Search Results
Individual Events Matching Your Search Query
The Presence of the Lord
Worship Service: Informal Family - 2 Feb, 2020
This Sunday we begin a 4-part small-group series called “Growing Through Challenges,” about the Gideon story in the book of Judges (Judges 6:1-23). The Israelites were being oppressed by the Midianites, and Gideon was feeling discouraged and helpless. We’ll begin by asking: How do we experience the presence of the Lord, especially during challenging times? | By Rev. Solomon J. Keal , Bryn Athyn Heilman Hall
Other Planets
Worship Service: Informal Family - 26 Jan, 2020
To celebrate Swedenborg's birthday (on January 29th) our topic is how he got help from an unexpected source just before he began writing the Arcana Coelestia (Secrets of Heaven). Sometimes the Lord helps us in ways that we never could have predicted. | By Rev. Jeremy F. Simons , Bryn Athyn Heilman Hall
Why Swedenborg ?
Address - 24 Jan, 2020
Swedenborg's Birthday banquet address. Swedenborg was obviously an exceptional man. But was he uniquely qualified to be the author of the Heavenly Doctrine? Or were there others who might have been able to serve in that capacity? Rev. EH Carswell introduces the speaker. | By Rev. Stephen Dandridge Cole , Bryn Athyn Heilman Hall
Signs and Wonders
Worship Service: Informal Family - 19 Jan, 2020
When the children of Israel were enslaved in Egypt, the Lord sent His “signs and wonders,” often known as the 10 plagues, in order to help free them from the grasp of Pharaoh. We know that the Lord never wants harm to come to anyone, and is only ever a source of love and healing. So what do these “plagues” symbolize in our lives? | By Rev. Solomon J. Keal , Bryn Athyn Heilman Hall
Jumping to Conclusions
Worship Service: Informal Family - 12 Jan, 2020
In Joshua 22, when the soldiers of the Eastern tribes returned to their lands, and built an altar at the Jordan river, the western tribes assumed they were turning away from the Lord. What can this story teach us about jumping to conclusions? | By Rev. Solomon J. Keal , Bryn Athyn Heilman Hall
Fleeing for Safety
Worship Service: Informal Family - 5 Jan, 2020
The Gospel of Matthew’s Christmas story has the dark element of Herod’s murderous rage against the newborn Christ. It was essential that Joseph, Mary and Jesus leave Bethlehem right after Joseph’s dream to find safety in far away Egypt. For each of us there is a similar flight when we recognize an evil thought or motivation in our mind. By doing so we protect the fragile life of heaven that the Lord is bringing to each of us. | By Rev. Eric H. Carswell , Bryn Athyn Heilman Hall
Paying Attention
Worship Service: Informal Family - 29 Dec, 2019
Make makes a person a good "gift giver"? Paying attention to the gift recipient. Why did the wise men give the gifts that they did? | By Rev. Erik J. Buss , Bryn Athyn Heilman Hall
The Baby Lord
Worship Service: Informal Family - 22 Dec, 2019
Why did the Lord come to this world as a baby? How does it benefit us to picture God as a baby? | By Rev. Solomon J. Keal , Bryn Athyn Heilman Hall
Peace and Goodwill
Worship Service: Informal Family - 15 Dec, 2019
When the angels appeared to the shepherds, they promised that the Lord’s birth would bring peace and goodwill to the earth (Luke 2:14). What is our part in helping the Lord to bring peace and goodwill to the earth? | By Rev. Solomon J. Keal , Bryn Athyn Heilman Hall
The Magnificat
Worship Service: Informal Family - 8 Dec, 2019
This Sunday we continue our series about the Christmas story, focused on “Our Part” in bringing the Lord into our world. Our story this week is about Mary's visit to Elizabeth and her prophecy in the Magnificat. “He has put down the mighty from their thrones and exalted the lowly.” This prophecy is about a revolution that needs to take place inside of us, a reorientation of our priorities, that we see described not only in the Gospel account, but in almost all of our Christmas stories and songs. | By Rev. Jeremy F. Simons , Bryn Athyn Heilman Hall
The Annunciation
Worship Service: Informal Family - 1 Dec, 2019
Our series throughout December will focus on “Our Part” of the Christmas story, beginning December 1 with the Annunciation. Mary’s part: “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38) The Lord can be born in our lives only if we do our part. Some music is included with the permission of the author/composer. | By Rev. John L. Odhner , Bryn Athyn Heilman Hall
Eucharist
Worship Service: Informal Family - 24 Nov, 2019
When the Lord had the last supper with His disciples, He gave thanks before He gave them bread and wine (Luke 20:17-19). What is the connection between Holy Supper, Thanksgiving, and saying a blessing before a meal? How do these practices help us experience more of the Lord's blessings? | By Rev. Solomon J. Keal , Bryn Athyn Heilman Hall
Uplifted
Worship Service: Informal Family - 17 Nov, 2019
I've been especially interested these days in the idea that there are things we find “uplifting.” We'll all have different ideas about what they are, but maybe we'd all agree with the words of King David in the last verse of the 28th Psalm, where he prays that the Lord “lift His people up forever.” It might also be worth considering what David says earlier in that psalm, where he talks about “going down into the pit,” kind of the opposite of being uplifted. But the Lord can't lift us up without cooperation on our part. We might even try, as if on our own, to lift ourselves up. The story of the man at the Pool of Bethesda in John 5 is a good illustration of that. In the Levitical blessing (at the end of Numbers 6), we ask the Lord to “lift up His countenance” upon us. What might that actually be like? | By Rev. Kurt Hyland Asplundh , Bryn Athyn Heilman Hall
