new church life: march/april 2016
Of course, that is the real purpose of His resurrection; that by maintaining
a state of spiritual order and equilibrium He creates a sphere in which each of
us is free to do what we think is best.
He has fought with the hells and brought them under control so that they
cannot infest our minds unless we specifically invite them to. He has taught us
by word and example what kind of life we ought to live. He has provided us
with every tool and opportunity that we might need. And then He patiently
waits, as a friend, to see what we will do.
Let us resolve, then, to live according to His principles, to be kind toward
one another, to think about other people’s feelings before we act or speak, to
do everything we can to use the things which He has taken such great care to
provide for us.
Amen.
The Rev. James P. Cooper retired last year as pastor of the
Olivet New Church in Toronto, Canada, where he was also
regional pastor for Canada and Secretary for the General
Council of the Clergy. He had previously served in Bryn Athyn;
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Durban, South Africa; and the
Washington New Church in Mitchellville, Maryland. He and
his wife, Karen (Jorgenson), live in Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada.
Contact: [email protected]
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