Smaller Pulpit, Big Perspective

Last Sunday my mother and I decided to check out a small church we’d heard about. There’s an old house on a big piece of property, not far from where my mother lives. I remember riding my bike past it when I was a teenager and being intrigued. It’s been some sort of spiritual retreat or another since I can remember.

For years it’s been called Swedenborg House, named for Emanuel Swedenborg who was a Swedish scientist, philosopher and Christian mystic in the 1700’s. He claimed to have a spiritual awakening in his fifties and that he could see heaven, hell, angels, demons and other spirits. He believed he was appointed by the Lord to reform Christianity through his writing. He was most known for his work, Heaven and Hell.

This place we visited last Sunday is a non-denominational gathering, now called Chrysalis, but they do still discuss Swedenborg. Mostly they talked about how difficult his works are to understand, possibly due to translation issues. The service began with a reading of the 27th psalm, ended with the Lord’s prayer and was really quiet, peaceful and energized by the gentle spirits of those few in attendance. One lady brought flowers from a garden. There was a plate next to them for voluntary donations. No one was counting. Everyone was meditating and praying instead. What a concept.

The outside seemed to come in as the tangled, overgrown bushes rustled in the breeze. The old casement windows were left open so the chirping birds and other sounds of nature could share in the service. The room was paneled in knotty pine and there was an old fireplace in one corner. Antique fixtures muted the artificial light to a perfect spiritual hue. What a cool place to worship.

I like mixing things up a little bit in that department. I’ve mentioned here before that the other church I attended became just a little too human with too much emphasis on money. This smaller group was more focused on peace and calm, faith-based searching, if that makes sense. They told us right up front that they don’t have all the answers but they share a lot of questions.

They chuckled at themselves and went about the business of seeking and praising God. That was plenty good enough for me and I’ll be going back.