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God's Goals For Your Happiness
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - February 03, 2019
God definitely wants us to be happy, but it doesn't always feel like it. More often than not there seems to be a tension between what we want to do and what God asks us to do. The Lord understands that we go through this and so He draws our attention to the happiness that lies within keeping His commandments: "Happy are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven," as just one example. Nor is this promised happiness only in the distant future. If we know what to look for, we can see in the moment how denying ourselves and following the Lord aligns perfectly with our own happiness. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
See Event (18m 15s)
Burn Out
Worship Service: Children & Adult - January 27, 2019
A number of people online are discussing and writing articles about burnout at the moment, prompted by this article posted a few weeks ago. And so it seemed good to spend some time thinking about burnout from a New Church Christian perspective. What does the Lord teach about burning out and how can He help us to notice when we’re heading that direction and change course? | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSA
See Event (28m 53s)
Accept the Gift
Worship Service: Children & Adult - January 20, 2019
The difference between payment and a gift is that we are entitled to payment for the work we have done, while a gift is freely given. So if the Lord freely forgives and saves us, why does it seem like we have to work so hard for it? What do we get credit for and what do we have to acknowledge is the Lord's? If we can clearly see how the Lord freely gives us what we need to work with, we'll be able to accept that gift in every situation through the choices we make. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
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Ezekiel and the Valley of the Dry Bones
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - January 13, 2019
The sermon for this Sunday is one by Coleman Glenn, our former Associate Pastor. The text is a dramatic vision that the prophet Ezekiel had of a valley full of dry bones that come back together, have sinew, flesh, and skin cover them again and ultimately turn into a huge group of living people. It's a dramatic symbolic picture of how the Lord can take what's dead within us and bring us back to spiritual life. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSA
See Event (28m 22s)
We Have Come to Worship Him
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - December 16, 2018
Worship is not something we think of as difficult. Yet there is a lot more to worship than meets the eye. The deeper meaning of worship shows up in the story of the wise men. These men did not simply worship the Lord from where they were. They got up and traveled to find the Lord and give him unique gifts. Likewise, if we want to truly worship the Lord, we have to seek Him out, and offer Him gifts of love, faith, usefulness. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
See Event (19m 15s)
The Two Gates
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - November 25, 2018
This Sunday we have the privilege of witnessing and taking part in the two sacraments: Baptism and Holy Supper. In some ways these two rituals seem worlds apart. In one, water is poured over a child's head as he is dedicated to the Lord. In the other we eat bread and drink wine, symbolic of taking in the Lord's love and wisdom. Yet these two rituals contain the whole span of spiritual life. Baptism represents the very first introduction to the Lord, the first glimmers of spiritual life. Holy Supper represents the fulfillment of that life, as we take in the Lord Himself to dwell within us. They are like two gates, and when we have gone through both, we are in heaven. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
See Event (17m 03s)
Heaven is Not Transferable
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - November 11, 2018
Wouldn't it be nice if someone else could do all the work of getting into heaven for us? In traditional Christianity this idea takes the form of "substitutionary atonement," the idea that because Christ suffered for our sin, we don't have to. This idea is rejected in the New Church, but it is still appealing to believe we don't have to do spiritual work because the Lord is doing it for us. While we could do nothing without the Lord, we actually need to take full responsibility for our spiritual lives. After all, no one else can do it for us. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
See Event (22m 38s)
Heaven is Not for Everyone
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - November 04, 2018
We’re doing a series called “Appealing Heresies” which is about ideas that sound good and sound true but actually are quite problematic when you think them through. This Sunday evening we’re talking about the appealing idea that everyone can go to heaven, no matter what they believe. Many people believe this. Many people think this is what the New Church teaches. It’s not. What’s wrong with this idea? Come on Sunday evening as we unpack the implications of this appealing heresy and try to understand what the Lord actually teaches on this topic. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSA
See Event (25m 49s)
Heaven is Not for Sale
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - October 28, 2018
You can’t buy your way into heaven, no matter how much wealth you amass. That won’t come as a surprise to most of you. Yet somehow, subconsciously, we end up trying. Every time we feel entitled to reward because of our good deeds, we have diminished good deeds to a mere currency with which we can buy a slice of heaven. Every time we feel slighted for the ill fortune that befalls us in spite of our goodness, we have reduced God’s living Providence into a mere balance sheet of good countered by evil. It is only when we realize that goodness is its own reward that we can be free from the allure of heaven as a reward. Heaven is not a reward; heaven is the natural result of a life of goodness. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
See Event (23m 34s)
Una Elphick Memorial Service
Memorial Service - October 26, 2018
Celebrating the Life of Una Elphick | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSA
See Event (18m 51s)
Repenting from Coveting
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - October 21, 2018
What does it mean to covet? Do you know how to recognise when you’re coveting? More importantly, do you know how to repent from coveting? The teachings of the New Church say that the two commandments about coveting cover some pretty important things for us to work on. We can learn to notice when we’re coveting and, with the Lord’s help, we can repent from coveting. Come find out how. The video mentioned in the recording is "How Not Coveting Could Change the World" by offthelefteye on YouTube. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSA
See Event (30m 11s)
Repenting from False Witness
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - October 14, 2018
The Ten Commandments forbid saying things that are not true; or do they? The 8th commandment is often summarized as "you shall not lie," but it actually reads, "you shall not bear false witness against your neighbour." This wording is significant. It implies something broader then just telling facts or lies. Even the "truth" can be used to bear false witness against someone. We are called to heed our thoughts and our words, making sure that they are not only factually correct, but that they bear witness to the true goodness of character of the people around us. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
See Event (23m 08s)
Repenting from Stealing
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - October 07, 2018
