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Witness to the Light
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - December 31, 2023
| By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
See Event (17m 34s)
The Path of Peace
Worship Service: Sermon only - December 25, 2023
Luke 2:13-14 - And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
See Event (32m 05s)
Glorifying and Praising God
Worship Service: Informal Family - December 10, 2023
When the shepherds had seen the new-born Jesus they did not keep it to themselves. The went back to their flocks “glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen” (Luke 2:20). When we glorify and praise the Lord, not just with our words but our actions as well, we invite His continuing presence into our lives going forward. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
See Event (07m 17s)
We Have Come to Worship
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - December 03, 2023
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 43s)
God Made Flesh
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - November 26, 2023
At Christmas we celebrate the birth of the Lord into our world, as a Divine Human with whom we can have a real, direct relationship. In the Holy Supper, we also celebrate the closeness of the Lord, not just nearby but within us. Both events, the incarnation of the Lord 2000 years ago and partaking of Holy Supper in the present day, speak to the Lord’s tangible presence in our lives. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
See Event (14m 47s)
The Lord Won't Let You Down
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - November 19, 2023
The life of David is one of courage and trust in the Lord. Yet even David, as king, fell away from the right path. It turns out that heroes can never quite live up to our hopes and expectations. The same is true of life: we build up hopes and expectations, but then feel let down when they don’t turn out. The Lord, however is different: He will never let us down; His promises always come to pass, and they turn out to exceed our hopes and expectations. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
See Event (16m 05s)
Choosing Sides
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - November 12, 2023
Life seems to be full of complicated choices, and the world we live in can often seem so confusing. Yet, the Lord in His Word is continually urging us to make the right choice to follow Him. Why does this many times become so hard for us to do? Clearly this choice is wise, but why isn’t making this choice easy? | By Rt. Rev. Bradley D. Heinrichs | Westville, RSA
See Event (22m 20s)
The Woman at the Well
Worship Service: Sermon only - November 05, 2023
Do you seek the Lord on a regular basis? Are you eager to share with others the things you have learned from Him? The story of the woman at the well provides a wonderful example of how we can go about doing these two very important things! | By Rt. Rev. Bradley D. Heinrichs | Westville, RSA
See Event (16m 22s)
Hope
Worship Service: Sermon only - October 29, 2023
Even in the darkest of times, there is light. And where there is light, there is hope. | By Rev. J. Bheki Dube | Westville, RSA
See Event (19m 14s)
Where Did We Go Wrong?!
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - October 22, 2023
Have you ever found yourself in a bad place and wondered how on earth you got into this mess? Things were once so great! Life was sailing along smoothly and you were proud of how much growth you’d seen in yourself. Yet here you are, back to your crabby, unhappy, selfish self. What went wrong? This pattern is common not just in individuals but in communities and even across history. Luckily, it does not happen by chance. This Sunday we’ll look what Revelation can tell us about this cycle and how we can avoid it. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
See Event (22m 27s)
Gratitude for the Work of Others
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - October 15, 2023
We have a lot to be thankful to the Lord for. He is the source of each and every good in our lives. But this Sunday we will focus on one particular aspect of what the Lord provides; or rather, the means by which He provides. That means in other people: so much of what the Lord gives us comes by way of the people He inspires to serve and to do good. This Sunday we will reflect on how we can feel and show gratitude for the many people through whom the Lord works. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
See Event (16m 38s)
An Expanding View of Forgiveness
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - October 08, 2023
How far does forgiveness extend? At what point do we withhold forgiveness? The Lord pushes us to expand our forgiveness to include even those we think are least deserving. We see this expansive forgiveness in the tale of the prophet Jonah: the contrast between his resentment and God’s forgiveness teaches us a lesson in just how far God wants us to take forgiveness. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
See Event (17m 56s)
Am I Enough
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - October 01, 2023
We are bombarded with messages that we need to do more, give more, be more. Whether these messages are overt and intended or subtle and implied, they push us to ask ourselves, “am I enough?” Am I enough for my children? Am I enough for my spouse? Am I enough for my work? Am I enough for my society? And above all, am I enough for the Lord? The bad news is that we are all lacking; the good news is even in our lack we are enough in the Lord’s eyes. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
See Event (21m 14s)
Unified in the Lord
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - September 24, 2023
What makes someone your neighbour? In a literal sense it refers to people who live close by. But when the Lord said to “love your neighbour as yourself” He was most certainly not saying to love people next door. Spiritually speaking our neighbours are the ones who are close to us spiritually; and regardless of our individual backgrounds and cultures, all of us are brought together into this spiritual closeness when we look to the Lord. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
