Weekly Bible Verse: Matthew 5: 1-12: Rejoice and Be Glad

Matthew 5 When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:


3“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 6“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 7“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. 8“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 9“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. 10“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Weekly Bible Verse: Matthew 4: 12-23: Follow Me

12Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. 13He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, 14so that what had been spoken through the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: 15“Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— 16the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.” 17From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”


18As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. 19And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” 20Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. 22Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him.

23Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people.

ECBC Seminarian Preaching January 23, 2011

ECBC's seminarian, Jeff Snyder, will be preaching at Grace Baptist Church of Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, next Sunday, January 23. The sermon, titled Leap of Faith, is based on John 2:1-11, Jesus' first miracle. It deals with how to face the challenges and surprising changes sure to arise in the new year.

God's Wabi-Sabi World

A couple weeks ago, at Grace Baptist Church of Blue Bell, I had the privilege to hear Japanese American missionary Nelson Hayashida speak of his faith and experiences in Zambia, where he and his wife Sandra are developing the Zambia International Theological College. He talked about a lot of things in life being worn and out of true, skewed in one way or another ... or cracked in such a way that light was let through, as when a pot is cracked. He spoke of mini buses in Zambia with frames twisted that drove past you down the road a little crooked. He spoke of tin roofs with tiny holes worn in them that let the sunlight in.


Now, in the United States, these are things we would throw away and replace with shiny new and whole items. Yet, Nelson told us, the Japanese see these things differently. They call them "wabi-sabi" and such items are respected. They are appreciated.
Then Nelson did a tricky thing that drove his point deeply home. He said all of us are wabi-sabi too. He spoke of Mother Teresa with her bent back and deeply wrinkled face. She was wabi-sabi ... and when her journal came out many were shocked to find out how wabi-sabi she was. I imagine the Japanese only appreciated her more with these revelations of her nature and her struggles. I know I do.
We are cracked vessels. That is a good thing because through the cracks we let in the light of God's love for all of us. We are cracked vessels that are deeply, truly loved by the creator of all wabi-sabi things. If you look to the Bible, you'll find all of God's prophets and Jesus' disciples were wabi-sabi folk. That gives us permission to be wabi-sabi ourselves and to appreciate the wabi-sabi nature in others. When we do so, we just might be able to relax a little more around each other (stop struggling for a vision of perfection we create for ourselves and can never reach ... just take a look at ancient Greek and Roman statues of the human form if you don't believe we do this ... or runway models today) and appreciate the wabi-sabi nature we all share and that God loves so much.

With that message I began to see myself and others differently. I hope you do too.

Have a wabi-sabi day ... and enjoy it.

This Mexican creche made of ceramics broke in transit. In its restoration it has a few holes that let the light in. It is definitely wabi-sabi ... just like us.

Pastor Jeffrey B. Snyder is ECBC's seminarian, currently taking his senior year courses toward his M.Div. degree and eventual ordination.

Weekly Bible Verse: Matthew 15:10-20: What Really Defiles ...

Matthew 15:10Then he called the crowd to him and said to them, “Listen and understand: 11it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles.” 12Then the disciples approached and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard what you said?” 13He answered, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. 14Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if one blind person guides another, both will fall into a pit.” 15But Peter said to him, “Explain this parable to us.” 16Then he said, “Are you also still without understanding? 17Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach, and goes out into the sewer? 18But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. 19For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. 20These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile.”

Our Prayers Go Out to All Who Are in Pain and in Strife & We Call You to Service

Our prayers go out to all who suffer, all who are victims of circumstance, natural disaster, tyranny and violence, and their families. Our prayers include those suffering from or lost to the Australian flooding, the tornadoes in Mississippi, and the violence in Tuscon, Arizona.

