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The Battles We Never Fight
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - May 05, 2024
Have you ever seen a person who struggles with some particular evil and thought to yourself, “I’m so glad that I’ve never had to deal with that”? It helps to put our own struggles into perspective when we can see how much harder other people have it. We could put much of this up to chance: we happened to be born into a certain family, at a certain time in history, in a particular location. But on closer inspection, none of this is random chance: all of us, like it or not, incline towards the same struggles and challenges as anyone else. It is only through the Lord’s almighty power that we can be held back from falling headlong into unimaginable evils. Today we will explore the ways that the Lord fights battles on our behalf that we will never be aware of, and how much we have to be grateful for. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
See Event (35m 05s)
Giving and Receiving, Part 2, How to Be Helped
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - April 28, 2024
Everyone needs help; none of us can get through life on our own. And yet when help is available there are many times when we don’t take advantage of it. Why is that? Why especially do we not take advantage of the help that the Lord offers? We’ll explore what gets in the way and how to have a better attitude towards the help that we are given by other people. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
See Event (16m 38s)
Giving and Receiving - Part 1 - How to Give Help
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - April 21, 2024
When someone you care about is in need, you give them help. That is a good thing, obviously! But what if they don’t want our help? Or if they need a different kind of help? Or if they reject our help? Our immediate response can be hurt; after all, we are trying to help them! But if we are going to truly help people, we need to learn to make it less about us and how we are received, and more about what the person actually needs. Giving help is about the receiver, it is not about the giver. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
See Event (19m 52s)
The Two Great Prophets
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - April 14, 2024
Elijah and Elisha were two prophets who followed in quick succession. Elijah, who came first, was poorly received and lived a troubled existence. Elisha, who succeeded him, was better received and accepted by the leaders of his day. These two prophets represent two stages in our relationship with the Lord. At first we must struggle and fight to apply His truths. But as we grow and progress it becomes easier and easier, until we live His truth with hardly a second thought. | By Rt. Rev. Peter M. Buss, Sr. | Westville, RSA
See Event (21m 21s)
Embracing Weakness
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - April 07, 2024
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
See Event (32m 00s)
The Power of Goodness
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - March 31, 2024
The word “omnipotent” can be attributed only to the Lord; He alone is all-powerful. The Easter story is a manifestation of that power, in that He restored to order everything in His kingdom and took on the power to be our Savior. As He said to His disciples, “All power has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18). On Sunday we will talk about how to receive some of that power into our own lives. There is power in goodness, in doing the things the Lord asks, in sharing what is ours with others, in extending ourselves of the benefit of others, in praying to the Lord for help. | By Rt. Rev. Peter M. Buss, Jr. | Westville, RSA
See Event (41m 05s)
The Blood of the Lamb
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - March 27, 2024
Around Easter there are many images, some gruesome, of the Lord dying on the Cross, shedding His blood. The New Church, with good reason, does not emphasize these images. But why then did the Lord talk in terms of giving His flesh and blood? This imagery was not made up from nothing, but from the Lord’s own words. We need to listen to what the Lord taught about spilling His own blood for us; but we have to understand these word spiritually. When we do, our minds can rise above the gruesome imagery, and see the beautiful reality of the Lord giving of His own life, through the truths of Word, to regenerate us and recreate us as new and heavenly people. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
See Event (35m 29s)
A Humble Mind and Joyful Heart
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - March 24, 2024
Palm Sunday represents a crucial turning point in the Lord’s ministry: it was the point at which He went from preaching in the outskirts of the countryside to directly challenging those at the heart of religious life. It also led to His death and eventual resurrection. There is also a turning point for us when we submit to the Lord as King: as He enters we find new challenges, unseen evils, and deep spiritual struggle. Yet ultimately it is all for the good: just as Palm Sunday points through the Crucifixion to Easter Sunday, the Lord’s presence with us cuts through temptations and brings us to eternal peace. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
See Event (17m 40s)
Success and Failure
Worship Service: Sermon only - March 17, 2024
We all fail. It’s part of being human. But that does not mean we are stuck with our failures. The Lord uses the failures we encounter to help us grow and eventually arrive at spiritual success. This Sunday we’ll explore what failure really means, and how we can see it differently. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
