SUMMER LETTER
FROM THE SENIOR PASTOR

Written July 17, 2008
Rev. G. Steven Ellis
Church on the Hill, Swedenborgian

Dear Members and Friends,

And Moses said to the people, Fear you not, stand still (keep where you are) and see the salvation of the LORD ... Exodus 14: 13

SUMMER IS HERE!
The church is taking its traditional summer recess until the *fall (See NOTE), limiting its activities as usual. This recess can be seen not only as a break for the body, but also as a respite for the soul. The summer break is in many ways a transition leading us into the new church year. It is a time to refresh ourselves, in body, mind and spirit; as preparation for an invigorating new church year. Swedenborg understood the value of recreation, as well as work – rejuvenation, as a component of productivity.

Moses, the Jewish lawgiver, in bringing the people of God out of the bondage of Egypt, into the promise land, stood before the Red Sea, with the hostile Egyptian army in pursuit. Standing before the Red Sea, was a not only a turning point, but also, a transition from slavery to freedom. It was marked by a time of rest, or cessation, indicative of their release from hard bondage. This was a kind of rest that called for trust in God, and a ceasing from our own accustomed works. With the enemy behind and the promise before, all Moses could do was to obey God, and be still. “STAND STILL AND SEE THE SALVATION OF GOD,” Moses said. One Bible translation puts it this way, “Keep where you are and have no fear.” In other words, hold your own ground, and stay put. How ridiculous this instruction must have sounded to God’s people hard pressed to flee from the wrath of the approaching enemy. Yet, it was the voice of God, telling them that the rightful thing to do at the time was to stand still, in order to realize the victory.

God wants us to put our trust in Him, and not in man. This is what it means to be still, and know God. God wants us to submit our anxieties, and to cast our fears on Him. God doesn't want us to react, but to act in His time. To stand still is to know that GOD is the essential component in all our struggles. It was not Moses who saved the people, nor fearing the enemy that saved them. Salvation belongs to God, and it is God who is our savior. Not man! We must simply stand still, rest in God, and wait on Him. Only then, when we keep where we are, will we see the salvation of the Lord.

The Bible says, “The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong,” for "They that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall wa lk and not faint." Spiritually, to stand still, to wait on God, means to cease having our own way, and our own desires, and to replace it with the will of God. What is God’s desire for my life? To stand still is to seek that will, not self-referentially, as though the outcome depended on me, but rather by standing still, an allowing my actions, to be a channel for God’s love. Standing still implies right action, not fatalistic resignation. It is doing what is right, because God wills it for our good. With this comes an acceptance, and a freedom from anxiety, an inner assurance that the God who cares for the tiny sparrow also cares for me. It is to consider the lilies of the field how “they toil not, neither do they spin, yet Solomon in all his glory (the wisest man in the world) was not arrayed like one of these.”

Summer is here, and as we keep where we are, we find the needful rest that on ly summer can bring. It will refresh the body and the soul, and invigorate us for the challenge of the new day that lies ahead.

My prayer is that you will have a happy, healthy and safe summer, and that God will bring you back in the fall ready to begin a new church year full of the promises of tomorrow.

In Christ,
Rev. Ellis

* I look forward to seeing you each Sunday July 20 through August 11, 2008, a.m. at our summer casual Bible Study, as we explore God’s Word through Swedenborg’s teachings.

All luncheons following the study are sponsored by the Rev. Steve and Brenda Ellis. Please feel free to contact me anytime. My cell phone number is 617-217-8551.