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Memorial Service of Allan Waters
Memorial Service - 23 Feb, 2024
Memorial Service of Allan William Waters | By Rev. Joel C Glenn , 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
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
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
Prayer, 3: A Community of Prayer
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 6 Aug, 2023
Our final sermon on prayer will focus on prayers for other people. It’s hard to know exactly what these prayers do; they might not be as obvious as prayers for our own spiritual growth or that have to do with our personal relationship with the Lord. But when we pray for other people we are joined together in a heavenly community, one that turns to the Lord and looks to Him as the One who brings us all together. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn , Westville, RSA
Prayer 2 - The Power of Prayer
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 30 Jul, 2023
Last week we looked at how to pray. But this week we examine the question, what does prayer do? There are many answers to this question, and as many answers as to what prayer does NOT do that we wish it did. But at heart, prayer connects us to the Lord, so that we can receive His power to be reborn and regenerated. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn , Westville, RSA
Prayer, 1 - The Practice of Prayer
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 23 Jul, 2023
We are starting a three-part series on prayer. This week the focus is on the practice of prayer, practice both in the sense of applying an idea to real life and an activity done with the intention of improving. Because I would guess that most of us (not all, but most) could use some improvement in our prayer lives. The New Church has something of a history of being stiff and uncomfortable with prayer. This series will be an opportunity to become more active with our prayers and appreciate the power that prayer has. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn , Westville, RSA
Turning to the Lord
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 16 Jul, 2023
Life is at times sunny and bright, and we keenly feel the Lord’s presence. At other times life is dark and stormy, and the Lord seems absent. We move from one state to another. The Lord, on the other hand, is constant: appearances to the contrary, He never ceases to bless our lives with love and wisdom. It is up to us to practice turning back to Him, so that we can realize what has been true all along: that He has been at our side, loving and guiding us, through all the states of life. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn , Westville, RSA
Good vs Right
Worship Service: Childrens Talk & Adult Sermon - 9 Jul, 2023
Which matters more: being good or being right? As a church we know that both matter, and at the same time that goodness is the more important of the two. Yet often we can switch things around and put way too much emphasis on being right to the detriment of being good, This Sunday we will look at the letter to the Church in Ephesus, which urges those who put great weight in being right to focus more on doing good. | By Rev. Joel C Glenn , Westville, RSA
Memorial Service for Lisa Mansfield
Memorial Service - 7 Jul, 2023
Memorial Service for Lisa Mansfield | By Rev. Joel C Glenn , Westville, RSA