See Event (13m 57s)
Success and Failure - Part 1
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - March 10, 2024
What does success mean? All of us will have our own definition, and in fact that definition will change as we grow and change as individuals. But at the heart of success is service to others. When that is at the forefront of what it means to live a successful life, all of our other priorities and ideas of success can fall into place. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
See Event (26m 28s)
The Worldwide Church, Giving Freely
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - March 03, 2024
The New Church has many amazing truths, truths that we can be grateful to have found. They give us insight into life and inspire us to grow spiritually. But sometimes we get so caught up in having the truth that we lose sight of the purpose. But there is no point in having the truth if we don’t live it; and one of the ways we live it is by sharing it with others. The truth of the New Church is a gift that has been freely given from the Lord; and it is incumbent on us to freely share it with others. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
See Event (23m 07s)
The Worldwide Church
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - February 25, 2024
The New Church teaches that all people of all faiths can be part of the Lord’s kingdom if they look to the Divine and live a charitable life. The Lord does not limit Himself to one group or another. What then is the point of the New Church? Although the church extends to every corner of the globe, it is still worth striving to embody the Lord’s New Church as a crucial part of that wider, universal church. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
See Event (19m 09s)
Memorial Service of Allan Waters
Memorial Service - February 23, 2024
Memorial Service of Allan William Waters | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
See Event (29m 33s)
Marriage and the New Church
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - February 18, 2024
Whenever marriage is discussed, there is likely to be strong emotions. The New Church teaches that marriage is holy, sacred and pure. The high emotions are because of just how important the topic is. This week, we will spend some time exploring the promises of the New Church around marriage and how we can cooperate with the Lord’s goals for us. | By Rev. Calvin Heinrichs | Westville, RSA
See Event (26m 56s)
The Second Coming of the Lord
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - February 11, 2024
What is the most unique thing about the New Church? Maybe our teachings on marriage? Maybe our view of the afterlife? These are certainly distinct teachings, but other religions believe in an afterlife, even if the details are different. Other religions have wisdom to share about marriage, even if the specifics are diverse. No, the most distinct difference in the New Church is that we teach that the Second Coming not only will happen, but has already happened. | By Rev. Calvin Heinrichs | Westville, RSA
See Event (36m 38s)
Remember the Sabbath Day
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - February 04, 2024
A survey was conducted on how well people knew the 10 Commandments. The findings were a little depressing. Most people were unable to name half of them. However, there was an interesting similarity in almost every response. The one commandment that was almost universally forgotten was the Commandment to Remember the Sabbath. On Sunday, we will explore this Commandment and what it means to keep the Sabbath. | By Rev. Calvin Heinrichs | Westville, RSA
See Event (40m 19s)
Rich and Poor, Wealth and Luxury
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - January 28, 2024
If you are rich, what are your obligations to the poor? If you are poor, how should you view those richer than you? The Lord in the Gospels teaches us about wealth and poverty and the Teachings for the New Church build on those concepts to help us understand how Christians ought to view these things. | By Rev. Calvin Heinrichs | Westville, RSA
See Event (21m 35s)
Reacting to Evil Part 3 Amending
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - January 21, 2024
Last week we looked at how we need to adjust our view of people who commit evil: we must bring charity to bear, so that we can focus on the good. This week we will look at what we can actually do to stop or amend the evil. This is a tricky endeavour: on the one hand, we can have a great deal of influence or even control over how other people behave; on the other hand, we are often powerless to change someone’s behaviour, and although we can influence and encourage people to change, we have no power whatsoever to actually change them. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
See Event (21m 25s)
Reacting to Evil, Part 1: Excusing
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - January 14, 2024
How should we react when someone does something evil? One of the more shocking Teachings of the New Church is that we should do everything in our power to excuse them! Yet how can we excuse what is clearly unacceptable (or even inexcusable)? It takes real effort to understand someone, and love them even at their worst, but it is an effort that we are all called to make. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
See Event (22m 04s)
Renewed Life
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - January 07, 2024
| By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
See Event (19m 21s)
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)