“Peace has in it confidence in the Lord: that He directs all things, provides all things, and that He leads to a good end.” - Arcana Caelestia §8455
Kempton New Church

Spring 2018

SEEING THE FACE OF JEHOVAH

Dear Neighbor,

Would you like to see the face of God? Do you think it would be scary, or comforting? The Lord wants us to see Him and know Him. He was born into this world so that we could see His face and know who He is:

And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory… full of grace and truth. No man has seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has brought Him forth to view (John 1:14, 18).

Jesus said to Philip, He who has seen Me has seen the Father (John 14:9).

Jesus’ disciples did not see Him clearly until He rose on Easter. Until then, they thought of Him as a special but ordinary man. But when they saw Him risen, even with the print of the nails still in His hands, then Thomas said, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28). Now they realized who Jesus really is!

Today we cannot see the Lord God in physical form, but from His Word we know how to picture Him and think of Him as the Divine Man. We know what He is like. We can love Him and follow Him. The Divine truths of His Word are like mirrors in which we can see His face in our mind’s eye.

When we want to know how a loved one is doing or what he or she is thinking, we look into their face—not the outward appearance, but the inner feelings that shine through their whole expression. From the face of the Lord shines love, mercy, peace, and every kind of goodness, such as true love in marriage, love of little children, and honesty and integrity in work.

With the Easter stories in our minds once again, we can think of how they show us the Lord’s face, full of love, mercy, and innocence; we can learn how we can be shaped into His image and likeness.

You are welcome to worship the Lord at the Kempton New Church any Sunday at 10:00 a.m.

Happy spring,

Rev. Lawson M. Smith