KEMPTON NEW CHURCH NEWSLETTER - March 2016 page 5
THE LORD REMOVES OUR EVILS
Surely He has carried our sicknesses,
And our pains, He has borne the burden of them;
And we reckoned Him plagued,
Smitten of God, and afflicted.
But He was pierced from our transgressions; He was crushed from our iniquities;
The chastisement of our peace was on Him; And in His bruises we are healed. Isaiah 53:4-5
When the Lord was in the world, He fought against all the hells, and completely subjugated them.… Unless this had been done by the Lord, no man could have been saved. For so far as the Lord does not remove them, the hells are constantly with man and have dominion over him; and He removes them in proportion as the man desists from evils.
He who once conquers the hells, conquers them to eternity; and in order that this might be done by the Lord, He made His Human Divine. Therefore, He who alone fights for man against the hells (or what is the same thing, against evils and falsities, for these are from the hells) is said “to bear sins,” for He alone supports this burden. Arcana Coelestia 9937:3
It is a law of the Divine Providence that man should, as if of himself, remove evils as sins in the external man; and the Lord is able in this way and in no other to remove evils in the internal man and at the same time in the external. Divine Providence 100
FROM THE PASTOR
The Lord removes our evils: One of the wonderful things we celebrate at Easter is that the Lord removes evils from us! He delivers us from evil hour by hour and day by day, purifying our lives from now to eternity.
The Lord came into the world expressly to put on the power to remove evils from us if we want Him to. He cannot remove evils unless we remove them from our lives as if by ourselves. But if we do shun evils as sins against Him, then the Lord daily redeems and saves us. He conquers the hells that seek to dominate us, and restores order and peace, both in our internal and in our external life.
The difference between angels and devils is that angels allow the Lord to withhold them from evils and hold them in good, while devils refuse this mercy of the Lord. We choose to let the Lord hold us in good by removing evils from our conscious life.
By letting the Jews treat Him as they did, the Lord let us see what human nature is like apart from Him. We see how much we need Him to deliver us from evil!
The Lord put on the power to save us by putting on the same evils that we face and utterly conquering them. The hells know He has all power, so if we put our trust in Him and follow Him, we will conquer them, as of ourselves.
The Lord made Himself known to us so that we can love Him and follow His example. He glorified His Human so He can hold the hells in subjection to eternity. We know Whom to go to for help!
By His victory on Easter, the Lord re-established the laws of His Divine Providence as the laws of His kingdom, now and forever.
Easter Class, March 10: When the Lord rose on Easter, one of the things He did was to descend to people/spirits in “the lower earth.” He set them free and began to lead them to heaven. What does the Lord teach us about this part of His work? How does it correspond to work that He does with us today?
Palm Sunday: On Sunday, March 20, there will be palm branches on a table for you to pick up as you come into church. On Palm Sunday and Easter, after the Word is opened, there will be a procession down the sides and up the center aisle to lay the palms on the chancel or to offer flowers to the Lord.
“Behold, a crowd of many which no one could number, of every nation, and tribes, and peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, arrayed with white robes, and palms in their hands, and crying with a great voice, saying, Salvation to our God who sits upon the throne, and to the Lamb!” Revelation 7:9-10
Holy Supper: On Thursday, March 24, we will observe the Holy Supper, which will be preceded by readings from the Gospel of Matthew and the Heavenly Doctrine. “From henceforth you shall see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power and coming in the clouds of heaven.” Matthew 26:64
Easter Sunday, March 27: You are invited to bring flowers for a procession in celebration of the Lord’s resurrection. “The flowering before the fruit corresponds to the state of that age with man when the conjugial inclination enters minds and gladdens them, thus when truth is being conjoined with good.... It is compared to the voice and joy of the bride and bridegroom.” Arcana Coelestia 10185:3
Pastor’s Council’s next meeting will be on March 22. A topic for consideration is whether we should have two ministers on chancel for holy supper so that it can be served more quickly. Another question is about topics for next year’s winter study. Talk to a pastor or a member of the council if you have thoughts about these subjects.