Becoming an Angel
Worship Service: Informal Family - 10 Nov, 2019
A rich young person came to Jesus and asked “what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?” (Mark 10:17). What do we need to do to become angels? And how hard or easy is it? As we finish up our Angels series, we will look at what the Lord teaches us about the qualities and activities that help us become angels. | By Rev. Solomon J. Keal , Bryn Athyn Heilman Hall
How Angels Are with Us
Worship Service: Informal Family - 3 Nov, 2019
On a journey far from home, Jacob went to sleep all by himself. He had a dream that showed him a ladder or stairs extending from him up to the Lord with angels coming down and going up on it. He realized he was not alone. If we understand how the Lord is also present with us with angels it can support hope, peace and the strength to do what we need to do. | By Rev. Eric H. Carswell , Bryn Athyn Heilman Hall
When Angels Feel Absent
Worship Service: Informal Family - 27 Oct, 2019
In this natural world, especially when things are going wrong in our lives, it would be easy to believe that angels don’t exist. Elijah the prophet may have felt this way in 1 Kings 19. But there was an angel present with him. Where are the angels when they don’t feel present to us? What are angels doing when we are going through spiritual struggles? | By Rev. Solomon J. Keal , Bryn Athyn Heilman Hall
What Angels Do
Worship Service: Informal Family - 20 Oct, 2019
This is the second part of our five part series on angels. Heaven is an end to our labors, but the beginning of the most satisfying and rewarding usefulness. We will go on a little tour of heaven, to see what it is like and what angels do there. Angels “bear fruit” or do useful work every day, and it's always work that they love to do. | By Rev. John L. Odhner , Bryn Athyn Heilman Hall
Angels 101
Worship Service: Informal Family - 13 Oct, 2019
This Sunday we begin a five week small-group series called “Angels; Loving and Leading.” We’ll begin by looking at the story of Lazarus the beggar who died and was taken to heaven by angels (Luke 16:19-31). What does the Word teach us about angels and life after death? How do these teachings affect our life in this world? | By Rev. Solomon J. Keal , Bryn Athyn Heilman Hall
Three Days’ Journey
Worship Service: Informal Family - 6 Oct, 2019
Before the children of Israel were freed from slavery in Egypt, the Lord told Moses to ask Pharaoh to let them go just a three days’ journey into the wilderness (Exodus 3:18; 5:3; 8:27). Clearly the end goal was to get all the way to Promised Land, so why did the Lord and Moses ask for just a three days’ journey? What does that symbolize in our lives? | By Rev. Solomon J. Keal , Bryn Athyn Heilman Hall
The King of the Trees
Worship Service: Informal Family - 29 Sep, 2019
The question of what motivates each one of us is at the center of this story from the book of Judges chapter 9. Why would we choose a thorn bush to be our king? | By Rev. Jeremy F. Simons , Bryn Athyn Heilman Hall
The Recipe for Spiritual Growth
Worship Service: Informal Family - 22 Sep, 2019
Jesus told a parable about making bread dough which included leaven or yeast (Luke 13:20-21). What does this parable teach us about our spiritual growth? Hear how this applies to the sacrament of Holy Supper. | By Rev. Solomon J. Keal , Bryn Athyn Heilman Hall
Priorities
Worship Service: Informal Family - 15 Sep, 2019
The natural world can be very frustrating when we focus on the limits it places on our lives. These limits are part of the Lord’s plan of providing us a place to make choices. These choices, large and small, are an opportunity to further define what we make most important. These choices lead to consequences, some happy and others far from it, in this world and the next. | By Rev. Eric H. Carswell , Bryn Athyn Heilman Hall
Finding Safety
Worship Service: Informal Family - 8 Sep, 2019
We want to feel safe, to feel the Lord’s presence and peace. But in daily life that can seem pretty impossible. What can we do to experience more peace and safety? | By Rev. Erik J. Buss , Bryn Athyn Heilman Hall
Service service, Part 2
Worship Service: Informal Family - 25 Aug, 2019
Last week we focused on doing useful physical tasks that support our worship community. This Sunday, as we take service to a higher level, we will be looking for ways to serve each other's SPIRITUAL needs. We all need to be USEFUL, to LEARN and grow, to have COMMUNITY, HOPE, spiritual HEALING, and FREEDOM. These are ways of serving the six different kinds of spiritual neighbors that the Lord mentions in Matthew 25. We will be looking at how these show up in Isaiah 58. | By Rev. John L. Odhner , Bryn Athyn Heilman Hall
Service service
Worship Service: Informal Family - 18 Aug, 2019
This Sunday we’ll be having another “service” service. We did this two years ago. The service will not have a preacher or a talk. Instead, the service will be focussed on all of us doing useful things. “Worship of the Lord actually consists in useful behavior” (Secrets of Heaven 7038). We’ll start with some songs and open the Word, and have a short time for prayer and some readings. But we’ll spend most of our time having a “work party.” People can choose between various jobs including: organizing the costume cupboard, making new candle holders for the Christmas midnight service, sharpening pencils, organizing the altar-making materials, organizing props, sorting through the songbooks, cleaning chairs that need it, etc. We’ll close the morning with closing of the Word, and discussion. | By Rev. Solomon J. Keal , Bryn Athyn Heilman Hall