Hello OCBC family,
“Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen, and called its name Ebenezer, saying, ‘Thus far the Lord has helped us.’” (1 Samuel 7:12).

In this passage, we see that Samuel set a rock as a memorial for what the Lord did against Israel’s enemies, the Philistines. The Lord, and He alone, was able to deliver His people. If you read the previous verses, you can see that it was God who scared the Philistines, they fled from God’s presence, and just after that, the brave men of Israel were able to defeat their enemy. Then, we see this wonderful act of worship performed by Samuel, setting this stone, so people will remember God’s help for His children. Now, what does Ebenezer mean? Simple, “rock of help.”

The Lord has been faithful to us, as well, therefore, we can have our own “Ebenezer,” memories when we had a hard time and the Lord helped us and delivered us from our enemies. Ebenezer can be the perfect Word of God, because we can find in it the help that we need for our daily tasks. Even more, Jesus himself is our “Ebenezer.” He is our “Stone of help.”

This verse is the basis for the hymn, “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing.” The author was Robert Robinson. Robinson had a rough beginning. His father died when Robert was very young and his mother sent him to London to learn barbering, but instead, he learned to drink and be part of a gang. But, God had a different plan for this young man, and he was able to listen to George Whitefield in one of his evangelistic meetings. On that night, Whitefield was preaching form Matthew 3:7, “But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, ‘Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?’” And Whitefield exclaimed, “Oh, my hearers! The wrath to come! The wrath to come!”

Robert knew that Whitefield was preaching to him, but this journey took three years, and on December 10, 1755, he repented and gave his life to Jesus.

Robert soon entered the ministry, and while serving at a Calvinist Methodist Chapel in Norfolk, he wrote a hymn for his sermon on Pentecost Sunday. The name of this hymn, “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing.”

“Come, Thou Fount of ev'ry blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise:
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above;
Praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it,
Mount of Thy redeeming love.”

The second verse is where Robinson quoted 1 Samuel’s passage.

“Here I raise mine Ebenezer;
Hither by Thy help I'm come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home:
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wand'ring from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood.”

I must share with you all that in the hymnal that we use at OCBC, the second stanza wording is different, at least the first half.

“Hitherto thy love has blessed me,
thou hast drawn me to this place;
and I know thy hand will lead me
safely home by thy good grace.”

This is the reason, when we sing this lovely hymn, we keep the original lyrics on the screen.

Returning to the life of Robert Robinson, we know that sadly, later in life, he wandered from his faith. By God’s providence, Robert was traveling in a stage coach with a young lady as his companion. Suddenly, she started to share with him what a blessing had been for her a hymn called, “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing.” She asked him what his thought about this hymn were, and Robert said to her, “Madam, I am the poor unhappy man who wrote that hymn many years ago, and I would give a thousand worlds, if I had them, to enjoy the feelings I had then.” Then, she answered him, “Sir, the ‘streams of mercy’ are still flowing.” After this encounter, he repented and returned to ministry.

Robert passed away peacefully at the age of 54.

“O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be!
Let Thy grace, Lord, like a fetter,
Bind my wand'ring heart to Thee:
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here's my heart, Lord, take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.”

Please, sing this hymn, use it as a prayer, learn from it and remember your Ebenezer.
​
In His service,
Israel

Hello OCBC family,
“Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation” (Isaiah 12:2)

This passage is part of a song of worship by Isaiah, a passage that points out that God is our salvation, therefore we can trust in Him, even during difficult times. As a musician, this passage gives me some words of encouragement, because Isaiah says that Lord Jehovah is my (our) strength but also my (our) song. Therefore, when we sing praises to the Lord, we say that he is our strength and our salvation. This is a wonderful picture of the joy of the people when Jesus comes to reign over the earth. And this passage is the basis for the hymn that we sang last week, “I Greet Thee Who My Sure Redeemer Art.”

“I greet Thee, who my sure Redeemer art,
my only trust and Savior of my heart,
who pain didst undergo for my poor sake;
I pray Thee from our hearts all cares to take.”

This loved hymn has a deep theology, and the author is putting all his trust in the Lord alone. But, who wrote this hymn? For many years, hymnologists thought that this hymn was written by John Calvin, but it is not true. The connection of the French theologian with this hymn is because it became very popular in the Genevan Psalter created in 1551, but the hymn itself was written in 1545.

