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"He Will Raise Us Up"
Worship Service: Family (may include music) - March 31, 2024
| By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Bryn Athyn CathedralThe Power of Goodness
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - March 31, 2024
The word “omnipotent” can be attributed only to the Lord; He alone is all-powerful. The Easter story is a manifestation of that power, in that He restored to order everything in His kingdom and took on the power to be our Savior. As He said to His disciples, “All power has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18). On Sunday we will talk about how to receive some of that power into our own lives. There is power in goodness, in doing the things the Lord asks, in sharing what is ours with others, in extending ourselves of the benefit of others, in praying to the Lord for help. | By Rt. Rev. Peter M. Buss, Jr. | Westville, RSAThe Blood of the Lamb
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - March 27, 2024
Around Easter there are many images, some gruesome, of the Lord dying on the Cross, shedding His blood. The New Church, with good reason, does not emphasize these images. But why then did the Lord talk in terms of giving His flesh and blood? This imagery was not made up from nothing, but from the Lord’s own words. We need to listen to what the Lord taught about spilling His own blood for us; but we have to understand these word spiritually. When we do, our minds can rise above the gruesome imagery, and see the beautiful reality of the Lord giving of His own life, through the truths of Word, to regenerate us and recreate us as new and heavenly people. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSAWhat Kind of Savior Do You Need?
Worship Service: Family (may include music) - March 24, 2024
When Jesus came riding into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday the people cheered and cried out for Him to save them. They were hoping that a king of the natural world was riding into town to throw off their Roman oppressors. That wasn’t what the Lord was there to do but He was there to save them. If a powerful person could ride into your life and change things drastically, what would you want them to do? Maybe the Lord won’t do that, but what sort of spiritual salvation could He give you? This year we will have two identical services, both in the nave (there will be no Young Children’s or Informal Family Service in the Undercroft). There will be one talk for the whole family. At the end of the service, people will be invited to pick up palm branches on their way out of the building to then form a crowd outside and an actor playing the Lord will come past with a live donkey, while people sing and cheer. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith | Bryn Athyn CathedralA Humble Mind and Joyful Heart
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - March 24, 2024
Palm Sunday represents a crucial turning point in the Lord’s ministry: it was the point at which He went from preaching in the outskirts of the countryside to directly challenging those at the heart of religious life. It also led to His death and eventual resurrection. There is also a turning point for us when we submit to the Lord as King: as He enters we find new challenges, unseen evils, and deep spiritual struggle. Yet ultimately it is all for the good: just as Palm Sunday points through the Crucifixion to Easter Sunday, the Lord’s presence with us cuts through temptations and brings us to eternal peace. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSAThe Lord's Last Words
Worship Service: Family (may include music) - March 03, 2024
As we turn our thoughts towards Easter, we can see in “The Lord’s Last Words” on the cross there is infinite divine love offering forgiveness, compassion and hope as the culmination of everything that the Lord said and did, and as an inspiration for how we can care for each other (Matthew 27, Mark 15, Luke 23, John 19). | By Rev. John L. Odhner | Bryn Athyn CathedralThe Lord's Last Words
Worship Service: Sermon only - March 03, 2024
As we turn our thoughts towards Easter, we can see in “The Lord’s Last Words” on the cross there is infinite divine love offering forgiveness, compassion and hope as the culmination of everything that the Lord said and did, and as an inspiration for how we can care for each other (Matthew 27, Mark 15, Luke 23, John 19). | By Rev. John L. Odhner | Bryn Athyn CathedralSeeing the Lord
Worship Service: Sermon only - April 16, 2023
One of the themes of the Easter story is people seeing the Lord, or not seeing the Lord. These stories can stimulate some interesting questions for us to think about: Have you ever seen the Lord? Do you think you would recognize the Lord if He was in this sanctuary? Can you picture Him in your mind? If you saw Him would you believe it or would you doubt? We will look at what positive things we can do to help us see the Lord so that we can learn to love Him and follow Him wherever He leads. | By Rt. Rev. Bradley D. Heinrichs | Bryn Athyn CathedralThe Surprise of Easter
Worship Service: Family (may include music) - April 09, 2023
| By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Bryn Athyn CathedralFailure is an Option
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - April 09, 2023
