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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)
Memorial Service for Thomas F. Steen
Memorial Service - September 05, 2021
| By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Oak Arbor, MI
See Event (41m 21s)
Soothed by David's Harp
Worship Service: Family (may include music) - August 29, 2021
King Saul made some poor choices which led him to being grumpy, irritable and suspicious. They young shepherd boy, David, was brought to the palace to play his harp and as soon as he did this "Saul would become refreshed and well, and the distressing spirit would depart from him" (1 Samuel 16:23). We will consider how the Word is really "music" that seeks to harmonize with our efforts to love the Lord and our neighbor. | By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Bryn Athyn Cathedral
See Event (14m 41s)
The Sound of Truth
Worship Service: Sermon only - August 29, 2021
We're taught that music in this world is of a spiritual origin. This explains why a beautiful piece of music can stir us so deeply and change our mood. It also explains why David's harp playing drove away King Saul's distressing spirit - evil in all its forms flees from the "sound" of truth and goodness (AR 276). To live in harmony with the Lord and our neighbor is to place ourselves in harmony with love, mercy and forgiveness, with the music (teachings ) of the Word. | By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Bryn Athyn Cathedral
See Event (23m 56s)
Your Next Chapter
Worship Service: Family (may include music) - August 15, 2021
We talk about life as a book - "I'm glad that chapter of my life is over," or "She's an open book," or "You need to read between the lines." The Scriptures strengthen the analogy between books and people, especially when it comes to the Word, since what is written by the Lord needs to be "written" on our heart. We will be exploring what gets written in our Book of Life (Revelation 20:12) with a focus on your next chapter. | By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Bryn Athyn Cathedral
See Event (13m 08s)
The Book of Life
Worship Service: Sermon only - August 15, 2021
New Church theology has fascinating things to say about our Book of Life. We're told it's a collection of every thought, word, deed and experience we've ever had in this world, imprinted on our interior memory, never to be lost. Logic would dictate that if our Book of Life is to be reviewed in the next life (see AC 2474) it only makes sense that we'd want to work on becoming as much an "open book" as possible while living here on earth. But how do we do that? | By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Bryn Athyn Cathedral
See Event (27m 28s)
Jonathan's Loyalty to David
Worship Service: Family (may include music) - July 25, 2021
| By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Bryn Athyn Cathedral
See Event (15m 16s)
Friendship
Worship Service: Sermon only - July 25, 2021
Friendships don't just fall on our laps. They require work and a commitment to honesty and integrity if we wish to have meaningful ones. The quality of a friendship is dependent upon our willingness to grow and mature spiritually. We'll consider the types of things that fill the "space" between ourselves and others remembering that "anyone can befriend another, but most of all we ought to befriend what is good" (AC 4804). | By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Bryn Athyn Cathedral
See Event (25m 59s)