“Thou art the King of mercy and of grace,
reigning omnipotent in every place:
so come, O King, and our whole being sway;
shine on us with the light of thy pure day.”

The lyrics that we sing in our worship services were written by Elizabeth L. Smith, born in 1817, daughter of Dr. W. Allen, President of Dartmouth University. Then she married in 1843 to Dr. H. B. Smith, who became Professor in Union Theological Seminary, New York, in 1850. She translated many hymns into English.

“Thou art the Life, by which alone we live,
and all our substance and our strength receive;
O comfort us in death's approaching hour,
strong-hearted then to face it by Thy pow'r.”

The tune is a very easy tune to sing, and it was originally used to sing a meter version of Psalm 124. The name of the tune is Toulon. The composer was Louis Bourgeois, a French musician that wrote many melodies for the Genevan Psalter.

“Thou hast the true and perfect gentleness,
no harshness hast Thou and no bitterness:
make us to taste the sweet grace found in Thee
and ever stay in Thy sweet unity.”

Let me share with you the words of Paul from Galatians 1:4, “Who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father.”

“Our hope is in no other save in Thee;
our faith is built upon Thy promise free;
O grant to us such stronger hope and sure
that we can boldly conquer and endure.”

Trust in the Lord, dear brother and sister, don’t be afraid, he is your strength, your song, and your salvation.
​
In His service,
Israel

Hello OCBC family,
“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20).

In this passage, we see our position during the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ and the result of this. God looks at us as if we had died with Christ, and because our sins die with him, we are no longer in condemnation. We became one with Christ. We were dead in our sins, but now we are alive in Him. What a wonderful message for us. Nevertheless, we must crucify our sinful desires daily and follow our Master.

This is the message of this modern hymn, “My Worth Is Not in What I Own.”

“My worth is not in what I own,
Not in the strength of flesh and bone.
But in the costly wounds of love
At the cross.

My worth is not in skill or name,
In win or lose, in pride or shame,
But in the blood of Christ that flowed
At the cross.”

This hymn was written as response to the contemporary culture that we are living in right now. Our modern society thinks that fame and strength of flesh are the purpose of life. But for the believers, our strength is in Christ alone.

The authors of this hymn are the Gettys, Keith and Kristyn, modern hymn writers, and their close friend, Graham Kendrick. The Gettys are from the United Kingdom, and even though we are living in a time where Christian music has poor theology, the Gettys have worked hard to prepare modern hymns with sound doctrine, and today’s hymn is the proof of that.

“As summer flowers, we fade and die;
Fame, youth, and beauty hurry by,
But life eternal calls to us
At the cross.

I will not boast in wealth or might,
Or human wisdom's fleeting light,
But I will boast in knowing Christ
At the cross.”

The Gettys, in their new hymnal “Sing”, say this about their own hymn. “This hymn sets our focus on the cross as the place where we understand our full identity and value. It uniquely helps us to join the dots between the gospel and our time, talents, and treasure.”

“Two wonders here that I confess;
My worth and my unworthiness,
My value fixed, my ransom paid
At the cross.

I rejoice in my Redeemer,
Greatest treasure, wellspring of my soul.
I will trust in Him, no other;
My soul is satisfied in Him alone.”

Let the words of the apostle Paul echo in your own lives. “And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.” (Romans 8:10).
​
In His service,
Israel
 

Hello OCBC family,
“Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul! While I live I will praise the LORD; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.” (Psalm 146:1-2).

This wonderful Psalm is part of the last five Psalms of the Psalter, and the mark of these five psalms is that each one begins and end with the phrase, “Praise the Lord” (Hallelujah). This is an anonymous psalm, but some scholars believed that David was the author, and the reason is because on Psalm 103, which is by David, used almost the same words at opening, “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name.” (Psalm 103:1). The psalmist is encouraging to the people of Israel to don’t trust in princes but in the Lord, and this is a message for our own time. We must trust in the Lord during hard times and not on something else. Why? Because “the LORD will reign forever.” (v. 10).

This message from the psalm is the same message of the hymn of the blind author Fanny Crosby, “Praise Him! Praise Him!”

“Praise Him! praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer!
Sing, O earth, His wonderful love proclaim!
Hail Him! hail Him! highest archangels in glory,
Strength and honor give to His holy name!
Like a shepherd, Jesus will guard His children;
In His arms He carries them all day long:
Praise Him! praise Him! tell of His excellent greatness!
Praise Him! praise Him! ever in joyful song!”

