Rev. Renee Machiniak
“The whole spiritual world operates through love and affections. The love of the life is the inmost tendency of the individual. It is when the deepest tendency and love is expressed in act – that the individual comes into their highest use… If love does not become deed, it ceases to be love, the deed being the effecting of its purpose and that in which it has its existence.”
-Emanuel Swedenborg, Divine Love and Wisdom §38 (1)
What is heaven for you? What makes you truly happy? Fulfilled? Deeply satisfied?
For me, heaven is right here and now! Heaven is a place inside of you and me, and between us – a dynamic state of being alive. It is not just a place we go to after death, but heaven is a state of being that can be experienced in this life through love for God, love for others and a desire to serve. I feel heaven when I am with my congregation on Sunday mornings. I feel heaven when I am at Almont Summer Camp. I feel heaven when I am at our Annual Convention. It has everything to do with both the power of service, and with sharing our gifts with each other.
Swedenborg has a concept of heaven, in the simplest sense, it is a most powerful method for personal spiritual development and this lies in the idea of BEING USEFUL: We are all born with a unique love, a use, and when we actually live what we love, then we find true joy, a sense of purpose and connectedness with all of life.
Part of its beauty is in its simplicity, which permits us to carry it out in the midst of ordinary duties and labor, in fact, in any human act. We can be useful anywhere, anytime, and uses can be applied by anyone. Part of its power lies in its wonderful concreteness. So much of religion has to do with masses of words and ideas. But, to be USEFUL does not require words, only concrete actions that are helpful to others.
When we are being useful in service to others – we can be a blessing: we can do good, we can bless others and we can LEARN more about them, ourselves and more about God. Service is a way of practicing DEVOTION in any work or activity.
As Wilson Van Dusen writes in his booklet “Usefulness: A Way of Personal and Spiritual Growth:”
“We notice a subtle, fast and consistent Divine response in our inner awareness. This Divine leading and guidance take several forms. The complex dynamics of these leadings perfect how we work, how we correct personal habits and faults, and then lead into general perceptions of the nature of reality…The interior response is in terms of what we need to learn, here and now.” (2)
We learn best when we decide to be of service & we do it.So, heaven is a state of being, feeling connected as we respond in service with others, in such a way that we feel the joy of others as our own and they feel our joy as their own! And … this leads through personal insight and wisdom, which is an experience of the Divine.Heaven expands and becomes more perfect – as the variety of unique loves are lived through action and interaction with others who are different, yet share a common love for God and the neighbor. HEAVEN IS LOVE IN ACTION, LOVE IN SERVICE!
I would like to share with you some highlights of our Annual Convention of the Swedenborgian Church… a place of heaven on earth for me. In Portland, Oregon. We had 5 days of gatherings, to do and experience many things!
Of course, we voted on important business to keep our denomination strong and vibrant. We voted as a body to ordain Lynn Chittick Thomson and glowed in the holiness of this event in the beautiful St. James Lutheran Church. We were updated on ministerial placements – Rev. Alison Lane-Oleson serving the Bath, ME, church, Rev. Catherine Lauber serving the Fryeburg church.
Our seminary, the Center for Swedenborgian Studies at the Graduate Theological Union, gave an update on our students in their process, and Dean, Dr. Rebecca Esterson, explained how the school is finding more options with flexibility for students so that it is not as hard to get the Certificate in Swedenborgian Studies, Master’s degrees and ordination – while remaining inflexible regarding ethics and standards. We learned about available grants, such as the Nunc Licet Fellowship which grants full tuition support for M.A. degrees & a local housing stipend. The New York Legacy Fund, from the sale of the New York Church, will support Swedenborgian projects in doing ministry, as well as supporting local New York City non-profits.
The Church of the Holy City in Washington D.C. recently sold their building also and have acquired a beautiful house, The Swedenborg House. The Gray Fund & the Tafel Fund presented their generous Grants offerings. Our Women’s Ministries, Deborah’s Tree & Gathering Leaves inspired us with offerings, Spiritual Sunshine, Our Daily Bread, and the Johnny Appleseed Museum ministries spread the good news of heaven! The New Earth Ministry and the Garden Church are offering innovative ministries. Wayfarer’s Chapel is on the precipice of acquiring land even more glorious than before!
We attended several mini-courses, and learned good things on such topics as “Created in the Image of God: Imago Dei & D.E.I.”, “Spiritual Boundaries in Relationships”, “Tools for Healing the Pain of Polarization”, “Paul: The Difficult Apostle”, “Meditation for Children”, “The Glorification”, “Honoring Sacred Spaces”, etc., etc…
There were display tables with Books, Art work, Displays! Rev. Eric Allison played his big drum while chanting & gave away his personal clay figurines! We heard from our Korean ministries in California and New York, from Rev. Sage Cole & the many outreach ministries of the Helen Keller Spiritual Life Collaborative. The Swedenborg Library in Chicago gave an update on their online & local ministries. We enjoyed the annual meetings of CSS & The Swedenborg Foundation.
A fantastic Keynote Address was given by Rev. Rich Tafel, “Spiritual Innovation for a Changing World.” This year’s Convention Preacher, Rev. Kevin Baxter, offered a meaningful message and service, and the annual Memorial Service grounded and helped to heal our grief, led by myself and Rev. Kit Billings.
Rev. Kit, Rev. Kinichi K. & I were honored & given a certificate for 30 years of ministry, as well as others honored for various years of service, culminating with Rev. Randy Laako: 60 years! The Convention Choir rehearsed & offered music for the worship services.
A highlight is always the Youth Group worship service near the end of the week. The theme for their service this year was exploring various forms of worship and the importance of finding what works for each of us. They are creative and real.
Convention ended with a day of outings! We had a choice of three destinations from which to choose: the International Rose Garden; the Pittock Mansion, and Powell’s City of Books! We danced the night away at the closing banquet in the ballroom at the University Place Hotel.
So, you can see that being together in service gave us a BIG DOSE OF JOY & HOPE! People from all over the country & the world came together to grow, to be inspired & to serve.
This was heaven on earth. Will you join me some day?
Rev. Renee Machiniak has been the minister of the Royal Oak Church of the Holy City for the past 25+ years, serving as a staff chaplain for both Beaumont Hospice and Oncology for 9 years, and now a volunteer chaplain with Beaumont’s Ovarian Cancer Support Group and the Royal Oak Police Department. She resides in Royal Oak Michigan with her husband, Joe, her parents, Rev. John and Sharon Billings, and dog Gertie.
(1) Swedenborg, Emanuel. Divine Love and Wisdom. Translated by George F. Dole. West Chester: Swedenborg Foundation, 2010.
(1) Van Dusen, Wilson. Usefulness: A Way of Personal and Spiritual Growth. West Chester: Swedenborg foundation. 2008.