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Fishing on the Right Side of the Boat
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 3 Jul, 2022
The Gospel of John tells a story of the disciples struggling all night fishing and catching nothing. In the morning the Lord appeared and told them to cast the night on the right side of the boat; the result is an incredible intake of fish. Fishing off the one side represents coming from a a purely intellectual viewpoint; switching to the other side represents switching to a more loving viewpoint. When we get stuck in our heads, life just doesn't work as well. Even if we know all the "right" things to say and do, pure knowledge only gets us so far. When we find ourselves struggling like this, the Lord urges us to shift gears and draw not only on the head but also the heart. It is when we come from love that life begins to work in new and amazing ways. Our service this Sunday will be led by Warwick Schuurman. Many thanks to Warwick! | By Rev. Erik J. Buss , Westville, RSA
Friendship
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 26 Jun, 2022
Friendship is one of the core experiences of being human. We all need, and hopefully have, friends. But how often do we think of our friendship with the Lord? It is an important part of our relationship with Him, and can also inform the many friendships we have with others. Our service this Sunday will be led by Lance Mansfield. Many thanks to Lance! | By Rt. Rev. Bradley D. Heinrichs , Westville, RSA
The New Church - A Stronghold of Truth
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 19 Jun, 2022
Every 19th of June we celebrate the birthday of the New Church. If you were to ask any individual member of the church what the New Church means to them, you would get a great variety of answers; and this variety reflects the beautiful scope and breadth of what the Lord offers through His Church. One common theme however might be gratitude for how much the Teachings of the New Church simply make sense; gratitude that we can enter with understanding into what otherwise would remain mysteries of faith. Our focus this Sunday will be on the strength of the New Church in revealing truth clearly to the understanding. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn , Westville, RSA
The Lord Bless You and Keep You
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 12 Jun, 2022
“The LORD bless you and keep you; The LORD make His face to shine upon you, and be gracious unto you; The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.” We use this blessing at special times—baptisms, weddings, Holy Supper. This Sunday we will go through it phrase by phrase and reflect on how we can be most receptive of the Lord’s blessings and how we can be a part of sharing His blessings with others. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith , Westville, RSA
The New Church: A Bride and a City
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 5 Jun, 2022
June is the month in which we celebrate the New Church. If we look to the Lord’s Word there are two particular images of what the New Church is, or is supposed to be, like: one image is a woman, clothed with the sun, the other, a holy city shining with gold. Each image speaks to the characteristics that make the New Church what it is. This Sunday we will look deeper to understand how these two pictures help us better understand both the Love and the Wisdom that should be present in everything that the Church is and does. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn , Westville, RSA
Are You Committed
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 29 May, 2022
When confronted with hard choices the easiest thing to do is to make no choice at all. Yet this choice is often the worst choice of all: in trying to keep our options open we lose out on all of them. The Lord is adamant that we make a committed choice: He sets before us life and death and urges us to choose life. Commitment to a choice is the only way to succeed spiritually. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn , Westville, RSA
Does it Matter if We Believe in the Lord
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 22 May, 2022
In the New Church we love the idea that people of any religion can go to heaven. But, if we don’t understand this idea fully, then it can seem like it doesn’t matter at all what you believe. And it can be hard to figure out why it matters if we believe in the Lord. Let’s talk about what it means to believe in the Lord and why our beliefs matter. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith , Westville, RSA
What Should We Ask For?
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 15 May, 2022
When we pray we are often asking for something. There is nothing wrong with this; in fact the Lord encourages us to do this. But we should give careful thought to what we ask for. This principle is illustrated in the story of King Solomon. When the Lord gave him the opportunity to ask for anything he wished, Solomon’s answer reflects a true understanding of what we need from the Lord and the kinds of things we should seek from Him. This Sunday we will explore what we can learn from Solomon’s request. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn , Westville, RSA
Approval
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 8 May, 2022
It’s Mothers Day this Sunday and so we’re going to be reflecting on a topic that comes into all parent-child relationships—approval. We all want to be approved of. But do your parents approve of you? Do you approve of your parents? The giving or withholding of approval is a strong force in relationships; let’s talk about how the Lord would like us to navigate the interpersonal dynamics around approval. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith , Westville, RSA
Spiritual Fatigue
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 1 May, 2022
Whenever something goes wrong in the world, there seems to be an outpouring of compassion. We almost get excited at the chance to leap into action and help. But as time passes the energy wanes. We can become fatigued; not just fatigued physically, but fatigued emotionally. It is impossible to keep up that initial level of care and energy. Above even the emotional there is the spiritual fatigue: we face exhaustion with ourselves and our own spiritual growth, and can push ourselves to the breaking point. We need to be able to truly address the issues, but to do so in a way that is sustainable. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn , Westville, RSA
The Disciple Whom Jesus Loved
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 24 Apr, 2022
In the Gospel of John there are a number of intriguing stories about what Jesus and the disciples did after the Lord’s resurrection. When I preached about this four years ago I focused on the role and significance of Peter (read or listen to that here); this year I want to focus on John. John is called “the disciple whom Jesus loved” and he played a crucial role in the development of the Christian Church. In us he represents a crucial part of our spiritual development as Christians. What does he represent? Come and see. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith , Westville, RSA
Finding the Risen Lord
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 17 Apr, 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, RSA
