#SundaySermon: Blessed Thanksgiving for All Things 11/21/21

We are grateful to have been able to share a virtual/in-person hybrid church service on Sunday, the 21st of November, 2021. Our congregants had either received the Covid vaccine, or had had Covid previously. We prayed and sang together, and listened to a sermon by our local minister, Rev. Dr. Sherrie Connelly. We were joined by our friends near and far over zoom. We even had Sunday School where the kids brainstormed ideas of subjects they’d like to study in future weeks. Below are the sermon notes from Rev. Connelly. The readings are referenced.

“Blessed Thanksgiving for All Things,” Sermon notes by Rev. Dr. Sherrie Connelly

Psalm 47:1 to 2, 5 to 9

Oh clap your hands everyone together express your joy adore the Lord on high.

Joel 2:21 to 24 to 26

The threshing floors are filled with autumn green because I had and rejoice in your God.

Matthew 6:25 to 33

Your life is full of abundant blessings. There is nothing to worry about. Worrying gets you nothing. It is merely negative meditation. Let it go…

The flowers of nature grow abundantly and naturally as God has ordered. So too you will grow into the fullness of your being.

ES: AC (Elliott,) n. 10655

We are thankful that the divine human has been raised, thus saving human beings from evil. There is much to be thankful for.<TBTG>

“ Blessed Thanksgiving for All Things“

As our Thanksgiving holiday approaches, we are celebrating a harvest feast together today. Together, in person for the first time in a very long time. Hallelujah we are grateful! Let us look at different sorts of blessed Thanksgiving.

1. during the first year of a child’s life, from loving conception through gestation and burst. A new child is born and comes to us as a miracle. Thanks be to God.

2. During the learning years we develop skills, expand awareness, and have experiences that mature us into full adults. Thanks be to God.

3. As we age, get gray hair, creaky knees, and disabled parking permit, we are grateful for the abilities that do remain. Thanks be to God.

4. As we embrace worlds of many different languages lands and cultures and opportunities to travel across the states and abroad. Thanks be to God

5. As we prepare to share in this delicious and bountiful Thanksgiving harvest feast. We are so grateful for each other’s contributions. Thanks be to God.

6. As we anticipate our first snowfall in the coming of winter, we are grateful for warm clothes, mittens, coats, hats, boots, and people who shovel snow for us. Thanks be to God.

7. As the season of Christmas and baby Jesus’ birth come near, once again we celebrate a newborn child, and the coming new year. He is blessed and born. Thanks be to God.

8. For everyone of our blessings including both gifts and challenges, may we be abundantly grateful. Amen.

#WeekendPlans: 6/6/21, Rev. George Dole

The title of this Sunday’s zoom church service is “A Learning Curve: The Road to ‘As If.’” We are pleased to welcome Guest Minister, Rev. Dr. George F. Dole who will lead us in worship, contemplation and reflection.
“We often focus on the message contained in Swedenborg’s published theological works. But he wrote a lot that he didn’t publish, which unlike his published works contains paragraphs in which he actually talks about himself. It shows his childhood faith being challenged by his formidable intellect and eventually coming to a surprising resolution. Join us Sunday as Rev. Dr. George Dole demonstrates that over the course of his revelatory writing, Swedenborg learned a great deal and actually changed his strategy radically. The path that he followed led him from a parochial focus to a global focus, and has particular relevance for our own times and also for our individual lives.”

Photo of Rev. Dr. George F. Dole, Guest Minister. “The Road to As If,” sermon title.

Sunday School: 9:45 am, Fellowship: 10:30 am, Worship Service 11:00 am

Church members and their contacts will be provided a zoom link.

Harvest Feast Reimagined: 11/15/20

This Sunday, 11/15/20, join us for church with Rev. Dr. Sherrie Connelly, over zoom. Her message is “Grateful For Our Gifts”

Gather at 10:30 am for conversation, and 11:00 am for the Worship Service. We will have our service and then afterwards, attendees can eat a piece of pie or whatever treat they would like, while we reflect on our “Gifts.”

This would have typically been the weekend of our Harvest Feast. In lieu of sharing a meal together, please send a check to the church for whatever amount you would’ve spent on your contribution to the Harvest meal, and New Church of Montgomery will match that and make a donation to the Freestore Foodbank in Cincinnati.