No one likes to fail. We actively try to avoid failure (as we should!). But failure is also unavoidable: it is part and parcel of trying to live a better life. Our own failures are reflected in the Lord's apparent failure. On the first Easter morning, before anyone knew He had risen, it seemed obvious that Jesus had failed. And yet through that apparent failure the Lord had the opportunity to overcome death, and hell, and sin, and so achieve true and lasting success. The path through failure leads to a better future. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSAIt is Enough
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - April 05, 2023
Before the events of Easter, the Lord called His disciples together to have one final meal with them. Present at this meal were not just the good: also present was Judas, the betrayer. Jesus calls all of us, regardless of our state, to come to Him, and through repentance to be reborn. He gives us all that we need in order for this spiritual change to take place, through the Love and Wisdom He constantly offers us. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSAPalm Sunday 2023
Worship Service: Informal Family - April 02, 2023
When Jesus triumphantly entered Jerusalem as King, the people waved palm branches and laid them down before Him. What do “palm branches” symbolize in our spiritual lives as we progress towards the new life of the Easter story? There will be a live donkey and an outdoor palm procession, weather-permitting. | By Rev. Solomon J. Keal | Bryn Athyn Heilman HallWisely Following the Lord
Worship Service: Family (may include music) - April 02, 2023
| By Rt. Rev. Peter M. Buss, Jr. | Bryn Athyn CathedralWise Shifts in Perspective
Worship Service: Sermon only - April 02, 2023
Palm Sunday service | By Rt. Rev. Peter M. Buss, Jr. | Bryn Athyn CathedralUntying the Donkey
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - April 02, 2023
Palm Sunday Service | By Rev. J. Bheki Dube | Westville, RSAThe Lord's Last Words
Worship Service: Informal Family - March 05, 2023
In “The Lord’s Last Words” on the cross we see infinite divine love offering forgiveness, compassion and hope as the culmination of everything that the Lord said and did, and as an inspiration for how we can care for each other. (Matthew 27, Mark 15, Luke 23, John 19) | By Rev. John L. Odhner | Bryn Athyn Heilman HallAnd They Remembered His Words
Worship Service: Family (may include music) - April 17, 2022
Easter Festival Service | By Rev. Derek P. Elphick | Bryn Athyn CathedralFinding the Risen Lord
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - April 17, 2022
Easter is of course about the Lord’s Resurrection after His Crucifixion. But just because the Lord rose and lived again does not mean that we ourselves feel His living presence within ourselves. There is a process of being led to Him; it is a process that involves both the head and the heart, a process that involves grief and joy, faith and doubt. This Easter Sunday we will explore what the Gospel of John has to tell us about finding the Risen Lord in our own lives. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSARisen
Worship Service: Informal Family - April 17, 2022
On Easter morning the angel said: “He is risen! He is not here.” (Mark 16:6) What does it mean for the Lord to be “risen” in our lives? Where do we sometimes look for the Lord, and where should we be looking instead? | By Rev. John L. Odhner | Bryn Athyn Heilman HallPalm Sunday: A Happy or Sad Event?
Worship Service: Family (may include music) - April 10, 2022
As Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday many people rejoiced and Jesus wept. Why on this day of apparent triumph was Jesus sad? | By Rev. Eric H. Carswell | Bryn Athyn CathedralPalm Sunday: Jesus Wept for the People of Jerusalem
Worship Service: Sermon only - April 10, 2022
Jesus' responses to events on Palm Sunday are reflections of His perfect love for all people and also His efforts to stop harmful events. | By Rev. Eric H. Carswell | Bryn Athyn CathedralConfess the Lord
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - April 10, 2022
In the Gospel of John, Palm Sunday is described in the context of the miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead. There were those who knew of this miracle and hated the Lord for it; there were those who knew of it but kept quiet from fear; and there were those who knew of it and so joyfully confessed the Lord as their king. It was this last group that welcomed Jesus with palm branches. This Sunday we will explore how we too can bear witness to the Lord and rejoice in His coming. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn | Westville, RSARiding on a Donkey
Worship Service: Informal Family - April 10, 2022
The Lord triumphantly entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey. What does this represent about the way the Lord enters our lives? | By Rev. John L. Odhner | Bryn Athyn Heilman HallThe Presence of the Lord
Worship Service: Informal Family - April 04, 2021
After the Lord rose from the tomb, He was present with His disciples -- and with all of us -- in a new and different way. Was He more present, or less present? Because of this pandemic, we’ve often been unable to be physically present with our loved ones. But, what can the Easter story teach us about the power of spiritual presence? | By Rev. Solomon J. Keal | Bryn Athyn Heilman Hall