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Idolatory, Part 1 - Making our Own Idols
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - May 18, 2014
Most of us are not in danger of making a physical statue to worship, but that doesn't mean there aren't other kinds of idols we can be tempted to make. | By Rev. Derrick Lumsden | Westville, RSAGoing the Extra Mile
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - May 11, 2014
This Sunday Bishop Peter Buss Jr will explore how to go the extra mile in our family relationships. | By Rt. Rev. Peter M. Buss, Jr. | Westville, RSAServe Your Lord Today
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - May 04, 2014
How can you be a blessing to others today and every day. | By Rt. Rev. Peter M. Buss, Jr. | Westville, RSAGod with Us in Life
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - April 27, 2014
God with Us in Life After His resurrection, the Lord appeared to His disciples to teach them about His continuing presence with them. This week we will explore His lessons about how He is with us in everyday life. | By Rev. Derrick Lumsden | Westville, RSAGod with Us as Lord and God
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - April 20, 2014
The disciple Thomas only acknowledged Jesus to be his Lord and God when he could see and touch the Lord's body for himself. We will never have that opportunity so is it possible for us to still believe that Jesus really was here and really did rise from the dead and really is God? On Sunday we will explore how faith develops and how we can come to believe that Jesus is our God even though we've never seen Him physically. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSAGod with Us - How?
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - April 13, 2014
As we've led up to Easter we've been exploring the concept of God being with Us - God with us as a King, God with us as an Example. This week we'll listen to the Lord talking to His disciples right before He was about to leave them, explaining to them how He could still be with them once He was gone physically. This will give us the chance to learn how God can be with us too, even though He's never been with us physically. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSAGod with Us as an Example
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - April 06, 2014
The Lord Jesus Christ is our Lord and Master. He is also the one who serves us, and gives us an inescapable example of service. | By Rev. Derrick Lumsden | Westville, RSAGod with Us as Jesus and the Christ
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - March 30, 2014
This Sunday we're beginning a sermon series that will take us through Easter called "God with Us." We'll be digging into the Easter story as it's told in the Gospel of John. For this week we'll be focusing on how we react to the idea of the Lord's kingdom coming. We might think we want that to happen but when it starts to affect how we're living our lives it suddenly becomes not such an appealing idea. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSA7 Practices of Peace - Resting
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - March 23, 2014
When we've gone through the earlier six practices - we have woken up to the presence of goodness, we have looked at areas we can change and made those changes, and we have let genuine love take highest priority in our lives - we finally experience peace. Even when we are active and engaged in life's challenges, our efforts no longer feel like labour. | By Rev. Derrick Lumsden | Westville, RSA7 Practices of Peace: Loving
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - March 16, 2014
The sixth day of creation is the culmination of all the efforts of creation, when animals and finally humans - men and women - appear. | By Rev. Derrick Lumsden | Westville, RSA7 Practices of Peace:Speaking
Worship Service: Children & Adult - March 09, 2014
Up to this point in the creation story, the earth has been silent. There are plants and trees, and water and sky, and they are newly lit by the great lights in the sky. Still, nothing moves freely. On this day, however, birds sing, and a new kind of life takes form on the earth. | By Rev. Derrick Lumsden | Westville, RSA7 Practices of Peace: Navigating
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - March 02, 2014
After cultivating new habits, a new stage comes when we start to experience the benefits of living a better way. We become lit up about the new way of living, and our love leads us forward. When we have faith in its positive effects, navigating our way through life becomes easier, more peaceful and more joyful. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSA7 Practices of Peace - Cultivating
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - February 23, 2014
Once we've acknowledged God's presence in our lives, and begun to see that there is a higher way, we are ready to take action (cultivating). These practices lead us toward creating a life that continues to be a blessing to others. The small seeds within these actions will go on to bear more fruit, more seeds, positively affecting people we may never meet. Gen 1:9-13, AC 9, TCR 529, TCR 528, AC 29 | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSA7 Practices of Peace: Distinguishing
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - February 16, 2014
Once we’ve awakened to the sense that there’s a higher power, a new phase comes about. We begin to recognise that two distinct parts exist within us. When we recognise this higher place, we’re better able to distinguish between the things in life that are real, true and worth dwelling on, and those that are fleeting and not vital. | By Rev. Derrick Lumsden | Westville, RSA7 Practices of Peace - Awakening
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - February 09, 2014
In this first stage, before the light hits, we grope in darkness. Since we are asleep to the real, spiritual world within everything, our life is "empty, dark and void." The change begins when we start to acknowledge some higher power, something more than the shallow life we've been living. This is like a light dawning, bringing a first feeling of peace. | By Rev. Derrick Lumsden | Westville, RSAWhy Does What You Believe Matter?
