This Sunday: The Worldwide Church, Part 1

Sunday, 25 February - 9am

The New Church teaches that all people of all faiths can be part of the Lord’s kingdom if they look to the Divine and live a charitable life. The Lord does not limit Himself to one group or another. What then is the point of the New Church? Although the church extends to every corner of the globe, it is still worth striving to embody the Lord’s New Church as a crucial part of that wider, universal church.

The service will be broadcast live at https://www.facebook.com/newchurchwestville/live. You can also watch the service later at that same link.

  • Sermon
    The written version of the sermon can be found here.
  • Readings
    The readings from the Word can be found here.

This Sunday: Marriage and the New Church

Sunday, 18 February - 9am

Whenever marriage is discussed, there is likely to be strong emotions. The New Church teaches that marriage is holy, sacred and pure. The high emotions are because of just how important the topic is. This week, we will spend some time exploring the promises of the New Church around marriage and how we can cooperate with the Lord’s goals for us.
“Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24)

The service will be broadcast live at https://www.facebook.com/newchurchwestville/live. You can also watch the service later at that same link.

  • Sermon
    The written version of the sermon and readings can be found here.

This Sunday: The Second Coming of the Lord

Sunday, 11 February - 9am

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.

The service will be broadcast live at https://www.facebook.com/newchurchwestville/live. You can also watch the service later at that same link.

  • Sermon
    The written version of the sermon and readings can be found here on Sunday.
  • Readings
    Readings from the Old and New Testaments and the Teachings of the New Church can be found here on Sunday.

This Sunday: Remember the Sabbath Day

Sunday, 4 February - 9am

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.

The service will be broadcast live at https://www.facebook.com/newchurchwestville/live. You can also watch the service later at that same link.

  • Sermon
    The written version of the sermon and readings can be found here on Sunday.
  • Readings
    Readings from the Old and New Testaments and the Teachings of the New Church can be found here on Sunday.

This Sunday: Rich and Poor, Wealth and Luxury

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.

The service will be broadcast live at https://www.facebook.com/newchurchwestville/live. You can also watch the service later at that same link.

  • Sermon
    The written version of the sermon and readings can be found here on Sunday.
  • Readings
    Readings from the Old and New Testaments and the Teachings of the New Church can be found here on Sunday.

This Sunday: Reacting to Evil, Part 2: Amending

Sunday, 21 January - 9am

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.

The service will be broadcast live at https://www.facebook.com/newchurchwestville/live. You can also watch the service later at that same link.

  • Sermon
    The written version of the sermon and readings can be found here.
  • Readings
    Readings from the Old and New Testaments and the Teachings of the New Church can be found here.

This Sunday: Reacting to Evil, Part 1: Excusing

Sunday, 14 January - 9am

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.

The service will be broadcast live at https://www.facebook.com/newchurchwestville/live. You can also watch the service later at that same link.

  • Sermon
    The written version of the sermon and readings can be found here.
  • Readings
    Readings from the Old and New Testaments and the Teachings of the New Church can be found here.

Christmas Day Service: The Path of Peace

Christmas Day, at 9am

Peace is a common theme of the Christmas story. The angels proclaimed “peace on Earth, Goodwill towards men!” But if we look at the world since the first Christmas we find peace sadly lacking. Where are we to find the promised peace of the Lord’s coming? The place to start is not to be found in history or in the world at large. It is in our own hearts. The peace that the Lord brings through His coming is a spiritual peace. The path to this peace is fraught with conflict and struggle; but it is a peace that surpasses that of any worldly peace.

The service will be broadcast live at https://www.facebook.com/newchurchwestville/live. You can also watch the service later at that same link.

  • Sermon
    The written version of the sermon and readings can be found here.

This Sunday: The Annunciation

Sunday, 17 December - 9am

When the angel Gabriel told Mary that she would give birth, she was shocked: she was still a virgin, and so becoming pregnant was impossible. Yet the angel informed her that it was going to happen through the Lord’s power. This story seems impossible, and we may at times even doubt it, like Mary herself did at first. Likewise, we may doubt that the Lord still has the power today to change the trajectory of our lives. But the story of the virgin birth reminds us that “with God nothing will be impossible.”

The service will be broadcast live at https://www.facebook.com/newchurchwestville/live. You can also watch the service later at that same link.

  • Sermon
    The written version of the sermon and readings can be found here.