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The Word made Flesh
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 21 Dec, 2014
From eternity to eternity, God is unchanging. And yet, at a specific point in time, God broke into creation in a radical new way. The God of the universe took on a body of flesh and was born into the world. But what does that mean for us here and now? To put it another way: why does Christmas matter? | By Rev. Coleman S. Glenn , Westville, RSA
Understanding John 3:16
Worship Service: Sermon only - 14 Dec, 2014
John 3:16 is a key text for a lot of Christians in understanding why Jesus was born in the world. It says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His Only-begotten Son, that everyone who believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” But how do we understand what is meant by this? Who is God? Who is His Only-begotten Son? What does it mean to believe in Him? Why will people who don’t believe in Him perish and not have eternal life? If we can find good answers to these questions we will have a much better understanding of the significance of Christmas. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith , Westville, RSA
Do Not Resist Evil, Part 4 – Worthlessness and Shame
Worship Service: Sermon only - 30 Nov, 2014
"You're absolutely worthless!" "I'm a useless piece of..." Do you ever hear these words--from other people or inside your own head? Are they true? Are you worthless? Or think about it the other way: if you are not worthless, why do you have worth? What makes you worthy? It's tricky to sort out. And dealing with feelings of worthlessness is even harder. But the Lord can help us to understand and deal with all of this, and differently from what we might expect. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith , Westville, RSA
Do Not Resist Evil, Part 3: Understanding and Responding to Fear
Worship Service: Sermon only - 23 Nov, 2014
What do you worry about? What are you scared of doing? How does fear or anxiety affect your behaviour and relationships? We all have to deal with fears of various kinds and, if we don’t deal with them appropriately, they can lead us to all sorts of unhealthy and dysfunctional behaviours. But, as we’ve already talked about with doubt and guilt, just pushing feelings of fear away doesn’t work. This Sunday we’ll talk about what the Lord teaches us about how to respond to fear. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith , Westville, RSA
Do Not Resist Evil 2: Guilt Good and Bad
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 16 Nov, 2014
When we are attacked by feelings of doubt, guilt, fear, or worthlessness, we often try (and fail) to simply push those feelings away. But there is another way: instead of resisting these things, we can take what is valuable from them, and let the rest pass us by. This week, the second in a four-part series, we will focus specifically on how to do this with guilt. How can we learn to distinguish between “good guilt” and “bad guilt”, and how can “good guilt” lead to positive changes? | By Rev. Coleman S. Glenn , Westville, RSA
Do Not Resist Evil 1– Dealing With Doubt
Worship Service: Sermon only - 9 Nov, 2014
When we are attacked by feelings of doubt, shame, fear, or worthlessness, we often try to simply push those feelings away. It usually doesn’t work. But there is another way: instead of resisting these things, we can let ourselves experience them. We can even see what is valuable in them, and let the rest pass on by. This week, the first in a four-part series, we will focus specifically on how to do this with doubt. From our mundane doubts about that day's decisions, to the big doubts about God and the purpose of life - how do we honestly face our doubts without being overwhelmed by them? | By Rev. Coleman S. Glenn , Westville, RSA
Living Gratefully 2 - How to Practice Gratitude
Worship Service: Sermon only - 2 Nov, 2014
Last Sunday we talked about the need for gratitude in our lives and the difference it can make. This week we're going to dig into how to practice gratitude. What habits and practices can we put into our lives so that we live every day gratefully? | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith , Westville, RSA
Living Gratefully (excerpt)
Talk - 2 Nov, 2014
On starting a gratitude journal. (To hear full recording, search by date: 11/02/2014) | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith , Westville, RSA
Living Gratefully 1: The Need for Gratitude
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 26 Oct, 2014
Do you feel like you’re on a treadmill that’s going too fast for you to keep up? It’s a busy and stressful time of year and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and like there’s just too much to deal with. How can the Lord help us cope with all of this? Gratitude—the Lord commands us to be grateful and when we understand why and start practising gratitude it can make a huge difference to our experience of even the most stressful situations | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith , Westville, RSA
Amos–The Word of a Prophet 4 – Promise of Blessings to Come
Worship Service: Sermon only - 19 Oct, 2014
After all the threats of destruction throughout the book of Amos, the prophecy ends on a hopeful note: the promise of a return to a fruitful land. Is this promise being made to us? And if so, what was the purpose of all the threats of destruction that came before? We’re wrapping up our series on the book of Amos and continuing to grapple with the question of how we can hear the Lord speaking to us today through the ancient, sometimes obscure prophecies recorded in the Bible. | By Rev. Coleman S. Glenn , Westville, RSA
Amos- The Word of a Prophet 3 - A Thirst For the Word of the Lord
Worship Service: Sermon only - 12 Oct, 2014
In the New Church we tend to focus on the deeper, spiritual meaning of the Bible. But does that mean we can ignore the commandments in the literal sense to care for the poor and feed the hungry? How do we experience the connection between those external things and the deeper meaning within them? We’re continuing our series on the book of Amos and continuing to grapple with the question of how we can hear the Lord speaking to us today through the ancient, sometimes obscure prophecies recorded in the Bible. | By Rev. Coleman S. Glenn , Westville, RSA
Amos - The Word of a Prophet Part 2: Is It Actually Hard To Understand
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 5 Oct, 2014
Cows of Bashan, sacrifices, worms devouring olive trees, death, opulence, corruption, rivers, exile, oppression, darkness—this is the content of the text that we’re going to be digging into this Sunday. We’re continuing our series on the book of Amos and continuing to grapple with the question of how we can hear the Lord speaking to us today through the ancient, sometimes obscure prophecies recorded in the Bible. This week we’re going to be particularly looking for how we can find a relevant message for our lives in these challenging texts. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith , Westville, RSA
The Word of a Prophet - The Wrath of God?
