Bethlehem Lutheran Church: Recent Episodes
Bethlehem Lutheran Church
The season of Pentecost has arrived! With the arrival of the Holy Spirit, this season of the Church Year is marked by growth. We see evidence of the growth the Spirit is seeking in this week’s Readings. The Lord and giver of life seeks to see His people grow faithful hearts through faithful worship, resulting in faithful service. When the way ahead isn’t as clear or as comfortable as we would like, we rely on the Lord’s wisdom, leading us back to His faithful servant, Jesus Christ, who clears the obstacles of our sinfulness and comforts us with His Word and sacramental gifts.
The Holy Trinity presents profound complexities. The church wrestles to dissect and sync together the identities and the activities of the Father, Son, and Spirit. The Athanasian Creed is the treatise that sews together the equality and uniqueness of the three persons of the Trinity. With faith’s assurance, the church confesses trinitarian substance, coeternal majesty, and seemingly unattainable mystery. The Uncreated, the Infinite, the Almighty are One in Three. The Holy Trinity is vested in working in our midst today, every day, and eternally. In faith, the church and its members forge ahead in life because the Holy Trinity just works! We may not understand fully, and yet, by faith we believe the Father works—creating; the Son works—redeeming; and the Spirit works—sanctifying. Our entire life of frailty and faith is only possible because the Holy Trinity just works—all the time—with us, for us, and alongside us!
It is the week of weeks—seven times seven plus one, the fiftieth day—when Pentecost arrives. It is the last day of Easter and the first day for the fruits of Christ’s Easter victory to be proclaimed to the ends of the earth. Today we discover anew what it means to be united in the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread, and prayer. All things in common, the disciples are gathered to bring the nations together as one people by the Word of Christ’s death and resurrection and the faith that apprehends and confesses this saving truth. All of this is enabled by the fire of the Spirit burning in us and through us so that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
How close must we be to achieve unity? For us sinners, separation of even a little bit compromises unity. What we need is a single source to unite us. It is our singular Savior who is the only source of true unity. Our Readings today show us the one church continuing and Matthias elected to sit in Judas’s chair. Jesus promises power to His followers and tells them to stay close and do His will. And our Lord even prays that they might be one with Him even as He is one with the Father. Today we need to hear the Word of God to find strength for continuing our being the one Body of Christ.
It is almost the end of the Easter Season, and we would like it to continue. The non-festival half of the Church Year doesn’t seem as, well, festive. But listen to the Readings! There are people, like Paul in the Reading from Acts, who need support today. And Lydia is an example of a new Christian, ready to help. The vision in Revelation showed John’s readers the perfect city, ready to welcome all whose names are in the Book of Life (that’s us)! We can hardly wait to get there.
In the meantime, there’s no time to lose. “Ask,” Jesus tells us in the Gospel, “and you will receive, that your joy may be full” (John 16:24). You see, even now He is with us. What would you like to ask Him?
Photo by sraburton on Freeimages.com
The Fifth Sunday of Easter bears the traditional name of Cantate, from the Introit’s “Oh sing to the Lord a new song.” Not only people but all creation is urged to break out in song. Throughout our worship today we will do just that, for the resurrection news cannot be left to quiet contemplation. Though it was difficult for Peter to convince the others, when they realized Gentiles had received the Spirit, they rejoiced. The vision of heaven in Revelation has no more pain or sorrow; what can be left but joyful singing?
At the end of Jesus’ talk to the disciples, He promises “I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you” (John 16:22). When we are filled with such joy, singing is inevitable. Much of today’s worship has us singing a few (or all) of the stanzas of familiar hymns. Let us join the joyful multitude in heaven and earth!
In our world of constant change and abundant challenges to our faith, we often feel alone, and fear causes us to question where God is and what He is doing. Our Good Shepherd has pledged never to abandon us but to be with us always. More than this, He has promised that no one can snatch us from His hand. He is the powerful Good Shepherd who lays down His life for His sheep. Because of the investment He has made in us, He does not surrender us to temptation, trouble, trial, or test.
Though Jesus walks on water, He was testing the limit by telling seasoned fishermen where to cast their nets. The disciples knew it was the Lord—it could only be the Lord. Then, when He broke the bread and gave thanks, they rejoiced that the crucified and risen Savior had showed Himself to them again. This is what we do every week. Jesus presumes to tell us what life is and how to live it, and we are weary of all the things that have disappointed us. But Christ can never disappoint us. He fills our nets with His life, addresses us with the voice of hope, and feeds us to everlasting life, and by this Word and Sacrament we know it is the Lord.
Proof is surely what we want, but instead of the kind of proof that would remove the need for faith, God gives us His own marks of suffering to satisfy our fears. We find our refuge in the wounds of Christ. Thomas found them and the doubter became a believer. All of us find answers to the troubles and trials of this mortal life in the wounds of Christ, and from these wounds we confess to the world, “My Lord and my God!” Don’t let your doubts and fears drive you away from Jesus. Go to Him with them all, and He has promised to build us up in faith.