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - January 19, 2014
| By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSA"When You Have Eaten and are Full"
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - January 05, 2014
When things are going well and we are 'full' it is easy to forget the Lord. Moses had some warnings about this when speaking to the Israelites before they entered the promised land which we would do well to take heed of. This is a slightly adapted version of a sermon by the Rev. Dr. Reuben P. Bell. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSAWhere is He Who is Born King of the Jews
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - December 15, 2013
The wise men followed a star that eventually led them to where the Lord was. And the way we picture them is either purposefully travelling across the desert, following the star, or having arrived at their destination, kneeling before Jesus. Before they made it to the Lord, however, they got a bit lost. When we're trying to follow the star in our lives we also will probably end up not in the right place at first. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSAGod With Us
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - December 08, 2013
One of the reasons that Christmas is such a special holiday is that it reminds us of who Jesus is and what he came to accomplish. This week we will talk about the miracle of God being born. | By Rev. Derrick Lumsden | Westville, RSAJesus' Dodgy Family History
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - December 01, 2013
This Sunday we're going to be looking at the genealogy - the long list of names - at the beginning of the gospel of Matthew. Before you decide that you've definitely got something more important to do on Sunday evening, let me explain why I chose this. I've wanted to preach about the genealogy for some time precisely because it seems boring at first. Why is it there? Why does the whole New Testament start this way? What I found is that, if you look at the list of names more closely, you see that there are actually some quite juicy details contained in it and some important information about what family Jesus was born into. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSALiving Intentionally
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - November 24, 2013
We can often feel dragged down or bouncing from one activity to another in life. But when we live life intentionally we regain our sense of control. | By Rev. Derrick Lumsden | Westville, RSAWhat We Can Learn from Mindfulness and Meditation about Spiritual Practices
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - November 17, 2013
As human beings we have a lot to deal with - stress, grief, ambition, conflict, joy, confusion, pride, exhaustion, excitement, frustration, guilt, etc. - and rarely does it feel like we have the time and space to deal with what comes up properly. It's a hectic time of year, with lots of work and social commitments, and at times like this life can feel particularly overwhelming. This Sunday we're going to talk about simple but profound truths about how we can learn to respond to life differently. To gain the benefit of these truths will absolutely require that we change our behaviour but it will also change our lives. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSATough Stuff - Responding to Homosexuality
Worship Service: Sermon only - November 10, 2013
One of the hot topics in our culture today are issues around homosexuality. There are issues of prejudice, justice, sexual morality, spirituality, compassion, desire, and Biblical interpretation all rolled up in this issue. In this sermon we talk about how we as the New Church can respond to homosexuality. | By Rev. Derrick Lumsden | Westville, RSAHuman Sexuality - Uses and Abuses
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - November 03, 2013
The Lord created sex. Sex is a good thing when it is true to the intentions of the creator. However, it is also something that can be damaging to ourselves and others when abused. This Sunday we will talk about the purpose of sex and some of the consequences of abuse. | By Rev. Derrick Lumsden | Westville, RSAThe Pain of Divorce
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - October 27, 2013
We are starting a series of sermons on hot topics around sexuality. These are controversial topics, but they also need to be talked about. This week we will be talking about why divorce is usually worse than being in a bad marriage. | By Rev. Derrick Lumsden | Westville, RSA