JOHN SEES INTO HEAVEN
“Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse.”

When John was on the Isle of Patmos, the Lord opened his spiritual eyes and showed him many visions. By the Lord opening heaven is meant that He would open the Word so that its spiritual meaning can be understood.  And it is this revelation of the inner meaning of the Word that is the second coming of the Lord—giving us a new way to see the Lord by learning about Him through the interior truths of His Word.

PROJECT:  Diorama of John on the Isle of Patmos
Make a shoebox diorama of John on the Isle of Patmos, seeing the Lord on a white horse.

PROJECT:  Behold a Door Opened in Heaven (preschool and primary children)

The door opening in heaven means that the Lord is revealing secrets of heaven.  Younger children will enjoy this project which illustrates one of the “secrets” revealed by the Lord—that we have angels near us to lead and protect us. 

READ: “Revelation 19,” a sermon by the Rev. Jim Cooper

The Lord ON A WHITE HORSE

He who sat on him [the white horse] was called Faithful and True…

And He has…on His thigh a name written: King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
(Revelation 19:11, 16)

Imagine seeing the Lord on a white horse! His eyes were like a flame of fire, picturing His deep love for all people. The Lord as the King of Kings had many crowns upon His head.  And a sharp sword came from His mouth, picturing the His truth—ready to conquer evil and falsity. That the Lord was riding upon a white horse illustrates understanding the truth of the Word in its spiritual, internal meaning.

FAMILY WORSHIP:

Ø Read aloud the story in Revelation 19:11-16.

Ø Reading one of these might help your family explore the meaning of the story:

“ The White Horse,” a family talk by the Rev. David Simons
“ The White Horse,” a sermon by the Rev. Kurt Horigan Asplundh

Ø You may also want to read and discuss some of the quotations From the Word.

PROJECT: Lord on a White Horse Mobile
Pictures the Lord on a white horse with the three names given in Revelation 19 (“Faithful and True”, “The Word of God”, and “King of Kings and Lord of Lords”).

PROJECT: Stained Glass Window Puzzle (a family activity)
After cutting out all the pieces of the stained glass window, put it together to reveal the picture of the Lord riding on a white horse. (Note: There are 100 pieces in this puzzle.)

COLORING PAGE: The Lord on a White Horse

COLORING PAGE: Faithful and True

PROJECT: Diorama of the Lord Riding on a White Horse
Use pipe-cleaners, Sculpey, or play dough (see recipe) to make John, the Lord on the white horse, etc. If desired, make several more horses with angels who are part of the Lord’s army. Tear green construction paper to represent the island of Patmos and place it on a larger piece of blue paper to show the water surrounding it.

FOR REFLECTION: What’s in a Name?
Why does Revelation 19 mention three names for the Lord?  What is meant by each of them? Do you picture the Lord differently as you think about each of these names?

• Faithful and True
• The Word of God
• King of Kings and Lord of Lords

Hint: King of Kings relates to the Lord’s Divine Wisdom and Lord of Lords relates to His Divine Good. As the Rev. James P. Cooper notes in his sermon on Revelation 19, the Lord would not be God of the universe unless He had both the desire to create a heaven from the human race (Divine Good) and the knowledge of how to govern it once it was created (Divine Wisdom).

riding on a white horse

A horse symbolizes the understanding….White Horse 3

Horses are beautiful, powerful animals. A white horse symbolizes understanding the truths of the Word. Remember that angels were also seen riding white horses (Revelation 6:2 and 19:14). The Lord wants all of us to learn to “ride white horses” by reading the Lord’s Word and developing a spiritual understanding of His truth.

PROJECT: Read the Word and See a White Horse
Illustrates how a person who reads and understands the Word is like a person riding a white horse.

READ: “Horses in the Word” by the Rev. Fred Gyllenhaal

COLORING PAGE: Armies of Heaven War Against Beasts

PROJECT: Joining the Lord’s Army
John saw armies of angels riding white horses and ready to battle evil and falsity. We should all want to become one of the angels who follow the Lord and appear to be riding on a white horse. Draw white horses following the Lord, picturing them being ridden by angels or yourself and your friends.

ACTIVITY: Reading the Word as a Family Activity
Gather everyone together at a meal, bedtime, or some other time. Establish a reverent sphere, perhaps lighting candles and singing a song. Then read a portion of the Lord’s Word. This is a wonderful way to help your children see how much you value this gift from the Lord and to teach them to seek answers there.