Confess the Lord
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 10 Apr, 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, RSA
Legitimate Authority
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 3 Apr, 2022
We see so much abuse of power in the world—countless examples of people using their influence on other people in harmful ways. But what does legitimate authority look like? What sort of claims to authority by other people should we reject and resist and what ones should we comply with? And what kind of authority over other people should we aspire to? Let’s see what we can learn about this from the One who is all-powerful. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith , Westville, RSA
Even the Wind and Sea Obey Him
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 27 Mar, 2022
The disciples once found themselves in the midst of a terrible storm, out on the water in a little boat. The boat was sinking and they thought they were going to die until Jesus stood up and rebuked the wind and the sea and suddenly there was calm. This Sunday we will reflect on this story and what it can teach us about how the Lord can help us to find peace in the midst of the storms that we encounter in our lives. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith , Westville, RSA
Picking and Choosing
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 20 Mar, 2022
Why don’t you care about people? That’s a harsh accusation, and hopefully it’s not true. But in one sense it could be: with over 7 billion people on this planet, we simply cannot actively care about everyone. Thankfully, the Lord does not ask us to throw ourselves wholeheartedly into every cause that crosses our paths. He gives us ways to care for mankind even us we pick and choose which causes we will invest in. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn , Westville, RSA
War and Providence
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 13 Mar, 2022
With the conflict in Ukraine on so many people’s minds at the moment it feels like it could be useful for us to reflect on teachings from the Lord’s Word about war and providence. There are big picture questions to consider like, why does our loving God allow something as terrible as war? And there are also more day-to-day questions to consider like, how much time should we spend thinking about conflicts in other parts of the world and what, if anything, can we do to try to make things better? | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith , Westville, RSA
Washing Our Feet
Worship Service: Sermon only - 6 Mar, 2022
The Gospel of John tells of how after the Last Supper Jesus washed His Disciples’ feet. In this act of humility Jesus showed us the nature of His love: that it extends to all, without exception, and that it lives to serve. This Sunday we will explore how we can better invite this love into our lives, as well as how we can pass it on to others. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn , Westville, RSA
Actions Speak Louder Than Words
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 27 Feb, 2022
This week’s sermon is about one of the most fundamental topics from the Teachings of the New Church. This week we will explore the role that repentance plays in our lives. Specifically, we will be exploring the necessity of making changes in our actions and not just our words. Repentance is literally the difference between spiritual life and spiritual death. | By Rev. Calvin Heinrichs , Westville, RSA
Breaking Bread
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 20 Feb, 2022
This Sunday, as preparation for taking the Lord’s Holy Supper, we will be talking about the significance of breaking bread and sharing it. Particularly in Western culture there can be a lot of emphasis on individuality and working on our individual lives but the Lord’s goal for us is to be part of a larger whole in which we give and receive freely. How can we work towards that goal? | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith , Westville, RSA
The Journey of Life (and Death)
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 13 Feb, 2022
For all of us, life will end in death. But it won’t really end there: after the body dies the spirit continues to live. This Sunday we will look at the journey of self-discovery that awaits us on the other side, and give some thought to how it might shape how we live in the her and now. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn , Westville, RSA
To See God
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 6 Feb, 2022
In the Old Testament the Lord told Moses that no one can see God and live. This is true: if we were to be exposed to the full Divinity of God it would be like being consumed by the sun. Yet God’s purpose in creation is to grow closer to humanity and to bless them. So while we cannot see God directly, there are ways that we can come to see Him more and more truly, and so develop a deeper and deeper relationship with Him. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn , Westville, RSA
Daily Prayer
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 30 Jan, 2022
How often do you talk to the Lord? Is it often enough? Communication is a crucial aspect of any relationship and our relationship with the Lord is no different. If, for example, we only communicate with the Lord when we’re desperate and can’t think of anything else to try, that will severely limit our relationship with the Lord. If, on the other hand, we have a relationship with the Lord in which we’re talking to Him several times a day, that can be part of us having a real, active, and meaningful relationship with Him. Let’s talk about what prayer on a day-to-day basis looks like and how we can make progress in our regular communication with the Lord. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith , Westville, RSA
Daily Repentance
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 23 Jan, 2022
The last couple of sermons have dealt with how we address our own evils. In essence this is repentance: admit you did something wrong, stop doing it, and live a better life. Repentance happens on a grand scale when we have done something egregious or when we are battling a lifelong tendency. But repentance can also be something that we are working on in little ways every single day. That might sound daunting: repent every day?! But when we understand what it means we can embrace it as both a possibility and a blessing. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn , Westville, RSA
OK and Not OK
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 16 Jan, 2022
Last week Joel preached about admitting you were wrong and it got me thinking about how important the time after we’ve done something is. How we think about what we’ve done—whether it was good or bad—really matters. When we’ve done something wrong, do we acknowledge it or try to justify it? When we’ve done something good, what do we think about the action or ourselves afterward? Each day we’re going to do a whole bunch of different things and likely some of those things will be somewhat good and some will be somewhat selfish. We need the Lord’s help to sort out what in all of that is OK and what is not OK. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith , Westville, RSA