Fanny Crosby was very popular in her time because she was a very prolific poet and hymn writer. She was always writing a new poem or hymn for her personal collection or for some songbooks. This hymn, for example, was written for a children songbook. Pay attention to the lyrics, that even thought this hymn was written for children, it has a sound doctrine.

“Praise Him! praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer!
For our sins, He suffered and bled and died;
He our Rock, our hope of eternal salvation,
Hail Him! hail Him! Jesus the crucified:
Sound His praises! Jesus who bore our sorrows,
Love unbounded, wonderful, deep, and strong
Praise Him! praise Him! tell of His excellent greatness!
Praise Him! praise Him! ever in joyful song!”

Perhaps you heard me in the past saying this about Fanny Crosby, but she wrote over eight thousand hymns.

The melody of this hymn is called “Joyful Song” by Chester G. Allen, a music educator and a publisher of several songbooks for Sunday school material.

“Praise Him! praise Him! Jesus, our blessed Redeemer!
Heav'nly portals loud with hosannas ring!
Jesus, Savior, reigneth forever and ever;
Crown Him! crown Him! prophet and priest and King!
Christ is coming, over the world victorious,
Pow'r and glory unto the Lord belong:
Praise Him! praise Him! tell of His excellent greatness!
Praise Him! praise Him! ever in joyful song!”

Trust in the Lord always and sing a joyful song for his glory.

“Praise the LORD.” (Psalm 146:10b).
​
In His service,
Israel

Hello OCBC family,
“Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9).

What a powerful passage and wonderful promise that God made to Joshua, and it can be applied to our own lives. The Lord is always with us, during good times and hard times; his presence is always near so we can face any situation, and this was the message that Harry Emerson Fosdick shared with us through his hymn “God of Grace and God of Glory.”

“God of grace and God of glory,
on Thy people pour Thy pow'r;
crown Thine ancient church's story,
bring her bud to glorious flow'r.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
for the facing of this hour,
for the facing of this hour.”

Fosdick was a pastor in the early twentieth century, at­tend­ed Col­gate Un­i­ver­si­ty, Un­ion The­o­lo­gic­al Sem­in­a­ry, and Co­lum­bia Un­i­ver­si­ty. His ordination was in 1903 and was a faithful pastor in several churches like First Bap­tist Church in Mont­clair, New Jer­sey, from 1904 to 1915. He wrote several hymns and books, but he is famous for this one. This hymn was written for the construction of Riverside Church in New York City.

“Lo! the hosts of evil round us
scorn Thy Christ, assail His ways!
Fears and doubts too long have bound us,
free our hearts to faith and praise.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
for the living of these days,
for the living of these days.”

The melody is the very familiar melody of the other loved hymn, “Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah.”

“Set our feet on lofty places,
Gird our lives that they may be,
Armored with all Christ-like graces,
In the fight to set men free.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
That we fail not man nor Thee,
That we fail not man nor Thee.”

Dear saint, you might have a hard time right now, but trust in the Lord during these days, because, after all, he is the God of grace and the God of glory.
​
In His service,
Israel

Hello OCBC family,
“Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with loving kindness I have drawn you.” (Jeremiah 31:3).

This passage from Jeremiah shows us the everlasting love that the Lord has for His people; in this context, He is talking to Israel, but this everlasting love is for those who are now in Christ. God’s love was always based on grace. And that is why the phrase "The Love of God" is both sweet and powerful. It is something that cannot be fully described or understood but is received with humility. And this is Frederick Lehman's message.

Frederick Lehaman was from Germany, but he and his family moved to America when he was four years old, settling down in Iowa. At the age of eleven he became a Christian, went to seminary and became pastor. But his greatest love was gospel music. He was able to create five songbooks.

In 1917, his financials were bad and he went to work for a packing factory in Pasadena, California, packing oranges and lemons. On day, while he was working, during the break, an inspiration came and some words came to him and he started to write them down, which became the famous hymn, “The Love of God.”

“The love of God is greater far
than tongue or pen can ever tell;
it goes beyond the highest star,
and reaches to the lowest hell;
the guilty pair, bowed down with care,
God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled,
and pardoned from his sin.”

He arrived home that evening, sat at the piano and composed the familiar melody that we know and love. Just one little problem, gospel hymns at that time “must” have three stanzas, and Frederick only had two for this particular hymn.

