Welcome
Readings from the WORD and Order of Worship
Passing of the Peace
Psalm 128 NRSVUE
1 Happy is everyone who fears the Lord,
who walks in his ways.
2 You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands;
you shall be happy, and it shall go well with you.
3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
within your house;
your children will be like olive shoots
around your table.
4 Thus shall the man be blessed
who fears the Lord.
5 The Lord bless you from Zion.
May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.
6 May you see your children’s children.
Peace be upon Israel!
1 Kings 3:5-14 NRSVUE King Solomon Prays for Wisdom
At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night, and God said, “Ask what I should give you.” And Solomon said, “You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant my father David because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you, and you have kept for him this great and steadfast love and have given him a son to sit on his throne today. And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David, although I am only a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. And your servant is in the midst of the people whom you have chosen, a great people so numerous they cannot be numbered or counted. Give your servant, therefore, an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil, for who can govern this great people of yours?” It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. God said to him, “Because you have asked this and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or for the life of your enemies but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, I now do according to your word. Indeed, I give you a wise and discerning mind; no one like you has been before you, and no one like you shall arise after you. I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor all your life; no other king shall compare with you. If you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your life.”
Matthew 13:31-32 NRSVUE The Parable of the Mustard Seed
He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”
Secrets of Heaven #1941 [New Century Edition]
If we are motivated by good, that is, by love and charity, the seed that the Lord plants bears fruit and multiplies so rapidly that it becomes too abundant to count. While we are living in the body this does not apply, but in the next life it is true to an unbelievable degree. As long as we are still living in our bodies, the seed rests in bodily ground, where it lies among tangled thickets of facts and pleasures, cares and worries. These fall away, however, when we cross into the other world, and the seed is freed from them. It then grows the way the seed of a tree does, sprouting from the earth, developing into a sapling, then into a large tree, and finally multiplying into a whole grove of trees. All knowledge, understanding, and wisdom, along with the joy and happiness that accompany them, bear fruit and multiply this way and so keep growing to eternity. They begin with the smallest seed, like the mustard seed that the Lord teaches about in Matthew 13:31. After all, the knowledge, understanding, and wisdom that angels have were incomprehensible to them when they were on earth. — Emanuel Swedenborg
Sermon
Offertory
To Jesus Christ be glory given,
By all on earth and all in heaven,
May his dominion wide extend,
His glorious kingdom have no end.
Amen.
Prayers of the People
Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Closing of the Holy Word
Benediction
Shalom To You
Shalom to you now, shalom, my friends.
May God’s full mercies bless you, my friends.
In all your living and through your loving,
Christ be your shalom, Christ be your shalom.
Exploring New Earth
Details: Meetings will be held online via Zoom from 12:00pm – 1:00pm (Pacific Standard Time) on Sundays and you can also join in person if you live locally as we will be gathering for these meetings inside the St. Francis Chapel located at 2200 Via Rosa in Palos Verdes Estates. If you are interested, please add your email below.
2026: ENE+ a new meeting opportunity on Tuesday evenings from 6:00pm – 7:00/7:30pm.
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Rebuilding the Wright Legacy is a fundraising campaign dedicated to rebuilding the historic Wayfarers Chapel complex of buildings on a new site. Explore the opportunity to have your legacy reach further into the future of the Peninsula by contributing to Rebuilding the Wright Legacy Campaign.
WAYFARERS CHAPEL
Sponsored by The Swedenborgian Church and designed by Lloyd Wright, Wayfarers Chapel is dedicated to the glory of God and is a national memorial to Emanuel Swedenborg, 18th Century scientist, philosopher and theologian.
