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Missed Opportunities
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - February 09, 2020
It is frustrating when we miss an opportunity for something good: It is impossible to go back and change what happened, but we like to dwell on what might have been, if only we had known. This same mindset troubles us spiritually. It is not pleasant to think, “if I had made different choices earlier today, or last week, or last year, right now I would be a kinder, better, happier person. But since I missed my chance, I’ll never be quite as good as I could have been." The Lord, however, in bringing His friend Lazarus back from the dead, gives us hope that even if we cannot change the past, we never lose the chance for a better future. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
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Cycles and Seasons of Time
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - February 02, 2020
This Sunday evening I want to give the adults a chance to hear about the "Circle of the Church Year" that we use in Godly Play. It's an opportunity to think about the different religious celebrations we have in the year the value of those times and the times of preparation that lead up to them. And it will also be an opportunity to reflect more broadly on the value and purpose of the time, state, or season that we find ourselves in. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSA
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Out of Control Evil
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - January 26, 2020
What do you do when you lose control? Not in a wild and crazy sort of way. But more in the sense of knowing exactly what not to do, even having boundaries in place, but then helplessly observing yourself cross every boundary and break every commitment. In short, how do we come back from not being able to control our evils? The Word tells the story of a man possessed by demons, so possessed that even chains could not bind him. Yet what the man could not do on his own or even with the restraint of his neighbours, the Lord Himself could. Come learn how the Lord heals our evils and gives hope when we are hopeless. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
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Make Covenant with the Lord
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - January 19, 2020
Would you be willing to sign a legal agreement with the Lord, committing to do what He tells you to do? The Children of Israel made covenants with the Lord and, if we want to make progress in our relationship with Him, then we need to as well. Part of us does not want to do that. Let's talk about the value of a covenant with the Lord and how we can get through our resistance to the idea and make that commitment in a meaningful way. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSA
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Feed the Things that Grow
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - January 12, 2020
We often prioritize things that aren't working. Sometimes this is a good thing: after all, if it isn't working it needs to be fixed. But often we also pour energy into areas that are not bearing fruit. The Lord invites us to put aside the things that aren't working, and instead focus on the things that will bear fruit: things like love to the Lord, charity to the neighbour, and the joy of service. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
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"Teach Us to Number Our Days..."
Worship Service: Informal Family - January 05, 2020
It's a new decade (or not, depending on how you think about it) and it's a time when a lot of people are thinking about time and all that's happened in the past decade or two. People are also looking to the future and wondering what will happen in the 2020's. With these thoughts on our minds it seemed like it be useful, this Sunday evening, to reflect on Psalm 90 where it says, "teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSA
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Grief and Gratitude
Worship Service: Informal Family - December 29, 2019
A different baby was born in Bethlehem, hundreds of years before Jesus was born there. The mother of that baby died in childbirth and soo named her son "son of my sorrow" before she died. Later the father renamed that baby, "son of the right hand" or "son of strength". This story offers an opportunity to reflect on our sorrows and the strength that the Lord has given us through our sorrows and also gives us another way of understanding why the Lord was born in Bethlehem. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSA
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Why Was Jesus Born in Bethlehem?
Worship Service: Informal Family - December 25, 2019
Jesus was birn in Bethlehem, a town that did not seem particularly interesting or exciting. And if we want to find our Savious we need to be willing to look in places that also don't seem particularly interesting or exciting. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSA
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Trampling the Serpent
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - December 22, 2019
There are prophecies of the Lord’s coming scattered throughout the Old Testament. Many of these are well known: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given…” for example. But the first prophecy of the Lord’s coming is much more obscure and less well known. It is spoken by Jehovah to the serpent in the Garden of Eden: I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall trample your head, And you shall batter His heel. Not your usual Christmas cheer perhaps, but this prophecy describes the purpose of the Lord’s coming: to confront the selfishness that rises like a serpent within each of us and trample it down until we can be saved from it. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
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We Might Not Want the Lord to Come, But We Need Him To
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - December 01, 2019
As we approach Christmas we often talk about the Lord coming into the world and Him coming into our lives in a new way. At this Sunday’s evening service we will be talking about prophecies from Malachi about the Lord’s coming and why we might not actually want the Lord to come into our lives. That might sound strange but some of the prophecies about the Lord’s coming do not sound very pleasant. But we actually do need to go through those unpleasant things to really be ready for the Lord to come into our lives in a new way. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSA
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Halfway There
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - November 24, 2019
When Saul was commanded to destroy all the Amalekites and all their possessions, he only half obeyed: he destroyed all the worthless possessions, but kept the precious things, and spared the king. Yet he still claimed that he had obeyed the Lord. How often do we only follow the Lord halfway, but claim that we have done everything He asks? And how do we come to a place of wholeheartedly separating ourselves even from the evils that we really love and are attached to? | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
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Invitation
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - November 17, 2019
As a church we are focusing on invitation for the next couple of months. As we work on invitation I want our thinking and our actions to be informed by what the Lord teaches about it. And when you look for it, you can find teachings and stories about invitation and even direct invitations from the Lord throughout the His Word. Let’s learn from the Lord about how to invite. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSA
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Unintended Consequences
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - November 10, 2019
Intentions matter more than actions. In other words, someone who is good hearted but makes mistakes is better off than someone who is malicious even while doing the right thing. Yet even the most well-intentioned person can cause harm. Their good intentions do not negate the damage they can cause in ignorance. Rather than justifying ourselves or others by saying, “they meant well,” we must find ways of addressing the harm and correcting it, even as we support and acknowledge the good intentions lying behind it. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
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Labouring from the Lord
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - November 03, 2019
Why do we work on our spiritual lives? Why do we work to be more kind, more thoughtful, more generous? Is it for ourselves, other people, or the Lord? This week we will be looking at how our motivations effect our happiness, moving us toward jealousy and anger or toward joy and contentedness. How do we get from being reward focused to truly labouring from the Lord? | By Rev. Richard M. Glenn | Westville, RSA
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Praise the Lord
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - October 27, 2019
Again and again, the Bible stresses the importance of praising the Lord, but why? We praise other people to let them know we love and appreciate them, but the Lord knows every part of us. He knows how we feel before we could think to say it. What then, is the purpose of praising Him? Who is it for? This Sunday, join us as we examine the use of praising the Lord, and what that praise can look like. | By Rev. Richard M. Glenn | Westville, RSA
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"Unless the Lord Builds the House...."
