Some of us in a group were discussing a challenge in figuring out
how to use some technology. There was a
question about additional hookups being needed.
So the group decided against trying to “force the issue” and just skip
the project elements requiring additional hookups. However, a week later I figured out (or, as I
would say in faith that the Lord Provided) a simpler possible solution. So I advocated for that but we as a group
voted against that new idea. I
concurred.
However, the next morning it occurred to me that, really, this is a
“teachable moment” where I can tell something about myself and my life.
This reminds me of an old joke by Steve Martin I believe, “I was
born a poor Black child.” This line
typically refers to humble begins after achieving more laudable levels of
success in life. In my case, from humble
beginnings I have years been a high fashion executive and learned standard
English, French, Spanish and some Japanese.
And I could mention computer geeky skills, music performance, etc. But this isn’t a paper about me. It’s about faith. Faith like everything else good comes from
the Lord, God, Divine Providence.
I’ll throw in some citations from Regeneration: Spiritual Growth and How it Works by Emanuel
Swedenborg and some Bible citations on faith.
Regeneration doesn’t seem to list the particular books and
numbers in the particular books by Swedenborg so I just list the Kindle
location numbers.
The
main theme for this paper that “came to me” was this: I can trust that the Lord will make a way for
me. Or to slice up a Scripture “and if I have a faith that can move mountains,...”
1 Corinthians 13:2
In other words, as usual in my personal experience time and time
again I could have had faith that the Lord will Provide solutions to challenges
before me.
If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here
today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe
you—you of little faith? Matthew
6:30
Perhaps this above Scripture could refer to clothes or any other
perceived need of the faithful. That is
not to say that the simple solution given to me after a week of reflection
works for the group in question. I’m
saying that as was the case in actually learning some advanced technical skills
I had read about, also a workable solution at least in my eyes I could have had
faith would arrive. And this pattern has
accompanied me throughout my life’s journey from ignorance and poverty to
intelligence and wealth. Maybe even to
wisdom above intelligence as Swedenborg would say. Actually I used to scoff at material wealth
as back in the haute couture days I was engaged with “filthy riches”
type greed. These days I can think of
good purposes for wealth. Did anyone see
“The Sting” movie back when? Well, it
was about a couple “con men” (poor example here I know) who always proceeded to
get the required “whatever” in order to succeed with the con job. Well, me and the fashion designer, Melanie,
back in the day always had to figure out how to get whatever the business and
lifestyle required. “Failure was not an
option” as is said. I needed to learn or
successful financial negotiations had to be done in order to get whatever was
actually required for the business.
When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those
following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such
great faith. Matthew 8:10
So I can look back over a full lifetime and last week and see that
“great faith” is appropriate. In fact, I
like to think that the whole Black experience in America is another example I
follow and we African Americans can follow.
Few there are that without great faith could imagine that a Black man
would be Commander-in-Chief and President of the United States of America.
He replied, “You of little faith, why are you so
afraid?” Matthew 8:26
I’m not talking about anyone else, but as for me I would not be
called to be “afraid” that somehow quite good technology capabilities and
performance would happen by hard work, practice and miracle of the Lord.
Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said,
“your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed at that moment. Matthew
9:22
By analogy perhaps, the tricky technical issues that were initially
perceived were eventually in my mind “healed” by the idea of not using extra
technical hookups but just using the provided microphone and the laptop. I’m not saying that this solution befits the
group’s circumstances, just that this is just another example of how the Lord
works with me. The Lord may not provide
a Rolls Royce to ride to the Corporate Board Meeting, just a Bentley was
provided back in the day.
And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack
of faith. Matthew 13:58 It would be unloving
to apply this Bible quote to the specific group situation. It does not apply. But if you’re a Black guy from Chicago and
you want to be President of the United States.
Or if you are a young civil rights activist minister with a “Dream” like
the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King. Or if
you were a humble Black guy from the Midwest, you’re going to need many
miracles so don’t hang around a bunch of people who lack mountain-moving
faith.
