Rev. Thomas H. Rose
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The Hated but Good Person
Worship Service: Children & Adult - 22 Aug, 2010
Our idea of love can be so subjective... is that always good? (Luke 10:29-37; Matthew 22:39; AC 351, 9780) "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." (Matthew 22:39) Charity means love to the neighbor and compassion, for anyone who loves his neighbor as himself also has as much compassion for him in his suffering as he does for himself in his own. (Heavenly Secrets #351) The Samaritan..."came to the man who was wounded by thieves, and bound up his wounds and poured in oil and wine" (Luke 10:33, 34). Here are not meant oil and wine, but the good of love and of charity, by "oil" the good of love, and by "wine" the good of charity and of faith; for the subject treated of, is the neighbor, thus charity toward him. (Heavenly Secrets #9780) | By Thomas Rose, Ivyland New Church, PA
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Memorial Service for Jason Schnarr
Memorial Service - 5 Aug, 2010
An outdoor service held on East Lawn. | By Thomas Rose, Bryn Athyn Cathedral, Bryn Athyn, PA
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The Great Covenant
Worship Service: Children & Adult - 1 Aug, 2010
The vital importance of the Ten Commandments in life (Exodus 20, 33:11; Matthew 19: 16-19; TCR 283, 456) The Ten Commandments are the most important thing in the Word. As a result, they were the most important thing in the church that was established in the Israelite nation. In a brief encapsulation they included all the elements of religion that provide for God's connection to us and our connection to God. Therefore the Ten Commandments were the holiest thing of all. (TCR #283) People generally know that the law proclaimed on Mount Sinai was written on two tablets, one of which was about God and the other about humankind. People also know that in Moses’ hand the two were a single tablet: the right-hand side contained writing concerning God, and the left-hand side contained writing concerning humankind, because if it was set before people's eyes in this way, the writing on both sides would be seen at once. Therefore the sides faced one another like Jehovah talking with Moses and Moses with Jehovah, face to face, as we read [Exodus 33:11; Deuteronomy 34:10]. The tablets were made in this way so that together they would represent God's connection to people and people's reciprocal connection to God. For this reason the law written there was called "the Covenant" and "the Testimony." The term "covenant" refers to the partnership and "testimony" refers to the life that follows the points agreed upon. The union of the two tablets shows the connection between loving God and loving our neighbor. (TCR #456) | By Thomas Rose, Ivyland New Church, PA
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Be Still – Go Forward
Worship Service: Children & Adult - 25 Jul, 2010
What to do at the edge of the sea, spiritually (Exodus 14:13-15; Joshua 1:9; AC 8184, 10416) The meaning of 'dividing that sea' is dispersing the falsities arising from evil that are present in hell; for the falsities there are seen as waters. When the pillar of angels in which the Lord is present passes through that hell the falsities depart, and as a consequence the waters there, which are the falsities, are parted asunder. From this it is evident that 'dividing the sea' means dispersing the falsities belonging to the hell that is represented by 'the Sea Suph' (the Red Sea). (Heavenly Secrets #8184) The desire to celebrate resides inwardly in a person's feeling of freedom, and all feeling of freedom comes as a result of love, when nothing exists to frustrate it. Since outward things are used in the Word to describe inward ones, times of play and dancing are used to describe those of joy and gladness present in a person inwardly. Because of this, Miriam and the women went out with timbrels after the Egyptians had been drowned in the Sea Suph (the Red Sea) and started dancing. (Heavenly Secrets #10416) | By Thomas Rose, Ivyland New Church, PA
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The Man Called Melchizedek
Worship Service: Children & Adult - 11 Jul, 2010
The King of Salem and Priest to God Most High (Gen. 14:18; John 6:35; AC 1728) "And Melchizedek, King of Salem, brought forth bread and wine, and he was priest to God Most High." (Genesis 14:18) “It is the Lord who governs all things in the universe, in general and in particular, as King by Divine Truth, and as Priest by Divine Good. . . . This was what Melchizedek represented as King of Salem and as Priest of the Most High God.” (Heavenly Secrets #1728) | By Thomas Rose, Ivyland New Church, PA
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Where Does Freedom Come From
Worship Service: Children & Adult - 4 Jul, 2010