School Space: A team of builders is studying the plan to see how to build it most efficiently and how much it would cost. Meanwhile another team is reviewing projections for our budget over the next five years, and another team is evaluating how we could prudently handle the cost of a building project. When these teams and the board have come to some recommendations, we will have a special society meeting to consider them.
Don’t Scare Off the Help: It’s very understandable that parents crave the chance to visit with friends. But when the Sunday School nursery is full of parents, the student on duty feels unneeded and unwanted. Maybe you could just drop off your little ones and give the students a chance to be useful. Then you can look forward to a good visit during coffee.
FEBRUARY EVENTS
Sunday, February 28, 10:00 A.M. Family Service. Usher/Set-up: Matt Heiter
3:00 P.M. Gabriel Chamber Ensemble Concert. 252 Dock St. in Schuylkill Haven. $15/Sr.; $20/Adult; Free for all students. Strings and piano. Haydn, Ravel, and Brahms.
Monday, February 29, Free Roller Skating Admission. Sponsored by Kempton Lions Club. 6:30 – 8:30 P.M. at Fantasy Skating Center, 500 George St., Reading, near Boscov’s North. (You pay for skate rental.) Contact Mark Wyncoll or Carla Kerr by tomorrow (Friday, Feb. 26) for tickets. After that they will be posted on the church bulletin board where you can pick some up on Sunday, February 28.
WORSHIP
Please discard the Sunday School Schedule given out last month; it contains inaccuracies.
Sunday, March 6, 10:00 A.M. Sunday School Service. Usher/Set-up: Sal Tuccio
Sunday, March 13, 10:00 A.M. Family Service. Usher/Set-up: Seth Wyncoll. (No Young Child’s Service because of the time change.)
Sunday, March 20, 10:00 A.M. Palm Sunday Sunday School Service. Usher/Set-up: Jordan Cooper
Thursday, March 24, 7:30 P.M. Holy Supper Service with Gospel readings. Usher/Set-up: Roy Odhner. Elements Set-up: Gael Coffin
Sunday, March 27, 10:00 a.m. Easter Family Service. Usher/Set-up: Doug Robertson
CLASSES
Monday, March 7, 7:00 P.M. CL Discussion. High school students and their parents. At Buicks’
Thursday, March 10, 7:30 P.M. Society Easter Doctrinal Class. At Gael Coffin’s
Tuesday, March 15, 7:30 P.M. Arcana Class. Readings: AC 7555-7622. On the plague of hail mixed with fire; and the spirits and inhabitants of Mars. At Sal and Joan Tuccio’s
Monday, March 21, 9:30 A.M. Five Laws of DP Class. Lawson’s office
Monday, March 28, 7:00 P.M. CL Discussion. High school students and their parents. At Brad and Suzanne King’s
MEETING
Tuesday, March 22, 7:30 P.M. Pastor’s Council at Chris and Tabitha Judson’s
MARCH EVENTS
Feb. 29 – March 4, KNCS Winter Break. No school
Sat., March 19, 7:00 P.M. KEMPTON HAS TALENT!
Thursday, March 24, No Kindergarten
Friday, March 25, Good Friday. No school
Monday, March 28, Easter Monday. No school
APRIL EVENTS
Friday, April 1, 6:30 P.M. Feast of Charity; 7:45 P.M. Doctrinal Class
Sunday, April 3. Sunday School Service. Usher/Set-up: John Robertson
WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES
Marriages in the heavens do not lead to the procreation of offspring, but their place is taken by spiritual offspring, love and wisdom.... It is said that [love and wisdom] are born, because conjugial love perfects an angel, so uniting him with his consort that he becomes more and more human; for two partners in heaven are not two but one angel. Therefore, by conjugial union they fill themselves with the human, which consists in willing to become wise, and in loving that which pertains to wisdom. Conjugial Love 52
Congratulations and Best Wishes to:
Carl and Patricia Odhner
on the 22nd - 45 years
John and Erika Walker
on the 26th - 33 years
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From the
CONTRIBUTIONS COMMITTEE
When the Lord asks something of us, it is not because of what it does for Him, but rather because of what it does for us to give it. If you care to give it a go in the form of a contribution, please consider the Kempton New Church. Thank you.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Kempton’s a long way from Down Under, but it seems they’ve finally made it! The Australia Glenns are landing at JFK on March 1. J That welcome basket we’ve had in storage for months now? Let’s fill it up!! You are invited to bring items to the church kitchen by Sunday, March 13 (that’s in two weeks), when we will formally welcome Angus and Kaylene and their sons – Jacob Angus (13), Callum Jackson (11), Lachlan Thaddeus (7), and Harrison Dale (5). The three oldest boys will be joining the 7th, 5th, and 1st grades after Winter Break. It’s all pretty great.
