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Hazards and Blessings of Comparing Our Spiritual Lives with Others
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - June 25, 2017
"The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself. 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men - extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector." (Luke 18:11) "And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God be merciful to me a sinner!" (Luke 18:13) | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Bryn Athyn Cathedral
See Event (23m 49s)
An Open Invitation - Part 2: The Misled and the Willfully Ignorant
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - June 04, 2017
The letters to the seven churches in the book of Revelation reveal seven different kinds of people that the Lord calls to be part of His church - their good qualities and their potentially fatal flaws. This Sunday evening, in Part 2 of this series, we're talking about people who do good things but lack a true understanding, either because they're in false thinking or because they can't be bothered to think about what's true. Come and see what the Lord has to say to people like this. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSA
See Event (21m 49s)
6 Ways the Jewish Ingathering is Relevant Today
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - May 21, 2017
"O give thanks unto the Lord for He is good for His mercy is forever." This Sunday the topic for the service will the harvest and gratitude. To celebrate this important topic we are inviting all children to bring fruit and vegetables up to the altar at the beginning of the service. All food collected will be donated to The White House Community Care Centre, which is our current outreach focus. Any non-perishable items will also be gratefully received. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSA
See Event (24m 26s)
Finding Jesus in the Life of Abraham, Part 2
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - May 08, 2017
This Sunday evening we'll be exploring a difficult story—the story of Abraham bargaining with God and asking Him if He will still destroy Sodom and Gomorrah if even just a few good people are there. The teachings of the New Church say that, in this strange and somewhat disturbing story, we can actually find a glimpse into the heart and mind of Jesus Christ when He was in this world and gain a better understanding of His incredible love for people who are trapped in evil. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSA
See Event (23m 37s)
The Hazards and Blessings of Comparing our Spiritual Lives with Others
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - April 23, 2017
One of the ways we evaluate how we are doing spiritually is by comparing ourselves to how other people seem to be doing. This can be a positive thing: being in community with other people who are striving to uphold the same values as us can inspire and encourage us to do better. And it can be a negative thing: comparing ourselves with other people can lead us to be envious or judgmental or it can even lead us to the absurd situation of trying to prove that we're more spiritual than other people. Let's talk about how the Lord can help us to deal with these challenging dynamics. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSA
See Event (24m 52s)
Mindful Communication Challenge - 5 Are You Willing?
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - March 26, 2017
In our last service of the Mindful Communication Challenge program we're going to be looking at the question that underlies all the different ways of improving our communication that we've talked about: am I willing? Am I willing to try to improve how I communicate? Am I willing to put in the work that it will take to change the way I typically act? So.... are you willing? And if the answer (honestly) is no, what do you do about that? | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSA
See Event (28m 33s)
Mindful Communication Challenge - 3 - Is it Kind?
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - March 12, 2017
Communication well takes more than just figuring out if what we want to say is true; we also need to go deeper and ask, "Is it kind?" Do I want to say this because I love and care about this person or is it something else? These questions are often hard to answer but learning how to pay attention to our motivations is an essential piece of learning how to communicate better. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSA
See Event (22m 17s)
Mindful Communication Challenge - 1 - Am I Listening?
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - February 27, 2017
This Sunday we have the first topic of the Mindful Communication Challenge program: listening. As the person talking, really feeling heard by someone can mean a lot to us. As the listener, there are a lot of things that can get in the way of our being able to listen fully. Let's learn from the Lord about how to get better at listening to Him and to other people. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSA
See Event (31m 57s)
Watching our Words
Worship Service: Informal Family - February 19, 2017
This Sunday we are celebrating the founding of Kainon School and so will have the whole primary school community joining us for worship. The topic of the service is the school theme for the year: "Watching Our Words." On Sunday we're going to be exploring what needs to be in place for us to be able to watch or pay attention to anything. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSA
See Event (15m 50s)
Let the Lord Decide What Burden You Bear
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - January 15, 2017
What are you carrying? Did you put down some stuff at the end of last year that you're now picking up again, along with some new things? What about things from the past-are you carrying guilt about things you did or didn't do in addition to guilt about things you are or aren't doing now? The Lord says, "Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give your rest ..... For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." Let's talk about what burden the Lord wants us to carry and how to let go of the rest. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSA
See Event (24m 55s)
Unless the Lord Builds the House
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - January 08, 2017
A Bryn Athyn College Talk by the Rev Thane Glenn (originally preached 3 Feb 2016) adapted slightly into a sermon by the Rev Malcolm G. Smith. A sermon on how we can get stuck on the idea that if we just work hard enough we can control the outcome of things. What if we can trust we don't need to prove ourselves? The Lord is always working towards our highest good. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSA
See Event (19m 34s)
Where Are You Coming From and Where Are You Going?
Worship Service: Informal Family - January 01, 2017
As we start a new year come and listen to the story of Hagar and the questions the Lord asks us. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSA
See Event (20m 43s)
The Spiritual Connections in Music and the Lord's Word
Worship Service: Informal Family - December 04, 2016
This Sunday before the Carol Sing there will be a brief worship service for the whole family in the church. The theme of the talk will be trying to understand the spiritual reasons why music can have such a powerful effect on us. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSA
See Event (15m 35s)
Part 2 - What's the point of me?
