Welcome to

The New Church

(Swedenborgian) Serving the Community Since 1812

Todays Officiant: Anna Martinian Lector: Will Linden

Soloist: Jenny Searles Pianist: Earl Buys

The New York New Church 114 East 35th Street, New York, NY Mailing Address: P.O. Box 1478, Murray Hill Station, New York, NY 10156 Phone & Fax: 212-685-8967 Email: swedenborg 1@verizon.net Visit our website: www.newyorknewchurch.org For more information about Swedenborg and the Swedenborgian Church, visit the web site: www.swedenborg.org

And there went forth a decree from Csar Augustus that all the world should be taxes
December 12th, 2010

Order of Worship
December 12th, 2010

Prelude Opening of the Word Call to Worship I saw the holy city, even the New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of Heaven Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with him, and be their God. Opening Hymn On Jordans Bank, the Baptists Cry Readings from the Word Micah 4:115:3 Luke 2:1-14 Readings from the Heavenly Doctrines Arcana Clestia 4594

Congregational and Pastoral Prayer The Lords Prayer Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial; and deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen

Hymn: Hark the Glad Sound

Sermon There Went Out a Decree Originally delivered by the Revd. Louis A. Dole on Dec. 17th 1941
Musical Interlude Offering Doxology

To Jesus Christ be glory given By all on Earth and all in Heaven Let his dominion wide extend, His glorious kingdom have no end
Affirmation of Faith

We worship the One God, the Lord the Savior Jesus Christ; redeemer of the world, in whom is the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit; whose humanity is divine. He came into the world and took our nature upon him. He endured temptation, even to the Passion of the Cross. He overcame the hells, and so delivered all. Without this, no mortal could have been saved; and they are saved who believe in Him, and keep the commandments of His Word. This is His commandment; that we love one another as He has loved us. Announcements Closing Hymn: O Word Made Flesh and Come to Dwell Benediction Closing of the Word

AC 4594 Bethlehem' means a new spiritual of the celestial raised up in place of it. This is clear from the meaning of 'Bethlehem' as the spiritual of the celestial within the new state, for 'Ephrath' is the spiritual of the celestial within the initial state, 4585, while her burial there means the raising up of a new state, 4593. The fact that Bethlehem was the place where Rachel gave birth to her second son, Benjamin, and died in giving birth to him, also the place where David was born and where he was anointed king, and finally the place where the Lord was born, involves an arcanum which has not yet been revealed. Nor could it have been revealed to anyone who did not know what was meant by 'Ephrath' and by 'Bethlehem', and what was represented by 'Benjamin' and also by 'David'. Least of all could it have been revealed to anyone who did not know what the spiritual of the celestial was; for this is what was meant spiritually by those places and what was represented by those personages. [2] The reason the Lord was born there and nowhere else was that He alone has been born a spiritual-celestial man. Everyone else has been born a natural man with the ability or capacity to become, through regeneration by the Lord, either celestial or spiritual. The Lord was born a spiritual-celestial man to the end that He might make His Human Divine, doing so according to order from the lowest degree to the highest, and so would bring order to everything in the heavens and everything in the hells. For the spiritual of the celestial is an intermediate part between the natural or external man and the rational or internal man, see above in 4585, 4592, so that below it there was the natural or external, and above it the rational or internal. [3] Until he can grasp these things no one will ever come to understand in the light of any revelation at all why the Lord was born in Bethlehem. From most ancient times 'Ephrath' meant the spiritual of the celestial, as therefore did 'Bethlehem' subsequently. SE 4418 I spoke with Augustus, who was an upright man, but having a special air of authority that made him unwilling to have anyone speak [in his presence]. Due to his air of authority, he so inhibited me that I did not dare to speak, perhaps because he might think this would be too presumptuous toward him. He showed me a round or oval window that he had in his Palace, saying that he would look through it at those who were outside, and would explore their character without them knowing it, and on anyone whom he found to be pleasing to him, he would bestow positions and honors, while the person as yet knew nothing about it. He was with me for several hours