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Praise the Lord
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 27 Oct, 2019
Again and again, the Bible stresses the importance of praising the Lord, but why? We praise other people to let them know we love and appreciate them, but the Lord knows every part of us. He knows how we feel before we could think to say it. What then, is the purpose of praising Him? Who is it for? This Sunday, join us as we examine the use of praising the Lord, and what that praise can look like. | By Rev. Richard M. Glenn , Westville, RSA
"Unless the Lord Builds the House...."
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 20 Oct, 2019
It's very easy to buy into the idea that if we just work hard enough we can make sure that things work out the way we want them to. But then sometimes the things that we put hours and hours of effort and energy into building still fall to pieces. And then it feels like it's not worth working on anything. But the Lord can help us to find a healthier motivation to keep on working hard, while also leaving the outcomes to Him. This sermon is based on a chapel talk by Thane Glenn. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith , Westville, RSA
Unity in Worship
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 13 Oct, 2019
This Sunday we will talk about having unity in worship. The General Church has congregations all around the world, with people of various cultures and backgrounds. How do we remain unified in a way that makes us all feel part of the same Church, and how can we come together in worship and be lifted up by the Lord? In contrast, what are the things that cause us to feel at odds with each other, and feel that we are not all part of the same Church? As always, the Lord has the answers for us! | By Rt. Rev. Bradley D. Heinrichs , Westville, RSA
Embracing Weakness
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 6 Oct, 2019
If someone called you weak, you would take it as an insult. But what about when the Lord calls you weak? Because He most certainly does: compared to Him, we are utterly powerless. And yet far from being insulted, if we embrace our own weakness, we can let down the burdens of perfection and self-reliance, and receive from the Lord a greater power than we could ever muster on our own. We may be utterly helpless, but the greatest force in the universe is on our side. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn , Westville, RSA
Life is Hard, Part 2, What Do We Do?
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 29 Sep, 2019
A few weeks ago we talked about how to cope with how hard life in this world is. This Sunday we're going to focus on the question of what to do about it. What actions should we take in response to hard and terrible things that happen? It's easy to feel quite powerless in the face of tragedies or huge problems. Can we make a difference? What do we do if our best efforts seem to accomplish nothing? Life is hard; what do we do? | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith , Westville, RSA
When Moses is Gone Too Long
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 22 Sep, 2019
Imagine that you are in this beautiful world, but there is a canvas sheet a few feet above your head. You can go on living, but a lot is lost. This describes a condition with good people who are trying to go to heaven. But there is a danger. The story of the golden calf the people made when Moses was up on the mountain for too long tells of a danger of earthly life and how we combat it. | By Rt. Rev. Peter Martin Buss, Sr. , Westville, RSA
Innocence is Bliss
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 15 Sep, 2019
There is a certain magic in holding a little baby. Their innocence brings a sense of contented peace. But what does it mean to be innocent really? It doesn’t mean being naive. It doesn’t mean being ignorant. But it doesn’t mean being perfect either. Can we keep our innocence as we grow? Should we? This Sunday we’ll explore what Jesus Christ tells us about innocence and what we need to do to live a life led by the Lord. - By Richard Glenn | By Rev. Joel C Glenn , Westville, RSA
Life is Hard, Part 1, How Do We Cope
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 8 Sep, 2019
There are a lot of hard aspects of life in this natural world—in our personal lives and also in the world around us. What do we do with it all? How do we cope? Is it better to try to ignore the hard stuff? If we don’t ignore the hard stuff, how do we keep from being flattened by it? This Sunday we’re going to try to learn from He who has “borne our griefs and carried our sorrows,” about how we can cope with life in this hard world. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith , Westville, RSA
Good News, Fresh from Heaven, Part 2: Seen, Heard and Felt
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 1 Sep, 2019
This week we continue to explore the Teachings of the New Church and what they can mean for us. One of the more unusual aspects of these works is the descriptions of conversations with spirits and angels and the surroundings in which they took place. Swedenborg did not just share ideas, but also the things that the Lord allowed him to see, hear, and feel. Although unusual, what can these experiences teach us about heavenly life that mere ideas could not? | By Rev. Joel C Glenn , Westville, RSA
A New Name
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 25 Aug, 2019
We get to witness two baptisms as part of the service this Sunday. When someone gets baptised we talk about them being baptised in the Lord’s name. There’s a lot that’s contained in that simple idea. This Sunday we’ll talk about what it means to take on the name of being a Christian and how we can find a new sense of identity in the Lord. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith , Westville, RSA
Memorial Service for Edward Palmer
Memorial Service - 25 Aug, 2019
On the 18 August 2019, Edward Palmer peacefully passed away at the age of 86. It's always a hard adjustment when someone passes away, even when they've been sick for a long time like Ted had been. While we grieve his passing, we also are glad for him that he is no longer encumbered with a sick body but instead can enjoy the full use of his spiritual body and can again walk, run, talk easily with people, explore, and eat whatever he wants. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith , Westville, RSA
Good News, Fresh from Heaven
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 18 Aug, 2019
People are often intimidated to try reading Emanuel Swedenborg’s books. He wrote a lot of books and they get into some pretty deep and complex topics. And yet in his own words, these books are "the coming of the Lord." So how do we approach these books in a way that moves beyond philosophy and enters into a real, living relationship with the Lord? | By Rev. Joel C Glenn , Westville, RSA
What Does it Take to Make Good Decisions in a Difficult Moment?