The teachings are clear: we have to repent. We have to identify and acknowledge the ways in which we are breaking the Lord’s Commandments and we then have to ask the Lord for help and actually begin to live in a new way. Our spiritual lives depend on our willingness to do this work. For the next three Sundays we will be looking at some of the 10 Commandments and how a person could repent from breaking those commandments. This Sunday evening we will talk about stealing. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSA
See Event (24m 13s)
Seeing the Light
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - September 30, 2018
The past two Sundays Malcolm talked about reading the Bible, sharing techniques for how to do it and how to know if you're doing it right. This week we carry on with the same theme but with a slightly different perspective: not so much how to read the Bible but what happens when we do. Or to put it another way, moving from what we need to actively do to what the Lord does to us in response. If we prepare well, then reading the Bible becomes a source of light and guidance in our lives. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
See Event (21m 24s)
Reading the Bible - How Do You Know If You Are Doing It Right
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - September 23, 2018
If you try to read the Bible and get some idea of what it means, how do you know if it's right or not? This Sunday we'll talk about what's most important for us to do to understand the Bible in the right way. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSA
See Event (26m 49s)
Why and How to Read the Bible
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - September 16, 2018
We all know that we should probably read the Bible more than we currently do. This Sunday will be a reminder of the value of spending time reading the Lord’s Word, including some thoughts about how much to read and what to do if you don't understand what you read. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSA
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Our Spiritual Journeys - Looking Forward
Worship Service: Sermon only - September 02, 2018
Last week Malcolm talked about what we can gain from looking back into our pasts. This week we will talk about going the other way, looking forward into our futures. The challenge with the future is the unknowns. It is easy to see how the Lord led us even in hard times when we look back. It is more of a challenge to look forward and trust that the Lord will continue to lead us. And this is as it should be: the Lord asks us to plan for an uncertain future, and work towards it, so that He can direct us down the right path. When we find the right balance of planning and trust we can face what is to come with confidence. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
See Event (25m 01s)
Our Spiritual Journeys - Looking Back
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - August 26, 2018
Last week Joel spoke about the importance and value of telling the stories of what the Lord has done for us on our spiritual Journeys. When we do look back on what happened in the past, however there are also dangers. Our memories of the past have a powerful effect on our present experience. When should we try to leave behind what has happened in the past and not dwell on it and when is there value in reflecting on the past? This Sunday we will try to understand how the Lord would like us to hold our memories of the past. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSA
See Event (33m 13s)
Our Spiritual Journeys
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - August 19, 2018
We all have a story. It is a story of our life, the ups and downs, the highs and the lows, the winding ways that we have come from where we were to where we are now. These stories are not just a dry account of our past. The story of our life is the story of the Lord's power and guidance, if we are willing to see it that way, and through retelling our stories we share that power with others. This Sunday we will look at the command given to the Children of Israel to constantly retell the story of how the Lord had saved them from slavery, so that generations to come would know the Lord's power and love. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
See Event (27m 29s)
Ideals - Sorting Out What Matters and What Does Not
Worship Service: Sermon only - August 12, 2018
We can't live up to all ideals. We have to choose between them and then prioritise which of our ideals or values matter more or less in different situations. And what if we get it wrong? What if we reject a true ideal? What if we buy into a false ideal? What if we give something too much weight or too little? These are the questions we're going to wrestle with this Sunday. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSA
See Event (29m 46s)
Singleness and Marriage
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - August 05, 2018
Last week Malcolm talked about how we can hold ideals, especially around marriage. Next week he'll carry on with that theme. But this week, we are going to take a break from talking about marriage and put the focus on the other side: on singleness. Some of you are single yourselves; some of you are recently married; and some of you probably can barely remember what it was like to be single. In any case we will look at what the Lord has to say about this state of life and what even the long-time couples can learn from it. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
See Event (22m 53s)
Ideals
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - July 29, 2018
Ideals are great when we feel like we’re living up to them. But what about when we don’t? What about when we fall short? What about when it’s impossible for us to live up to certain ideals, through no fault of our own? Do we abandon our ideals? Do we change our ideals to fit our circumstances? How does the Lord want us to hold our ideals? | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSA
See Event (29m 40s)
Good Humour
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - July 22, 2018
Humour is all around us - we tease people, they tease us, we make jokes, we laugh at jokes that other people make, we watch funny shows, we read funny things. Humour is great and life would be rather bleak without laughter. But humour can also be really painful and destructive. What does the Lord say in His Word about humour and what guidelines can we get from him about what sorts of jokes and humour to engage in and what stuff to steer clear of? | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSA
See Event (36m 08s)
Spirit of the Law
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - July 15, 2018
We all break rules from time to time. We speed. We tell a little lie. We browse Instagram at work when no one is around. We always tell ourselves that it is justified. But then someone else does the same, and our righteous indignation bristles: well if they speed, I can cut them off! They lied, so I can bad mouth them to others! They slack off at work, so I can too! What we fail to see is that we are using the technicality of breaking a rule to justify us harming someone else. The Lord calls us to something greater: to look beyond just the letter of the law and focus on the spirit, and from there to have compassion on those who perhaps don't stay within bounds as much as we might hope. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
See Event (36m 09s)
Eternal Waters
Worship Service: Sermon only - July 08, 2018
We all have times when we thirst. We thirst for understanding, for insight, for justice, for knowing how to get through. We thirst for a better life or a better job or a better family. The kind of thirst we're going to look at this Sunday is the thirst for truth. Now you might not feel like you have a strong thirst for truth. But we all have a thirst for the truth that teaches us how to navigate the challenges of life and that leaves us feeling satisfied; the kind of truth that when it hits you suddenly know everything is going to be OK. If we are willing, this is the truth that the Lord will feed us with and satisfy our longing. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
See Event (15m 09s)