Here Jesus is juxtaposing faith and doubt I think. That is, faith in Him or doubts about Who He
really is and, hence, what He can do in our lives. One of my friends reminded me that I didn’t
earn my first computer or musical keyboard.
But I learned on those given to me as I watched Japanese programming on
satellite TV when the disks were huge, HUGE.
And I should mention that my university education was also more miracle
than parental-funded education plans. I
received a “low income” grant to the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. And continued studies at U. Vermont and U.
San Francisco.
Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You
of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” Matthew
14:31
Of course Jesus as God knew
everything but the question to Peter here was for Peter. I think, as God, Jesus is asking seriously
why doubt. It’s just not the logical
thing to do.
This paper was inspired by the
online church I attend. This is the New
Church. It is associated with the
writings of Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772, Sweden). Following are some citations from one of his
many books. Swedenborg (ES for
short). Was a top scientist in the age
of Enlightenment, struggled to understand the world of spirit, was a member of
Queen Ulrika Eleonora’s Royal Court, Scientific writer (in Latin), Christian
mystic recording in writing decades of spiritual experiences in Heaven teaching
true Christianity, etc. He is also one
of the few clairvoyants with, well, what we would call today a professional
reputation and, thus, not shady or eccentric reputation.
Citations from Regeneration:
Spiritual Growth and How it Works by Swedenborg. This volume didn’t have the paragraph numbers
and names of particular books by ES so I list the Kindle book location
numbers.
“Faith is not faith for us until it becomes spiritual, and it does
not become spiritual unless it becomes a matter of love. It becomes a matter of love when we love to
live out what is true and good--that is, to live by what we are commanded in
the word.” Location 363
Our “belief” as “Swedenborgians” is that “belief” is not the
important thing. It fact it is
nothing. What matters is what is
real. That is, what we actually put into
effect, into our life, into our actions.
What ES is talking about as “what we are commanded” is to love God and
one another in fact and through our actual actions. In this paper I’m writing about last week’s
technical challenge which didn’t seem very doable. But, as for me, I could have had faith that
as did happen the Lord Our Provider would come up with a way to make it
happen. That is, if I were going to be
using the technology. So I’m trying to
explain that while the group decision the previous week was to skip it, too
much hassle trying to figure out whether or not technical equipment would be
available at the venue. As for me, I could
have had faith that the Lord Jesus Christ would inspire a solution to the
challenge, if it were all up to me.
“Then our actions come from
goodwill and our words come from faith; we develop a sense of the goodness that
comes from goodwill and a perception of the truth that is related to faith; and
we are in the Lord and in a state of peace.
In brief, we are reborn.”
Location 834
This citation speaks of AFTER we are reborn or regenerated, as we
say. Hence, before we are reborn,
perhaps, it would occur to me to as an act of goodwill spend days writing a Bible
Scriptures and ES citations paper explaining my faith-based thinking. And my imagining that I can perceive the
truth that is related to an experienced consistent reality of daily miracles in
faith. And I can be at peace knowing
that if it were my presentation, it could happen with the entire vision
regardless of the misperceived technology challenges at the venue.
“The power to do good things comes from the Lord.” Location
Location 857
This is a quintessential Swedenborgian concept about the importance
of not imagining that any good comes from we ourselves ultimately. Whom but the Lord gave us life, a good mind,
the will to do good, the ability to perceive right from wrong, etc.?
We can take action together with the Lord and by doing so,
form a partnership with him. Location
857
Married people or people with life partners know the value
of having a good partner. (And for
Swedenborg when he says marriage he doesn’t mean a couple people with a piece
of paper saying that they are married.
But he means a couple who are one in spirit. And ES says that such a couple is in fact
viewed from have as only being one person.)
But what if the action I take (or you take) is taken together with
partnership of the Lord God Creator of the Universe? Good reason to have faith. And, if true, one could definitely see in their
life a pattern of let’s call it “success” worthy of keeping the faith
absolutely.
