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Building Our House on the Rock
Worship Service: Informal Family - August 14, 2022
The Lord told a parable comparing someone who built their house on sand, which then fell during a storm, versus someone who built their house on the rock, which then withstood the storm. What does it mean for us to spiritually build our houses on the rock? | By Rev. Solomon J. Keal | Bryn Athyn Heilman HallWanting a King
Worship Service: Informal Family - August 07, 2022
In 1 Samuel 8 the people asked Samuel to give them a king like the other nations. The Lord warned the people about the downsides of having a king, but they didn’t listen, so He told Samuel to give them what they wanted. What does this symbolize in our spiritual lives? | By Rev. Solomon J. Keal | Bryn Athyn Heilman HallFinding Meaning
Worship Service: Informal Family - July 31, 2022
Finding a purpose in life is one thing: Get yourself a goal and pursue that goal. But finding meaning and feeling like what we do matters is a whole different matter. The rich man in Matthew wanted eternal life but felt he was lacking something. Join us this Sunday as we explore what the rich man was lacking, and how we can “find” meaning in EVERYTHING we do. | By Rev. Jeffrey Smith | Bryn Athyn Heilman HallTruth or Bias
Worship Service: Informal Family - July 24, 2022
The Lord’s Word is full of truth given to us to make our lives, and the world, better. How is it that two people can go to Word and still disagree? How do people take these beautiful teachings and use them to cause harm? We all know how easy it can be to listen and learn with a bias that holds us back from a better understanding. What does the Word teach us about bias, its effects, and how to overcome it?" | By Rev. Richard M. Glenn | Bryn Athyn Heilman HallDon't Hold a Grudge
Worship Service: Informal Family - July 17, 2022
Jonah was sent to offer a second chance to people who, in his opinion, didn’t deserve one. How can we overcome grudges to serve even people we don’t get along with? | By Rev. Coleman S. Glenn | Bryn Athyn Heilman HallTrusting in God
Worship Service: Informal Family - July 10, 2022
David had been anointed as the next king, but Saul was trying to kill him, and so David had to leave his wife Michal, and his best friend Jonathan, to run away and hide (1 Samuel 20). During this time David wrote many psalms about trusting in God. How can this story about David help us to trust in God as well when things aren’t going the way we want them to? | By Rev. Solomon J. Keal | Bryn Athyn Heilman HallLet My People Go!
Worship Service: Informal Family - July 03, 2022
Freedom is the greatest gift we receive from the Lord, and the greatest gift we can give each other. When the people of Israel were slaves in Egypt the Lord sent Moses to tell the king, “Let My people go!” (Exodus 3-11). Love must be freely given. “As freedom is a matter of love, it is the life of everyone.” (Secrets of Heaven 2873) | By Rev. John L. Odhner | Bryn Athyn Heilman HallJudgement and Charity: The Speck and the Plank
Worship Service: Informal Family - June 26, 2022
The Lord tells us that when we judge other people it is like trying to get a tiny speck out of their eye, while we have a plank in our own. The Word also tells we have to make judgements sometimes. Are we supposed to judge others or not? What kinds of judgements fit with living a charitable life, and which don't? | By Rev. Richard M. Glenn | Bryn Athyn Heilman HallTwo Wings of a Great Eagle
Worship Service: Informal Family - June 12, 2022
In Revelation 12 it is said that the woman clothed with the sun was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time. What does this mean? | By Rev. Jeremy F. Simons | Bryn Athyn Heilman HallThe Four Horseman
Worship Service: Informal Family - June 05, 2022
In the book of Revelation, the four horsemen represent a useful reminder of the different ways that we often end up understanding the Word. What can we do to avoid ways of thinking which are like the red, black, and pale horses? How can we strive for ways of thinking which are like the white horse? | By Rev. Solomon J. Keal | Bryn Athyn Heilman HallThe Kingdom of Heaven
Worship Service: Informal Family - May 29, 2022
The Kingdom of Heaven is a kingdom of love. This fact is key to understanding what heaven is and how we enter into it. (Matthew 13, Heaven & Hell 13-19) | By Rev. John L. Odhner | Bryn Athyn Heilman HallSoothing Anxiety
Worship Service: Informal Family - May 22, 2022
In 1st Samuel 16, a “distressing spirit” troubled King Saul. But he found that when young David played the harp for him, the “distressing spirit” would depart. What are the things in our lives that help soothe our anxieties? | By Rev. Solomon J. Keal | Bryn Athyn Heilman HallWhat Does "I'm Sorry" Mean?
