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Hold Fast to What You Have
Worship Service: Sermon only - June 09, 2024
(Revelation 3:7-13) The people of the church in Philadelphia were praised for their perseverance in the midst of struggle. They were commanded to “hold fast” to what they have. We are called to a kind of spiritual tenaciousness that has us rely on the Lord and the things in His Word, and to the extent that we can we will be blessed. | By Rt. Rev. Peter M. Buss, Jr. | Bryn Athyn Cathedral"I have seen, I have heard, I have felt."
Worship Service: Family (may include music) - June 18, 2023
"I have seen, I have heard, I have felt." (Arcana Coelestia 68). Imagine watching a movie at the theater without the soundtrack or listening to the soundtrack without the picture. Or imagine smelling bread fresh out of the oven but being denied a slice of it. Only when all our senses are engaged do we experience the fullness and richness of life. The same was true for Emanuel Swedenborg in his role as a revelator. The Lord could have simply told Swedenborg what to write down about heaven and hell but instead Swedenborg was fully immersed in the spiritual world where he saw, heard, smelled, tasted, and touched incredible things. The same is true of our spiritual lives - all our senses need to be engaged if we are to properly discern between good and evil. | By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Bryn Athyn Cathedral"I have seen, I have heard, I have felt." (AC 68)
Worship Service: Sermon only - June 18, 2023
On the day before our celebration of New Church Day, we will take a moment to marvel at the nature of the Lord’s new revelation, given through His servant, Emanuel Swedenborg. The Lord could have simply dictated to Swedenborg all the necessary facts and information of this new revelation but instead Swedenborg spent decades living and breathing the sights and sounds and smells of the spiritual realm. Why was this necessary? Do we need a similar “immersion” in spiritual delights in order to properly discern between good and evil? | By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Bryn Athyn CathedralThe Angel with the Little Book
Worship Service: Family (may include music) - June 11, 2023
Revelation chapter 10 tells a story that is at the heart of what New Church day is all about. | By Rev. Jeremy F. Simons | Bryn Athyn CathedralThe Seven Thunders
Worship Service: Sermon only - June 11, 2023
The seven thunders that are heard in Revelation chapter 10 are speaking a message that will literally change the world. But that message is sealed up and John is told not to write it down. The reason for this has to do with what is just about to happen in the book. | By Rev. Jeremy F. Simons | Bryn Athyn CathedralQualities of the New Church: The Holy City
Worship Service: Family (may include music) - June 26, 2022
| By Rev. Eric H. Carswell | Bryn Athyn CathedralThink Again
Worship Service: Sermon only - June 19, 2022
| By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Bryn Athyn CathedralSilence in Heaven
Worship Service: Sermon only - June 12, 2022
Rev. 8:1. There are lots of reasons why we become silent - when we see or hear something astonishing, or deeply moving, or awkward and embarrassing. We also seek out silence as a way to collect our thoughts, to stop and think. The opening of the seventh seal, followed by silence in heaven, represents how the Lord helps us see things in ourselves we didn't (or couldn't) see before. We'll discover that the silence of heaven is as important to us as the air we breathe. | By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Bryn Athyn CathedralEscaping the Dragon
Worship Service: Family (may include music) - June 05, 2022
The dragon threatens both the Woman Clothed with the Sun and her Child. They escape, but they have help. | By Rev. Jeremy F. Simons | Bryn Athyn CathedralOn Eagles' Wings
Worship Service: Sermon only - June 05, 2022
The Child born to the Woman Clothed with the Sun is a threat to the Great Red Dragon, so he attacks. She doesn't fight back but flees, and is protected in five specific ways that are enumerated in the Writings. | By Rev. Jeremy F. Simons | Bryn Athyn CathedralThe Four Horseman
Worship Service: Informal Family - June 05, 2022
In the book of Revelation, the four horsemen represent a useful reminder of the different ways that we often end up understanding the Word. What can we do to avoid ways of thinking which are like the red, black, and pale horses? How can we strive for ways of thinking which are like the white horse? | By Rev. Solomon J. Keal | Bryn Athyn Heilman HallThe New Church: A Bride and a City
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - June 05, 2022
June is the month in which we celebrate the New Church. If we look to the Lord’s Word there are two particular images of what the New Church is, or is supposed to be, like: one image is a woman, clothed with the sun, the other, a holy city shining with gold. Each image speaks to the characteristics that make the New Church what it is. This Sunday we will look deeper to understand how these two pictures help us better understand both the Love and the Wisdom that should be present in everything that the Church is and does. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSAWicked Creatures in the Book of Revelation
