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Babel
Worship Service: Sermon only - October 02, 2022
“Babel” is an apt descriptor for our public discourse right now - it seems as if we’re all speaking a different language. In the ancient parable of the Tower of Babel, the Lord offers us a way out, a road map that teaches us a new language, the language of mutual love and respect. (Congregational Holy Supper follows) | By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Bryn Athyn Cathedral
See Event (23m 14s)
Gathering
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - September 11, 2022
First "Community Service" in Bryn Athyn, with a children's talk followed by a sermon. No other services held in Bryn Athyn on this day. | By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Bryn Athyn Cathedral
See Event (01h 08m 40s)
I Will Run in the Way of Your Commandments
Worship Service: Family (may include music) - August 28, 2022
(Psalm 119:32). The Scriptures are full of examples of people running: Esau running to meet his brother Jacob, the multitudes running to hear Jesus preach, Peter and John running to the tomb on Easter morning. Running carries with it the idea of urgency, of doing something from set-purpose. As to our spirit, we’re all runners. But what are we running toward or from? | By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Bryn Athyn Cathedral
See Event (14m 02s)
To Run and Not Be Weary
Worship Service: Sermon only - August 28, 2022
(Isaiah 40:31) Running is hard to do half-heartedly. Either we do it or we don’t. In other words, we don’t run unless we’re intent on doing something important. This fits with the correspondence of running – "wanting to make something known" (AC 3804). As to our spirit, we "run" to communicate our intent, our desire. The goal is to run "in the way" of the Lord’s commandments, and away from the things that make us weary. | By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Bryn Athyn Cathedral
See Event (26m 38s)
Let Your Light Shine
Worship Service: Family (may include music) - August 14, 2022
Can a person really "shine?" If so, what is it in us that shines and why would the Lord ask us to do this? Who benefits? We will be exploring the difference between "hiding" our light and letting it shine before others, and how the former is actually a disservice to our neighbor while the latter is an expression of love and gratitude, an expression of charity. | By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Bryn Athyn Cathedral
See Event (16m 15s)
Shine
Worship Service: Sermon only - August 14, 2022
Moses' face was said to have "shone" when he came down from Mount Sinai with the second set of tablets (Ex. 34:29). It was such a startling moment for Aaron and the children of Israel that they were afraid to come near him. We talk about a person's face "shining" or "beaming" (and how pleasant that is) but in the spiritual world this happens quite literally (see TC 209). The Lord wants us to shine, not simply for our own wellbeing and happiness, but for the sake of our neighbor too. We will be exploring why it is that our friends, neighbors and family need to see us shine. | By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Bryn Athyn Cathedral
See Event (28m 20s)
Memorial Service for Michael Alan Brown
Memorial Service - July 24, 2022
| By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Bryn Athyn Cathedral
See Event (33m 39s)
"Go Forward"
Worship Service: Family (may include music) - July 17, 2022
Even though the command to "go forward" seemed like certain doom, the Israelites did it anyway and the Red Sea was miraculously parted. But as the Israelites crossed the dry seabed, they looked back in horror to discover Pharoah's army driving towards them in chariots, but then the wheels of the chariots fell off! That changed everything. We will consider the spiritual significance of "wheels" and how they symbolize the power to go forward. | By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Bryn Athyn Cathedral
See Event (18m 02s)
Got Momentum?
Worship Service: Sermon only - July 17, 2022
When we have momentum in our lives, things go well, when we lose momentum, we get frustrated and lost. In the account of the Red Sea Crossing (Exodus 14) we learn how the Lord "troubled" the Egyptian army causing the wheels of their war chariots to fall off. We will consider how the Lord "fights" for us (v 25) by cutting off our negative momentum and replacing it with true, lasting momentum, the kind that carries us forward to happier, peaceful states. | By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Bryn Athyn Cathedral
See Event (31m 54s)
Think Again
Worship Service: Sermon only - June 19, 2022
| By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Bryn Athyn Cathedral
See Event (26m 36s)
The Seventh Seal
Worship Service: Family (may include music) - June 12, 2022
Revelation 8:1. There are a number of familiar images with the opening of the seven seals - the four horsemen, the souls under the altar, an earthquake, but the seventh reveals "silence in heaven for about half an hour." What is the meaning of this? Does silence serve a purpose? When is it important to be quiet? | By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Bryn Athyn Cathedral
See Event (18m 14s)
Silence in Heaven
Worship Service: Sermon only - June 12, 2022
Rev. 8:1. There are lots of reasons why we become silent - when we see or hear something astonishing, or deeply moving, or awkward and embarrassing. We also seek out silence as a way to collect our thoughts, to stop and think. The opening of the seventh seal, followed by silence in heaven, represents how the Lord helps us see things in ourselves we didn't (or couldn't) see before. We'll discover that the silence of heaven is as important to us as the air we breathe. | By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Bryn Athyn Cathedral