Thank you for sharing your gifts with others.

#FridayFeeling: “Practice, Practice, Practice”

Church on Sunday 11/1/20, is a virtual service with Rev. Ron Brugler, from Florida! Join us at 10:30 am for fellowship and 11:00 am for the service. The title of the sermon is, “Practice, Practice, Practice.”

Zoom info with be emailed to congregants.

Worship Theme for 10/18: “When Tragedy Strikes…”

Oct. 18th, 2020, Guest Minister Kit Billings’ Zoom worship theme will be: “When Tragedy Strikes, Love Attends and Never Loses Sight of Life’s Goal”
No matter who we are, what our background may be, and how fortunate we’ve been in life, at various times in life tragic things happen to us or to someone we love. Why does a divinely loving and wise God allow or permit bad things to happen in life (such as a worldwide pandemic)? How would you answer this vital question? Could it be because out of purest love and wisdom, the Lord’s great, complex system of gradual salvation must protect our freedom to believe in His divine presence and support…or, to not believe? How is your faith journey going lately, when tragedy strikes?

#WeekendPlans: #VirtualChurch w/Rev. Kit Billings

On Sunday, October 18, 2020, we will have zoom church at 11:00 am with Rev. Kit Billings from the LaPorte New Church. Title to follow.

The zoom sessions with visiting ministers are always especially nice because our congregations have the rare chance of worshipping together.

Please join us for this special October Sunday. Zoom link will be emailed and may be shared with friends.

Use Our #SundaySermon for Your #MondayMeditation

Thanks to Guest Minister, Rev. Julie Conaron for joining us via zoom on our remote church service in Cincy 7/20/20.

Convention Wrap Up & #PsalmOfTheDay: Psalm 85

Hopefully, you were able to join in with the 2020 Swedenborgian Spiritual Vision virtual convention. If not, you’re in luck! You can go back to Swedenborg.org or Facebook and check out the worship services, the mini-sessions, the ministry videos and the opportunities for self-work you can engage in to become a more informed church-goer.

The following is our Psalm of the Day for reflection.

7. They that receive faith in the Lord are said to be made alive. A. 290.

Psalm 85 New Living Translation.

Spiritual Translation of Psalm 85 in Correspondences.

Copyright M Panyko, 2020

Saturday’s Virtual Convention Events

Saturday, June 27 — All times are Listed in Eastern Daylight Time

Facebook (comment-enabled) & Swedenborg.org (view only)

+12:00 PM — Black Lives Matter: A Call to Reflection, Prayer, and Action with Dr. Rebecca Esterson, Terrie Crenshaw, Rev. Gladys Wheaton, Rev. Shada Sullivan, and Rev. Anna Woofenden

+1:00 PM — Memorial Worship Service with Rev. Rachel Madjerac with musical prelude by Rev. Ken Turley

+2:00 PM — Keynote Presentation entitled For Heaven’s Sake by Rev. Dr. George F. Dole with an introduction from Rev. Dr. Jim Lawrence, followed by live Q&A

+3:00 PM — Mini-Course: Spiritual Cinema: Swedenborg at the Movies with Dr. Devin Zuber, followed by live Q&A

+4:00 PM — Mini-Course: The Death of God in T.S. Eliot; The Death of the Church in Swedenborg with Rev. Dr. David Fekete, followed by live Q&A

+5:00 PM — Mini-Course: Blessed are the Peacemakers: How You and Your Church Can Successfully Facilitate Political Dialogue in a Polarized Society with Rev. Rich Tafel, followed by live Q&A

+7:00 PM — Swedenborgian Church Youth League Worship Service followed by live Q&A with Youth Leader Kurt Fekete & the SCYL Officers

Virtual Convention Begins This #Friday!

2020 Spiritual Vision–Transcending Time and Space, Annual Convention

Website for Event:

https://swedenborg.org/news/2020-spiritual-vision-transcending-time-and-space/

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Facebook Link for Live Videos with comment options:

www.facebook.com/SwedenborgConvention/

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Spiritual-Vision-Schedule of Events

including…

• Rev. Dr. George F. Dole, Keynote Speaker
• 7 Mini-Courses you can watch and comment on, or view later
• Worship Music and Services (Memorial, Communion and Youth)
• LINK TO FULL CLASS DESCRIPTIONS & BIOS