Worship Service: Family (may include music) - May 22, 2022
Why does the book of Revelation have a number of wicked creatures? What does the Lord want us to recognize in them that is a threat to our willingness to follow the Lord? | By Rev. Eric H. Carswell | Bryn Athyn CathedralThe Lord God Jesus Christ Reigns
Worship Service: Family (may include music) - June 20, 2021
The Lord tells us that the birth of the New Church involved one simple message: The Lord is in charge. We will explore what this means as we celebrate the 251st anniversary of the birth of the New Church. | By Rev. Erik J. Buss | Bryn Athyn CathedralThe Marriage Supper of the Lamb
Worship Service: Sermon only - June 20, 2021
Every New Church Day we celebrate the Lord's sending out His disciples to preach the gospel that the Lord God Jesus Christ Reigns (TCR 791). We can sometimes skip over the second part of their announcement: "Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb." We will look at how we can engage in this second part of the message announcing the birth of the New Church. | By Rev. Erik J. Buss | Bryn Athyn CathedralThe Lord’s Presence with Us: The Holy City New Jerusalem
Worship Service: Family (may include music) - June 13, 2021
The end of the book of Revelation presents a vision of the New Church being seen as a bride and as a holy city descending from heaven. The Lord invites each of us to receive the Lord and this church in our hearts, minds and lives. | By Rev. Eric H. Carswell | Bryn Athyn CathedralThe Tree of Life in the Holy City New Jerusalem
Worship Service: Ordination & Sermon - June 13, 2021
Ordination of Candidate Justin Schorran into the first degree by Bishop Peter M. Buss, Jr. Why is it that we find "hard" truths in the Word? Is it the Lord who makes them that way? Is it us? This week, as we reflect on the birth of the New Church, we will consider the underlying force within His threefold Word that makes it so essential for us to follow. | By Rev. Justin Schorran | Bryn Athyn CathedralA Lion and a Lamb
Worship Service: Family (may include music) - June 06, 2021
The Lord is called both a lion and a lamb in Scripture. We'll explore a story where they both show up together and look at what that means for us. | By Rev. Erik J. Buss | Bryn Athyn CathedralThe Rider on the White Horse
Worship Service: Sermon only - June 06, 2021
One of the central images in the Book of Revelation is of the Rider on the White Horse. It is also a central image for teaching us how we become spiritual people. | By Rev. Erik J. Buss | Bryn Athyn CathedralWhat is the New Church? Part 1
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - June 06, 2021
Every year on 19 June we celebrate “New Church Day.” We treat this day as the birthday of our church. But what is it that we actually are celebrating? What is the New Church? How does the New Church fit into the broader world of religions and faith? How widely does it extend? How does it differ from any other faith? This June we will spend time looking at exactly what the New Church is, and especially how it fits into the world around us. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSASent Out and Sent Out Again
Worship Service: Family (may include music) - June 21, 2020
As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of New Church Day, our focus is on the sending out of the 12 disciples on June 19, 1770. We have the opportunity to remember together the Christmas Tableaux and the June 19th Pageant, and to ask ourselves what it means to be a disciple of the Lord. | By Rt. Rev. Peter M. Buss, Jr. | Bryn Athyn CathedralSent Out and Sent Out Again
Worship Service: Sermon only - June 21, 2020
The Child born to the woman clothed with the sun, described in Revelation 12, represents "the doctrine of the New Church" (see Apocalypse Revealed 543). Our opportunity is to focus on the revelation of the Heavenly Doctrines as the fulfillment of that prophecy. Beyond appreciation is the act of being sent out. The real impact of that revelation is people like us choosing to live an authentic New Church life as described in its pages. | By Rt. Rev. Peter M. Buss, Jr. | Bryn Athyn CathedralHeavenly Freedom
Message of the Day. Our world is in a lot of turmoil right now, and lots of people are talking about what freedom looks like. Well, what is heavenly freedom like? Elmo's church: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2Rb... | By Rev. Elmo K. Acton | Glenview, ILHelping Us to See Clearly
Worship Service: Family (may include music) - June 14, 2020
The Lord wants us to know that we make much better decisions when we can see ourselves and the choices before us in the light of heaven. Harmful things that might seem desirable when we aren't thinking clearly can be seen for what they are. This process is what much of the Book of Revelation describes. | By Rev. Eric H. Carswell | Bryn Athyn CathedralSeeing in the Light of Love and Wisdom
Worship Service: Sermon only - June 14, 2020
Many people reading the Book of Revelation see within its pages a description of an angry and condemning God who inflicts terrible punishment on people who are doing evil things. The teachings of the New Church call us to see these images completely differently. The Lord is revealing the true nature of things as they can be seen in the light of His love and wisdom. | By Rev. Eric H. Carswell | Bryn Athyn Cathedral