“When years of time shall pass away
and earthly thrones and kingdoms fall,
when men who here refuse to pray,
on rocks and hills and mountains call,
God’s love so pure shall still endure,
all measureless and strong;
redeeming grace to Adam's race--
the saints’ and angels’ song.”

What did Frederick do to complete his hymn with a third stanza? He remembers a verse that a pastor used in an illustration, anonymous lyrics founded on the wall of an insane asylum, written by an unknown inmate. Some people might say that the author of this last verse was an eleventh-century Jewish poet in Germany named Meir Ben Isaac.

“Could we with ink the ocean fill
and were the skies of parchment made,
were ev’ry stalk on earth a quill
and ev’ry man a scribe by trade,
to write the love of God above
would drain the ocean dry;
nor could the scroll contain the whole,
tho' stretched from sky to sky.”

Frederick Lehman dies in 1953 in California, but he never forgot about the love of God, rich and pure.

“O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure:
the saints’ and angels’ song!”
​
In His service,
Israel

Hello OCBC family,
“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!” (Romans 11:33).
​
This passage can give us a spirit of worship, reverence, and even awe, understanding that our God is beyond our comprehension, and yet we can worship Him and offer this doxology. This doxology is a prayer to God for the wisdom of His plan. He governs the entire universe and our lives in perfect wisdom, justice, and love. This same passage was the inspiration for William Cowper (pronounced "Cooper”) when he wrote his famous hymn, “God Moves in a Mysterious Way.”

He wrote many poems that became hymns, and worked very close with his friend, John Newton, the author of “Amazing Grace.” But he has a problem, chronic depression, and we can find this problem in the words of his own hymns.

“God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
He plants His footsteps in the sea
and rides upon the storm.”

He and John Newton worked together for long time in a church in Olney, and when John Newton left that church to become London’s most celebrated pastor, Willam Cowper suffered another blow. Then, he decided to become more a secular writer, earning a prominent place in English literature. He was praised for his translation of Homer.

At the end of his life, his depression intensified as he aged and died in this melancholia. Nevertheless, before his passing, people shared that his face suddenly lit up as he exclaimed, “I am not shut out of heaven after all.”

We know, (because of his hymns) that William Cowper didn’t understand God completely (who can?), but he trusted in his Lord without a doubt, after all God is His own interpreter.

“Blind unbelief is sure to err,
and scan His work in vain;
God is His own interpreter,
and He will make it plain.”

Trust in the Lord, because he is near.

” Jesus answered and said to him, ‘What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.’” (John 13:7).

In His service,
Israel

Hello OCBC family,
“Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23)

This loved passage is in the middle of the book of Lamentation, where the author, under the inspiration of the Holy spirit, is sharing to believers that it is just because of the Lord’s mercies that we aren’t consumed. His compassions, or mercies in ESV, never come to end. And it is very interesting that every day comes to an end, but the next day, we can experience, again, his compassion. Yes, every day presents us with a new opportunity to discover more of God’s love. The author of the book of Lamentations was suffering great sorrow, but he also was looking for signs of mercy.

This passage was the inspiration to Thomas O. Chisholm, who was born in a log cabin in Kentucky in 1866. He became a school teacher at the age of 16 and became a Christian at the age of 26. He had problems with his health, and he had to jump from work to work; he did everything from journalism to insurance to evangelistic work.

Thomas Chisholm loved to write poems, and many of his poems became hymns, and his famous one is “Great Is Thy Faithfulness.” We love to sing this hymn, the words are powerful, but Thomas himself confessed that there is not a dramatic story behind the writing of this hymn. He just loved to write poems, and this one was sent to his friend William M. Runyan, a musician who was moved by this poem. According Runyan, he prayed to God for guidance to compose a right melody for Thomas’ lyrics, and God answered his prayer. The hymn was published in 1923.

The popularity of the hymn was very slow at the beginning, until George Beverly Shea introduced it during one of the Billy Graham’s crusades, and then “Great is Thy Faithfulness” became the beloved hymn for many. It has been translated into several languages, and it is one of the few hymns that can be used for regular services, Thanksgiving service, weddings and funerals.

Thomas died in Ocean Park in 1960, and he wrote more than 1,200 poems and hymns.

1. Great is Thy faithfulness, O God, my Father,
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever wilt be.

2. Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon, and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love.

3. Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed, Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me!

