How Do We Go

Sermon based on Matthew 28:16-20, where Jesus bestows the great commission upon his disciples and all Christian disciples of all ages. The question arises, how in the world to we fill this tall order? Well, we can turn as a congregation to a surprising source for modeling cooperative efforts. What source this that? Watch and see. I hope you'll have some fun with this one.

Special thanks to my wife, who films these sermons, for going above and beyond the call of duty by holding the camera in hand when the tripod failed. That's fantastic dedication. I can't thank her enough. 

Benefit of Being Righteous

A brief meditation on being a righteous person, which is a person who is in right relationship with God and with humanity (a pretty tall order when you think it through). 

Then justice will dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness abide in the fruitful field. The effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever. ~Isaiah 32:16-17

Living Between Expectation & Experience

Rev. Dr. Harold Trulear spoke to Lansdowne Baptist Church about how we may assist individuals who have been incarcerated and their families. It is an important and powerful message. He also has something to say to those who would dismiss prisoners as "bad people" who should be ignored. Please watch.

At the end of the sermon, Rev. Dr. Trulear invited individuals with family members in prison to come forward for a prayer. This was a powerful moment for everyone as ten people came forward. One person was in tears, feeling until that moment that she was suffering alone. That prayer is not recorded here as those people were not asked in advance if they cared to be filmed.

Sea Salt & Bushel Baskets

Sermon based on Matthew 5:13-20, encouraging Jesus' disciples and us to not hide our faith away, but share it, being salt and light, savor and illumination, willing to mix into the culture in positive ways. Sermon delivered February 5, 2017.

Fishers of People

Sermon based on Matthew 4:12-23, in which Jesus moves to Capernaum, gathers his first disciples, and we explore what discipleship means. Further, the sermon includes the discipline of non-violent communication as one way to be modern-day fishers of people. Are you in? How will you respond when Jesus asks you to "Follow me" and states, "I will make you fishers of people."

Ah Ha Moment

Sermon based on John 1:29-42, in which John the Baptist has a particular Ah Ha moment that has reverberated down through the centuries. What will be yours?

Faith Described

A moment for inspiration from the book of Hebrews, a sermon written to a troubled people somewhere between 60 and 100 A.D. Times and technology may change, but some issues are eternal. The following is a beautiful short description of faith:

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval. By faith we understood that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible. 

End of School Year Bash Was a Blast!

Lansdowne Baptist Church kicked off our summer season with our annual End of the School Year Bash. We had a great deal of fun with our congregational family, friends, and neighbors (just so you know, when LBC holds an outdoor event on our most wonderful piece of property--the lawn at the corner of Lansdowne and East LaCrosse Avenues, you are invited to join us there). The day started off with a brand new project, our youth raised bed vegetable and flower gardens (it was three beds that day, but due to God's abundance and the powerful movement of His Holy Spirit, we now have four beds). The children and youth planted our vegetables in anticipation of the coming harvest. We plan to share the produce with our kids and the local Interfaith Food Cupboard this fall, God willing. We had lunch using our locally famous lemonade stand. Then the pastor did a little Christian clowning and discovered the fun of involving more of the audience in the performance. This was followed by some terrific games (the flying disc toss trying to ring traffic cones was particularly popular with kids and adults alike). Then came our next new event, a pony ride for the kids. Some children were so in love with this event they rode that pony four or five times in the hour she was with us.

I want to take a moment to say a great big thank you to everyone who made this event so successful and memorable. All of your hard work and preparation and involvement are greatly appreciated. We could not do this without each and every one of you.

It was a blessed day and we look forward to doing it again next year. Who knows what new things we'll have added by that time? Come and find out. You are always welcome.

Powerful Statement from Our Denomination Following the Shootings in Orlando

American Baptist Churches USA is the most diverse denomination in the United States. Our churches have a great deal of autonomy, we are equally divided between Democrats and Republicans, and we have varying interpretations of particular passages that have been the focus of recent cultural and religious debated.

Yet, in the midst of turmoil, our leadership provided the following powerful message of love. Please follow this link and read: http://www.abc-usa.org/2016/06/17/abc-interim-general-secretary-addresses-orlando-shooting/

A few highlights:

We offer our deepest sympathy to the families and friends of the victims of the horrible tragedy in Orlando. We extend love to those of our family directly affected. We grieve with our American Baptist brothers and sisters who are part of the LGBTQ community. My message to them is, never mistake our debates and disagreements with the depth of our love for you as part of our family. To the rest of the ABC family my message is, even in the midst of profound disagreement, let us love as Christ loved. 

