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The Second Coming of the Lord
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 11 Feb, 2024
What is the most unique thing about the New Church? Maybe our teachings on marriage? Maybe our view of the afterlife? These are certainly distinct teachings, but other religions believe in an afterlife, even if the details are different. Other religions have wisdom to share about marriage, even if the specifics are diverse. No, the most distinct difference in the New Church is that we teach that the Second Coming not only will happen, but has already happened. | By Rev. Calvin Heinrichs , Westville, RSA
Remember the Sabbath Day
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 4 Feb, 2024
A survey was conducted on how well people knew the 10 Commandments. The findings were a little depressing. Most people were unable to name half of them. However, there was an interesting similarity in almost every response. The one commandment that was almost universally forgotten was the Commandment to Remember the Sabbath. On Sunday, we will explore this Commandment and what it means to keep the Sabbath. | By Rev. Calvin Heinrichs , Westville, RSA
Rich and Poor, Wealth and Luxury
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 28 Jan, 2024
If you are rich, what are your obligations to the poor? If you are poor, how should you view those richer than you? The Lord in the Gospels teaches us about wealth and poverty and the Teachings for the New Church build on those concepts to help us understand how Christians ought to view these things. | By Rev. Calvin Heinrichs , Westville, RSA
Reacting to Evil Part 3 Amending
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 21 Jan, 2024
Last week we looked at how we need to adjust our view of people who commit evil: we must bring charity to bear, so that we can focus on the good. This week we will look at what we can actually do to stop or amend the evil. This is a tricky endeavour: on the one hand, we can have a great deal of influence or even control over how other people behave; on the other hand, we are often powerless to change someone’s behaviour, and although we can influence and encourage people to change, we have no power whatsoever to actually change them. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn , Westville, RSA
Reacting to Evil, Part 1: Excusing
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 14 Jan, 2024
How should we react when someone does something evil? One of the more shocking Teachings of the New Church is that we should do everything in our power to excuse them! Yet how can we excuse what is clearly unacceptable (or even inexcusable)? It takes real effort to understand someone, and love them even at their worst, but it is an effort that we are all called to make. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn , Westville, RSA
Renewed Life
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 7 Jan, 2024
| By Rev. Joel C Glenn , Westville, RSA
Witness to the Light
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 31 Dec, 2023
| By Rev. Joel C Glenn , Westville, RSA
The Path of Peace
Worship Service: Sermon only - 25 Dec, 2023
Luke 2:13-14 - And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” | By Rev. Joel C Glenn , Westville, RSA
Glorifying and Praising God
Worship Service: Informal Family - 10 Dec, 2023
When the shepherds had seen the new-born Jesus they did not keep it to themselves. The went back to their flocks “glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen” (Luke 2:20). When we glorify and praise the Lord, not just with our words but our actions as well, we invite His continuing presence into our lives going forward. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn , Westville, RSA
We Have Come to Worship
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 3 Dec, 2023
Worship is not something we think of as difficult. Yet there is a lot more to worship than meets the eye. The deeper meaning of worship shows up in the story of the wise men. These men did not simply worship the Lord from where they were. They got up and traveled to find the Lord and give him unique gifts. Likewise, if we want to truly worship the Lord, we have to seek Him out, and offer Him gifts of love, faith, usefulness. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn , Westville, RSA
God Made Flesh
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 26 Nov, 2023
At Christmas we celebrate the birth of the Lord into our world, as a Divine Human with whom we can have a real, direct relationship. In the Holy Supper, we also celebrate the closeness of the Lord, not just nearby but within us. Both events, the incarnation of the Lord 2000 years ago and partaking of Holy Supper in the present day, speak to the Lord’s tangible presence in our lives. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn , Westville, RSA
The Lord Won't Let You Down
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 19 Nov, 2023
The life of David is one of courage and trust in the Lord. Yet even David, as king, fell away from the right path. It turns out that heroes can never quite live up to our hopes and expectations. The same is true of life: we build up hopes and expectations, but then feel let down when they don’t turn out. The Lord, however is different: He will never let us down; His promises always come to pass, and they turn out to exceed our hopes and expectations. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn , Westville, RSA
Choosing Sides
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 12 Nov, 2023
Life seems to be full of complicated choices, and the world we live in can often seem so confusing. Yet, the Lord in His Word is continually urging us to make the right choice to follow Him. Why does this many times become so hard for us to do? Clearly this choice is wise, but why isn’t making this choice easy? | By Rt. Rev. Bradley D. Heinrichs , Westville, RSA
The Woman at the Well
Worship Service: Sermon only - 5 Nov, 2023
Do you seek the Lord on a regular basis? Are you eager to share with others the things you have learned from Him? The story of the woman at the well provides a wonderful example of how we can go about doing these two very important things! | By Rt. Rev. Bradley D. Heinrichs , Westville, RSA
Hope
Worship Service: Sermon only - 29 Oct, 2023
Even in the darkest of times, there is light. And where there is light, there is hope. | By Rev. J. Bheki Dube , Westville, RSA
Where Did We Go Wrong?!
