Advanced search
Search results clear search
Prepare the Way
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - September 18, 2022
John the Baptist was sent to prepare the way for the Lord. Without this preparation the people would not have been able to recognize the Lord’s innocence and love. Likewise, if we do not prepare through living a good life we will miss the presence of the Lord’s innocence and love. The way we prepare is through repentance. This week, take the time to think about how you would like the Lord to show up in your life: in love? In peace? In friendship? In integrity? Then take the steps that will allow you to receive the Lord in this way. The hard work of preparation will have been worth it when it brings the joy of the Lord’s presence. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
See Event (18m 58s)
To Be Part of a Whole
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - September 11, 2022
We talk of organizations as if they have a life of their own: "The company made some good decisions last years;" "The rugby team is making good progress." But of course, no organization does anything apart from the individual choices of its members. The church is no different. We may talk of the church as a separate entity that does things; the reality is that the church only exists insofar as the individual members are living and being the church. Each of us is a part of the greater whole, and the quality of the church will be determined by the quality of our lives. Rev. J. Bheki Dube also reads a lesson. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
See Event (18m 53s)
The Spirit of the Law
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - September 04, 2022
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 (21m 44s)
Facing Floods
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - August 28, 2022
This week we are going to talk about being in the middle of the flood, coping with the challenges as we experience them. In the midst of struggle we suffer from doubt but the Lord’s promise is that He has prepared you and that He will bring you through alive, to find a new beginning. There is no challenge that you cannot overcome. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
See Event (17m 54s)
Coming Home
Worship Service: Sermon only - August 21, 2022
We all want a nice home in which we can feel safe and loved. This doesn’t just come with a nice house: we are home among the people who care for us and love us. We are also home when we rest in the Lord and His Divine care for us. We all have a spiritual home. This Sunday we’ll look at ways to find this home for ourselves. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
See Event (16m 51s)
People Need People
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - August 14, 2022
The Teachings of the New Church assert that "People are not born for their own sake; they are born for the sake of others." Our lives are intricately tied up in the lives of those around us, and in fact, for better or worse, we cannot help but be defined by the people we come into contact with. No one can truly live isolated from others. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
See Event (18m 02s)
The Gift of Freedom
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - August 07, 2022
What does it feel like to have your freedom taken away? We all crave freedom. We all want to be able to act with no restrictions. But freedom isn’t actually about being allowed to do anything and everything; it is about being allowed to do the things that you love. Regardless of what other restrictions may be imposed on us, if we can find what we love, and find a way to act on it, then we will be truly free. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
See Event (19m 46s)
Do This in Remembrance of the Lord
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - July 31, 2022
At the Last Supper, having shared bread and wine with His disciples, the Lord commanded, “Do this in remembrance of Me.” Holy Supper is an opportunity to remember the Lord: to remember what He did for us in giving His life; to remember the Divine Love that He shares with us; to remember the Divine Wisdom that inspires us. But remembering the Lord is not just a matter of thought; it is a matter of doing what He commands us. The best way to “remember” the Lord is to actively follow His teachings. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
See Event (15m 43s)
Rediscovering the Power of Faith
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - July 24, 2022
When Moses ascended Mt. Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments, the Children of Israel were left to wonder what had become of him. As the days dragged into weeks, they lost trust in both him and the Lord, and so turned to worship a golden idol. When we feel abandoned by the Lord, with no sense of His deep presence, we also turn to our own idols, idols of pleasure or comfort. This Sunday we’ll look at how to notice this tendency in ourselves and push to reconnect with the Lord when He seems absent. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
See Event (18m 19s)
Making Faith Our Own
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - July 17, 2022
When you were born you knew nothing about the world and how it worked; nor did you know anything about the Lord or spiritual life. These were things that had to be taught to you, from a young age, both through education and through the examples set by the people around you. As you matured your faith became your own. No longer did you have to rely on others: you could enter into an adult relationship with the Lord and an adult understanding of spiritual life. Yet as simple as that sounds, we can all stand to reflect on how much of our faith is really our own, and how much work still needs to be done to move past what we were taught and live our faith for ourselves. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
See Event (15m 59s)
Belonging to the Lord
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - July 10, 2022
What is the Lord’s? In a broad sense all things are the Lord’s: He created and sustains everything in the universe. Yet we also feel as if we are our own masters. There is an innate sense that what goes on in our minds and hearts is ours and ours alone. Yet even here all that is good and true belongs to the Lord. Miraculously, when we acknowledge that truth and live it, we can actually feel more, not less, ourselves. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
See Event (16m 31s)
Fishing on the Right Side of the Boat
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - July 03, 2022
The Gospel of John tells a story of the disciples struggling all night fishing and catching nothing. In the morning the Lord appeared and told them to cast the night on the right side of the boat; the result is an incredible intake of fish. Fishing off the one side represents coming from a a purely intellectual viewpoint; switching to the other side represents switching to a more loving viewpoint. When we get stuck in our heads, life just doesn't work as well. Even if we know all the "right" things to say and do, pure knowledge only gets us so far. When we find ourselves struggling like this, the Lord urges us to shift gears and draw not only on the head but also the heart. It is when we come from love that life begins to work in new and amazing ways. Our service this Sunday will be led by Warwick Schuurman. Many thanks to Warwick! | By Rev. Erik J. Buss | Westville, RSA
See Event (14m 06s)
Friendship
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - June 26, 2022
Friendship is one of the core experiences of being human. We all need, and hopefully have, friends. But how often do we think of our friendship with the Lord? It is an important part of our relationship with Him, and can also inform the many friendships we have with others. Our service this Sunday will be led by Lance Mansfield. Many thanks to Lance! | By Rt. Rev. Bradley D. Heinrichs | Westville, RSA