~Interim General Secretary Dr. Susan Gillies

Following Gillies remarks, Rev. Judy Fackenthal said, “As President of ABCUSA, I concur with Interim General Secretary Susan Gillies that any act of violence against any part of the human family is fully outside the vision of God’s gracious love for all people. While American Baptists may not agree on a wide variety of issues, we claim God’s love as a just and all-encompassing love. I pray for the people of Orlando, particularly the LGBTQ community as well as the Hispanic community that has been particularly affected by this horrific violence. May we work together to seek to end hate and the outcomes associated with it.”


“The events of last week hurt me deeply, as a Christian, Baptist and as a Puerto Rican,” said Dr. Josue D. Gómez-Menéndez, vice president of ABC. “At this time I would like to express my solidarity with all the people who are suffering from the effects of violence, misconceptions and separation. In the end what we discover in the depth of love is that we find our essence and human reality, our claim to the dignity of the human being and our real choice to reflect Jesus in every step.”

Penmanship Epiphany

Years ago, my grade school teacher told me to loosen my grip on my pen if I wanted better penmanship. It has taken me all these years to realize she was asking me to following the often repeated biblical admonition, "Do not be afraid." If I'd just loosen up a bit, trust in the guidance given and tools received, life (and penmanship) would improve markedly. Sure enough, a looser hold on a pen and life brings greater results. However, white knuckling it through writing and life are hard habits to break!

Wishing you all the blessings of a life far freer of fear. 

Working for Reconciliation in Volatile Times

People are unhappy, on edge, concerned, worried about the present and the future, doubtful, feeling left behind in many cases, and it makes us short-tempered. Henry J.M. Nouwen, in his daily devotional Bread for the Journey, explores a different way of living, a more biblical and peaceful way, even in these volatile, uncertain times. Following Nouwen's ideas and his biblical approach, we may reconcile ourselves to each other, creating hope and peace where anger and suspicion have taken up residence. He wrote:

Essential to the work of reconciliation is a nonjudgmental presence. We are not sent to the world to judge, to condemn, to evaluate, to classify, or to label. When we walk around as if we have to make up our minds about people and tell them what is wrong with them and how they should change, we only create more division. Jesus says it clearly, "Be compassionate just as your Father is compassionate. Do not judge, ... do not condemn, ... forgive" (Luke 6:36-37).

Give it a shot and see if it doesn't give you an attitude adjustment. If you are anywhere near Lansdowne, Pennsylvania, on a Sunday morning, stop by the church and let me know how you did. You'll be most welcome ... and you won't be judged, condemned, evaluated, classified or labeled. I promise.

~Rev. Jeff Snyder 

Who Was I?

Sermon based on Acts 11:1-18 in which Peter, minding his own business in Joppa has an extraordinary vision, challenging his understanding of what is clean and proper. After that shocking moment, he is called by three Gentile men (Gentile grossly defined as "not us") representing the Roman centurion Cornelius. Peter and his crew are called to Caesarea to confer and eat with Cornelius and his family. Back home in Jerusalem, a faction of Christians are angry with Peter and insist he explain himself. A powerful moment comes when Peter sums up with the powerful question "who was I that I could hinder God?"

An exploration of the power of the Holy Spirit and consideration of where the Spirit might be leading us today. Listen, pray, and consider making Peter's question your own.

LBC's Inside Out Artwork Revealed

Lansdowne Baptist Church is pleased to reveal the Philadelphia Museum of Art's Inside Out artwork on our lawn. It is The Annunciation by Henry Ossawa Tanner, painted in 1898. In this compelling painting Mary discovers from the angel Gabriel that she has been chosen by God to be the mother of Jesus. Come on by and see this beautiful work personally.

This image faces Lansdowne Avenue. Lansdowne Baptist is at the corner of Lansdowne Avenue and East LaCrosse Avenue. Everyone is also invited to come worship with us on Sunday and see the artwork found in our sanctuary ... and to enjoy our welcoming people, some of God's living works of art.

For more information, please see: lansdownebaptistchurch.blogspot.com/2016/04/participating-in-inside-out-program.html

Join Us For Easter Sunday

Lansdowne Baptist Church will be celebrating Jesus' triumph over death and the very worst humanity could throw at him. He triumphed for all of us, past, present, and future. If you do not have a church home and will be in the area, we encourage you to join us in our celebration. Favorite hymns will be sung, Scripture will be read, and a rousing sermon will be given. You will be met by a warm and welcoming congregation.

Be careful though, the joy of Easter is highly contagious.

See you Sunday.

