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How to Find True Rest: The Third Commandment
Worship Service: Sermon only - October 01, 2006
"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy." (Exo. 20:8) When the Lord was on earth, He clearly taught that the natural, external interpretation of the commandment to rest on the sabbath day was incapable of truly reflecting the Lord's will. When the Children of Israel killed a man for gathering sticks on the day of rest, they were thinking strictly literally. But spiritually, this commandment is not talking about the efforts we make to feed ourselves, care for our families, have fun, or mow the lawn. The Lord is teaching us to keep the Lord's salvation before us at all times. Spiritually, it's not us that does the work, but the Lord -- just like the six days of creation. The six days of labor that are referred to are the spiritual struggles that the Lord went through while in the world to fight against the hells, to reorder the spiritual world, and to unite His Divine to His Human. When that process was completed, there was rest, there was a new peace because the Human had become Divine. The Lord uses a similar process in our lives. He has already reduced the hells to order, but we must undergo our own spiritual struggles as if they are our own. But even then, it is the Lord who does all the real struggling, who does the real work. Our job is to remember that it is the Lord who does this work for us. Remembering the sabbath means to worship the Lord, Jesus Christ with our whole lives, not just on Sunday mornings. To understand this, read Exodus 20:8-11, Matthew 12:1-14, and Arcana Caelestia 10360, then listen to the full audio of this third Rise Above It sermon. | By Rev. R. Amos Glenn | Pittsburgh, PA
See Event (11m 31s)
Take the Name of the Lord - Just Not in Vain: The Second Commandment
Worship Service: Sermon only - September 24, 2006
Rise Above It with the Pittsburgh New Church: The Second Commandment "'You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.'" (Exodus 20:7) Unlike our culture's ability to uphold the natural and external meaning of the first commandment, using the Lord's names unthinkingly and disrespectfully is everywhere around us. This influence makes it more difficult to teach our own children the importance of this commandment. But following the commandments naturally and externally is the first step in following them internally and spiritually; unless we are conscious of and thinking about the Lord in our lives, we cannot begin to behave in ways that are genuine worship of the Lord. And that is the goal of this commandment. It is vital that we use and understand the names of the Lord because it is an important way that the Lord becomes Human to us. Everyone has a name that is used to talk with them, and it is no different with the Lord. Taking His name, in the most internal meaning, is to acknowledge that the Lord is Human and that everything comes from Him, that He is a person we can talk with and relate to through His Word. Blaspheming the Lord's name, His Word or holy things cannot be forgiven, not because the Lord is especially angry, but because disregarding these things removes the only means by which we can learn of and accept the Lord's forgiveness. When we take the name of the Lord in vain, whether externally or internally, we are destroying the connection between the Lord and ourselves and making genuine worship impossible. To see that this is true, read Exodus 20:7; Matthew 12:31-32; and True Christian Religion 299. | By Rev. R. Amos Glenn | Pittsburgh, PA
See Event (12m 53s)
How to Worship the Lord Only: The First Commandment
Worship Service: Sermon only - September 17, 2006
Rise Above It: The First Commandment "'You shall have no other gods before Me.'" (Exodus 20:3) In our basically monotheistic culture, we often dismiss commandment number one as finished. We never go to satanic rituals, we never bow down to a golden statue, and we don't burn incense to icons in our homes. Congratulations! This is a success not to be disregarded, but it is obeying the first commandment in only its most natural and external form. This may have been enough for the Children of Israel, but the Lord wants us to be more spiritual. Through the New Testament and the Writings for the New Church, the Lord teaches us about internal and spiritual ways of understanding and obeying His law. In its spiritual meaning, the Lord is teaching us to worship Him in His Divine Human only, the Lord Jesus Christ. Further, we learn that true worship does not consist solely in standing and kneeling, saying prayers and singing songs. True worship of the Lord is living according to the true ideas that you have learned from the Lord's Word. It is in life that genuine worship exists. Anything that prevents you from living what you know to be true is also an idol. Evil spirits are skilled at distracting us away from thinking about the place of the Lord in our lives. They want us to pay attention to, and live our lives in dedication to, anything other than the Lord. Drugs, money, and sex are the easy ones to see, partly because they can be so spectacularly destructive. More difficult to identify in our own lives are the subtly destructive things like anger, pride, revenge, control, reputation, and cynicism. These can be idols that we do not wish to abandon as we learn to worship the Lord Jesus Christ with all our hearts, minds, and strength. This is the first commandment and it is the center of all religion. The acknowledgement of the Lord Jesus Christ as the one God of heaven and earth, Creator and Redeemer, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is the essential feature of the life of religion. It is because of this acknowledgement, and only because of this, that the rest of religion contains anything of genuine life. "Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." (Revelation 19:10) To see that this is true, read Exodus 20:1-6, Revelation 19:6-10, and True Christian Religion 294, 295, 296:1. Full text available at http://www.PittsburghNewChurch.org/ | By Rev. R. Amos Glenn | Pittsburgh, PA
See Event (14m 10s)
Feeding the Flock
Worship Service: Sermon only - September 10, 2006
CD Single Track | By Rev. R. Amos Glenn | Pittsburgh, PA
See Event (00m 00s)
How Does a Good Pastor Feed the Lord's Flock?
Worship Service: Sermon only - September 10, 2006
"The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor sought what was lost; but with force and cruelty you have ruled them." (Ezekiel 34:4) The Lord gives a sort of job description to His New Church priests in Arcana Caelestia 10794 when He says that... "It is their duty to teachpeople the way to heaven and also to guide them. They must instruct them in the teachings of their Church and guide them to lead lives in keeping with those teachings. Priests who teach truths and guide people by means of them to goodness of lifeand so to the Lord are good shepherds; but those who teach yet do not guide people to goodness of life and so to the Lord are bad shepherds." In Latin, the language the Writings for the New Church were written in, the same word is used for "pastor" and "shepherd". To be a good pastor, then, requires that a priest teach the truths of the Church, not what he believes to be true. But that's not all. These truths are to be taught in such a way that those learning the truths are led to the goodness of life, like sheep are led to green pastures and clear water. Just telling the sheep that there is such a thing as green pastures and clear water is not enough to be a good pastor. As the Lord said in Ezekiel, "The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who are sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor sought what was lost" (34:4). A pastor doing his job justly, faithfully, and sincerely, will be doing all of these things. Why do you care what the pastor's job is? There may be many reasons, but one of the biggest is so that you recognize what your pastor's goals for the congregation are. Pastors are in unique positions to see the weak, sick, broken, driven away, and lost in the congregation. And it is the goal of a good pastor to strengthen, heal, bind, bring back, and seek, both individuals in his congregation and for the congregation as a whole. And he does this by teaching the truths of the church and leading by them to the goodness oflife. A good shepherd cannot lead "with force and cruelty" but can only suggest, encourage, and challenge. And then get out of the way! People have a direct connection with the Lord, not one through the pastor. The Lord is the door of the sheepfold through which both pastor and congregation must pass. In the church community of the Pittsburgh New Church, I hear about and see many examples of people who are feeling weak or sick or broken. And I try to bring them the strengthening, healing, binding leaves of the tree which are the Lord's truths. But most of all, I see and talk with people who are feeling distant and separated, people who feel like the sheep are wandering away from each other, or are being driven away from the flock. And this issomething that is not