n e w c h u r c h l i f e : j u ly / au g u s t 2 0 1 3
with the assurance that the Lord’s vision for the Church and the Academy
of the New Church is far bolder and grander than anything we could ever
imagine. Tom assured that he will remain an active minister in the Church.
FOR THE WOMEN OF THE CHURCH: HOLY CITY BRACELETS
Nina D. Kline
For the past several years when Tom and I traveled to different societies, I
took a gift for the ladies. It is a bracelet I make with some of the imagery of
the Holy City from the Book of Revelation. Each bracelet has 12 pearls, which
image the central idea we have of the Lord; and 12 gems, one for each of the 12
foundations of the city, which image the many truths we gain from the letter of
the Word; and all are bound together with glass beads, as the city is “gold like
pure glass,” (Revelation 21: 19), showing that the Lord’s love makes the Church.
Taking a bracelet to the ladies of the congregations was intended to carry a
message to the people that the New Church is both pictured as a woman, “The
Holy City, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as
a bride adorned for her husband,” (Revelation 21: 2), and teaches the equality
of men and women.
We know that every angel in heaven is one married pair of man and wife.
Women and men are complementary equals. This is not the way many parts of
the world see women. Even once when I spoke in an American congregation,
a woman new to the congregation was so surprised and delighted by this truth
that she had to run off to the pastor to check if it was true that she would be
reunited with her husband to eternity. The New Church has such beautiful
teachings for women!
Making these bracelets has been a labor of love. The idea came from a
necklace my daughter made for me which incorporated 12 pearls and the 12
gems from Aaron’s breastplate, to signify the unity of the Word from the Old
Testament through the Writings.
I trusted the Internet to tell me the modern names of stones such as sardius
(carnelian), chrysolite (peridot), or jacinth (zircon). Some of them were not
easy to find as beads. I never found topaz. I had to substitute citrine, but was
happy finally to find tiny, beautiful zircon, and real sapphire and emerald.
For a while I was using magnetic clasps so the bracelets were easy to put
on, but when I heard tales of them being pulled off and lost by the metal of a
bus, I switched to hooks.
I recently made many for the women of Bryn Athyn [distributed at the
farewell luncheon for Tom and Nina], and have several left, so if there are
women out there we did not visit in the last few years who want one, you can
write to me at Box 219, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009 or e-mail ninakline@comcast.
net.
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