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From the Pastor(Matthew 5:12) |
Message from Rev. Ken Alden
Welcome - we hope that this website for New Church at Boynton Beach will serve you on your path to heaven. As the angels love to welcome new people to their communities in heaven, so we love to welcome new people--people that we can serve as they are becoming angels, and people who would like to work with us toward that end.
As the pastor of The New Church at Boynton Beach, when I came to this church, I noticed there was already a great bunch of people here. Sure, you see some gray hair and wrinkles when you walk into the social room for the first time, but don't let that deceive you! The people inside those bodies are not old at all. In fact, Emanuel Swedenborg reported from his frequent visits to the spiritual world that in heaven, everyone is young, no matter how many thousands of years they have lived there. That is because the bodies of people in the spiritual world take after the mind and heart. Good people--the people who become angels in heaven--are young at heart and youthful in intellect. They have a joyful outlook on life and are always willing to inquire and learn. So their bodies are as young as their minds are youthful. One of my blessings is being in a church where we see a lot of that youthful outlook in our senior citizens. If you share that youthful outlook, whether you have some years behind you or are just starting the adventure of adulthood, I think you'll find yourself at home here.
I count it as a blessing that I was born in a family with long roots in the New Church. Why? I find the depth and variety of truths to be stimulating and satisfying, both intellectually and emotionally. I remember thinking, while attending a New Church high school, that if it were not for the teaching of the New Church, I probably would have been some sort of atheist or agnostic. But the things we were being taught made SO MUCH SENSE! No matter which subject you turned to, the truths we were taught came together in patterns that testified to the handiwork of God. Nor is the truth just an intellectual thing. Putting it to use in life gives satisfaction, contentment, and a positive outlook that spells happiness. I feel blessed to have been raised in a family, community and school system that had its culture built around the truths of the Heavenly Doctrine. A large part of my calling to be a pastor was to have the opportunity to share those truths that have been such a blessing in my life.
Highlighting a few blessings in my life would not be complete without mentioning my wife, Kim who has continued as my best friend since we were courting well over 30 years ago. She has been a lovely companion in our life's journey together, and has given birth to our nine children, one of whom was taken to heaven within months of her birth. As you may guess, Kim loves children and does a wonderful job as a mother with all the roles that go into that title of honor. Marriage is a precious gift from the Lord. It is so reassuring that the Heavenly Doctrine makes it clear that it is a blessing in heaven to eternity, as well.
Whether your time with us is short or long, we hope it will leave memories you treasure on your journey from earth to heaven.
If you have questions about the church or any other topic, please feel free to contact me.