The King Shall Come to Bring Us Hope, December 2nd Worship

Happy New Year! The Church Year begins anew today. Advent is a season of waiting and preparation. One Advent tradition is to mark the four Sundays in Advent with four words that encompass what Jesus brings as He comes into the world to be our Immanuel—God with us. These four words are hope, peace, joy, and love. Today we focus on hope. We unite our hearts to greet the humble king, Jesus. In His incarnation, death, resurrection, and return we have great reason to hope.

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Christ is King, The Last Sunday in the Church Year, November 25

Today we celebrate that Jesus Christ is the King of Kings. What this means is that when all is said and done Christ will stand in triumph over all things. It means that no matter what injustice has been done, all will be made right in the end. To trust in this is to put your faith not just in God’s love and mercy but also in His perfect judgment and His ability to fulfill and finish what He started in the beginning when he made a good and perfect world. For now we can only have a taste of all this, as we enjoy God’s mysterious presence among us. In the end God’s Word tells us there will be a day of judgment and completion when all will see that Jesus Christ is truly King. Are you ready to celebrate this today?

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Waiting for Glory Everlasting, November 18 Worship

As the Church Year is approaching its close, we turn our focus to the last things. The very last thing that we confess in the Apostles’ Creed is that we believe in the life everlasting. In Revelation, John describes the heavenly city of God and tells us that the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. Brilliant brightness has always been associated with the seeing of God, from the time when Moses had to veil his face because it reflected the dazzling presence of the almighty Lord. As we come into His presence for worship, we have a partial sense of that glory as we await that time beyond time, when we shall experience it fully in the life everlasting in His heavenly kingdom.

Authentic Faith in the Reality of God, November 11 Worship

What does it mean to live an authentic life? Jesus could see right through the teachers of the law strutting around in long flowing robes, puffed up with pride. They were hollow and phony. But when a poor widow came to the temple. Jesus watched her put two little copper coins into the offering box. Jesus could see that this woman was real and authentic. God values sincerity in us above ability and stature. Keeping it real and genuine can be a challenge. Trying to please and be accepted stretches us in different directions. We must go back again and again to seeking an authentic relationship with God. Almighty God who knows all things gives us His infinite grace in Jesus. Jesus is the Redeemer of our bodies, minds, and spirits.  We need to be authentic and real with God before we can do anything else. 

All Saints Sunday, Worship November 4

The word “Saint” is a pretty big word. We use it to talk about disciples, martyrs, and leaders of the Church throughout our history. We use the word next to names from the pages of Scripture such as Peter, John, and Paul—the type of people we name churches after. We use the word “Saint” in talking about individual lives in which God has worked in powerful ways. On All Saints’ Day we use the word “Saint” as we remember those departed from us who are now with God in heaven. But most amazing of all is that we can wrap our minds around how it is that God considers our lives holy and set apart because of the crucified and risen Savior Jesus Christ. Because of Him we are Saints by grace.

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A Mighty Fortress Is Our God, Reformation Worship October 28

                          While 2017 was the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, our celebrations continue into the 501st year. The Reformation is a celebration of freedom in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Martin Luther found hidden light in the Word of God. He found a real reason to hope in Jesus Christ alone. Even though we all sin and fall short of the glory of God, we are welcomed into the sanctuary and refuge of God’s grace and love. Today we also celebrate the 70 year anniversary of Bethlehem Lutheran Church being God’s house in this place. God is good!

All Things are Possible for God, October 21 Worship

"What is the meaning of life?" is a question we often ask. Your answer might change if you really think that God is capable of doing anything. Jesus points out that living in a broken world we will often use the word “never.” By our own strength many things we can imagine are not possible. But Jesus says, “All things are possible with God.” This means we can live in hope. With God the possibilities are infinite and eternal. What does that mean in your life?

God's Eternal Treasure, Worship October 14

In our Gospel lesson Jesus challenges a successful and eager young man. The Lord seems to deliberately push this person further then he could possibly go. What is Jesus doing? He is confident that God has eternal treasure for us. But He sees that we grasp for the enticing things of the world first. It can be a challenge to see past all that is ultimately empty and take to heart that God’s goodness is our eternal treasure. The Book of Hebrews tells us that today we can celebrate and encourage one another in the reality of Christ, the living God, our eternal treasure.

God's Eternal Family, Worship October 7

 To bring humanity back to Him, God sent His Son to live a completely human life, even to the point of enduring temptation, suffering, and death. He victoriously shared our mortal life so that we might share His eternal life. He calls us to Himself even as Jesus once gathered the children in His arms and blessed them. Each of us, by grace, is God's own child, a part of His family forever.

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Seasoned with Wisdom, September 30 Worship

In our age of low salt diets and health conscious choices, it might seem that salt is always bad.  But salt is a necessity of life.  Salt is still used to purify, cure, preserve, and season.  Once it was considered so valuable that it was also a commodity and a form of currency.  Something so valuable could not be allowed to become tainted by impurity and then lose the power to serve its purpose.  We find our purpose and meaning in life by knowing Christ Jesus. Today, we pray in thanksgiving for the amazing gifts Jesus has made known to us, and we pray that we may be kept "salty" in the fullness of His grace and favor.