Worship Service at 10 a.m. on Father's Day

Sunday, June 16, 2019, Lansdowne Baptist Church will move to our summer worship hours. Sunday school will be going on summer vacation and the worship service in the sanctuary will begin at 10 a.,m. Looking forward to seeing you at the earlier hour and worshiping before the day gets too warm. 

See you soon. Consider yourself invited! 

Happy Father's Day too.

Experiencing Technical Difficulties with Our Video Camera

The old video camera we have been using to record sermons has finally given up the ghost. Considering it was a Kodak Play Sport, it really did well over many years. The pastor and his wife (who does the recording) will be looking for a new camera quickly and hope to return to recorded sermons very soon. In the meanwhile, the Beyond Loaves and Fishes live stream Bible study continues as planned. It does not rely on the Kodak to get the job done.

So, as they say (or used to) in the broadcast business: "Please stand by." 

Subscribe to the J.S. Brooks YouTube channel, click on the bell, and you'll receive updates as to the next live stream experience. Go to: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheJBSnyder

Have a Warm and Wonderful Weekend

Put aside the week's adventures and relax. Enjoy this weekend. Stay dry. Join us for church on Sunday morning at 11 a.m., when we will be exploring what Jesus meant when he said "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you." There's more to it than you might think! 

Enjoy Your Friday ... February 15, 2019

Enjoy your Friday ... and your Saturday. Enjoy us Sunday and see how Jesus wants us to knit together into a tight and loving community capable of doing great things and appreciating all our differences as gifts from God. Come and see! 

Sunday Sermon 1-27-19: Rejoice

Join us Sunday morning at 11 a.m. to discover exactly how the joy in the Lord is our strength, as Nehemiah tells us (Nehemiah 8:1-3, 8-10). See what that means for 21st century Christians and how it applies to our lives. All are welcome! 

First Sunday of Advent 2018

On Sunday, December 2, 2018, the first Sunday of Advent, we will explore what Jesus told us about his eventual return in triumph. From this, we discover how we should be living right here and right now. Come and see. All are invited and all are welcome.

Join us! 

Christmas Eve Service 2018

On Christmas Eve this year, we at LBC once again have a special treat for everyone who wishes to celebrate Jesus' birth. At 7 p.m. on Monday, December 24, 2018, we will offer a family-friendly variation on a service of lessons and carols. We will be singing, reading much-loved scripture passages and responses to those scriptures, hearing a brief meditation from the pastor, and closing with a beautiful, candlelit singing ofSilent Night. During this simple service, all who attend will be offered the opportunity to slow down, pause, and remember why we celebrate Christmas. It will be a time of worshipful release from the tension, the expectations, and the anxieties that so often accompany this busy Christmas season. Together we will experience the joy of Jesus' birth once again. All are invited to join us for the evening's joyous worship. 

Merry Christmas to you all! 

Sermon: Sunday, November 18, 2018: Beware That No One Leads You Astray

On Sunday, November 18, 2018, we'll explore what Jesus has to say about the permanence of the temple and of the incoming kingdom of God. We will discover reason for hope, gratitude and thanksgiving in the midst of a chaotic world. Join us and see. 

We will also sing a couple of old favorite hymns related to the Thanksgiving day celebration. 

Throne of Grace

Sermon for Sunday, October 14, 2018, based on Hebrew 4:12-16. Life is scary, and always has been. The first half of today's scripture reading is scary, and always has been. However, the second half of the reading tells us where to turn to leave fear behind. To whom can we turn to be courageous? Who is in our corner, ready to help us, and to be at our side when our judgment finally comes? Listen and find out.

Spider-Man: Matters of Heart: July 1, 2018

Sermon based on Luke 10:30-35, ending our summer superheroes series with Spider-Man. We focus on matters of the heart, whether we will have hearts cruel, calloused, or compassionate. It impacts everything we do and say. It influences the world around us and everyone we interact with. Watch and discover how.

Word of warning: we were located in our air conditioned office wing during our heat wave, which is a tighter space. While you'll hear the sermon entirely, the picture will move wildly as the camera person had to move from one location to another for late arrivals that morning.

Invitation: Join us for our new endeavor and in the new live stream community and Bible study we are creating. It is called Beyond Loaves and Fishes. Here's how to find it and participate in the half hour long Bible studies from the comfort of home.  To learn how to join us on the Beyond Loaves and Fishes live stream event tonight, take a look at the following blog post and follow the simple steps: https://lansdownebaptistchurch.blogspot.com/2018/05/beyond-loaves-fishes-livestream-bible.html

Further, if you like what you hear in this sermon or if the Bible study intrigues you, drop by Sunday morning if you are close to Lansdowne, PA, and join us for worship. All are welcome. See this blog site for hours.

Catching Fire

Sermon based on Acts 2:1-13, telling the story of Pentecost and the power of the Holy Spirit. Be careful watching this one: the Holy Spirit goes where the Spirit wills, and powerfully!

