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Shift 6 - Shift of Confidence
Worship Service: Sermon only - March 11, 2012
| By Rev. Derrick Lumsden | Westville, RSAShift 5 - Shift of Motivation
Worship Service: Sermon only - March 04, 2012
In the story for this week Jacob leaves his uncle Laban after working for him for 20 years. When he leaves he has a large family and large flocks and herds; none of which he had before he worked for Laban. But he had to leave; he couldn't stay with Laban any longer, even though Laban desperately wanted him to. This week we're talking about things in our lives that we get something out of but ultimately have to leave behind. Addictions, unhealthy relationships, self-serving motivations; these are not easy to leave behind but the story for this week can help us to understand what's involved in successfully moving on from this sort of thing. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSAShift 4 - Shift of Expectations
Worship Service: Sermon only - February 26, 2012
Many things that are truly worthwhile take time, patience and steady effort. This week we work on shifting our expectations so that we can gracefully handle life's frustrations and setbacks. | By Rt. Rev. Brian W. Keith | Westville, RSAShift 3 - A Shift of Focus
Worship Service: Sermon only - February 19, 2012
How do we get motivated to actually change our lives for the better? There are a lot of different elements that go into it. One of the key elements of it, though, is something that I really hadn't thought of before I studied the story for this Sunday. So I'm pretty excited to talk to you about it. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSAShift 2 - Shift of Perspective
Worship Service: Sermon only - February 12, 2012
One of life's most powerful shifts can occur when we no longer think of God as someone "out there," but as the One who is also right here, always here within us. This Shift brings new perspective. No longer do we feel drained by the conflicts in our lives, but we see the way the Lord is working through them to lead us to a higher place. | By Rev. Derrick Lumsden | Westville, RSAShift 1 - Become Aware
Worship Service: Sermon only - February 05, 2012
Often, when conflict arises, we choose to bury the tension, preferring to get on with our daily agenda. Inevitably, though, the unresolved conflict drains energy from us until we bring it to our awareness. This week, we will discuss shifting our awareness by paying attention to the conflict. | By Rev. Derrick Lumsden | Westville, RSAThe Sacraments
Worship Service: Sermon only - January 29, 2012
Why are the sacraments of baptism and Holy Supper not just empty rituals? What is the real meaning behind these sacraments and how do they impact on our lives? | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSADealing With Rejection
Worship Service: Sermon only - January 22, 2012
It is easy to feel hurt when someone turns away from something we offer. This Sunday we are talking about reframing rejection so that we don't carry the burden and hurt of another person's choices. | By Rev. Derrick Lumsden | Westville, RSALoneliness -Loss
Worship Service: Sermon only - January 15, 2012
(Audio goes in and out on this recording). Losing contact with someone we love through death or immigration creates a particular kind of loneliness. This loneliness is a separation from people we would wish to have more contact with. Unfortunately, in many cases more contact is not possible, and so we call this loneliness a loss. We have lost something that cannot be regained. So how do we deal with this loneliness? Please note this sermon is the second in a series of two. You will get more out of this sermon if you listen to the first. http://www.newchurchaudio.org/event/20836.html | By Rev. Derrick Lumsden | Westville, RSALoneliness - Longing for More
Worship Service: Sermon only - January 08, 2012
Loneliness is a fairly universal human experience. Loneliness can occur for a number of reasons, one of which is the desire for more than we have--more connection, more love, more friends. This sermon explores one of the pitfalls of loneliness and what do we do to make it through to the other side. | By Rev. Derrick Lumsden | Westville, RSABirth of John and the Promise of Peace
Worship Service: Sermon only - December 18, 2011
How does the birth of John the Baptist relate to peace in our lives and how can we obtain that peace? | By Rev. Derrick Lumsden | Westville, RSAThe Promise of New Life
Worship Service: Sermon only - December 04, 2011
The Christmas story in Luke begins with an elderly priest named Zacharias performing his customary rituals in the temple. Why does it begin this way? In the overall story this scene sets the stage for the Lord being born because an angel comes to Zacharias and tells him that he will have a son who will prepare people to receive the Lord. But, on a deeper level, this first scene provides a picture of our state before the Lord is born into our lives. Has your faith or religion ever felt old, tired, ritualistic, and childless? An angel is about to come with some unbelievable news. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSAWhat is the Lord Passionate About?
