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The Power of Truth
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - July 20, 2025
One of the most well-known stories in the Bible is that of David felling the giant Goliath with a simple sling. What gives us this power in our own lives? The answer from the Teachings of the New Church is... Truth! That might not sound exciting, if you think of truth as mere ideas. But when we use the Lord's truths properly, they are some of the most powerful tools in the universe. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSAMemorial Service for Carly Rose Cole
Memorial Service - July 20, 2025
Carly Rose (Andrews) Cole passed into the spiritual world on Tuesday, July 8, 2025. She was 45 years old. | By Rev. Coleman S. Glenn | Bryn Athyn CathedralWhich Miracle Is Divine
Worship Service: Sermon only - July 20, 2025
1st Lesson: Exodus 7:8-13 2nd Lesson: Arcana Coelestia 7298 3rd Lesson: Divine Providence 71 Sermon: “Which Miracle Is Divine” | By Rev. Brett D. Buick | Kempton, PAMemorial Service for Marcie E. Gyllenhaal
Memorial Service - July 19, 2025
Martha “Marcie” E. Gyllenhaal passed into the spiritual world on Friday, June 13, 2025. She was 78 years old. | By Rev. Nathan D. Gladish | Bryn Athyn CathedralHow Long, O Lord
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - July 13, 2025
How Long, O Lord? These words, "How long, O Lord?" were spoken by a group of people huddled under the altar, desperate to know how much longer it would be before their oppression would cease. Likewise, they are words that we might find ourselves saying when we seem unable to break free of our own sin. But although we might despair of ever being free, the Lord, in secret and hidden ways, is working for our growth and rebirth, if only we put in the little effort that we are able to. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSAOur Spiritual Reality: Heaven
Worship Service: Family (may include music) - July 13, 2025
A big focus of the Lord’s teaching, when He was on earth, was the kingdom of heaven. Heaven is also a big focus of what the Lord reveals in the teachings for the New Church. This Sunday, as we continue our series on understanding our spiritual reality, we will explore a few of the Lord’s teachings about heaven and reflect on the impact that our beliefs about heaven can have on our day-to-day lives. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Bryn Athyn CathedralOur Spiritual Reality: Heaven
Worship Service: Sermon only - July 13, 2025
A big focus of the Lord’s teaching, when He was on earth, was the kingdom of heaven. Heaven is also a big focus of what the Lord reveals in the teachings for the New Church. This Sunday, as we continue our series on understanding our spiritual reality, we will explore a few of the Lord’s teachings about heaven and reflect on the impact that our beliefs about heaven can have on our day-to-day lives. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Bryn Athyn CathedralFamily Ties
Worship Service: Family (may include music) - July 13, 2025
1st Lesson: Exodus 2:5-11; Mark 3:31-35 2nd Lesson: Arcana Coelestia 6756:2; Conjugial Love 405 Talk: “Family Ties” | By Rt. Rev. Bradley D. Heinrichs | Kempton, PALoving our Country as Our Neighbor
Worship Service: Family (may include music) - July 06, 2025
As we celebrate Independence Day this week, it's useful to reflect on what it means to love our country. The Heavenly Doctrines tell us that loving our neighbor includes loving our country, but what does that look like in practice? How can we love something as big and complex as a whole country? | By Steven Gunther | Bryn Athyn CathedralFrom the Least to the Greatest: Loving Our Country
Worship Service: Sermon only - July 06, 2025
After we celebrate Independence Day this week, we’ll reflect on what it means to love our country as an expression of loving our neighbor. The Heavenly doctrines teach us about degrees of the neighbor that are like steps on a ladder leading to the Lord. This Sunday, we will consider how simple everyday charity can be a powerful form of patriotism and—more importantly—how it connects us to the Lord. | By Steven Gunther | Bryn Athyn CathedralIs it Useful
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - July 06, 2025
This week we ask "How do we measure usefulness?" At the heart of this question is putting truth and kindness into action. Truth and kindness without use are simply airy ideas. By asking "Is it useful?" we bring our focus to the actual impact that our words will have on the people around us. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSAIs it Useful
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - July 06, 2025
This week we ask "How do we measure usefulness?" At the heart of this question is putting truth and kindness into action. Truth and kindness without use are simply airy ideas. By asking "Is it useful?" we bring our focus to the actual impact that our words will have on the people around us. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSAHappy is the Nation Whose God is Jehovah
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - July 06, 2025
1st Lesson: Psalm 33 Talk: “Happy is the Nation Whose God is Jehovah” 2nd Lesson: Doctrine of Charity 127-128, 158 Sermon: “Happy is the Nation Whose God is Jehovah” | By Rev. Brett D. Buick | Kempton, PAYour Steering Wheel: How do we bring religion into life?