See Event (12m 55s)
The New Church - A Stronghold of Truth
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - June 19, 2022
Every 19th of June we celebrate the birthday of the New Church. If you were to ask any individual member of the church what the New Church means to them, you would get a great variety of answers; and this variety reflects the beautiful scope and breadth of what the Lord offers through His Church. One common theme however might be gratitude for how much the Teachings of the New Church simply make sense; gratitude that we can enter with understanding into what otherwise would remain mysteries of faith. Our focus this Sunday will be on the strength of the New Church in revealing truth clearly to the understanding. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
See Event (16m 15s)
The Lord Bless You and Keep You
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - June 12, 2022
“The LORD bless you and keep you; The LORD make His face to shine upon you, and be gracious unto you; The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.” We use this blessing at special times—baptisms, weddings, Holy Supper. This Sunday we will go through it phrase by phrase and reflect on how we can be most receptive of the Lord’s blessings and how we can be a part of sharing His blessings with others. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSA
See Event (20m 28s)
The New Church: A Bride and a City
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - June 05, 2022
June is the month in which we celebrate the New Church. If we look to the Lord’s Word there are two particular images of what the New Church is, or is supposed to be, like: one image is a woman, clothed with the sun, the other, a holy city shining with gold. Each image speaks to the characteristics that make the New Church what it is. This Sunday we will look deeper to understand how these two pictures help us better understand both the Love and the Wisdom that should be present in everything that the Church is and does. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
See Event (18m 22s)
Are You Committed
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - May 29, 2022
When confronted with hard choices the easiest thing to do is to make no choice at all. Yet this choice is often the worst choice of all: in trying to keep our options open we lose out on all of them. The Lord is adamant that we make a committed choice: He sets before us life and death and urges us to choose life. Commitment to a choice is the only way to succeed spiritually. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
See Event (21m 33s)
Does it Matter if We Believe in the Lord
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - May 22, 2022
In the New Church we love the idea that people of any religion can go to heaven. But, if we don’t understand this idea fully, then it can seem like it doesn’t matter at all what you believe. And it can be hard to figure out why it matters if we believe in the Lord. Let’s talk about what it means to believe in the Lord and why our beliefs matter. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSA
See Event (21m 28s)
What Should We Ask For?
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - May 15, 2022
When we pray we are often asking for something. There is nothing wrong with this; in fact the Lord encourages us to do this. But we should give careful thought to what we ask for. This principle is illustrated in the story of King Solomon. When the Lord gave him the opportunity to ask for anything he wished, Solomon’s answer reflects a true understanding of what we need from the Lord and the kinds of things we should seek from Him. This Sunday we will explore what we can learn from Solomon’s request. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
See Event (19m 09s)
Approval
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - May 08, 2022
It’s Mothers Day this Sunday and so we’re going to be reflecting on a topic that comes into all parent-child relationships—approval. We all want to be approved of. But do your parents approve of you? Do you approve of your parents? The giving or withholding of approval is a strong force in relationships; let’s talk about how the Lord would like us to navigate the interpersonal dynamics around approval. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSA
See Event (25m 44s)
Spiritual Fatigue
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - May 01, 2022
Whenever something goes wrong in the world, there seems to be an outpouring of compassion. We almost get excited at the chance to leap into action and help. But as time passes the energy wanes. We can become fatigued; not just fatigued physically, but fatigued emotionally. It is impossible to keep up that initial level of care and energy. Above even the emotional there is the spiritual fatigue: we face exhaustion with ourselves and our own spiritual growth, and can push ourselves to the breaking point. We need to be able to truly address the issues, but to do so in a way that is sustainable. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
See Event (18m 52s)
The Disciple Whom Jesus Loved
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - April 24, 2022
In the Gospel of John there are a number of intriguing stories about what Jesus and the disciples did after the Lord’s resurrection. When I preached about this four years ago I focused on the role and significance of Peter (read or listen to that here); this year I want to focus on John. John is called “the disciple whom Jesus loved” and he played a crucial role in the development of the Christian Church. In us he represents a crucial part of our spiritual development as Christians. What does he represent? Come and see. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSA
See Event (22m 48s)
Finding the Risen Lord
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - April 17, 2022
Easter is of course about the Lord’s Resurrection after His Crucifixion. But just because the Lord rose and lived again does not mean that we ourselves feel His living presence within ourselves. There is a process of being led to Him; it is a process that involves both the head and the heart, a process that involves grief and joy, faith and doubt. This Easter Sunday we will explore what the Gospel of John has to tell us about finding the Risen Lord in our own lives. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
See Event (17m 51s)
Confess the Lord
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - April 10, 2022
In the Gospel of John, Palm Sunday is described in the context of the miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead. There were those who knew of this miracle and hated the Lord for it; there were those who knew of it but kept quiet from fear; and there were those who knew of it and so joyfully confessed the Lord as their king. It was this last group that welcomed Jesus with palm branches. This Sunday we will explore how we too can bear witness to the Lord and rejoice in His coming. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA
See Event (19m 26s)
Legitimate Authority
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - April 03, 2022
We see so much abuse of power in the world—countless examples of people using their influence on other people in harmful ways. But what does legitimate authority look like? What sort of claims to authority by other people should we reject and resist and what ones should we comply with? And what kind of authority over other people should we aspire to? Let’s see what we can learn about this from the One who is all-powerful. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSA
See Event (20m 22s)