Worship Service: Sermon only - November 27, 2011
We often feel like we really get to know someone when we know what they are passionate about. The things that are important to a person make them who they are. So, to get our mind around Christmas, what is the Lord passionate about? God came down to earth as a means of accomplishing what He cared about more than anything else. | By Rev. Derrick Lumsden | Westville, RSAWhat's the Alternative to a Selfish Love of Control
Worship Service: Sermon only - November 13, 2011
What do you do when somebody does something that drives you crazy or doesn't do something you really think they should? Do you struggle with wanting to control other people? If you do you're not alone! The teachings of the New Church say "The most difficult battle of all...is with the love of ruling from a love of self. One who overcomes this love, easily overcomes all other evil loves, because it is their head." (Divine Providence #146) Hear how we can fight this difficult battle. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSAFeeling Tired? Think Recovery!
Worship Service: Sermon only - November 06, 2011
Feeling worn out? Need a break and some rest? Maybe you need to think recovery. In sport, progress is only as good as recovery. Our bodies needs time to heal and recovery so that they can grow in strength and ability. Similarly, our minds and spirits need rest and recovery. This week we will look at insights the Lord offers on what helps us recover from those tough weeks. | By Rev. Derrick Lumsden | Westville, RSARemembering the Sabbath Day
Worship Service: Sermon only - October 30, 2011
One of the 10 Commandments is "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy." How do you keep that commandment? How do you break it? Is it just about whether you go to church or not on a given Sunday? To be honest, before I worked on a sermon about this in theological school I didn't really know the answer to these questions. Remembering the Sabbath is not just about going to church but, if you listen to this sermon, you will find out what it's really about. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSATeamwork
Worship Service: Sermon only - October 23, 2011
This is the second talk about a sports-related theme. This time we'll be talking about teamwork. Here's a question to think about: is life more of an individual sport or a team sport? | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSASpirituality and Sport
Worship Service: Sermon only - October 16, 2011
South Africans are a bit sport crazy. This Sunday we are going to talk about some of the good things that we get from playing and watching sport. | By Rev. Derrick Lumsden | Westville, RSAGuilt and Shame
Worship Service: Sermon only - October 09, 2011
This talk is about guilt and shame. What things have you done that you feel guilty about? What things about yourself are you ashamed of? (You don't have to answer. ) These are the kinds of things that we'd rather not think about and really don't want other people to find out about. And yet, we need to find healthy ways of dealing with them. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSAFull Measure
Worship Service: Sermon only - October 02, 2011
The Lord is constantly flowing in with blessings of peace, joy, happiness, hope, love, and many other qualities. What do we have to do to receive the Lord's blessings? What can we do to increase the amount of blessings we can receive? | By Rev. Derrick Lumsden | Westville, RSAUnpacking the Bible Part 5 - Seeing for Ourselves
Worship Service: Sermon only - September 25, 2011
The fifthe in a series following the stories of Joshua and the Israelites. Through these stories we are focussing on how we can get meaning and understanding from the Bible. This is the last week of the series. Joshua has led the Israelites in to conquer the land and the book finishes with the final speech of encouragement and challenge from Joshua. We are looking at what we have learned and what we can focus on going forward. | By Rev. Derrick Lumsden | Westville, RSAUnpacking the Bible Part 4: Deceiving Ourselves
Worship Service: Sermon only - September 18, 2011
The fourth part of the series on understanding the Bible talks about a group of people who deceive the Children of Israel and, through these stories, we can see how this applies to us and how we sometimes deceive ourselves | By Rev. Derrick Lumsden | Westville, RSAUnpacking the Bible: Punishment
Worship Service: Sermon only - September 11, 2011
The third part in a series following the stories of Joshua and the Children of Israel. Through these stories, we are focusing on how we can get meaning and understanding from the Bible. This week we are dealing with a tough issue; why does the Lord punish people with death? In our story this week Achan disobeys the Lord's command not to take from the city of Jericho, and the children of Israel put Achan and his whole family to death. Is this Justice? Did the Lord ask them to do this, and are we supposed to be this harsh in our punishments? | By Rev. Derrick Lumsden | Westville, RSAUnpacking the Bible: The Heart of the Bible
Worship Service: Sermon only - September 04, 2011
The Bible is the Word of God. Ok fine, but what does that mean? Why is it so confusing at times? Why are there terrible, awful things in the book that God gave us? Why is there war and slavery? What do those people long ago that God helped have to do with my life? | By Rev. Derrick Lumsden | Westville, RSAJudging Others and Being Judged
Worship Service: Sermon only - August 21, 2011
Have you noticed how often we make judgments about other people? We make judgments about them based on how they look, what they eat, how they raise their children, how they spend their time and money, and the list goes on. What should we do with these thoughts? Are they bad? People often quote Jesus saying, "Judge not, that you be not judged"(Matthew 7:1). But He also said,"Do not judge according to the appearance, but judge with just judgment" (John 7:24). Another thing to think about is what it feels like to be on the other side of the interaction and having someone judge you. We might not like it, but are people always wrong for judging us? | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSA