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In the Lord’s Hands
Worship Service: Informal Family - May 14, 2023
Jeremiah was invited by the Lord to go watch a potter at work. The vessel the potter was making got damaged so the potter started over again and made it into another vessel. Jeremiah’s experience ends with the Lord telling him, “Look, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand” (Jeremiah 18:6). We will be using this powerful visual image to explore what it means to be in the Lord’s hands. | By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Bryn Athyn Heilman HallCast the Net on the Right Side
Worship Service: Informal Family - May 07, 2023
After the Lord’s resurrection, His disciples went fishing. All night they caught nothing; but in the morning, when Jesus appeared on the shore and told them to cast the net on the right side of the boat, they did so – and they caught a huge number of fish (John 21). What does this story teach us about changing how we approach things that aren’t working in our lives? | By Rev. Coleman S. Glenn | Bryn Athyn Heilman HallGive, And It Will Be Given To You
Worship Service: Informal Family - April 30, 2023
In 1st Kings 17, Elijah asked a widow for some bread during a famine. The widow only had enough for herself and her son, but she gave some to Elijah first, and miraculously didn’t run out of food. Love works in similar ways. What can we do when we feel like our tank is empty? | By Rev. Solomon J. Keal | Bryn Athyn Heilman HallBe still, and know that I am God
Worship Service: Informal Family - April 23, 2023
This beloved and powerful verse from the Lord’s Word becomes all the more powerful when we read it in the context of the tumultuous psalm (Psalm 46) in which we find it. This Sunday we’ll reflect on the symbolism of breaking and unstringing bows and on how the Lord can bring us peace, even in the midst of stressful circumstances. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Bryn Athyn Heilman HallThe Power of Stones
Worship Service: Informal Family - April 16, 2023
“Upon this rock I will build my church.” (Matthew 16:18) “Roll away the stone.” (John 11:39) “And he selected five smooth stones from the brook.” (I Samuel 16:40) Rocks and stone – they show up everywhere in the Word, from Genesis to Revelation. How can a stone carry such importance? What do they mean and how can they help us? | By Rev. Grant R. Schnarr | Bryn Athyn Heilman HallPalm Sunday 2023
Worship Service: Informal Family - April 02, 2023
When Jesus triumphantly entered Jerusalem as King, the people waved palm branches and laid them down before Him. What do “palm branches” symbolize in our spiritual lives as we progress towards the new life of the Easter story? There will be a live donkey and an outdoor palm procession, weather-permitting. | By Rev. Solomon J. Keal | Bryn Athyn Heilman HallLuck and Coincidence
Worship Service: Informal Family - March 12, 2023
We know from our Teachings that these phenomena are tools of the Lord’s Providence. When we read the stories of the Word, we can see that the Lord is intricately leading all of the events forward, ultimately leading to his birth into this world. This Sunday, join us as we take a bird’s eye view of the Bible narrative from beginning to end to see how the Lord is delicately and intentionally working in our lives at this very moment. | By Rev. Jeffrey Smith | Bryn Athyn Heilman HallThe Lord's Last Words
Worship Service: Informal Family - March 05, 2023
In “The Lord’s Last Words” on the cross we see infinite divine love offering forgiveness, compassion and hope as the culmination of everything that the Lord said and did, and as an inspiration for how we can care for each other. (Matthew 27, Mark 15, Luke 23, John 19) | By Rev. John L. Odhner | Bryn Athyn Heilman HallWhat is it?
Worship Service: Informal Family - February 26, 2023
The whole of Exodus Chapter 16 contains a detailed description of how the Israelites were to handle the Manna - when to collect it, how much, not save it overnight, etc. The leading idea is that each person “gathered according to each one’s need” (v. 18). We will consider needs versus wants as they relate to trusting the Lord and His Providence. | By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Bryn Athyn Heilman HallThe Lord’s Care and Protection
Worship Service: Informal Family - February 12, 2023
The Lord is compared to an eagle that “hovers over its young, spreading out its wings, taking them up, carrying them on its wings.” (Deuteronomy 32:11). The Lord’s “wings” can comfort and lift us up in our daily life and relationships. | By Rev. John L. Odhner | Bryn Athyn Heilman HallThe Second Coming
Worship Service: Informal Family - January 29, 2023
“The Second Coming” We often talk about the Lord’s second coming being associated with Swedenborg’s Writings. What does that mean? What does the Lord’s second coming look like in our spiritual lives? | By Rev. Solomon J. Keal | Bryn Athyn Heilman HallWhat Did Swedenborg Know About the Holy Land?
Banquet Address - January 27, 2023
The Word is full of references to places in the Holy Land and the Heavenly Doctrine explains the significance of many of them. But how much did Swedenborg know before he began to write the Arcana, while he was still a scientist and philosopher? (originally presented with slideshow: https://bit.ly/3YkSHVm) | By Rev. Stephen D. Cole | Bryn Athyn Heilman HallWhen We Don’t Understand the Word
Worship Service: Informal Family - January 15, 2023
Maybe you started reading the Lord’s Word again in this new year or maybe you’ve been in the habit for years. It’s great when you feel like you’re understanding the Word and getting something out of it, but what do you do when you don’t understand the Word? Let’s talk this Sunday about how much we should expect to understand the Lord’s Word and how we can still benefit from reading the Word, even when we don’t feel like we’re understanding very much. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Bryn Athyn Heilman HallSeasons
Worship Service: Informal Family - January 01, 2023
Our Creator put the lights in the sky “for signs and seasons, and for days and years.” (Genesis 1:14) Later He promised, “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease.” (Genesis 8:22) Spiritually we go through times of darkness and light, cold and warmth, as we progress to new life. | By Rev. John L. Odhner | Bryn Athyn Heilman HallThanks for Freedom
Worship Service: Informal Family - November 27, 2022
Our topic will focus on how the Lord sets us free—how we can free our minds from what traps us. “Jehovah God came down and took on a human manifestation in order to redeem people and save them (True Christianity 82). | By Rev. John L. Odhner | Bryn Athyn Heilman HallSeeing Providence: Old Age
Worship Service: Informal Family - November 20, 2022
On the cross, the Lord told one of the robbers, “Today, you will be with Me in paradise.” The story of Moses at the end of his life, on Mount Nebo, seeing the promised land is a reminder to us that heaven is “right there.” Do we see it? Getting to heaven is the culmination of all that the Lord’s providence does in our lives. Note: Background music is included by permission of the copyright owner John Odhner | By Rev. Kurt Hyland Asplundh | Bryn Athyn Heilman HallSeeing Providence- Adulthood
Worship Service: Informal Family - November 13, 2022
| By Rev. John L. Odhner | Bryn Athyn Heilman HallSeeing Providence: The Early Years
Worship Service: Informal Family - November 06, 2022
In week 2 of our Journey program, “Seeing Providence,” we will be focusing on the early years of our lives. We will reflect on the dangers and the blessings of the early years of Moses’ life and try to see some glimpses of the Lord’s providence in the dangers and blessings of the early years of our own lives. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Bryn Athyn Heilman HallSeeing Providence Throughout Our Lives
Worship Service: Informal Family - October 30, 2022
We begin our four-week Journey series on “Seeing Providence” by looking at the stories leading up to the birth of Moses. Sometimes it is easy to see Providence working in our lives. Other times it can be very hard. What are some ways we can remember that the Lord is always working to bring goodness out of any situation in our lives? | By Rev. Solomon J. Keal | Bryn Athyn Heilman HallLoving Others: A User’s Manual
Worship Service: Informal Family - October 16, 2022
The Lord's Word is full of the repeated statement to love the neighbor, but each person gives and receives love in a different way. How do we know if we are loving others in the way most useful to them? What are the practical tools that the Lord gives us explaining the "how" to loving others? | By Rev. Richard M. Glenn | Bryn Athyn Heilman HallThe Four Rivers of Eden
Worship Service: Informal Family - October 09, 2022
One of the features of the Garden of Eden is that it has four rivers (Genesis 2:10-14). What do these four rivers represent in our spiritual lives? | By Rev. Solomon J. Keal | Bryn Athyn Heilman HallRediscover What’s Important - The Parable of the Lost Coin
Worship Service: Informal Family - October 02, 2022
Think of something you've committed to - a job, a new habit, a friendship, a marriage or any project. We have so many high hopes, plans and ideals. But then things get messy, and it can be so easy to lose track of what's most important. In the parable of the Lost Coin from Luke 15, the Lord outlines a method of how to rediscover those treasures. | By Rev. Pearse M. Frazier | Bryn Athyn Heilman HallWalking in the Lord's Commandments
Worship Service: Informal Family - September 04, 2022
This is Bryn Athyn Church School's theme this year, taken from Jeremiah 7:23. The Lord often told His disciples to "follow Me" as He walked around Israel. Why is "walking" a good way of describing the life of religion? | By Rev. Solomon J. Keal | Bryn Athyn Heilman HallDivine Garments
Worship Service: Informal Family - August 28, 2022
If we read the Gospels we find a description of His clothing in almost every major part of His ministry. The Lord’s clothing, ever changing, is a representation of the many ways He comes to us in our lives. Come and see how He is present with us wearing Swaddling Cloths, the Hem of His Garment, Transfiguration Clothing, Borrowed Clothing, a Towel, a Purple Robe, and an Inner Garment. | By Rt. Rev. Thomas L. Kline | Bryn Athyn Heilman HallDaily Prayer
Worship Service: Informal Family - August 21, 2022
How often do you talk to the Lord? Is it often enough? Communication is a crucial aspect of any relationship and our relationship with the Lord is no different. Let’s talk about what prayer on a day-to-day basis looks like and how we can make progress in our regular communication with the Lord. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Bryn Athyn Heilman Hall