How to Heal Spiritual Suffering
"And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations." (Rev. 22:2b)
Anyone can go to heaven, no matter what church they go to or what doctrines they are taught, so long as they try to shun evils and live a life of charity. So why do people join the New Church if salvation isn't "on the line"? To relieve suffering.
The Lord is Love, and so wants nothing more than for us to be happy. Yet, there is a lot of suffering in the world. We all suffer at some time or another, and if we're not suffering now, it's not hard for us to find someone around us who is. Some suffering is small, some is very great. And so, the Lord provides us with a way to be healed.
In fact, He provides two means of healing. First, He provides the Word. Second, He provides people. It is part of His design for His church that we each use our own understanding of His truths to heal not only ourselves, but the world around us.
The Book of Revelation ends with a beautiful image of the heavenly city New Jerusalem. In its midst grows the Tree of Life, about which we are told, "The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations." The city is an image of what the Lord's New Church is meant to be like here, today. This final chapter of the New Testament also presents an image of what each one of us is meant to be like. The "leaves of the tree" are the rational truths of the New Church, and "the nations" are all those people who suffer because of evil desires and false beliefs. Who of us does that not describe? So these "leaves"—these new, rational truths of the New Church—have the power to heal us when we suffer. This is no empty promise, as anyone who has experienced this in their own lives can tell you. Furthermore, this is not merely a prediction of what the Lord will do in each of our lives, but is a call to each of us to participate in His grand plan for humanity.
So, if you are suffering, turn to these new truths, and you will find relief. And if you have felt the healing power for yourself already, then go out and be a healer. The Lord has anointed you to preach the good news and heal the brokenhearted. Anyone of any faith can get to heaven. What the New Church offers is a way to ease a person's burden as they make that journey. That is what it means to be a part of the New Jerusalem.
To see that this is true, read Revelation 22:1-5, Apocalypse Revealed 936:1-2, and Isaiah 61:1-3, listen to the full audio version of this sermon (recorded at the Bryn Athyn Cathedral), and then try it out in your own life.