December 2001

Dear Neighbors,

It is amazing to think of the Lord God, the Creator of heaven and earth, coming into our world. When He came, He chose to be laid in a manger as His first bed. Two reasons are given in this passage from Apocalypse Explained by Emanuel Swedenborg:

"A manger" means the teaching of truth from the Word, because "horses" stand for the understanding of the Word… Thus a manger, as a feeding place for horses, stands for the teaching of truth from the Word…

If it had pleased the Lord, He might have been born in a most splendid palace, and laid in a bed adorned with precious stones. But He would thus have been with people [like the wicked king, Herod] who were in no truth, and there would have been no heavenly representation.

The Lord came into the world to feed our minds with truths about Himself and the life that leads to heaven. He wants to satisfy our hunger to understand the purpose of our lives. He said, “I am the Bread of Life.”

Christmas is a good time to read the Bible ourselves and with our children. You can find the Christmas stories in Matthew, chapters 1 and 2, and in Luke, chapters 1 and 2.

Come to the New Church for the Nativity play, or any Sunday at 10:00 a.m. Maybe you will find good food for thought.

Merry Christmas!

Sincerely,

Lawson M. Smith, Pastor