Worship Service: Sermon only - 21 Sep, 2014
This week we begin a five week series delving into the book of Amos, one of the Old Testament prophets. Throughout the series we'll be grappling with the question of how we can hear the Lord speaking to us today through the ancient , sometimes obscure prophecies recorded in the Bible. This week, we'll especially be asking the question: how can we see God's qualities of love and mercy even when we read of Him promising punishment and destruction? | By Rev. Coleman S. Glenn , Westville, RSA
Relationship Dynamics 3 – Changing the Dynamic
Worship Service: Children & Adult - 14 Sep, 2014
For the past two weeks we’ve been looking at different dynamics in relationships. What do you do if there’s a dynamic in one of your relationships that you don’t like? You’re stuck in a rut or a pattern of interaction that is unhealthy, harmful, or just frustrating for both of you; what can you do? This Sunday we’re going to look at what it takes to change the dynamic in a relationship. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith , Westville, RSA
Relationship Dynamics 2 - Boundaries and Freedom
Worship Service: Sermon only - 7 Sep, 2014
Every relationship involves unique people, each with their own thought and desires, and each with their own free will. It's one of the things that makes relationships challenging, and also one of the things that makes them powerful and beautiful. With that in mind, how can we work together toward common goals while still encouraging each other to act in freedom? | By Rev. Coleman S. Glenn , Westville, RSA
Relationship Dynamics 1 - Fighting
Worship Service: Sermon only - 31 Aug, 2014
Who are you fighting with at the moment? How does that fight affect the rest of your life? This Sunday we're starting a 3 week series on dynamics in relationships and we're beginning the series by talking about fighting. Being in conflict can cause us a lot of stress and pain and so we often do everything we can to avoid it. When we understand why we're fighting and what we're fighting for it can help us to fight the good fight when necessary. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith , Westville, RSA
Remembering the Sabbath Day
Worship Service: Sermon only - 24 Aug, 2014
What is the weekend for? We take weekends and holidays as a chance to relax and unwind, to rest from our daily work. But we also know that Sunday is also supposed to be a day for worshipping the Lord. Is there a connection between these two things – resting from our work, and worshipping the Lord? How do we find deep and abiding rest and recreation in remembering the Sabbath day? | By Rev. Coleman S. Glenn , Westville, RSA
Malcolm Cockerell Memorial Service
Memorial Service - 19 Aug, 2014
Repentance 4 - Beginning a New Life With the Lord
Worship Service: Sermon only - 17 Aug, 2014
For the past few weeks we’ve been looking at the steps of repentance, the spiritual process the Lord calls us to go through to reject what is evil and harmful in our lives and begin a new life. This week we come to the final step: actually beginning a new life. Scared? Does it even seem possible to make a real and lasting change in your life? Join us this Sunday to take an honest look at the challenges of beginning a new life and to learn how the Lord makes it possible for us to do this. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith , Westville, RSA
Repentance 3 - Praying to the Lord
Worship Service: Sermon only - 10 Aug, 2014
If God already knows what we need, why do we need to pray to Him? This Sunday we continue to look at the Steps of Repentance, four steps we can take to make real and lasting change in our lives; and in particular, we focus on the third step: praying to the Lord for His help and power to resist evil and embrace what is good. | By Rev. Coleman S. Glenn , Westville, RSA
Examining Our Lives
Worship Service: Sermon only - 3 Aug, 2014
For the next few weeks, our sermons will focus on a four-step process of repentance. This week's sermon focuses on the first two steps in that process: first, examining our actions, thoughts, and intentions; and second, recognising and acknowledging the ways that we tend to sin against God. | By Rev. Coleman S. Glenn , Westville, RSA
Little by Little - Spiritual Rebirth is a Gradual Process
Worship Service: Sermon only - 27 Jul, 2014
The Lord told the Israelites what it would be like to enter into and inherit the Promised Land, especially with regard to the enemies they would have to face and overcome. He said, "Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you become fruitful and inherit the land" (Exodus 23:20-30). What does this story have to teach us about our process of spiritual rebirth? | By Rev. Mark D. Pendleton , Westville, RSA
The Blessings That Come From Blessing the Lord
Worship Service: Sermon only - 20 Jul, 2014
Are you blessed? Do you feel blessed? This week we are going to look at one of the Psalms and reflect on what being blessed by the Lord means. | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith , Westville, RSA
Heaven on Limited Offer
Worship Service: Sermon only - 15 Jun, 2014
When are you going to choose heaven? If you keep putting it off, when are you going to get there? | By Rev. Derrick Lumsden , Westville, RSA
Idolatory 4: Other People's Idolatory
Worship Service: Family (may include music) - 8 Jun, 2014
For the past few weeks we’ve been looking at idolatry in ourselves—how we can be tempted to worship idols of various kinds instead of Jesus Christ. This Sunday we’re going to dig into the difficult question of how to respond to other people’s idolatry. How should we treat people who worship other gods than us? And the even more challenging question, how should we treat people in our own church or family or community that have different beliefs and priorities than we do? | By Rev. Malcolm G. Smith , Westville, RSA