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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)
We Can't Be Perfect
Worship Service: Family (may include music) - January 16, 2022
No one is perfect but God. Even the angels in heaven aren't perfect. So why do we strive for prefection if it can't be attained? | By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Bryn Athyn Cathedral
See Event (14m 01s)
Living with Imperfection
Worship Service: Sermon only - January 16, 2022
Setting goals, striving to be the best, holding ourselves to the highest of standards; these are all necessary goals, the "fuel" that keeps us going, and yet perfection can't ever be achieved, not in this world or the next. How do we learn to be at peace with this seeming paradox? | By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Bryn Athyn Cathedral
See Event (24m 52s)
The Infant Lord
Worship Service: Family (may include music) - December 24, 2021
| By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Bryn Athyn Cathedral
See Event (13m 00s)
"And His Name Shall Be Called..."
Worship Service: Family (may include music) - December 05, 2021
| By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Bryn Athyn Cathedral
See Event (13m 52s)
What's in a Name?
Worship Service: Sermon only - December 05, 2021
| By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Bryn Athyn Cathedral
See Event (20m 43s)
Thanksgiving
Worship Service: Family (may include music) - November 25, 2021
| By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Bryn Athyn Cathedral
See Event (14m 51s)
Memorial Service for Beryl H. Moorhead
Memorial Service - November 07, 2021
| By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Bryn Athyn Cathedral
See Event (24m 05s)
Listening with Compassion
Worship Service: Family (may include music) - November 07, 2021
Week 4 of the Journey program "Tell Me More". In the Parable of the Good Samaritan the Lord presents a scenario in which the listener is invited to consider who was neighbor toward the man who fell among theives - the priest, Levite or Samaritan. The first two "passed by" on the other side but the third stopped and "had compassion" (Luke 10:33). Sometimes our compassion toward others is spontaneous, at other times it's not - why is that and what can we do to be more consistent? | By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Bryn Athyn Cathedral
See Event (14m 20s)
Listening with Compassion
Worship Service: Sermon only - November 07, 2021
Week 4 of the Journey program "Tell Me More". In the Parable of the Good Samaritan the Lord presents a scenario in which the listener is invited to consider who was neighbor toward the man who fell among theives - the priest, Levite or Samaritan. The first two "passed by" on the other side but the third stopped and "had compassion" (Luke 10:33). Sometimes our compassion toward others is spontaneous, at other times it's not - why is that and what can we do to be more consistent? | By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Bryn Athyn Cathedral
See Event (20m 53s)
Listening with Patience
Worship Service: Family (may include music) - October 24, 2021
In Week 2 of our new Journey series, "Tell Me More," we consider the story of the Lord's visit to the home of tow sisters, Mary and Martha. As Martha rushes around getting things ready for her Guest, she complains that she's having to do all the housework herself while Mary just sits there listening to the Lord (see Luke 10:38-42). We are, of course, tempted to side with Martha - she has a point - but the Lord's response reveals a "missing ingredient" that an easily overlooked. [Note: readings are cut off near the end] | By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Bryn Athyn Cathedral
See Event (15m 15s)
Listening with Awareness
Worship Service: Informal Family - October 17, 2021
Starting our fall Journey sermon series “Tell Me More” with the story of Pharoah’s daughter discovering Moses in the basket along the riverbank. This service will also include commissioning the newly trained Stephen Ministers into the important use of compassionately listening. | By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Bryn Athyn Heilman Hall
See Event (44m 18s)
A Man Born Blind
Worship Service: Family (may include music) - October 10, 2021
The gospel of John records the remarkable account of a man born blind receiving sight from the Lord. But what happens after the miracle is even more astonishing. It shows the formerly blind man's process of discovery as he moves from thinking Jesus is merely a man, to thinking He must be some kind of prophet, to realizing He came from God. This journey of discovering who Jesus really is parallels our own. | By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Bryn Athyn Cathedral
See Event (16m 30s)
Our Journey of Faith
Worship Service: Sermon only - October 10, 2021
"True Christianity" 538 says "unless God is approached in thought as a Person, all ideas of God perish." The formerly blind man is ruthlessly attacked by the Pharisees as they work to discredit the miracle, and when the man finally blurts out that Jesus must come from God or be God, he is excommunicated. In a similar way, the hells and secular society work to discredit our belief in God (and the Word). From being born "blind" we receive "sight" and then the real test begins - is Jesus God or not? Or put another way, in whom or what is our ultimate authority? | By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Bryn Athyn Cathedral
See Event (23m 52s)
What Do You Expect?
Worship Service: Family (may include music) - September 26, 2021
Our lives are built upon expectations. The Lord has gifted us with the capacity to "project" whatever kind of future we desire but we also know that our hopes and dreams don't necessarily materialize in the way we had hoped. The Lord's Word has a wonderful way of shifting our perspective, of re-aligning and restoring our expectations. We will use the Lords' words from Mt. 10:34 to illustrate this point. "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword." | By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Bryn Athyn Cathedral
See Event (13m 59s)
Great Expectations
Worship Service: Family (may include music) - September 26, 2021
One of the biggest challenges in life is learning how to interpret setback and disappointment. Everyone, young and old, has high ideals, a strong sense of how things "should" be, but the school of "hard knocks" tells a different narrative. How we deal with loss and defeat, and how we view underlying causes, will do a lot to reshape our future. The Lord's Word records a number of incidents and events in which people expect one thing but are shown something quite different. Most of us don't like surprises but in the case of the Lord's surprises, these are often just what we need! | By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Bryn Athyn Cathedral
See Event (25m 05s)
New Beginnings
Worship Service: Family (may include music) - September 12, 2021
Our lives switch tempo with the start of a new school year, as the summer wanes and a new season approaches. The pace picks up for all of us, whether or not we, or a loved one, are going back to school. In anticipation of "new beginnings," we will consider the topic of change and how the Lord promises to switch out our "heart of stone" with a "heart of flesh" (Ezek 26:26). How does this work? It sounds painful. Is it? | By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Bryn Athyn Cathedral
See Event (15m 29s)
A New Spirit
Worship Service: Sermon only - September 12, 2021
The Word of the Lord is a book about change - "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you" (Ezekiel 36:26). As a result, each page breathes change, anticipates change, and encourages change. You won't find a chapter or verse promoting the status quo and yet change is not always welcomed by us. Studies suggest about 90% of our daily routine is habitual which means if we are serious about forming a better habit we must recognize that we're competing against a busy schedule. But the Lord doesn't leave us stranded - we've been given some powerful tools to begin life anew. | By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Bryn Athyn Cathedral
See Event (27m 09s)