See Event (28m 56s)
In Search of Beauty
Worship Service: Family (may include music) - May 08, 2022
"In search of beauty" Psalm 27:4. We live in a world of opposites, of stunning beauty and shocking ugliness. Unfortunately, the ugliness of evil has a way of blinding us to the beautiful things around us, but we can reverse this trend by modeling its opposite, by slowly, methodically, incorporating into our lives the inner calm and beauty of the Lord's truth and goodness. | By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Bryn Athyn Cathedral
See Event (14m 20s)
To Behold the Beauty of the Lord
Worship Service: Sermon only - May 08, 2022
"To behold the beauty of the Lord" (Psalm 27:4). Beauty - what an incredible git. We see it reflected in all of the Lord's creation - in nature, in people, in literature, art, and science. Beauty is of a spiritual origin which is why we are affected by it so deeply. Standing in sharp contrast to the beauty we all desperately seek is the ugliness of war, violence, greed and hatred. What can we do to make our corner of the world a little gentler, kinder and beautiful? | By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Bryn Athyn Cathedral
See Event (23m 43s)
You 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 Hall
See Event (30m 08s)
And They Remembered His Words
Worship Service: Family (may include music) - April 17, 2022
Easter Festival Service | By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Bryn Athyn Cathedral
See Event (11m 23s)
Wilderness Training
Worship Service: Family (may include music) - March 20, 2022
When the Israelites learned they would have to fight their way into Canaan, fear gripped their hearts and they refused to enter it. As a consequence, they ended up "wandering" the wilderness for 40 years and yet this time wasn't pointless or wasted. They learned five important wilderness tasks along the way which filled their lives with purpose and meaning. | By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Bryn Athyn Cathedral
See Event (22m 23s)
The Wandering Years
Worship Service: Sermon only - March 20, 2022
We typically think of the activity of "wandering" as being directionless or aimless and yet the Israeliste's 40-year period in the wilderness ended up being filled with purpose and meaning because the Lord was doing the leading. The Lord had a plan. This Biblical narrative helps put in perspective the apparent "randomness" of our own spiritual journey. | By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Bryn Athyn Cathedral
See Event (35m 50s)
The Ancient Law of the Pledge
Worship Service: Family (may include music) - February 27, 2022
Topic: Boundaries. (Deut. 24:10-13) Sometimes we use unfair tactics to win over a friend or loved one to our point of view. The ancient law of the pledge shows us a way to “state our case” without taking away the freedom of the other person. | By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Bryn Athyn Cathedral
See Event (15m 50s)
The Ancient Law of the Pledge
Worship Service: Sermon only - February 27, 2022
(Deut. 24:10-13) Just as the Lord doesn’t use His almighty force to squeeze a decision out of us, so must we avoid using undue pressure to force an opinion or decision out of those we know or love. The lender in ancient Israel was required to follow certain guidelines, guidelines which, spiritually speaking, lead to perfect peace and harmony. | By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Bryn Athyn Cathedral
See Event (25m 22s)
Putting Hand to Plough
Worship Service: Informal Family - February 13, 2022
There are several stories in the Word which warn against “looking back” or “turning back.” What is the significance of this and how is it different from taking a trip down memory lane? | By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Bryn Athyn Heilman Hall
See Event (38m 53s)
Easy or Hard?
Worship Service: Family (may include music) - February 06, 2022
Does the Lord have a difficult time ruling the universe? Is anything difficult for the Lord? We tend to create our own list of what's easy and what's hard but how does our list compare to the Lord's? | By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Bryn Athyn Cathedral
See Event (16m 11s)
The Lord Rules the Universe with Ease
Worship Service: Sermon only - February 06, 2022
The Lord doesn't have any trouble ruling the universe and does so "most easily" (SE 2234). As finite human beings, we tend to impose on God that which we consider to be difficult and hard. Can the Lord's definition of "easy" change our view of what's hard? | By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Bryn Athyn Cathedral
See Event (22m 36s)
Blessed Are Your Eyes
Worship Service: Family (may include music) - January 23, 2022
The Lord told His disciples they were blessed to be able to see what they were seeing because not everyone who came before had had that opportunity (Matthew 13:16). The Lord offers to open our eyes to new things becuase we don't always see what we need to see. | By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Bryn Athyn Cathedral
See Event (13m 38s)
Look with New Eyes
Worship Service: Sermon only - January 23, 2022
We talk about selective hearing, meaning there are times when we hear what we want to hear, instead of hearing what we need to hear. The same can be said for seeing - there are times when we see what we want to see, instead of seeing what we need to see. Thankfully we have an objective source of truth, the Lord's Word, which helps us look at the world around us with "new eyes." | By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Bryn Athyn Cathedral
See Event (21m 55s)