best addressed on an individual level. Instead, it is the pastor's responsibility to teach the whole church community about what holds a community together like a flock, and then to use those teachings to guide the whole into re-strengthening the ties that bind them together. Remember what the bishops told the priests in Conjugial Love: church communities are bound together and filled with goodness by working on bringing forth the fruits of love, that is, doing the Lord's truth. Working as a community to bring the Lord's truths into your individual lives is how congregations are really made because then people are performing a common use: helping each other find the green pastures and the clear waters where they will no longer be prey but will dwell together in security and peace. To see that this is true, read John 10:1-6, Ezekiel 34, and Conjugial Love 9. Archived at http://www.PittsburghNewChurch.org/ | By Rev. R. Amos Glenn | Pittsburgh, PA
See Event (21m 00s)
Even Heaven Has Its Ups and Downs
Worship Service: Sermon only - September 03, 2006
"'As long as the earth endures, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Summer and winter, Day and night Will never cease.'" (Gen. 8:22) In life we go through alternating states of cold and heat as we are being spiritually remade. What is more surprising is that even the angels in the highest heaven go through alternations of spiritual summer and spiritual winter. So, too, can we expect the Church to continually pass through such spiritual seasons. When we are in winter, it is not our failure but an opportunity for learning. Have faith in the coming of summer. To see what I'm talking about, read Genesis 8, Mark 4:26-29, and Secrets of Heaven 935. Full text available at http://TheoBlog.com/ | By Rev. Glenn (Mac) Frazier | Pittsburgh, PA
See Event (27m 56s)
The Devil Did Not Make You Do It
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - August 27, 2006
CD Tracks: 1-Lesson & Children's Talk 6:28 2-Lessons 3:44 3-Sermon 16:48 | By Rev. R. Amos Glenn | Pittsburgh, PA
See Event (27m 01s)
You Can Heal Spiritual Suffering
Worship Service: Sermon only - August 06, 2006
"...And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations." (Rev. 22:2) Anyone can go to heaven, no matter what church they go to, no matter what doctrines they are taught, so long as they try to shun evils and live a life of charity. So why do people join the New Church if salvation isn't "on the line"? To relieve suffering. The Lord is Love, and so He wants nothing more than for us to be happy. Yet, there is a lot of suffering in the world. We all suffer at one time or another, and if we're not suffering now, it's not hard for us to find someone around us who is. Some suffering is small, some is very great. And so, the Lord provides us with a way to be healed. The Book of Revelation ends with a beautiful image of the heavenly city New Jerusalem. In its midst grows the Tree of Life, about which we are told, "The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations." The city is an image of what the Lord's New Church is meant to be like here, today. This final chapter of the Bible also presents an image of what each one of us is meant to be like. The "leaves of the tree" are the rational truths of the New Church, and "the nations" are all those people who suffer because of evil desires and false beliefs. Who of us does that not describe? So these "leaves" -- these new, rational truths of the New Church -- have the power to heal us when we suffer. This is no empty promise, as anyone who has experienced this in their own lives can tell you. So if you are suffering, turn to these new truths, and you will find relief. And if you have experienced the healing power for yourself already, then go out, and be a healer. The Lord has anointed you to preach the good news and heal the brokenhearted. Readings: Isaiah 61:1-3; Revelation 22:1-5; AR 936:1, 2. Full text available at http://www.TheoBlog.com/ | By Rev. Glenn (Mac) Frazier | Pittsburgh, PA
See Event (17m 24s)
How to Worship with Your Life
Worship Service: Sermon only - July 23, 2006