Worship Service: Informal Family - May 17, 2022
In this service, we explore what it means to apologize, and the tie in with forgiveness. | By Rev. Eric H. Carswell | Bryn Athyn Heilman HallWater of Life
Worship Service: Informal Family - May 08, 2022
In John chapter 4, the Lord spoke with a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well about the difference between natural water and the “water of life.” Where do we find the “water of life” in our lives? This service will include the baptism of Greg and Ivy Synnestvedt’s daughter. | By Rev. Solomon J. Keal | Bryn Athyn Heilman HallYou are Witnesses
Worship Service: Informal Family - May 01, 2022
The Lord spoke these words to His disciples shortly before the Ascension. They had certainly witnessed many incredible things. Are we to be “witnesses” too? If so, in what ways and to whom? | By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Bryn Athyn Heilman HallWrestling with Faith
Worship Service: Informal Family - April 24, 2022
The name Israel means “wrestling with God.” That name says something about the quality of faith. With faith there are forms of wrestling that are healthy that contribute to growth in wisdom and love, and there are forms of wrestling that are unhealthy that can tear one another apart. We will focus on the healthy wrestling that leads to finding spiritual solutions to life’s toughest problems. | By Rt. Rev. David H. Lindrooth | Bryn Athyn Heilman HallRisen
Worship Service: Informal Family - April 17, 2022
On Easter morning the angel said: “He is risen! He is not here.” (Mark 16:6) What does it mean for the Lord to be “risen” in our lives? Where do we sometimes look for the Lord, and where should we be looking instead? | By Rev. John L. Odhner | Bryn Athyn Heilman HallRiding on a Donkey
Worship Service: Informal Family - April 10, 2022
The Lord triumphantly entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey. What does this represent about the way the Lord enters our lives? | By Rev. John L. Odhner | Bryn Athyn Heilman HallPrayer: Leaving the Lord to Decide
Worship Service: Informal Family - April 03, 2022
In the stories leading up to Easter, prayers feature often. In every case, even with the Lord Himself, they’re about getting centered and remaining open to the Lord’s leading. | By Rt. Rev. Peter M. Buss, Jr. | Bryn Athyn Heilman HallFaith: A Source of Death and Life
Worship Service: Informal Family - March 27, 2022
The internal sense of the story of Cain and Abel reflects the reality that religious knowledge can be both a source of death and a source of life. Why was Abel’s offering favored by the Lord and not Cain’s? Why was Cain protected even after committing a terrible act? | By Rev. Eric H. Carswell | Bryn Athyn Heilman HallThe Softening of Spring
Worship Service: Informal Family - March 20, 2022
In order for plants to grow in the spring, the ground needs to soften and the ice needs to melt into water. A similar process needs to happen in our spiritual lives. In 1 Samuel 26, the story of the hardened and resentful King Saul softening because of David’s mercy can symbolize a springtime state for us as well. | By Rev. Solomon J. Keal | Bryn Athyn Heilman HallSpeckled and Spotted
Worship Service: Informal Family - March 13, 2022
Jacob took all the speckled, spotted and black among the lambs, sheep and goats (Genesis 30:25-43). The Lord gathers all of us imperfect people into His flock. No one has pure goodness. Some evil can’t be mixed with good, and some can (Secrets of Heaven 3993:5-9). Wheat gets mixed with tares (Matthew 13:24-30). | By Rev. John L. Odhner | Bryn Athyn Heilman HallConstellations
Worship Service: Informal Family - March 06, 2022
Stars are mentioned many times in the Word. The Writings tell us that “stars symbolize concepts of Divine goodness and Divine truth drawn from the Word” (AR 534). Constellations are pictures that we draw by connecting the dots of the stars. How do we connect the dots of various truths, and how does that help us navigate our spiritual lives? | By Rev. Solomon J. Keal | Bryn Athyn Heilman HallAs the Deer Panteth for the Water
Worship Service: Informal Family - February 27, 2022
The beautiful deer in our community can remind us of aspects of our spiritual life. Deer are mentioned a number of times in the Word, and five passages in particular describe five important points about our path to heaven. | By Rev. Jeremy F. Simons | Bryn Athyn Heilman HallWords to Live By
Worship Service: Informal Family - February 20, 2022
What do we mean when we talk about “the Word?” Is it just a book on an altar? Or is it more than that? This Sunday we’ll explore what it means to be guided by “the Word.” | By Rev. Solomon J. Keal | Bryn Athyn Heilman Hall