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - October 20, 2019
It's very easy to buy into the idea that if we just work hard enough we can make sure that things work out the way we want them to. But then sometimes the things that we put hours and hours of effort and energy into building still fall to pieces. And then it feels like it's not worth working on anything. But the Lord can help us to find a healthier motivation to keep on working hard, while also leaving the outcomes to Him. This sermon is based on a chapel talk by Thane Glenn. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSA
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Unity in Worship
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - October 13, 2019
This Sunday we will talk about having unity in worship. The General Church has congregations all around the world, with people of various cultures and backgrounds. How do we remain unified in a way that makes us all feel part of the same Church, and how can we come together in worship and be lifted up by the Lord? In contrast, what are the things that cause us to feel at odds with each other, and feel that we are not all part of the same Church? As always, the Lord has the answers for us! | By Rt. Rev. Bradley D. Heinrichs | Westville, RSA
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Embracing Weakness
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - October 06, 2019
If someone called you weak, you would take it as an insult. But what about when the Lord calls you weak? Because He most certainly does: compared to Him, we are utterly powerless. And yet far from being insulted, if we embrace our own weakness, we can let down the burdens of perfection and self-reliance, and receive from the Lord a greater power than we could ever muster on our own. We may be utterly helpless, but the greatest force in the universe is on our side. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
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Life is Hard, Part 2, What Do We Do?
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - September 29, 2019
A few weeks ago we talked about how to cope with how hard life in this world is. This Sunday we're going to focus on the question of what to do about it. What actions should we take in response to hard and terrible things that happen? It's easy to feel quite powerless in the face of tragedies or huge problems. Can we make a difference? What do we do if our best efforts seem to accomplish nothing? Life is hard; what do we do? | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSA
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When Moses is Gone Too Long
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - September 22, 2019
Imagine that you are in this beautiful world, but there is a canvas sheet a few feet above your head. You can go on living, but a lot is lost. This describes a condition with good people who are trying to go to heaven. But there is a danger. The story of the golden calf the people made when Moses was up on the mountain for too long tells of a danger of earthly life and how we combat it. | By Rt. Rev. Peter M. Buss, Sr. | Westville, RSA
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Innocence is Bliss
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - September 15, 2019
There is a certain magic in holding a little baby. Their innocence brings a sense of contented peace. But what does it mean to be innocent really? It doesn’t mean being naive. It doesn’t mean being ignorant. But it doesn’t mean being perfect either. Can we keep our innocence as we grow? Should we? This Sunday we’ll explore what Jesus Christ tells us about innocence and what we need to do to live a life led by the Lord. - By Richard Glenn | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
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Life is Hard, Part 1, How Do We Cope
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - September 08, 2019
There are a lot of hard aspects of life in this natural world—in our personal lives and also in the world around us. What do we do with it all? How do we cope? Is it better to try to ignore the hard stuff? If we don’t ignore the hard stuff, how do we keep from being flattened by it? This Sunday we’re going to try to learn from He who has “borne our griefs and carried our sorrows,” about how we can cope with life in this hard world. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSA
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Good News, Fresh from Heaven, Part 2: Seen, Heard and Felt
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - September 01, 2019
This week we continue to explore the Teachings of the New Church and what they can mean for us. One of the more unusual aspects of these works is the descriptions of conversations with spirits and angels and the surroundings in which they took place. Swedenborg did not just share ideas, but also the things that the Lord allowed him to see, hear, and feel. Although unusual, what can these experiences teach us about heavenly life that mere ideas could not? | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
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A New Name
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - August 25, 2019
We get to witness two baptisms as part of the service this Sunday. When someone gets baptised we talk about them being baptised in the Lord’s name. There’s a lot that’s contained in that simple idea. This Sunday we’ll talk about what it means to take on the name of being a Christian and how we can find a new sense of identity in the Lord. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSA
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Memorial Service for Edward Palmer
Memorial Service - August 25, 2019
On the 18 August 2019, Edward Palmer peacefully passed away at the age of 86. It's always a hard adjustment when someone passes away, even when they've been sick for a long time like Ted had been. While we grieve his passing, we also are glad for him that he is no longer encumbered with a sick body but instead can enjoy the full use of his spiritual body and can again walk, run, talk easily with people, explore, and eat whatever he wants. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSA
See Event (34m 40s)