“The more we are reborn, that is, the more the process of
regeneration is perfected in us, the less we attribute anything of goodness and
truth, or goodwill and faith, to ourselves; we attribute it all to the
Lord. We are taught this very clearly by
the truths that we keep drinking in.” Location
1284
This is a clear Swedenborgian citation detailing how little
our human effort is valued in the mind of the reborn Christian. Swedenborg was a SERIOUS scholar and I guess
he assumed we Christians would keep “drinking in” truths. That is, be Bible and for Swedenborgians,
doctrine books and literature readers.
“Just as all the elements of wisdom and love dwell within
service, all the elements of thought and desire dwell within act, and all the
elements of faith and goodwill dwell within deeds, and so on. This means all the elements that are of the
same kind; that is, they are harmonious.”
Location 1528
Here we can see how important not “belief” but service,
action and deeds are. So wisdom and
love, thought and desire, faith and goodwill are nothing unless the result in
service, action and deeds. Which are
also called charity, good works, at the job site doing a good job, etc.
“People have not yet recognized that the last member of each
sequence--service, act, deed, and practice--is the composite and vessel of all
the earlier members.” Location 1528
I think I just said that.
So I can point of one of the aspects of reading Swedenborg’s writings
that I find fascinating. I like the Christian mystic element. That is the “People have not yet recognized…”
part of the sentence. So upon reflection
one can see that for ES he feels like he has been given a mission to reveal
things that “People have not yet recognized” regarding being a true Christian
in this world. Cool stuff. In fact, a two volume big book is called True
Christianity.
“All this makes it clear that people who have love also have
faith and consequently heavenly life.” Location
2207
The scholar Swedenborg wrote in his Works things like, “If
you were to sit down and think about it for an hour or two”. That citation is worthy of considerable
thought I think. It’s not bad to
restrict one’s writing to what we know.
In this case, writing about my reality.
One friend said among some of us elders, “We’re all getting older.” An old friend of mind said, “Not Elbert. He still looks like he did 40 years ago!” Which reminds me, ES wrote that even old women
that go to Heaven return to the “flower of their youth” in appearance in Heaven. I mentioned the youth era poverty (and
ignorance) above. My imagining that I
have Love (from the Lord) and reason to have faith (again from Him) I have to
look back a say that I have had and do have a heavenly life. Still today having a salad and a dessert
seems odd to me. We certainly didn’t
have such things “back in the day”. But
by Grace I have enjoyed rapping in French, Spanish or Japanese after dinner
over a beverage while sketching. Yea, I’ve
been lauded for a bluesy jazz performance on keyboards abroad. Beats working!
“From the doctrine taught by faith, anyone can see that we
cannot so much as think a good thought or will a good result or consequently do
a good deed except through the Lord’s power.”
Location 2269
ES, the scientist, stays focused on cause and effect. The Age of Enlightenment was a reaction to
the former age of Roman Catholic Church doctrinal authority in Europe. “Doctrine” for ES is a big word. Often when he uses it he is referring to a
large volume of written concepts and ideas.
ES goes into great detail also about how one first needs to have an
idea, then build up a will before doing a deed, good deed in particular. And, I think, ES would say and has written
that you and I can upon reflection see that we would need the Lord’s great help
all along the way in order to receive a good thought, build up the will to do
the good thought-out deed and to effectuate the good deed in fact by
Grace. I’m into the Power of Positive
Thinking but ES spent a good half of his writing time delineating the whys and
wherefores of the vain, self-centered, worldly folks and their ways and
all.
“When we are regenerate, on the other hand, the angels are
in charge, inspiring us with all kinds of goodness and truth.” Location 2454
ES prefaced this idea with a long list of reasons for why,
in fact, anyone not well along the Path, hence the unregenerate or
pre-regenerate cannot be helped hardly at all by said angels, alas. In sum, ES wrote that they are like people
holding a mirror over their heads to reflect back the light (of Truth) and heat
(of Love) being showered down upon us from above by the Lord Jesus Christ.
May you, the reader, accept and enjoy the Faith that Moves
Mountains that is continually offered you and me on a daily basis in our
personal lives even in these times.
Amen.
Elbert E. P. Hill Smith, June 2015