• Preview (tell) the story before reading it to little ones.
• Focus on key aspects of the story such as the people, time of day, and location.
• Use Bible illustrations or a representation to help your children picture the story.
• Ask questions, such as “What do you think this story is teaching us about…?”

the spiritual sense of the word

Enter into the mysteries of the Word…
for the particular truths are so many mirrors of the Lord.
True Christian Religion 508:63

The Lord is making His Second Coming by revealing the spiritual meaning or internal sense of the Word and teachings about life after death. Here are some projects that picture the layers of meaning within the Word and the application of the truths of the Word in our lives.

PROJECT: The Word Is Like a Beautiful Infant
Make an infant out of clay or Sculpey and then wrap it with beautiful ribbons.

PROJECT: Layers of the Word
Make a book picturing the layers of meaning within the Word.

PROJECT: Mirror Writing
In the quote above (TCR 508), we read that truths of the Word are “so many mirrors of the Lord.” Here is a page of “mirror writing” for you to print out and then hold up to a mirror so that you can read it.  You may also want to try doing mirror writing (writing backwards) yourself.

PROJECT:  Make a Sword of Truth
Make your own sword from cardboard or by fastening two pieces of wood together. Now write one or more truths on the sword—true ideas that can help you fight for what is right and protect you from what is wrong. For a simpler project, draw a large sword on a piece of paper and write a truth from the Word such as “love your neighbor as yourself” on it or print the Sword of Truth activity page.

the new church

Peace holds within itself trust in the Lord, the trust that He governs all things and provides all things, and that He leads toward an end that is good.  When a person believes these things…he is at peace…. (Arcana Coelestia 8455:1,2)

By revealing the spiritual meaning of His Word, the Lord is establishing a New Church with all who acknowledge Him, learn truths from His Word, and then do them.  Here are just a few of the special teachings that He has now revealed:

ØThe Lord is the God of heaven and earth.  There is only one God, and there is a Divine Trinity in Him.  The Lord Jesus Christ is that one God.

ØEach and every detail of the Word has a spiritual meaning. 

ØTrue love in marriage comes only from the Lord, and He gives it to the people who live according to His commandments.

ØThere has now been a revelation by the Lord about life after death. 

READ: “The New Church” by the Rev. Walter E. Orthwein

SING: The Lord God Jesus Christ Doth Reign

PROJECT: Doing What Is True
We are supposed to learn truths from the Lord by means of the Word and then do or apply them. Let children write 6-10 simple truths on index cards and pick one each day. The Ten Commandments are good examples. Encourage your child to work on doing it that day or write about how it could be applied to life.

JOURNAL PAGE: Applying the Word to Life
Reflect on how you can use the truths of the Word in your life. For example, what does it mean to do your job “justly, faithfully, and sincerely”? What kinds of activities do you think this involves?

For more options see Additional Resources.

CELEBRATING NEW CHURCH DAY

Making New Church Day Special
There are many ways to help our children develop affections for this religious festival that we celebrate on June 19th. New Church congregations may hold an outdoor service, put on a pageant, give gifts to the children, and have a picnic. Families can have a special breakfast or brunch. Choose red and white food to echo the colors of the New Church flag (strawberries and whipped cream, cherry Danish, cranberry juice, etc.).

Decorating Your Home
This month’s website offers several projects that can help you decorate your home for the birthday of the New Church. Among these are the New Church Day flag, and the many art projects. To extend the theme of the Lord on a White Horse, you might want to make the white horse cake described below. And if you give your children New Church gifts (such as religious books or song tapes), you might want to wrap them in white tissue paper with red ribbon.

PROJECT: New Church Day Mobile
Make a beautiful mobile with these color pictures of the Woman Clothed with the Sun, the Holy City New Jerusalem, the Lord Riding upon a White Horse, Michael Fighting the Dragon, and the Open Word.

PROJECT: White Horse Cake
Bake a layer cake and ice with white frosting. Gently lay a template of a horse on top of the cake, and then sprinkle with colored sugar so that when you lift away the template you have a white horse design. Another option would be use colored frosting, make a horse stencil rather than a template, and sprinkle powdered sugar to make a white horse on the cake.

PROJECT: New Church Day Flag
Make red and white flags to symbolize the Lord’s love and wisdom. See the instruction page for suggestions on how to use the flags.

READ: “Our Attitude Toward New Church Day” by the Rev. Clark Echols

LITERATURE CONNECTIONS

The Birthday of the New Church is retold from the book of Revelation by Carol Buss and illustrated by Mary S. Cooper. This is an excellent book to use with younger children (ages 3-9).

The Story of Revelation offers readers the text from the New King James Bible paired with full-page illustrations by Mary S. Cooper. This book also offers a brief summary of the spiritual meaning of John’s visions, making it a great resource for families with older children.

John in the Isle of Patmos by Bishop George De Charms (for older children) covers many of the Revelation stories, weaving spiritual ideas and background information into the narrative.