"'...And what does Jehovah require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?'" What does the Lord require of us, when it comes to worship? Why do we come to church? Why do we pray? Why do we read the Word? All these activities make up what might be called the life of piety. This sort of worship, though, is only external. The Lord has told us several times that vain repetitions, extravagant ritual and external worship in general is not what He is chiefly concerned with. External worship is merely a representative of -- and support for -- real worship. Internal, true worship is a life of charity. It is repenting, shunning evil, being useful, and doing good works for our neighbors. This doesn't mean external ritual doesn't matter. External worship is like clothing: we need it, but it can be changed. The only requirement is that it serve internal worship. Proper external worship is whatever ritual we choose that inspires, instructs and prepares us so that we may make our daily lives into continual, true worship, which is the life of charity. To see how this is so, read Micah 6:6-8, Matthew 6:5-8, and Secrets of Heaven 10143:3-5, 6, and then listen to the full sermon. Text available at http://www.TheoBlog.com/ | By Rev. Glenn (Mac) Frazier | Pittsburgh, PA
See Event (17m 36s)
Making the Leap of Faith: Committing Yourself to Something Good
Worship Service: Sermon only - July 16, 2006
"But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul." (Deuteronomy 4:29) Living the life of religion requires us to make commitments. Before we are regenerated and motivated by good, we must do what is true and right even when we don't want to. Committing ourselves to doing what the Lord commands is the essence of the life of religion. The hells, then, will do whatever they can to prevent and subvert al your attempts to make and keep commitments. First, the hells will try to convince you to make half-commitments, to hedge your bets against disappointment and failure. But like Moses told the Israelites, we cannot find the Lord if our attempts are half-hearted. Moving away from the depression of evil towards the happiness of good requires a whole-hearted commitment to learning and doing the Lord's will. Just making the commitment is often enough to quiet the hells...for a bit. The hells will next try to convince you that the commitment you made was foolish or pointless because it cannot result in anything good. When the Lord told Simon to "let down your nets for a catch", Simon complained of the pointlessness and futility because they'd been fishing for a long time and caught nothing. But Simon is committed to serving the Lord. He lets down the nets and he and his companions catch more fish than the boat can carry. They then left everything behind and followed the Lord. We do not need to avoid commitment; these lessons will help us stay committed in the face of hellish attacks. Readings: Deuteronomy 4:25-31; Luke 5:1-11; Arcana Caelestia 4353. Archived at http://www.PittsburghNewChurch.org/ | By Rev. R. Amos Glenn | Pittsburgh, PA
See Event (22m 02s)
Invitation to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - June 11, 2006
| By Rev. R. Amos Glenn | Pittsburgh, PA
See Event (28m 42s)
Why Worship the Lamb instead of Him on the Throne?
Worship Service: Sermon only - June 04, 2006
| By Rev. R. Amos Glenn | Pittsburgh, PA
See Event (22m 12s)
Memorial Day
Worship Service: Sermon only - May 28, 2006
CD Single Track The Lord is with those who battle to defend good. | By Rev. R. Amos Glenn | Pittsburgh, PA
See Event (21m 40s)
Our Most Damaging Sins
Worship Service: Sermon only - May 07, 2006
CD Single Track | By Rev. R. Amos Glenn | Pittsburgh, PA
See Event (25m 10s)
The Clear Message of the New Church
Worship Service: Sermon only - April 30, 2006
CD Single Track | By Rev. R. Amos Glenn | Pittsburgh, PA
See Event (19m 23s)
Remembering and Forgetting
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - April 23, 2006
CD Tracks: 1-Lesson & Children's Talk 9:14 2-Lessons & Sermon 25:22 | By Rev. Eric H. Carswell | Pittsburgh, PA
See Event (34m 37s)
Innocent Subjection to the Lord
Worship Service: Sermon only - April 09, 2006
| By Rev. R. Amos Glenn | Pittsburgh, PA
See Event (18m 27s)
Freed by the Lord
Worship Service: Sermon only - April 02, 2006
| By Rev Olaf Hauptmann | Pittsburgh, PA
See Event (24m 51s)
To Serve, to Set Free
Worship Service: Sermon only - March 19, 2006
| By Rev Olaf Hauptmann | Pittsburgh, PA
See Event (00m 00s)
The Lord Answers Our Prayers
Worship Service: Children & Adult - March 05, 2006
| By Rev Olaf Hauptmann | Pittsburgh, PA
See Event (49m 34s)
Where Can We Speak to the Lord?
Worship Service: Sermon only - February 26, 2006
| By Rev. R. Amos Glenn | Pittsburgh, PA
See Event (00m 00s)
Selling Ourselves for Bread
Worship Service: Sermon only - February 19, 2006
| By Rev. R. Amos Glenn | Pittsburgh, PA
See Event (00m 00s)
Building Our Spiritual Home with the Divine Architect
Worship Service: Sermon only - February 05, 2006
| By Rev. R. Amos Glenn | Pittsburgh, PA
See Event (00m 00s)