Bryn Athyn Church Adult Service

When Zacharias’ mouth was opened after being mute, he was filled with the Holy Spirit and he prophesied. We will go through the words he said, as a way of reflecting on what the Lord accomplished when He came. We will also reflect on what each of us might say if we were filled with the Holy Spirit. Readings: Exodus 4:10-12 , Luke 1:57-80 , True Christian Religion 154 Minister: Rev. Malcolm G. Smit...

(Luke 1:26-27) In the story of Gabriel appearing to Zacharias and then to Mary, we find guidance as to how we can respond angelically to other people, and to the prompts we receive from the Lord. We are angels in the making. How will you choose to be sent by God as Gabriel was, and what angelic quality will you strive to embrace in this Christmas season? Readings: Luke 1:11-14,18-20, 26-31,38 ; Ar...

Choices are like a magnifying glass - we magnify the thoughts and feelings that capture our attention at any given point in time which means we can “magnify” negative thoughts and feelings just as easily as positive ones. But something miraculous happens when we, like Mary, in the face of our worries and concerns, consciously and deliberately magnify the Lord. We start to see and feel things we ne...

“The Critical Importance of Seeing and Worshipping a Visible God” The New Church is called “the Crown of all the Churches” because it worships the visible God in whom is the invisible ( TCR 787). The Lord’s birth and life on earth allow us to see Him and understand how He invites us into a relationship with Him, while on earth and to eternity in heaven. Readings: Isaiah 9:2-7 , John 15:1-14 , True...

(Exodus 20:12) Our heavenly Father is perfect, but this commandment calls us not just to honor Him but also to honor our literal parents and other imperfect human beings who make up His church. How do we keep this commandment in every sense? Readings: Genesis 9:20-27 , Luke 2:41-52 , True Christian Religion 305 -307 (portions) Minister: Rev. Coleman S. Glenn Delivered November 30th, 2025 at the Br...

Our church has beautiful teachings that people of any faith can go to heaven. Does this mean it doesn’t matter what we believe? The simple answer is “of course it matters.” This Sunday we will learn about how important it is.  Readings: 1 Samuel 10 , 13 ; John 3:16-17 ; 14:12-14 ; Divine Providence 330 ;  True Christianity 107 , 142 Minister: Rev. Jeffrey O. Smith Delivered November 23rd, 2025 at...

We all go through seasons of life where we search for meaning and guidance. We can picture the kind of life we want, but we aren’t sure how to get there. When Elijah is sent to visit a widow in 1 Kings 17, he asks her for something that she isn’t sure she can give. In their interaction, we find the answer to what we can do when we aren’t sure what path we should take.  Readings: 1 Kings 17:8-16 ,...

(Exodus 20:8) The Hebrew word for “Sabbath” means rest. Physical and mental “rest” is relatively easy to obtain but a holy day of rest requires a different mindset and a different skill set. This commandment draws our attention to the fact that the quality of our Sabbath Day is directly proportional to how things go during the "six days of labor" leading up to it, and how we view the cha...

How we develop our minds on a firm foundation of knowledge and truth is a subject that has been of keen interest to those interested in New Church education over the years. Two stories that deal with this are building our house upon a rock and the children of Israel leaving Egypt and taking their gold, silver, and garments with them. Come and see if it is really safe to borrow from the Egyptians a...

It can be hard to figure out how the Lord would like us to be in different situations. Does He want us to be more gentle or more firm? Persistent or adaptable? Should we speak up when something upsets us, or quietly let it go? This Sunday, at our Community Worship Service, we’ll explore questions like these through what the Word teaches about the “heart”—how it can be hardened or strengthened, how...

For all the technological, material advances we’ve made as a society in the last 20 years or so, people report feeling lonelier and unhappier than ever before. The ground has shifted so much, people don’t know what’s real (sacred) anymore. The two great liberators of Israel, Moses and Joshua, couldn’t hear (or understand) the Lord’s message to them until it was pointed out that they were standing...

(1 Samuel 3:10) How are you listening for the Lord’s voice in your life? We learn that the Lord constantly calls out to all of us, summoning us to “conjunction with Himself, thus to eternal life” ( Apocalypse Revealed 831). There are, however, many things vying for our attention. In what ways can we actively come into the presence of the Lord to hear what He is asking us to do?  Readings: 1 Samuel...

What does it really mean to “take the Lord’s name in vain?” For many of us, this commandment may feel like an easy check mark, but if we look below the surface, we will find that there is much more than meets the eye. In one interaction in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus says that not everyone who says to Him “Lord, Lord” shall enter the kingdom of heaven. What do His words teach us about the power o...

The Lord knows us better than we know ourselves. As He sat at the table with the twelve disciples at the Last Supper, we can picture the Lord looking each disciple in the eye, one by one, helping them see things they couldn’t have seen on their own. What did He see? How does it help us knowing that the Lord knows us better than we know ourselves? Readings: Matthew (Matt) 10:27-31 ; New Jerusalem &...

In the Gospels, sometimes the Lord heals someone in an amazing way but then tells them not to tell anyone. Other times, He specifically instructs them to go and tell others what has happened. This Sunday, we will explore why the Lord might have done this, and what it means for us—when we should keep quiet and when we should spread the good news. Readings: Lamentations (Lam) 3 , Mark 5 , Divine Pro...

The purpose of this service will be to explore ways in which we can re-dedicate ourselves as individuals and as a congregation to the covenantal relationships we’ve formed with each other and with the Lord. We’re taught that “covenants are made for the sake of love, friendship, and companionship, and therefore for the sake of union” (Life 60), but they can’t work unless we give our consent (AC 877...

(Exodus 20:3) This is the first of the Ten Commandments, and all the commandments that come after it relate back to it. What and who do we bow down to and serve instead of the Lord our God? How can we learn to identify those gods and reject them and instead love the Lord our God with all our heart, all our soul, and all our strength? Readings: Exodus 20:1-6, Mark 12:28-34 , True Christian Religion...