See Event (19m 11s)
Temptations
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - September 17, 2023
All temptation is an attack against the love present in a person, the degree of temptation depending on the degree of that love. If love is not attacked there is no temptation. (Secrets of Heaven 1690:3) | By Rev. J. Bheki Dube | Westville, RSA
See Event (24m 30s)
The Story of the Word
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - September 10, 2023
The Word is, at heart, a story. It’s true that at times the nature of the story is opaque, but the central message is straightforward: God created people in order to love; when they turned away, and nearly destroyed themselves, He continued to love them; and in time, come down as Jesus Christ to save us; and this work of saving us carries on even today. This Sunday we will explore how the story that the Word tells can be life-changing. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
See Event (15m 53s)
Feed What Grows
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - September 03, 2023
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
See Event (22m 08s)
Leaving the Past Behind
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - August 27, 2023
We sometimes think that to leave our mistakes behind we can just forget about them; but we also know that really doesn’t work. The alternative seems to be to somehow make up for them, and there is truth in this. But what does it take to make up for a mistake? Especially a mistake that rises to the level of being evil? It can feel like we have to undo our mistake, and yet there is no way to change the past. The reality is that repentance (the Lord’s way of making up for mistakes) is not so much about the past, but the present: repentance does not undo the things we have done; instead it allows us to become a different person in the present moment. It’s all about who we are, not who we used to be. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
See Event (17m 50s)
The Magical Thinking of Faith Alone
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - August 20, 2023
We don't really believe in magic anymore: no one thinks I could make a rabbit pop out of a hat by any means other than mere trickery. But we still do fall into a kind of "magical thinking" when it comes to faith. That is, we believe that if we say the right words or go through the right motions it will magically make us into new people. But the only way to actually change is to do the hard work of changing yourself. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
See Event (15m 14s)
Family
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - August 13, 2023
This week, we are focusing on family. Who is family? How do we define family? Does the Word have any teachings concerning the subject? In the event of conflicts and disagreements arising within families, how do we mend the “cracks” so that we be the family of happy memories . | By Rev. J. Bheki Dube | Westville, RSA
See Event (17m 27s)
Prayer, 3: A Community of Prayer
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - August 06, 2023
Our final sermon on prayer will focus on prayers for other people. It’s hard to know exactly what these prayers do; they might not be as obvious as prayers for our own spiritual growth or that have to do with our personal relationship with the Lord. But when we pray for other people we are joined together in a heavenly community, one that turns to the Lord and looks to Him as the One who brings us all together. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
See Event (17m 56s)
Prayer 2 - The Power of Prayer
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - July 30, 2023
Last week we looked at how to pray. But this week we examine the question, what does prayer do? There are many answers to this question, and as many answers as to what prayer does NOT do that we wish it did. But at heart, prayer connects us to the Lord, so that we can receive His power to be reborn and regenerated. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
See Event (19m 59s)
Prayer, 1 - The Practice of Prayer
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - July 23, 2023
We are starting a three-part series on prayer. This week the focus is on the practice of prayer, practice both in the sense of applying an idea to real life and an activity done with the intention of improving. Because I would guess that most of us (not all, but most) could use some improvement in our prayer lives. The New Church has something of a history of being stiff and uncomfortable with prayer. This series will be an opportunity to become more active with our prayers and appreciate the power that prayer has. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
See Event (19m 23s)
Turning to the Lord
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - July 16, 2023
Life is at times sunny and bright, and we keenly feel the Lord’s presence. At other times life is dark and stormy, and the Lord seems absent. We move from one state to another. The Lord, on the other hand, is constant: appearances to the contrary, He never ceases to bless our lives with love and wisdom. It is up to us to practice turning back to Him, so that we can realize what has been true all along: that He has been at our side, loving and guiding us, through all the states of life. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
See Event (18m 04s)
Good vs Right
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - July 09, 2023
Which matters more: being good or being right? As a church we know that both matter, and at the same time that goodness is the more important of the two. Yet often we can switch things around and put way too much emphasis on being right to the detriment of being good, This Sunday we will look at the letter to the Church in Ephesus, which urges those who put great weight in being right to focus more on doing good. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
See Event (14m 01s)