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Getting into Heaven is Easy
Worship Service: Sermon only - September 14, 2025
Jesus said: “Wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:13-14). This teaching has led many to believe that it is difficult to get to heaven, but others wonder why God would make it difficult to get there. So, ask yourself this question: “Is it easy or difficult to get to heaven?” This is the question we will attempt to answer on Sunday! | By Rt. Rev. Bradley D. Heinrichs | Westville, RSA
See Event (17m 29s)
Covenant Renewal
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - September 14, 2025
The purpose of this service will be to explore ways in which we can re-dedicate ourselves as individuals and as a congregation to the covenantal relationships we’ve formed with each other and with the Lord. We’re taught that “covenants are made for the sake of love, friendship, and companionship, and therefore for the sake of union” (Life 60), but they can’t work unless we give our consent (AC 8778). The need for periodic covenant renewals is a strong and consistent theme in the Scriptures, and so we will be considering Joshua’s farewell speech (Joshua 24) as a template for how we can strengthen our loyalty and commitment to the Lord and each other. | By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Bryn Athyn Cathedral
See Event (29m 02s)
The First Commandment
Worship Service: Family (may include music) - September 07, 2025
“You shall have no other gods before my face.” (Exodus 20:3) This is the first of the Ten Commandments and all the commandments that come after it relate back to it. What and who do we bow down to and serve instead of the Lord our God? How can we learn to identify those gods and reject them and instead love the Lord our God with all our heart, all our soul, and all our strength? | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Bryn Athyn Cathedral
See Event (15m 32s)
The First Commandment
Worship Service: Sermon only - September 07, 2025
“You shall have no other gods before my face.” (Exodus 20:3) This is the first of the Ten Commandments and all the commandments that come after it relate back to it. What and who do we bow down to and serve instead of the Lord our God? How can we learn to identify those gods and reject them and instead love the Lord our God with all our heart, all our soul, and all our strength? | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Bryn Athyn Cathedral
See Event (25m 55s)
Memorial Service for Judith 'Jid' P. Smith
Memorial Service - September 06, 2025
Judith "Jid" Pendleton Smith passed into the spiritual world on Friday, August 15, 2025. She was 91 years old. | By Rev. Jeffrey Smith | Bryn Athyn Cathedral
See Event (19m 20s)
Saul’s Intentions
Worship Service: Family (may include music) - August 31, 2025
Is it OK to sort of or even mostly follow the Lord’s Commandments? Something is better than nothing, right? When King Saul was commanded to destroy the Amalekites, he mostly did what the Lord said. This Sunday we’ll find out how that went for him, and what it means for our intentions. | By Rev. Jeffrey Smith | Bryn Athyn Cathedral
See Event (16m 07s)
Saul’s Intentions
Worship Service: Sermon only - August 31, 2025
Is it OK to sort of or even mostly follow the Lord’s Commandments? Something is better than nothing, right? When King Saul was commanded to destroy the Amalekites, he mostly did what the Lord said. This Sunday we’ll find out how that went for him, and what it means for our intentions. | By Rev. Jeffrey Smith | Bryn Athyn Cathedral
See Event (18m 47s)
The Pure in Heart Shall See God
Worship Service: Family (may include music) - August 24, 2025
At the very beginning of Jesus’ most famous sermon – the Sermon on the Mount – He begins by calling out groups of people and offering them blessings. To one group He says, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8). This may seem strange, after all what does the quality of our heart have to do with our ability to see? In this message, though, there is a powerful message about how we receive and develop our faith. | By Steven Gunther | Bryn Athyn Cathedral
See Event (16m 00s)
The Pure in Heart Shall See God
Worship Service: Sermon only - August 24, 2025
At the very beginning of Jesus’ most famous sermon – the Sermon on the Mount – He begins by calling out groups of people and offering them blessings. To one group He says, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8). This may seem strange, after all what does the quality of our heart have to do with our ability to see? In this message, though, there is a powerful message about how we receive and develop our faith. | By Steven Gunther | Bryn Athyn Cathedral
See Event (21m 30s)
Perfectionism
Worship Service: Family (may include music) - August 17, 2025
Life would have little meaning or purpose if we didn’t set goals for ourselves and if we didn’t push ourselves to put in our best effort. But striving to be perfect is very different from being perfect. We often confuse the two. The first is part of the Lord’s plan, the second is a lie perpetuated by the hells which causes tremendous damage because we end up demanding perfection of ourselves and others. In the story of the Rich Young Ruler, the Lord addresses the question of perfectionism and provides an answer that is truly freeing (Matthew 19:16-22). | By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Bryn Athyn Cathedral
See Event (15m 12s)
Perfectionism
Worship Service: Sermon only - August 17, 2025
Life would have little meaning or purpose if we didn’t set goals for ourselves and if we didn’t push ourselves to put in our best effort. But striving to be perfect is very different from being perfect. We often confuse the two. The first is part of the Lord’s plan, the second is a lie perpetuated by the hells which causes tremendous damage because we end up demanding perfection of ourselves and others. In the story of the Rich Young Ruler, the Lord addresses the question of perfectionism and provides an answer that is truly freeing (Matthew 19:16-22). | By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Bryn Athyn Cathedral
See Event (22m 56s)
Results Don't Matter
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - August 10, 2025
Of course results matter! But they don’t matter in the way we might think. We tend to think that if some choice we make has a good or pleasant result, then we made the right choice; and if it has a bad or painful result then we must have made the wrong choice. The Lord, however, encourages us to do the right thing regardless of the (apparent) outcome. The immediate results won’t tell us much about whether we have done right or wrong. It’s more important for us to do what is right according to the Lord’s guidance rather than relying on our limited view of the results. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