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - October 02, 2016
Last Sunday we talked about the purpose of life in this world and got into ideas about heaven and working to bring heaven to earth. This week it gets more personal - and potentially more difficult. Yes, we're supposed to be useful and bringing heaven to earth but what does that mean about what a person does on a Monday morning? What if a person hates their job or is just entirely uninspired about doing their job? Should they quit or stick it out? What if a person knows what they want to do but can't due to bad health, injury, old age, or any number of other factors? How can the Lord help each of us to answer the question, "What's the point of me?" | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSA
See Event (34m 41s)
Part 1 - What's the Point of Life in This World
Worship Service: Sermon only - September 25, 2016
Sometimes, in the midst of all the busyness, bizarreness, and belly-punches that life in this world can involve, we need to take a step back and ask what’s the point? Why are we here? What are we spending all this time and energy for? The Lord can help us with this—if we’re willing to take the time to listen. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSA
See Event (22m 16s)
Why We Have Sacraments 1- Baptism
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - September 18, 2016
This Sunday we have the privilege of witnessing an infant baptism. And so, in the sermon, we’re going to be talking about baptism and Holy Supper. Here’s a passage to get you thinking about the topic. Have you ever had thoughts along these lines? If the spiritual meaning of the Word had not been disclosed,… [people] might mutter and say to themselves, “What is baptism but pouring water on a baby’s head? What does that do for the baby’s salvation? What is the Holy Supper but taking bread and wine? What does that do for our salvation? For that matter, what is holy about these rituals, other than the fact that the ecclesiastical hierarchy has traditionally accepted them as sacred and divine and has commanded us to observe them? Although the churches claim that when the Word of God is brought near the elements they become sacred, these rituals are essentially just ceremonial.” … Yet from the point of view of their spiritual meaning, these two sacraments are the holiest acts of worship. (True Christianity §667) When we understand the significance of baptism and Holy Supper they can become a very meaningful part of our spiritual lives, rather than just arbitrary seeming rituals. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSA
See Event (28m 48s)
Why and How to Pray for Other People
Worship Service: Sermon only - July 31, 2016
When someone we know goes through something difficult or tragic we often say that we will hold them in our thoughts and prayers. Why? What is the value in our prayers? Are we hoping to change the Lord's mind on what should happen? Don't get me wrong: there is real power in prayer for others but when we don't have clarity about what we should pray for and why we're praying it can be hard to do it. Let's talk about why prayer for others matters and how to build the habit of praying for others into our lives. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSA
See Event (39m 26s)
As We Also Forgive Our Debtors
Worship Service: Sermon only - June 05, 2016
Have you ever wondered why people in the New Church say the Lord's prayer a bit differently from a lot of other churches? One of the differences is that we say, "and forgive us our debts as we also forgive our debtors." Do you know what that means? How are debts different from trespasses? This sermon puts them in context. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSA
See Event (16m 47s)
Holy Supper and Repentance
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - May 29, 2016
This Sunday we will have Holy Supper or Communion at the end of the service and we will be talking about the meaning of this sacred practice. We have just finished a sermon series on repentance and so we will be talking particularly about the power that taking the Holy Supper can have in the process of repenting. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSA
See Event (25m 51s)
The Steps of Repentance 4 - Begin a New Life
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - May 22, 2016
For the past 3 weeks we've been looking at the steps of repentance, the spiritual process the Lord calls us to go through to reject what is evil and harmful in our lives and begin a new life. This week we come to the final step: actually beginning a new life. Scared? Does it even seem possible to make a real and lasting change in your life? Join us this Sunday to take an honest look at the challenges of beginning a new life and to learn how the Lord makes it possible for us to do this. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSA
See Event (24m 14s)
The Steps of Repentance 3 - Pray to the Lord
Worship Service: Sermon only - May 15, 2016
The teachings of the New Church outline 4 steps of repentance. This Sunday we're digging into the 3rd step: praying to the Lord. Prayer can sometimes feel pointless and ineffectual but that's why I love the chance to get to think about it and talk about it in the context of repentance because then we can really see its importance and power. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSA
See Event (20m 22s)
The Steps of Repentance 2 - Recognise and Acknowledge Sin
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - May 08, 2016
(By Coleman Glenn read by Malcolm Smith)The teachings of the New Church outline 4 steps of repentance. This Sunday we're digging into the 2nd step--a step that is easy to overlook but essential to real repentance: recognising and acknowledging our sin. Sin is a scary word but learning how to recognise and acknowledge it in ourselves in a healthy way is a key step in moving beyond it. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSA
See Event (26m 37s)
Steps of Repentance 1-Examine Yourself
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - May 01, 2016
The first thing Jesus said when He began public preaching was, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 4:17). But how do we repent? The teachings of the New Church outline 4 steps of repentance. Can you guess (or remember) what they are? And, more importantly, do you know how to use them to repent? | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSA
See Event (29m 01s)
Worshipping the Lord in Spirit and Truth
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - April 17, 2016
What is worship? What makes worship genuine or fake? What's the purpose of worship? These are some of the questions we’re going to be exploring this Sunday. We’re going to try to get to the heart of internal side of worship. (This was actually recorded in Stanford, Western Cape for the New Church Cape Town Circle.) | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSA
See Event (30m 08s)
Evaluating and Improving Your Spiritual Health
Worship Service: Sermon only - April 03, 2016
How are you doing? How's your life going? How's your spiritual life going? These can be hard questions to know how to answer and hard questions to want to answer. Especially if things aren't going well we can feel a lot of shame and resistance around directly thinking about how we're doing. But, the first step in getting healthier is to take an honest look at how we're doing right now. That's what we're going to do this Sunday. This Sunday, during the adult sermon, I will give a short talk and then give people about 10 minutes to privately fill out a series of pages called the "Spiritual Health Snapshot" and "Spiritual Health Plan." It's a tool for evaluating how you're doing spiritually, picking an area to focus on, and then making a plan to work on it. These will be available on www.newchurchwestville.co.za/snapshot . You can download and print from there. If you've done it before, it can be useful to do it again and see how things have changed since the last time. If you haven't done it before, I hope you'll give it a try. Let's each do our individual work so that we can become more healthy as individuals and as a church. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Westville, RSA
See Event (15m 55s)