What’s wrong with taking a little credit for spiritual work? After Elisha turned down payment for the healing of Naaman, Elisha’s servant Gehazi ran after Naaman to get money from him anyway, money that Gehazi felt was owed to them (2 Kings 5). As a result, Naman’s leprosy was transferred to Gehazi. We’ll talk about what happens when we fall prey to the trap of self-congratulation, and how to avoid it.

The Bryn Athyn Church is a congregation of the General Church of the New Jerusalem, located in Bryn Athyn, PA. We are committed to helping each other draw closer to the Lord God Jesus Christ through lives of love and useful service, guided by the Old and New Testaments and the Heavenly Doctrine for the New Church (contained in the theological works of Emanuel Swedenborg). Please join us for worship on Sunday mornings; services and times can be found at brynathynchurch.org.

Do we trust that the Lord is in control? Do we trust that He’s got the little things and the big things? When our life, the lives of loved ones around us, or even the state of the whole world seem to be spiraling out of control, we may either lose hope or feel like we have to take matters into our own hands to make it right. How does the Lord lead the world, and each individual person through difficult times to something better?

Readings: Genesis 2:1-15, Matthew 1:18-25, Mark 10:2-12, Divine Providence 241, Arcana Celestia 10777

Minister: Rev. Jeffrey O. Smith

Delivered October 25th, 2026 at the Bryn Athyn Cathedral in Bryn Athyn, PA.

The Bryn Athyn Church is a congregation of the General Church of the New Jerusalem, located in Bryn Athyn, PA. We are committed to helping each other draw closer to the Lord God Jesus Christ through lives of love and useful service, guided by the Old and New Testaments and the Heavenly Doctrine for the New Church (contained in the theological works of Emanuel Swedenborg). Please join us for worship on Sunday mornings; services and times can be found at brynathynchurch.org.

In Genesis 24, Abraham sends his servant to try to find a woman for his son Isaac. With help from the teachings of the New Church, we will discover that, within this story of the process of the Lord guiding a man and woman together, there is the story of how the Lord brings goodness and truth together in each of us, and the story of how the Lord brought goodness and truth together in Himself, during His life on earth.

Readings: Genesis 24, Arcana Coelestia 3203

Minister: Rev. Malcolm G. Smith

Delivered October 18th, 2026 at the Bryn Athyn Cathedral in Bryn Athyn, PA.

The Bryn Athyn Church is a congregation of the General Church of the New Jerusalem, located in Bryn Athyn, PA. We are committed to helping each other draw closer to the Lord God Jesus Christ through lives of love and useful service, guided by the Old and New Testaments and the Heavenly Doctrine for the New Church (contained in the theological works of Emanuel Swedenborg). Please join us for worship on Sunday mornings; services and times can be found at brynathynchurch.org.

(Genesis 41:29-30) Joseph was known to be a dream interpreter. A key dual dream that changed his life for good is that of Pharoah relating to seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine. What does it mean to dream of a bright future and make intentional provision for it? How do we best cooperate with the Lord in His providential ends for us?

Readings: Genesis 41:25-36; Arcana Caelestia 5264, 5293

Minister: Rt. Rev. Peter Buss, Jr.

Delivered October 11th, 2026 at the Bryn Athyn Cathedral in Bryn Athyn, PA.

The Bryn Athyn Church is a congregation of the General Church of the New Jerusalem, located in Bryn Athyn, PA. We are committed to helping each other draw closer to the Lord God Jesus Christ through lives of love and useful service, guided by the Old and New Testaments and the Heavenly Doctrine for the New Church (contained in the theological works of Emanuel Swedenborg). Please join us for worship on Sunday mornings; services and times can be found at brynathynchurch.org.

When anxiety hits, it feels so all consuming, doesn’t it? It feels like us. But the Word reminds us that our turbulent feelings are actually just external spiritual weather passing through our natural mind. They do not define who we are at our core. When we refocus on the Lord’s promises to us in the Word, we can look right past those internal storms because we recognize them for what they are. They are passing spiritual states. When we stop identifying with the chaos of the wind and the waves, we experience the Lord’s presence.

The Bryn Athyn Church is a congregation of the General Church of the New Jerusalem, located in Bryn Athyn, PA. We are committed to helping each other draw closer to the Lord God Jesus Christ through lives of love and useful service, guided by the Old and New Testaments and the Heavenly Doctrine for the New Church (contained in the theological works of Emanuel Swedenborg). Please join us for worship on Sunday mornings; services and times can be found at brynathynchurch.org.

Who are we supposed to want good things for? The Heavenly Doctrine teaches that just doing some good things is not enough to be truly charitable. A person can do good things while having personal benefit as a primary goal. The Parable of the Good Samaritan was given by the Lord to give us an example of true charity.

Readings: Luke 10:25-37, Leviticus 19:13-18, True Christianity 411

Minister: Rev. Eric H. Carswell

Delivered September 27th, 2026 at the Bryn Athyn Cathedral in Bryn Athyn, PA.

The Bryn Athyn Church is a congregation of the General Church of the New Jerusalem, located in Bryn Athyn, PA. We are committed to helping each other draw closer to the Lord God Jesus Christ through lives of love and useful service, guided by the Old and New Testaments and the Heavenly Doctrine for the New Church (contained in the theological works of Emanuel Swedenborg). Please join us for worship on Sunday mornings; services and times can be found at brynathynchurch.org.

We often wish the Lord would show us exactly where our lives are going. But what do we do when the path ahead is uncertain, when the Word doesn’t seem to give us a simple answer, or when we worry that we’ve already wandered in the wrong direction? Join us for Community Worship as we explore the Lord’s promise that His Word can be “a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

Readings: Exodus 13:20-22; Arcana Coelestia 8108, 9783

Minister: Rev. Steven P. Gunther

Delivered September 20th, 2026 at the Bryn Athyn Cathedral in Bryn Athyn, PA.

The Bryn Athyn Church is a congregation of the General Church of the New Jerusalem, located in Bryn Athyn, PA. We are committed to helping each other draw closer to the Lord God Jesus Christ through lives of love and useful service, guided by the Old and New Testaments and the Heavenly Doctrine for the New Church (contained in the theological works of Emanuel Swedenborg). Please join us for worship on Sunday mornings; services and times can be found at brynathynchurch.org.

The Lord has been feeding His people on the natural level and the spiritual level for all of human history. We will be reflecting on a few stories from the Word about the Lord feeding people as part of the preparation for taking Holy Supper.

Readings: John 6, Arcana Coelestia 1480

Minister: Rev. Malcolm G. Smith

Delivered September 13th, 2026 at the Bryn Athyn Cathedral in Bryn Athyn, PA.

The Bryn Athyn Church is a congregation of the General Church of the New Jerusalem, located in Bryn Athyn, PA. We are committed to helping each other draw closer to the Lord God Jesus Christ through lives of love and useful service, guided by the Old and New Testaments and the Heavenly Doctrine for the New Church (contained in the theological works of Emanuel Swedenborg). Please join us for worship on Sunday mornings; services and times can be found at brynathynchurch.org.