This Sunday: Success and Failure – Part 2

Sunday, 17 March - 9am

We all fail. It’s part of being human. But that does not mean we are stuck with our failures. The Lord uses the failures we encounter to help us grow and eventually arrive at spiritual success. This Sunday we’ll explore what failure really means, and how we can see it differently.

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 – Success and Failure: Part 1

Sunday, 10 March - 9am

What does success mean? All of us will have our own definition, and in fact that definition will change as we grow and change as individuals. But at the heart of success is service to others. When that is at the forefront of what it means to live a successful life, all of our other priorities and ideas of success can fall into place.

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: The Worldwide Church, Part 2: Giving Freely

Sunday, 3 March - 9am

The New Church has many amazing truths, truths that we can be grateful to have found. They give us insight into life and inspire us to grow spiritually. But sometimes we get so caught up in having the truth that we lose sight of the purpose. But there is no point in having the truth if we don’t live it; and one of the ways we live it is by sharing it with others. The truth of the New Church is a gift that has been freely given from the Lord; and it is incumbent on us to freely share it with others.

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: 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.