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 11 Aug, 2019
There's a lot about life that is beyond our control and so it's easy to feel like life is just happening to us and we are being dragged along for the ride. Despite that we do still have choices to make--big ones and little, day-to-day ones. How do we make good choices? What things do we need to have in place in our lives to give us the best chance of making good decisions in the midst of our busy, stressful, or just overwhelming lives? | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith , Westville, RSA
Samuel, Part 3: Less Than Ideal, But Better Than Nothing
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 4 Aug, 2019
Towards the end of Samuel’s life the Children of Israel began demanding a king. They wanted someone in charge who could defend them from their enemies, and besides, all the neighbouring tribes got to have their own king. God had two responses to their demand: Don’t do it If you do, here’s how you need to do it Even though God knew that having a king was less than ideal, He was also willing to work with their demands and show them a way of doing it that would be successful. Likewise, when we balk at the Lord and demand to be able to do spirituality our own way, God is willing to compromise, provided we remain within a certain framework of truth. This Sunday we’ll talk about that less then ideal but still workable way of following the Lord. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn , Westville, RSA
Samuel, Part 2: Beyond Skin-Deep Spirituality
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 28 Jul, 2019
What makes someone spiritual? Is it how they talk and what they say? Is it the rituals they take part in or the practices they have developed? Is it how they treat other people? All of these things do go into a person's spirituality, but what really makes a person spiritual does deeper, to what is going on in the heart. The Children of Israel's superficial treatment of the Ark of God, and their subsequent defeat, has a lot to teach us about the need to go deeper than just going through the motions and to take what God says to heart. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn , Westville, RSA
Samuel, Part 1: Hearing the Lord's Call
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 21 Jul, 2019
This Sunday we’re starting a series on the story of Samuel. As an adult, Samuel becomes a pivotal figure in the history of the Children of Israel but his story begins in his childhood. The Lord calls out to him and at first he doesn’t know that it’s the Lord. We too can struggle to distinguish the Lord’s call in our lives from a lot of other inputs. With Samuel we can learn what it takes to recognise the Lord’s call and what sort of messages the Lord has for us. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith , Westville, RSA
Heavenly Imbalance
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 14 Jul, 2019
“Everything in moderation” seems like a sound rule for life. After all, anything, even something good, can become harmful when taken to an extreme. Yet this common-sense truth finds surprisingly little support in the Lord’s Word. As just one example, Jesus says, “no one can serve two masters” (Matthew 6:24). There is no moderation or balancer here: rather pick a side and wholeheartedly follow it! This Sunday we will look at how a blind devotion to moderation can be harmful and why thinking in terms of prioritisation is a more heavenly outlook. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn , Westville, RSA
We Need Times of Rest
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 7 Jul, 2019
This Sunday we will be looking at the spiritual significance of the year of Jubilee. This was a law that the Children of Israel had that, every fifty years, they had to let the ground lie fallow and not plant seeds or harvest. Also, any land that had been sold during those fifty years had to then revert to the original owner. What is the spiritual significance of all of this for our lives and our need for fallow times? | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith , Westville, RSA
The Spiritual History of the Human Race, Part 3: Christianity and a New Church
Worship Service: Sermon only - 30 Jun, 2019
This Sunday we will finish our series on the spiritual history of the human race by talking about the beginning of Christianity all the way until today. What happened that made it necessary for there to be a new church after the church started by Jesus Christ? And where do we go from here—what do we believe will happen in the next 500 years of the spiritual history of the human race. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith , Westville, RSA
Jean Powell Memorial Service
Worship Service: Sermon only - 26 Jun, 2019
Memorial Service of Jean Powell, including eulogies by Malcolm Powell, Victoria (Powell) Browning, and Rodney Harber. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith , Westville, RSA
Becoming One - What It Means and What It Does Not
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 23 Jun, 2019
In wedding ceremonies and love songs people talk about two people becoming one when they get married. That sounds beautiful and poetic but is it actually possible? To people who are in love it can feel very possible; to people in the midst of a difficult conflict or who have just drifted apart it can feel entirely impossible and naive. And what does "becoming one" even mean? Does it mean always agreeing with your partner? Does it mean you have to lose yourself in your relationship for it to work? These are the questions we're going to be digging into this Sunday. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith , Westville, RSA
Joy Comes in the Morning: Dealing with Depression from a Spiritual Standpoint
Banquet Address - 22 Jun, 2019
Joel Glenn's banquet speech at the 2019 New Church Day Banquet at New Church Westville. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn , Westville, RSA
Ancient Words: What Led Me to the New Church
Banquet Address - 22 Jun, 2019
Paul Mayer's banquet speech at the 2019 New Church Day Banquet at New Church Westville. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith , Westville, RSA
The Spiritual History of the Human Race, Part 2: The Ancient World
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 16 Jun, 2019
The Spiritual History of the Human Race, Part 2: The Ancient World In the lead up to New Church Day we are looking at the spiritual history of the human race, in other words, all the churches that went before and how they contribute to where we find ourselves today in the New Church. Last week Malcolm talked about how mankind began in a kind of purity and innocence, but then fell away from that when they decided to make their own sense of self more important than God. This week we’ll look at the next era in spiritual history: the Ancient Church. This is the time period in which people became disconnected from spiritual reality and the Lord had to find other ways of reaching them. By studying this process we can start to understand why God can seem so distant from us today. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn , Westville, RSA
The Spiritual History of the Human Race, Part 1: The Earliest People
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 9 Jun, 2019
On Sunday we’re starting a series on the spiritual history of the human race. This Sunday we’re looking at the earliest people. What does the Word teach us about what the earliest people were like? How were they different from us and how were they the same as us? And how can understanding what they went through all those thousands of years ago help us to understand ourselves better today? | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith , Westville, RSA