Weekly Bible Verses: Luke 10:25-37: What must I do to inherit eternal life?

Luke 10: ²⁵Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” ²⁶He said to him, “What is written in the law? What do you read there?” ²⁷He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.”²⁸And he said to him, “You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.” ²⁹But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” ³⁰Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. ³¹Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. ³²So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. ³³But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. ³⁴He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. ³⁵The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.’ ³⁶Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” ³⁷He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

Guest Preacher Sunday, July 29

Our recent seminary graduate, Jeff Snyder, will be our pulpit supply minister this Sunday while Pastor Joseph is away. Jeff will be changing things up a bit on us this week, providing text telling for the New Testament reading and a dramatic monologue in place of the sermon. He will be dressed in black this Sunday as this is what is worn by biblical storytellers, focusing the congregants' attentions on the storytellers hands, face, and voice. This will make worship a little different experience this week. You are most welcome to attend this service and see this other message of conveying the good news from God. We hope to see you there. 

Will You Choose Joy?

Will you choose joy today?

In Bread for the Journey, Henri Nouwen's insightful devotional book, he discusses how joy may be ours. We can have joy in our lives, if we will reach for it.

Synonyms for joy tell you what it encompasses: delight, gladness, pleasure, mirth, rejoicing. Joy is not as ephemeral as happiness. We can be in dark places in our lives and still have joy, whereas in such places happiness deserts us. How do we do that? We choose joy. We choose how we see the events of life and how we respond to them. When life presents us with difficulties we can look at them in one of two ways: either as something from which we will be improved or made stronger in some way or as something that will destroy us. C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity states that throughout our lives God polishes us in many ways (with life's difficulties great and small) so that we might reflect God's love more perfectly. This is a joyful perspective worth choosing. It won't make us happier about going through the trials, but it will put them in perspective.

Now,  you're saying, but what about when people do horrible things to us (Paul called us "children of wrath" when we're at our worst and he was not wrong). When people have treated us horribly, we should see this as God's refining fire, but as humanity's deviation from God's will for us all. In these awful cases, however, how we respond will make a difference. We can either withdraw into ourselves and be devoured or we can reach out to the community God places around us all and seek help, both personal and professional, that we may be made whole again. The reaching out will take us down the path toward joy.

There is something we can do beyond making this critical choice that will bring us joy. God made us for community with others. Show compassion to others daily. Reach out to others in love and concern. Take the time away from the daily work to help others on their journey in this world. In working with others, in stopping to help them along the way, we will find joy (even when it means sitting down with them and crying with them in the bleak place they are in). Rarely will we discover how much we may have made a difference in people's lives, but it is surprising how much joy there is to be had from doing so.

Choose to live in joy today. The creator of the universe loves us and made us for joy. Take this great gift given freely and embrace it. Live joyfully and in doing so you will live well (not without troubles, there are no biblical promises that life will be easy, in fact the Bible tells us otherwise quite explicitly). You will live joyfully and spread that joy to others.

This is good news!

Happenings Today at ECBC

 Worship with Rev. Mark Mahserjian-Smith     10:00AM

After church Celebration for Sue Hegarty and her daughter Katy as they prepare to launch their new missionary work in Costa Rica. Our prayers go with them and we stand with them in this important work. 11:00AM

Maybe you should be thinking about volunteering for VBS from August 19-23!!!

See Pastor Joseph on who to talk to ... or me. I can tell you as I've already volunteered, Jeff S. 

Weekly Bible Verses: 2 Samuel 7: 1-16: Are you the one to build me a house to live in?

7

Now when the king was settled in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies around him, ²the king said to the prophet Nathan, “See now, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God stays in a tent.” ³Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that you have in mind; for the Lord is with you.”

⁴But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan: ⁵Go and tell my servant David: Thus says the Lord: Are you the one to build me a house to live in? ⁶I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent and a tabernacle. ⁷Wherever I have moved about among all the people of Israel, did I ever speak a word with any of the tribal leaders of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?” ⁸Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David: Thus says the Lord of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep to be prince over my people Israel; ⁹and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. ¹⁰And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and evildoers shall afflict them no more, as formerly, ¹¹from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. ¹²When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. ¹³He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. ¹⁴I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. When he commits iniquity, I will punish him with a rod such as mortals use, with blows inflicted by human beings. ¹⁵But I will not take my steadfast love from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you.¹⁶Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me; your throne shall be established forever.

'History is in the hands of a purposeful God'

 Some summer activity suggestions from the Executive Director of American Baptist Home Missions. Do you have some spare time you're looking to fill?

God bless you.

Weekly Bible Verses: Mark 6: 1-13: He was amazed at their unbelief

Mark 6 He left that place and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. ²On the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands! ³Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. ⁴Then Jesus said to them, “Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house.” ⁵And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. ⁶And he was amazed at their unbelief.
Then he went about among the villages teaching. ⁷He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. ⁸He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; ⁹but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics. ¹⁰He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. ¹¹If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” ¹²So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent. ¹³They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.

Weekly Bible Verses: Mark 5:21-45: Daughter, your faith has made you well

Mark 5: ²¹When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great crowd gathered around him; and he was by the sea. ²²Then one of the leaders of the synagogue named Jairus came and, when he saw him, fell at his feet ²³and begged him repeatedly, “My little daughter is at the point of death. Come and lay your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live.”
²⁴So he went with him. And a large crowd followed him and pressed in on him. ²⁵Now there was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years. ²⁶She had endured much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had; and she was no better, but rather grew worse. ²⁷She had heard about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, ²⁸for she said, “If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well.” ²⁹Immediately her hemorrhage stopped; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. ³⁰Immediately aware that power had gone forth from him, Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my clothes?” ³¹And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing in on you; how can you say, ‘Who touched me?’” ³²He looked all around to see who had done it. ³³But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. ³⁴He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.” ³⁵While he was still speaking, some people came from the leader’s house to say, “Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the teacher any further?” ³⁶But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the leader of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.” ³⁷He allowed no one to follow him except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. ³⁸When they came to the house of the leader of the synagogue, he saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. ³⁹When he had entered, he said to them, “Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping.” ⁴⁰And they laughed at him. Then he put them all outside, and took the child’s father and mother and those who were with him, and went in where the child was. ⁴¹He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha cum,” which means, “Little girl, get up!” ⁴²And immediately the girl got up and began to walk about (she was twelve years of age). At this they were overcome with amazement. ⁴³He strictly ordered them that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.