All about Easter

One thread of New Christian thought is to be wary of rituals from church "tradition". What about Lent? Here's an interesting sermon about it.

For anyone who believes in heaven, one question stands above all the others: How can I get there? How can I be saved?

Exinanition is a seldom-used word that means "emptying out" or "taking away." It can be used to describe some of the states of mind that the Lord experienced during his life on earth, when He felt separated from the Divine. We go through states like this, too, in our lives, when we feel doubt, emptiness, and disconnectedness.

Swedenborg uses the word “glorification” in relation to Jesus’s life on earth, as the Divine in Him was strengthened and developed.

Part of the Christian message is the concept of redemption. What does it mean, to say that the Lord redeemed people?

What does the New Church teach about Easter? It's a short question, but it involves a big network of connected ideas. It can't be answered right in a sound bite, so bear with me…

What happened with the birth, life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth? Was he the Messiah, the Christ, whose coming was prophesied many times in the Old Testament?

When Jesus died on the cross, the veil in the temple in Jerusalem tore in half, from top to bottom. It was a spiritual watershed.

Some of the old ways of thinking about this are... wrong!

Maybe it's obvious, but... one of the key things for a true understanding of life, the universe, and everything (hat tip to Douglas Adams) is to think hard and learn as much as you can about the nature of God. Here's a list that will spur your thinking.

What was really going on at the Last Supper? Jesus was taking a key step, converting an ancient Israelitish ritual into a new Christian one, re-connecting us with himself, with God-with-us.

Jesus was crucified. The hopes of many seemed to be ending in ugly, bitter tragedy. Darkness covered the land. The veil of the temple was ripped in two.

He is risen. Now the disciples truly know. For them Jesus is no longer a religious teacher or a worldly Messiah; He is their Lord.

In Ioannis Evangelium non solum peccatum agnoscit et veritatem discit, sed etiam quod in vita didicerimus. Ioannes XIII hunc "lavare" processum in claram lucem producit - nunc ab nostris mentibus et cordibus exterioribus in nostras actiones movens.