Worship Service: Sermon only - June 29, 2025
The Sabbath day is set aside to remember the Lord, but what can we do to bring religion and the Lord into life from Monday to Saturday? The Lord’s Word has some great ideas. | By Rev. Jeffrey Smith | Bryn Athyn CathedralBuilding Relationships Looking Ourward
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - June 29, 2025
This week we will focus on all the outward looking relationships: those with each other, with a husband or wife, with children, and with the broader community. Although there is almost infinite variety in these relationships, we will be able to see the common purpose that makes them all essential for a church community to function. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSABowing to Bloom: Humility and the Tree of Life
Worship Service: Family (may include music) - June 22, 2025
Bowing is an ancient custom symbolizing the need to lower ourselves before what is Higher. We will explore the connection between humility and eating of the tree of life over the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. | By Rev. Ethan McCardell | Bryn Athyn CathedralBowing Before the Lord: The Humble Heart and the Tree of Life
Worship Service: Sermon only - June 22, 2025
As love of our own intelligence starts to give way to humility, we open ourselves to the experience the Lord’s blessings (barak, the primary Hebrew word for blessing, carries the connotation of what is higher flowing into what is lower) and a consequent uplifting of our life. We’ll explore the connection between this bowing before the Lord and the development of a spiritual life. | By Rev. Ethan McCardell | Bryn Athyn CathedralThe Golden City
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - June 22, 2025
The New Church is sometimes called "The Church of the New Jerusalem." This is based on a description of a golden city, the New Jerusalem, descending from heaven to earth, as described in the book of Revelation. Each detail of this city symbolizes some aspect of the New Church. Our focus this Sunday will be on the Golden Light that filled the city. Gold stands for Love, light for Wisdom. In the New Church, the heart must always be love, from the Lord, guided by His wisdom. This is a description of the New Church as it ought to be. Our job, here and now, is to make sure that we embody that love, and let the Lord's wisdom guide us, as a church and as individuals. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSAShe Shall Be Called Woman
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - June 22, 2025
1st Lesson: Genesis 2:21-25 Talk: “She Shall Be Called Woman” 2nd Lesson: Conjugial Love 88 Sermon: “She Shall be Called Woman Because She was Taken out of a Man” (Text: Gen. 2:23) | By Rev. Judah E. Synnestvedt | Kempton, PAMemorial Service for Doris A. Halterman
Memorial Service - June 21, 2025
Doris A. Halterman passed into the spiritual world on June 9, 2025. She was 89 years old. | By Rev. Jeremy F. Simons | Bryn Athyn CathedralThe Two Most Important Things
Worship Service: Family (may include music) - June 15, 2025
John saw a vision of two witnesses who were put to death and raised to life (Revelation 11). They represent the two essentials of the New Church: that the Lord in His glorified humanity is God and that people should live by the Ten Commandments. These two echo the two great commandments, showing us how to live heavenly lives. | By Rev. Coleman S. Glenn | Bryn Athyn CathedralThe Two Witnesses
Worship Service: Sermon only - June 15, 2025
In Revelation 11, John describes a vision of two witnesses. They represent the two essentials of the New Church. These two essentials are under constant threat of attack - in the vision, the two witnesses were even put to death - but the Lord protects them and can revive them, just as He revived the witnesses in John’s vision. | By Rev. Coleman S. Glenn | Bryn Athyn CathedralAccept the Gift
Worship Service: Sermon only - June 15, 2025
The difference between payment and a gift is that we are entitled to payment for the work we have done, while a gift is freely given. So if the Lord freely forgives and saves us, why does it seem like we have to work so hard for it? What do we get credit for and what do we have to acknowledge is the Lord's? If we can clearly see how the Lord freely gives us what we need to work with, we'll be able to accept that gift in every situation through the choices we make. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSA"God has made me laugh…" (Genesis 21:6)
Worship Service: Family (may include music) - June 08, 2025
The Lord doesn’t just want to cheer us up – He wants our hearts and minds to be filled with joy and laughter. Our grumpy, skeptical side tends to have a hard time believing this is possible. What’s there to laugh about – life is full of serious business; bills to pay, pressures at work, health issues, relationship stresses, etc.? Turns out, we have a lot of reasons to laugh if we’re to take our cue from the angels in heaven for “everything they see seems to laugh and play and come alive” (HH 489). What are they seeing that we aren’t seeing? | By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Bryn Athyn Cathedral"God has made me laugh…" (Genesis 21:6)
Worship Service: Sermon only - June 08, 2025
The Lord doesn’t just want to cheer us up – He wants our hearts and minds to be filled with joy and laughter. Our grumpy, skeptical side tends to have a hard time believing this is possible. What’s there to laugh about – life is full of serious business; bills to pay, pressures at work, health issues, relationship stresses, etc.? Turns out, we have a lot of reasons to laugh if we’re to take our cue from the angels in heaven for “everything they see seems to laugh and play and come alive” (HH 489). What are they seeing that we aren’t seeing? | By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Bryn Athyn Cathedral