminded that the Lord is near. “Do not be anxious about anything…” it says “… And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds”
I am reminded of the serenity prayer which really says it all in a nutshell:
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, The courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.
Inner peace essential in order to be peacemakers within our families, community and the world. We all search for inner peace. But we must also strive for interpersonal harmony, kindness and caring for others, acceptance of people different than us, striving to work for peace – be it in our family, neighborhood, or globally. Remember that, as we we often sing in our closing song, peace begins with me.
Now the children are going to demonstrate letting peace begin with us.
[ here two children perform a skit about two very “un-peaceful neighbors ]
What was wrong with this picture??
Well let’s look at some of the barriers to peace here. First there is jealousy. Next there is unfriendliness and name calling. What about nosiness? Not to mention selfishness, stubbornness and intolerance of differences. And who threw the first stone? This can all lead to violence, as you saw. Think of this on a global scale!
Now let’s watch and see how these same men would act if they were seeking peace.
[final act of skit showing positive peaceful interaction between these neighbors]
Amen and Shalom
New Church of Montgomery, in Glendale 