Christmas Eve, God with Us, Worship with Seven Readings and Carols

Welcome to Bethlehem’s Christmas Eve celebration: God is with Us.

On this sacred and magical night a beloved service of lessons and carols has been celebrated at King’s College in Cambridge, England for nearly one hundred years. Though our version will have different music we honor this grand tradition by reading from the original  lessons, and beginning and ending our service with a version of King’s College prayers.

God's Promises Come to Life! December 20 Worship

The angel Gabriel announces to Mary that she will conceive and bear a Son who will be the Most High, Eternal King. This is God’s way: at once the angel’s visit is a world changing moment in human history, but at the same time, God makes this very personal. The angel Gabriel speaks to Mary alone. In this we can wonder at the mystery of God Almighty, All-knowing, All-present, also being with each of us in the smallest details of our lives.   

God, Our Eternal Joy, December 13 Worship

This Sunday the candle we light on our Advent wreath is pink. Pink is a color of joy. This Third Sunday in Advent is referred to as “The Sunday of Joy.” What does the word Joy mean right now?  The joy of knowing our Savior sent from heaven can be the most constant and consistent joy that we know. Only in Jesus, the coming Savior, can we rejoice in good times and bad times, busy times and quiet times, sick times and healthy times. In Christ, we have reason to call ourselves to rejoice always!

God Our Hope, December 6 Worship

In Advent our hope grows stronger as we focus on God’s promise. The Eternal Word of God will be made flesh for us and our salvation. By the Spirit of the Living God we hear God speak to the deepest part of our soul: “Comfort, take Comfort,” He says, I can do this. We can celebrate that God has given us every reason to take peace in the promised Savior, Jesus Christ.

The hymn today is LSB 357, “Oh Come Oh Come Emmanuel”. If you have a Lutheran Service Book Hymnal at home, please sing along.

Waiting for Our Faithful God, Advent Worship, Nov. 29

Isaiah the prophet expresses the longing we have for God when he wrote, “Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains would tremble before you!” In the season of Advent we join the prophet in his plea. We celebrate that God consistently fulfills His promises, and so we watch and wait with hope and confidence in His goodness and love.

The first and second hymn is LSB 341, “Lift Up Your Heads Ye Mighty Gates”. The third and fourth hymn is LSB 332, “Savior of the Nations Come”. If you have a Lutheran Service Book Hymnal at home, please sing along.

King Jesus Reigns, November 22 Worship

Christ Jesus is King of King and Lord of Lords; that is what we celebrate on this Last Sunday of the church year. Already at His crucifixion Jesus could be called a conquering king for His victory over death. What we believe is that as time continues to move forward we are getting closer to the complete and ultimate recognition of Christ’s Kingship. We can live this day with hope and expectation because Christ is the King of all eternity.

The first and second hymn is LSB 525, “Crown Him with Many Crowns”. The third and fourth hymn is LSB 549, “At the Name of Jesus”. If you have a Lutheran Service Book Hymnal at home, please sing along.

Lord of the Ultimate Things, November 15 Worship

The light of day gets more fleeting and cherished this time of year. In the church calendar we are coming to what we call the last days. At this time we call out to our gracious God to brighten our lives as only He can. He is Lord of the ultimate things and He can bring light to even the smallest and seemingly insignificant aspects of our lives. Jesus Christ victoriously opened the heavens that God’s gracious light may come into this darkened world. Jesus tells us a story about how God has entrusted us with the care of things and people. He is telling us that God’s light can be clearly seen, and the brightness of the coming new heaven and earth already shines for us, even now, today.

The first and second hymn is LSB 670, “Ye Watchers and Ye Holy Ones”. The third and fourth hymn is LSB 512, “At the Name of Jesus”. If you have a Lutheran Service Book Hymnal at home, please sing along.

Our Infinite and Eternal God, November 8th Worship

God is infinite and eternal. He has no beginning and no end. He always has something else, another strength, another chapter. God is infinitely creative and eternally generous. He is always beginning something new, even now. The Living Spirit of God reassures us to keep watching and expecting that we will see God in all of His glory, infinite and eternal.   

The first and second hymn is LSB 516, “Wake, Awake, for Night Is Flying”. The third and fourth hymn is LSB 919, “Abide, O Dearest Jesus”. If you have a Lutheran Service Book Hymnal at home, please sing along.

For All the Saints, Nov. 1 Worship

Thinking of ourselves as saints could only bring a lot of pressure if it was a status we gain by our virtuous efforts and good accomplishments. But instead, how wonderful it is that holiness is God’s gift to bestow on us. Jesus came among us to bring us His holiness. In Jesus’ sacrifice we all are made anew to be holy. In Jesus’ triumph we are wrapped in the sacred robes of God’s love now and forever.

God's Strong Fortress, October 25 Worship

Five hundred years ago Martin Luther knew that he needed the strong fortress of God. He struggled and studied and prayed, but still the security he sought eluded him. Finally he realized that God had made it very simple. Our salvation is won for us by Jesus Christ. God has made a strong and eternal fortress for us. Nothing can knock down the walls of the strong fortress God has built around us in Christ Jesus.  

The first hymn is LSB 657, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”. The second and third hymn is LSB 578, “Thy Strong Word”, and fourth hymn is LSB 657, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”. If you have a Lutheran Service Book Hymnal at home, please sing along.