We just started a new year, 2026; 2025 is gone, but the mercies of our Lord are new every morning.

Let us repeat with the prophet, “great is Your faithfulness.”
​
In His service,
Israel

Hello OCBC family,
“So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12).
Another year is passing by, and a new year is coming to us. A new year brings many opportunities, new resolutions, new plans. But our goal should be that this coming year must be dedicated to the Lord.

“Another year is dawning:
Dear Father, let it be,
In working or in waiting,
Another year with Thee;
Another year of progress,
Another year of praise,
Another year of proving
Thy presence all the days.”

This poem was written by Frances R. Havergal, a daughter of William Henry Havergal, clergyman of the Anglican church, hymnwriter, composer, and her brother, Henry East Havergal, was a priest of the Anglican church and an organist, so Frances was under the influence of spiritual disciplines and music from a very early age.

She wrote several hymns, and the most well know hymn by her is “Take My Life and Let It Be.” Her religious view and theology were Calvinist, and you can read this influence in her hymns.

“Another year of mercies,
Of faithfulness and grace;
Another year of gladness
In the shining of Thy face;
Another year of leaning
Upon Thy loving breast;
Another year of trusting,
Of quiet, happy rest.”

In this particular hymn, Frances put her trust in the Lord alone, and this became so real for her, because she wrote this poem for the beginning of 1874, and few months after, a publishing house in America, with a promise for her to be part of the authors of this company, sent her a letter saying that this publishing company had gone bankrupt in the Stock Marker crash of 1873. Frances, nevertheless, still trusted in the Lord.

This remind me of the words of Paul in the book of Romans, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28).

“Another year of service,
Of witness for Thy love;
Another year of training
For holier work above.
Another year is dawning:
Dear Father, let it be,
On earth or else in heaven,
Another year for Thee.”

Sing this hymn during this season of New Year, and if you don’t know the melody, just use the melody of the very well know hymn “The Church’s One Foundation.”

May the Lord bless you in 2026.
​
In His service,
Israel
 

Hello OCBC family,
“And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” (Matthew 2:11).

“Adeste Fideles laeti triumphantes,
Veníte, veníte in Bethlehem.
Natum vidéte, Regem Angelorum:
Veníte adoremus,
Veníte adoremus
Veníte adoremus Dóminum.”

Are you familiar with these lyrics? Perhaps not, at least in Latin, but in English, these words are the first stanza of the very familiar and very loved Christmas hymn, “O Come, All Ye Faithful.”

“O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem!
Come, and behold Him, born the King of angels!
O come, let us adore Him;
O come, let us adore Him;
O come, let us adore Him, Christ, the Lord!”

This hymn is a good picture of what the shepherds in Bethlehem, and then the Magi from Orient, had in their heart: to come and see the newborn King and to adore Him.

The author of this hymn is John Francis Wade, an English Roman Catholic layman, musician by training. In 1745, he left England because of the persecution against Catholic people, and he lived in Frances and Portugal. He supported himself teaching music, and making illustrations to sheet music, real pieces of art. While in exile, he wrote this powerful hymn, four stanzas in Latin. He also composed a familiar melody.

Catholics were able to return to England; at that time, Wade passed away, but people brought Wade’s hymn and it became popular. Frederick Oakeley, an Anglican minister heard this hymn and made a translation into English. The original title was, “Ye Faithful, approach Ye” but he didn’t like this first attempt, and the second version was simpler and more vigoroso, “O Come, All Ye Faithful, Joyful and Triumphant.”

From the original text, in the majority of hymnals, they translated just three stanzas, but in our current hymnal, “Hymns of Grace” it includes the stanza that focuses on the mystery of Incarnation.

“Deum de Deo, lumen de lúmine,
gestant puellae viscera
Deum verum, genitum non factum.”
“God of God, Light of Light eternal,
Lo, He abhors not the virgin's womb;
Very God, begotten not created.”

In this Christmas season, let's not focus only on gifts, time with family, food, and fellowship, which are all very good things to do at this time of year, but let's focus on the King of Angels, who, being immortal, clothed himself in mortal form to live a life without sin and die for our sins.

“Yea, Lord, we greet Thee, born this happy morning;
Jesus, to Thee be all glory giv'n!
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing!
O come, let us adore Him;
O come, let us adore Him;
O come, let us adore Him, Christ, the Lord!”
​
In His service,
Israel