Where Does Freedom Come From - The Lord’s greatest gift to the human race (John 8:31-32; AC 1937, 1947; HH 603) “The freedom which is in keeping with love to the Lord and love towards the neighbor, consequently with the love of what is good and true, is true freedom, being the freedom that exists in heaven. “This freedom that exists in heaven originates in the Lord. All angels in heaven possess it. It goes with love to the Lord and with mutual love, and so with the affection for what is good and true. The nature of this freedom becomes clear from the fact that everyone who possesses it communicates from inmost affection his own blessedness and happiness to another, and that to him it is also blessedness and happiness to be able to communicate these things. “And what is remarkable, the one type of freedom is so much the contrary of the other that for good spirits the freedom which goes with self-love and love of the world is hell, while conversely for evil spirits the freedom that goes with love to the Lord and with mutual love is hell. “Since no one can be reformed unless he is in freedom, freedom is never taken away from a person, so far as the person himself is concerned. For it is an eternal law that everyone should be interiorly in freedom, that is, that his affections and thoughts should be in freedom, so that the affection for good and truth may be implanted within him.” (Heavenly Secrets #2870-2876) | By Thomas Rose, Ivyland New Church, PA
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The Ark of the Covenant - Lost and Found
Worship Service: Children & Adult - 27 Jun, 2010
Holding and preserving the Lord’s truth I Samuel 4:1 - 7:1, parts; AR 529 Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple. (Rev. 11:19) This symbolizes the New Heaven, in which the Lord is worshiped in His Divine Humanity, and where people live in accordance with the Ten Commandments, which constitute the two essential elements of the New Church that are the means of conjunction. The temple of God symbolizes the Lord in His Divine Humanity in heaven where angels dwell. The ark in the temple means the Ten Commandments, for the ark had as its sole contents the two tables on which the Ten Commandments were written. The temple's being opened means, symbolically, that these two, the Divine Humanity and the Ten Commandments, which are the two essential elements of the New Church, are now visible. The ark is called the ark of His covenant in His temple because a covenant symbolizes conjunction. (Apocalypse Revealed #529) | By Thomas Rose, Ivyland New Church, PA
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The Holy City New Jerusalem: A new dwelling place... a new way to live our faith
Worship Service: Children & Adult - 20 Jun, 2010
By the "Holy City Jerusalem" is meant this New Church as to doctrine, and therefore it was seen coming down from God out of heaven, for the doctrine of genuine truth comes to us from the Lord through heaven, and from no other source. (Doctrine of the Lord #63) We read in the Apocalypse: I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away. And I John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. (Rev. 21:1-2) Something like this is also written in Isaiah: Behold, I create a new heaven and a new earth; be ye glad and rejoice forever; and behold, I will create Jerusalem a rejoicing and her people a joy. (Rev. 65:17-18) It has been made known that the Lord is at this day forming a new heaven from such Christians as acknowledged in the world, or after their departure from the world were able to acknowledge, that He is the God of heaven and earth, according to His words in Matthew 28:18. (True Christian Religion #781) | By Thomas Rose, Ivyland New Church, PA
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Be Still, and Know That I Am God - A Memorial Day Sermon
Worship Service: Children & Adult - 30 May, 2010
2 Samuel 1:19-26; Psalm 46; John 15:7-17; AC 1664 O mountains of Gilboa, Let there be no dew, nor let there be rain upon you, Nor fields of offerings. For the shield of the mighty is cast away there! How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle! Jonathan was slain in your high places. I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan..." (2 Samuel 1:19-26) Wars in the Word mean in the internal sense nothing other than spiritual conflicts, which are temptations. Wars waged by men can have no place whatever in the internal parts of the Word, for such things as wars are not the spiritual and celestial things which alone constitute the Word. It is a constant truth that Jehovah alone, that is, the Lord, fights and overcomes the devil present with a person when he is involved in the conflicts brought by temptations, even though to that person this does not appear to be so. For evil spirits have no power at all to exert the slightest influence on man unless they are permitted to do so, and angels cannot act to avert anything at all unless enabled to do so by the Lord. (Heavenly Secrets #1664) | By Thomas Rose, Ivyland New Church, PA
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Part 7-Living Courageously - Taking Up the Mantle
Worship Service: Children & Adult - 23 May, 2010
The Lord sends us strength and the power to persevere. Part Seven of Living Courageously, the Story of Elijah (2 Kings 2:1-18; Jeremiah 31:31-34; AC 3182) Quotes: Doctrine teaches the truth that no one is to be hated, for anyone who hates another kills him every moment. In his earliest years a person scarcely recognizes the truth of this, but as he grows older, if he is being reformed, he places it among those matters of doctrine which ought to be matters of life. At length he lives according to that truth, in which case he no longer thinks from doctrine but acts from life. When that happens this truth of doctrine is raised up from the natural mind. In fact it is separated from the natural mind, and is implanted within good in the rational [or spiritual] mind. Once this has happened he no longer permits the natural part of him to voice any doubt about it by means of any captious argument existing there. In fact he does not allow the natural mind to reason against it at all. (Heavenly Secrets #3182) | By Thomas Rose, Ivyland New Church, PA