See Event (34m 03s)
Our Spiritual Reality: Grappling with Hell
Worship Service: Family (may include music) - August 10, 2025
If we want to really understand our spiritual reality, we have to grapple with the reality of hell. This Sunday, we will take some time with images and teachings about hell in the Old Testament, New Testament, and the teachings for the New Church. We will be looking directly at some of the most difficult and darkest aspects of human life. At the same time, we will reflect on our loving God, who shines light into even the darkest places and reaches out in love and infinite mercy to even the darkest of hearts. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Bryn Athyn Cathedral
See Event (21m 46s)
Our Spiritual Reality: Grappling with Hell
Worship Service: Sermon only - August 10, 2025
If we want to really understand our spiritual reality, we have to grapple with the reality of hell. This Sunday, we will take some time with images and teachings about hell in the Old Testament, New Testament, and the teachings for the New Church. We will be looking directly at some of the most difficult and darkest aspects of human life. At the same time, we will reflect on our loving God, who shines light into even the darkest places and reaches out in love and infinite mercy to even the darkest of hearts. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Bryn Athyn Cathedral
See Event (30m 53s)
The Great Potter
Worship Service: Family (may include music) - August 03, 2025
This Sunday’s family talk explores how the Lord is like a potter and we are like clay in His hands. We’ll see how the Lord shapes our lives, and how, when we create with love and care, our works can reflect His. | By Rev. Pearse M. Frazier | Bryn Athyn Cathedral
See Event (12m 46s)
The Potter and Technology
Worship Service: Sermon only - August 03, 2025
This Sunday’s adult sermon explores the difference between the works of our hands and the work of the Lord’s. From pottery to AI, human creations often reflect our desires, but not always our wisdom. We’ll reflect on how technology can either serve or distort what only the Lord can truly form: a heavenly person. | By Rev. Pearse M. Frazier | Bryn Athyn Cathedral
See Event (22m 09s)
Maintenance
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - August 03, 2025
Things seem to fall apart and get broken rather easily—from our aging bodies, to the buildings we live in, to the equipment we rely on each day, to our lives in general and the world at large. Just think of your current to-do list of things that you need to fix, replace, clean, or sort out. What are we meant to do in the midst of this reality? Give up on fixing anything? Let’s talk on Sunday about the importance of maintenance and how to find the humility, courage, and trust to do the work to maintain what matters. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSA
See Event (33m 55s)
Back to Basics: How Does God Work
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - July 27, 2025
Back in February I gave a sermon called Back to Basics: Who is God? In that sermon we covered why beliefs about God matter so much, and how God is simultaneously infinite and omnipotent and loving and personal. We only briefly touched on the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. How can God be all three of these and still be one? We will explore how these aspects of God all work together in the one person, the Lord Jesus Christ. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
See Event (39m 47s)
The Lies of the Serpent
Worship Service: Family (may include music) - July 27, 2025
The first liar in the Word is the serpent in the Garden of Eden. Ever since then, people have had trouble telling the truth. But in the book of Revelation, the serpent, also known as the dragon, is defeated. | By Rev. Jeremy F. Simons | Bryn Athyn Cathedral
See Event (13m 08s)
The Invention of Lying
Worship Service: Sermon only - July 27, 2025
The Heavenly Doctrine tells us fascinating things about how deception and lies made their way into the world. We are also told about the meaning of the eighth commandment and how the Lord is leading us into an age when bearing false witness will be increasingly rare. | By Rev. Jeremy F. Simons | Bryn Athyn Cathedral
See Event (27m 04s)
Free to Do What?
Worship Service: Family (may include music) - July 20, 2025
We’re taught that “all freedom is a matter of love…” (DP 73), and yet not all “freedoms” are equal. Eating a bowl of ice cream might seem like heaven on earth but it doesn’t carry the same kind of weight or significance as choosing to help a friend in need, or choosing to invent or create something that benefits society. The type of freedom which the Lord wants us to experience is not something we are born with. It doesn’t just fall in our lap. The truth will indeed “set us free” – it’s just a matter of asking ourselves how hard are we willing to fight for it. | By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Bryn Athyn Cathedral
See Event (16m 52s)
Free to Do What?
Worship Service: Sermon only - July 20, 2025
We’re taught that “all freedom is a matter of love…” (DP 73), and yet not all “freedoms” are equal. Eating a bowl of ice cream might seem like heaven on earth but it doesn’t carry the same kind of weight or significance as choosing to help a friend in need or choosing to invent or create something that benefits society. The type of freedom which the Lord wants us to experience is not something we are born with. It doesn’t just fall in our lap. The truth will indeed “set us free” – it’s just a matter of asking ourselves how hard are we willing to fight for it. | By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Bryn Athyn Cathedral
See Event (25m 31s)
The Power of Truth
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - July 20, 2025
One of the most well-known stories in the Bible is that of David felling the giant Goliath with a simple sling. What gives us this power in our own lives? The answer from the Teachings of the New Church is... Truth! That might not sound exciting, if you think of truth as mere ideas. But when we use the Lord's truths properly, they are some of the most powerful tools in the universe. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
See Event (21m 13s)