~Rev. Jeff Snyder

I Will Be With You

Sermon based on Isaiah 43:1-7, in which the prophet assures the people
of Israel that, despite their exile among the fearsome Babylonians, God
remains with them and will lead them forward. The same applies to the
church today. God is calling us forward into new fields of ministry. To
survive, we must move forward, following God's call, assured that God
loves us and goes with us.

Finding Peace in Trust

Sermon based on Job 38:1-7: like Job (and unlike his friends) we can find peace by placing our faith in God and God's ways. It beats trying to go it alone or believing what society might have to say about us, especially in difficult times.

What Must I Do

Sermon based on Mark 10:17-31, in which the "rich young ruler" as he has so often been called asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus' response is a call to us all to a new way of living in the here and now. Jesus also messes with the social order, as you will see.

Meditation on Joy

I recently ran across an article stating that the Yale Center for Faith and Culture has been studying joy since 2014. This gave me joy. It is one of my favorite topics related to my faith. The scholars say that knowledge of God’s Word produces joy, and I believe it. All through seminary, I discovered that the more I learned about my faith and the more deeply I explored the spiritual disciplines, the greater my joy grew. Did you know that joy is mentioned over 400 times in the Bible? Yet it so rarely comes up in modern discussions. As Nehemiah wrote (8:10): “Go your way, eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions of them to those for whom nothing is prepared, for this day is holy to our Lord; and do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” Joy comes from life with God. We do not seek it ourselves but are given joy as a gift by God, a gift of salvation. Joy fills us, makes the heart leap (Psalm 28:7) and fills the tongue with “songs of joy” (Psalm 126:2). Joy comes when we repent from wrongdoing and return home to God from guilty, wayward paths. In fact, turning away from wrongdoing, calling out for forgiveness from God, brings rejoicing in heaven, as Jesus tells us in Luke 15:10. Paul calls on all us Christians to “Rejoice in hope” (Romans 12:12). Good works done for humanity out of love of God and all God has done for us produces joy. Numerous Bible verses declare that the “deep power of joy” is that joy is more powerful, more constant, and more enduring than the adverse circumstances of life. So, live with joy. Stand out as a joyful presence in a society so often dour and afraid. Let your joy be a light to others, bringing them out of darkness and into the joyful presence of God.

~ Pastor Jeff Snyder

Experiencing the Pope's Weekend in Philadelphia

The Pope’s visit to Philadelphia was a joyous event that was long anticipated by everyone in the city. Part of what it meant for the many employees in the Food and Nutrition Department at Philadelphia Hospital was a long weekend away from home. We were requested to sleep over in the building from Thursday, September 24^th, until Monday, September 28^th. There were many concerns with the situation, including sleeping accommodations, showering, meals, work hours, laundry and the like. Weekly “Papal Visit” employee meetings took place regularly starting in August, and the closer we came to the event, the more at ease everyone seemed.

The Hospital did a great job organizing our workforce and taking care of those concerns. Clean linen, brand new air mattresses and pillows, and gift bags were among the items given out. Free meals, bingo and other games, movie nights, theater-screen-sized television with feeds for all the events, and even NFL football broadcasts, helped everyone adjust to the sacrifices made to ensure a smooth operation during the minor Center City shutdown that took place. I have to commend our “PA Hospital Papal Visit Committee” for their efforts. It was amazing to see the teamwork from all departments during the long weekend.

Between working ten hours a day, providing ‘round the clock meals for all of our “stay-over staff,” I actually had the opportunity to attend the Saturday’s Pope Ceremonial events, around the Ben Franklin Parkway area. There were so many people of different faiths in attendance, including Jews, Baptists, Muslims, and Buddhists, along with the Catholics, and that’s just naming a few, in attendance to experience this global event. I could hear people having conversations about the Pope, Catholicism, religious beliefs, gay marriage, and many other issues. Some very deep and important discussions were taking place, sometimes between complete strangers. There was a spirit of love, unity, and respect that seemed to be present in the air and once the Pope arrived, there was tremendous excitement in actually seeing him in person as he passed by the crowds lining the streets. For me, it was a highlight of my long weekend.

I finally got to go home on Monday afternoon. I was tired, and my feet were sore, but I felt good. I was very proud of my co-workers, and also proud of a few thousand random people on the Ben Franklin Parkway, that happened to share a once-in-a-lifetime experience with me.

~Will Thompson

God's Blessing for You

God bless you and keep you.
God's face shine upon you and be gracious to you.
God look upon you with love and give you peace. 

Numbers 6:24-26

May this blessing warm your heart, put a spring in your step, and give you joy.

From your friends at Lansdowne Baptist Church