Christmas in February: We left Texas, Nicaragua, and Florida to come back to Kempton in February. What were we thinking?! But what a wonderful gift today when we found an envelope full of the Christmas cards saved for us from the church Christmas boxes. Thank you all for the Christmas wishes, and we hope everyone had a blessed and joyful Christmas! – John and Erika Walker
Yard Work Wanted: If you have lots of yard work and you’d rather not do it yourself, call me. I’m willing to do just about all yard work, from raking to stacking wood to edging gardens to… well, you get the point. Unfortunately I’m in school right now, so on weekdays I can work starting at 2:00 p.m., and on Saturdays I can start earlier. And guess what! You get all this for the amazing price of $5 per hour. R.S.V.P. 610-756-4042. Jethro Brown
The bottom of a spring-form pan went missing after the ministers’ supper here on Wednesday, February 17. Last seen it bore the vestiges of Anndwyn Hendricks’ fabulous Feast dessert. If you know where it is, please call her at 484-390-1923 or let Carla know. Thank you.
Hi, Friends and Families of Kempton! As some of you know, I am an independent consultant with Usborne Books & More. I am organizing a Cuddle Bear Drive for local law enforcement and EMS. For $25, a set consisting of a children's book and a plush bear will be donated and used with children in an emergency situation, to comfort and calm them. There’s no tax, shipping is free, and Usborne will match for every two sets sold!! I will be including a book plate with donors (personal or business) listed. If you would like to contribute, you can reach me at 484-332-6930 or Thank you! – Sarah Heiter (Mrs.)
Crafters, Artists, and Other Interested People: The Bryn Athyn Church Society is having their New Church Day Fair again this year, on Sunday, June 12. This event is the perfect opportunity to get prepared to celebrate the Church’s June 19 birthday. Immediately following the 11:00 A.M. Cathedral service, there will be a potluck lunch, craft sale, children’s activities, dragon piñata, white horse rides (see Revelation Ch. 19:14), and more. One of the objectives of the fair is to provide a place for New Church artists and crafters to sell their work, inspired by the Word, to those who seek these special items. If you are interested in learning more about the craft sale, please feel free to contact me.
Karla Buick (215-421-2489)
Seeking a Teacher: Pittsburgh New Church School seeks a full-time teacher for the 2016-17 school year. This person will cover core courses in the primary grades and attend faculty meetings and school events. Minimum requirements are: 1) a commitment to teach in light of the teachings of the New Church; 2) to teach from and about the principles of the New Church; and 3) to have a bachelor’s degree, preferably in elementary education. Please send your inquiries or résumé with a cover letter to Pearse Frazier, Principal; 299 Le Roi Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15208. Email –
Applications are due by March 15, 2016.
Glencairn Museum’s Medieval Summer Camp: Session I (June 20 - 24); Session II (June 27 - July 1). Daily 8:45 a.m. - 12:45 p.m. Campers age 9, 10 and 11 are invited to join us as we step back in time and spend an adventurous week exploring medieval life and times. Overseen by the King and Queen and their lords and ladies, each day is packed with activities such as archery, crafts, boar hunts, cooking, sword play and more! Registration brochures will be available at your church in March. To reserve a spot in the meantime, please call 267-502-2990 or email . For more information please contact Christine McDonald at 267-502-2995 or
KEMPTON HAS TALENT!
It’s right around the corner, and we'd love to have some more talent to showcase!
(7:00 p.m., March 19; 3 weeks from now)
Do you have a song, a poem, an instrument,