Palm Sunday and Easter 2017

You are invited to worship with us as we celebrate Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem this Palm Sunday and again on Easter Sunday when we rejoice over our risen Savior and all he has done for us. Come for these joyous celebrations including familiar, stirring hymns, Scripture readings and inspiring sermons applicable to our daily lives. Worship begins at 11 a.m. in our sanctuary. We hope to see you there.

May the peace and blessing of God be upon you during this Holy Week and always.

New Beginnings

Genesis 1: In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, ²the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters.

³Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. ⁴And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.⁵God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

It is amazing the theological depths contained within these five verses and those that follow in Genesis 1-2:4. The sermon begins with a reminder of what is possible when faithful people work together to support those in need in our community. 

Leap of Faith

Here is a suggestion on how to face all the uncertainties of the new year, following Mary's example during the wedding at Cana. Wishing you all a blessed year.

Rejoice Always

The apostle Paul calls you to rejoice this Christmas season, and throughout the year. It's a matter of trust and a defiance of fear. It's also a healthy way to live. Wishing you a blessed Christmas.

Good News

There is surprisingly, wonderfully good news for you coming from a long ago prophet who appeared long after the age of prophets was thought to be done. He brought news of the coming of one who the people of Israel had longed for over many generations. We live in a different world because of this news.

Loving Boldly

Presented for your consideration, a challenge to love the outcast and the downtrodden. This challenge comes from one of the most potentially unnerving passages in the New Testament. Give it a listen and "hear" for yourself. God bless you.

Recommended Reading for Clarity

There is a lot of confusion out there today about Christianity and the Bible, where the Bible came from, how it is interpreted, what it has to say about specific topics, and more. Here are a few books that will provide some clarity for the truly curious.

For an introduction to the faith, try:

Nouwen, Henri J.M. Life of the Beloved. Spiritual Living in a Secular World. New York: The Crossroad Publishing Company, 1992.

To come to grips with the powerful love of God for humanity, read:

Nouwen, Henri J.M. The Return of the Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming. New York: Doubleday, 1994.

To approach the Bible with insight and clarity, the following are suggested:

Brash, Donald J. The Indispensable Guide to God's Word. Cleveland, Ohio: The Pilgrim Press, 2010.
Davis, Ellen F. & Richard B. Hays, eds. The Art of Reading Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2003.

To better understand where the sixty-six book library of the Bible came from and what a great stretch of time is covered in those books, see:

Lightfoot, Neil R. How We Got the Bible. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 1963, 1988, 2003.

Tackling some of the most challenging passages from the apostle Paul is:

Brauch, Manfred T. Hard Sayings of Paul. Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 1989.

To understand the complex imagery used in the Bible, and to understand slavery in biblical terms, read:

Ryken, Leland, James C. Wilhoit, and Tremper Longman III, eds. Dictionary of Biblical Imagery: An Encyclopedic Exploration of the Images, Symbols, Motifs, Metaphors, Figures of Speech, and Literary Patterns of the Bible. Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press USA, 1998.

To grapple with the relationship of slaves with Christianity in the Antebellum South, read;

Raboteau, Albert J. Slave Religion: The "Invisible Institution" in the Antebellum South. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1978, 2004.

Please see the bibliographies of all of the above sources for additional reference material.

For the history of the American Baptist Churches USA denomination, including our fight against the vile historical institution of slavery in the U.S., read:

http://www.abc-usa.org/what_we_believe/our-history/

To understand how American Baptist Churches USA fights modern day human trafficking (slavery) today, read:

http://www.abc-usa.org/2013/12/12/abhms-endorses-iccrs-statement-against-human-trafficking/

Finally, if you wish to use study Bibles to dig deeper, see:

Coogan, Michael D., ed. The New Oxford Annotated Bible. New Revised Standard Version. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001.

Since there are a number of sermons available on this site, if you would like some understanding on what is involved in creating a weekly sermon, read:

Allen, Ronald J. Patterns of Preaching: A Sermon Sampler. St. Louis, Missouri: Chalice Press, 1998.

and

Tizon, Al. Missional Preaching: Engage, Embrace, Transform. Valley Forge, Pennsylvania: Judson Press, 2012.

Who Will You Serve

Stewardship sermon based on Joshua 24:14-25. It was a challenging question for the people of Israel back in Joshua's day and remains just as challenging for us. The "little g gods" may have changed, but the importance of the challenge and the response of each of us remains the same. God bless you as you ponder the question.

For a creative little piece on stewardship by a friend and fellow pastor, see: http://lansdownebaptistchurch.blogspot.com/2014/10/daily-vlog-299-made-to-give-60ssss.html

Daily Vlog #299 Made to Give (60sSSS)

My friend a fellow pastor John Inverso explains generous giving in this stewardship season in his sixty second sermon summary. Perfect, just perfect.