After the Tuscon shooting, let's extend the day of random acts of kindness on 1/1/11 to a year of concerted kindness for all of 2011. Reach out to others in love, provide a helping hand, use the gentlest tones and most honest responses. You may never know what seeds you plant and only God knows what will come of those seeds, but you may rest assured that you have planted seeds of love rather than hate. Encourage others toward acts of kindness as well.

God bless you all. You are, and will remain, in our prayers.

Weekly Bible Verse: Acts 10:34-43: God Shows No Partiality

Acts 10: 34Then Peter began to speak to them: “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, 35but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. 36You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all. 37That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: 38how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. 39We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; 40but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, 41not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. 43All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

ECBC Voices 1

ECBC's seminarian, Jeff Snyder, answers the question, "Why do I believe in Jesus Christ?" The answer is given in the form of a story. We hope you will find this witness inspiring.

Have a blessed day.

Mahalia Jackson - I Come To The Garden Alone

A beautiful hymn, beautifully sung, to show you how hymn singing is a form of worship and prayer. Have a blessed day ... and may this hymn stick with you throughout the day, reminding you of the one who loves you most, the one who will never leave you.

Why Do Christians Sing Hymns?

Biblically speaking, hymns go all the way back to the Psalms found today in the Bible. Psalms were sung by the priests. You will find Psalms dealing with a wide range of issues, from thanking God for what God has done for the people to beseeching God for delivery from evil ... and just about everything in between. Psalms, like hymns, can be lyrical and beautiful.


What are hymns? Well, that question requires a two part answer. The most obvious answer is hymns are sung as they are a way to worship God. They fulfill the biblical proclamation, "Make a joyful noise unto the Lord." The second part of the answer is not quite so obvious. Hymns are also a form of prayer. Through song, congregations collectively offer up prayers of praise, thanksgiving, hope, and much more. Many times hymn writers have written out of need or pain, offering up beautiful, heartfelt prayers to God in moments of great distress or sorrow. Hymns have also been written by early Christian bishops when their churches were facing danger from outside forces.

So, where do hymns come from. For this I turn to the Judson Press Bible study guide called Judson Bible Journeys For Adults, Fall 2010, The Inescapable God. On pages 52-53 you'll find the history of congregational singing if you want to know more. In the 4th century AD, Ambrose of Milan brought singing in worship as a concept from the Eastern churches to Europe. At this time, chanting the Psalms was already part of worship, so this idea was not entirely startling. But, if you're thinking everybody was singing throughout the Middle Ages, you'd be mistaken (if you haven't, brilliant!). Only the clergy sang, singing what we'd call Gregorian chants and they called Gregorian plainsong. Congregants were only allowed to chant brief responses from time to time. Martin Luther, famous for the Reformation, was also busy translating the Bible into German and writing hymns in German as well. He was the first writer to pen hymns in the people's language. German hymn writing took off like wildfire. King Henry VII in England paved the way for hymn writers in his country by throwing out the Latin hymns of the Catholic Church and replacing them with ... nothing. In came John Calvin, a Swiss reformer, and John Knox, from Scotland, to fill the void with "metrical psalms." Then Isaac Watts took things a step further, writing the first English hymns.

Now, this being a Baptist blog, we can't leave the Baptists out. Benjamin Keach was the first to introduce singing hymns in English in worship. Being Baptist, Keach place it to a vote whether a hymn should be sung and they decided one hymn should be sung after the sermon, leaving those who didn't like the idea a chance to leave after hearing God's word for them that day. Now, that's a very Baptist approach in introducing hymn singing.

For an excellent example of hymn singing, follow this link: http://extoncommunitybaptistchurch.blogspot.com/2011/01/mahalia-jackson-i-come-to-garden-alone.html

Weekly Bible Verse: John 1: 1-18: In the Beginning Was the Word

John 1: 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was in the beginning with God. 3All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being 4in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.


5The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. 6There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. 8He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. 9The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. 10He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. 11He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. 12But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, 13who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. 14And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.

15(John testified to him and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’”) 16From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.