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 22 Oct, 2023
Have you ever found yourself in a bad place and wondered how on earth you got into this mess? Things were once so great! Life was sailing along smoothly and you were proud of how much growth you’d seen in yourself. Yet here you are, back to your crabby, unhappy, selfish self. What went wrong? This pattern is common not just in individuals but in communities and even across history. Luckily, it does not happen by chance. This Sunday we’ll look what Revelation can tell us about this cycle and how we can avoid it. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn , Westville, RSA
Gratitude for the Work of Others
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 15 Oct, 2023
We have a lot to be thankful to the Lord for. He is the source of each and every good in our lives. But this Sunday we will focus on one particular aspect of what the Lord provides; or rather, the means by which He provides. That means in other people: so much of what the Lord gives us comes by way of the people He inspires to serve and to do good. This Sunday we will reflect on how we can feel and show gratitude for the many people through whom the Lord works. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn , Westville, RSA
An Expanding View of Forgiveness
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 8 Oct, 2023
How far does forgiveness extend? At what point do we withhold forgiveness? The Lord pushes us to expand our forgiveness to include even those we think are least deserving. We see this expansive forgiveness in the tale of the prophet Jonah: the contrast between his resentment and God’s forgiveness teaches us a lesson in just how far God wants us to take forgiveness. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn , Westville, RSA
Am I Enough
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 1 Oct, 2023
We are bombarded with messages that we need to do more, give more, be more. Whether these messages are overt and intended or subtle and implied, they push us to ask ourselves, “am I enough?” Am I enough for my children? Am I enough for my spouse? Am I enough for my work? Am I enough for my society? And above all, am I enough for the Lord? The bad news is that we are all lacking; the good news is even in our lack we are enough in the Lord’s eyes. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn , Westville, RSA
Unified in the Lord
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 24 Sep, 2023
What makes someone your neighbour? In a literal sense it refers to people who live close by. But when the Lord said to “love your neighbour as yourself” He was most certainly not saying to love people next door. Spiritually speaking our neighbours are the ones who are close to us spiritually; and regardless of our individual backgrounds and cultures, all of us are brought together into this spiritual closeness when we look to the Lord. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn , Westville, RSA
Temptations
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 17 Sep, 2023
All temptation is an attack against the love present in a person, the degree of temptation depending on the degree of that love. If love is not attacked there is no temptation. (Secrets of Heaven 1690:3) | By Rev. J. Bheki Dube , Westville, RSA
The Story of the Word
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 10 Sep, 2023
The Word is, at heart, a story. It’s true that at times the nature of the story is opaque, but the central message is straightforward: God created people in order to love; when they turned away, and nearly destroyed themselves, He continued to love them; and in time, come down as Jesus Christ to save us; and this work of saving us carries on even today. This Sunday we will explore how the story that the Word tells can be life-changing. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn , Westville, RSA
Feed What Grows
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 3 Sep, 2023
We often prioritize things that aren't working. Sometimes this is a good thing: after all, if it isn't working it needs to be fixed. But often we also pour energy into areas that are not bearing fruit. The Lord invites us to put aside the things that aren't working, and instead focus on the things that will bear fruit: things like love to the Lord, charity to the neighbour, and the joy of service. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn , Westville, RSA
Leaving the Past Behind
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 27 Aug, 2023
We sometimes think that to leave our mistakes behind we can just forget about them; but we also know that really doesn’t work. The alternative seems to be to somehow make up for them, and there is truth in this. But what does it take to make up for a mistake? Especially a mistake that rises to the level of being evil? It can feel like we have to undo our mistake, and yet there is no way to change the past. The reality is that repentance (the Lord’s way of making up for mistakes) is not so much about the past, but the present: repentance does not undo the things we have done; instead it allows us to become a different person in the present moment. It’s all about who we are, not who we used to be. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn , Westville, RSA
The Magical Thinking of Faith Alone
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 20 Aug, 2023
We don't really believe in magic anymore: no one thinks I could make a rabbit pop out of a hat by any means other than mere trickery. But we still do fall into a kind of "magical thinking" when it comes to faith. That is, we believe that if we say the right words or go through the right motions it will magically make us into new people. But the only way to actually change is to do the hard work of changing yourself. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn , Westville, RSA