Join us for Worship: April 17, 2025 at 7:00 pm
Unless you live in a homeowners’ association (HOA), you may go through life without hearing much about covenants. The covenants in an HOA are mutually agreed upon standards for those who live in that community. God offers a new and better covenant to us. The validity of this new covenant does not rest on us and what we do. God’s covenant fully rests on Jesus, who made the ultimate sacrifice by giving up His life for the sins of the world. Because of Jesus, God forgives us, and He gives us confidence, comfort, and hope. We experience God’s forgiveness tonight as we gather at our Lord’s Table.
Jesus compels us to ponder the unthinkable, the amazing—to embrace a cataclysmic event that destroys death and literally makes all things new. Resurrection! Christ’s brutal coronation and crucifixion ensures that the entire cosmos, the heavens and the earth, are renewed—in resurrection! Chills soar through our souls at the very thought of it all. In confident faith we are bold to confess that king Jesus unleashes His incomparable reign, crushing the evil aggression of principalities, authorities, and even Satan himself. Unrelenting shouts and songs of alleluia shape the church today because of resurrection. Setting aside all timidity, fear, and anxiety, the church acclaims “Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!” Resurrection confidence in Jesus unites our speech and our song on this day, as we await—with the same confidence—our own day of resurrection, with all the saints in glory.
palm sunday by evans yegon
Today we are brought to the threshold of Holy Week. This was the day the Jewish people chose the Passover Lamb. How quickly things can change in a week! On this Palm Sunday, we see Jesus enter Jerusalem with palms, a symbol of victory, strewn in the road and being waved. Yet it was from that entry that Jesus went to show His true love—His passion—by dying on the cross on Friday. That death showed His love for you. By faith, we believe what Jesus did was for us. Everything about us—our sin, our eternal destination—changed that week because Jesus took the road from palms to passion. Receive what Jesus did for you by faith, knowing your home in heaven was paid for with the King’s ransom—His own blood.
The Woman of Samaria at the Well (La Samaritaine à la fontaine)
James Tissot
There is a hymn that refers to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, calling it an “old, old story” (“I Love to Tell the Story” by Arabella Katherine Hankey, 1834–1911). The fact that God’s plan of salvation began thousands of years ago, and that the Bible is the record of events in ancient history, does not mean that old equals irrelevant. Today, God says through His prophet Isaiah, “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old” (Isaiah 43:18). But before you throw away your old Bible, your old catechism, or your old hymnal, listen up! “Behold, I am doing a new thing; . . . do you not perceive it?” (v. 19). In the pattern of the exodus of old and the deliverance from the Babylonian captivity of old, and as “the old rugged cross” of Christ made His resurrection from the dead possible, the “new thing” of God’s doing today is all about freeing you from the slavery of sin, death, boredom, worry, and fear; re-creating you “that I may be His own and live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness” (explanation of the Second Article of the Apostles’ Creed, Small Catechism); renewing your life today by the forgiveness of your sins and in the sure and certain hope of new bodies for old in the new creation that awaits.
Traditionally, the Fourth Sunday in Lent has been known as Laetare Sunday, from the Latin Introit Laetare Jerusalem: “Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her” (Isaiah 66:10). Though still in the penitential season of Lent, this Sunday is a relaxation from normal Lenten discipline. Flowers may appear, and ministers may wear rose-colored vestments as a lighter shade of violet.
Today’s service is inspired by the Old Testament Reading of Isaiah, the First Song of Isaiah: “Sing praises to the Lord, for He has done gloriously; let this be made known in all the earth” (Isaiah 12:5). Today we take that admonition literally as not only the liturgy is sung but also the Readings are expanded with hymn stanzas. “Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel” (Isaiah 12:6). In the joy of the faithful father in Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son, the forgiveness of our sin and reconciliation with God as His baptized sons and daughters, well, it just makes you want to sing! So we shall!
A main emphasis of our Lenten discipline is our struggle against temptations to sin and toward true repentance that leads to living faithful Christian lives. As our physical well-being depends in part on healthy choices of diet, in today’s Readings God uses the metaphor of eating and drinking to warn and encourage His people to avoid the temptations of the world and our own sin that leads us away from God and to rely constantly on the forgiveness and faith that God provides to enable us to lead godly lives. In the Epistle, Paul has in mind how God provides for us in His Word and Sacraments. We are to remember not only that we were baptized but that we are baptized, meaning God still provides us with saving, bold faith that relies on His mercy and grace because we belong to Him now. The center of the Divine Service is the Sacrament of Christ’s body and blood, through which we are given forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation—all the benefits won for us by the cross and sacrifice of Jesus on our behalf. Today we are encouraged to receive and rely on God’s gifts and provision constantly, that we may maintain a healthy and strong faith in the face of all adversities and challenges.
How’s your faith? Is it firm, steadfast, and strong? Or do you find that it seems to be growing weak, uncertain, or even in danger of disappearing at times? As we follow our Lord in this Lenten season, leading up to the distressing events of Holy Week, we are warned today that the same opposition, rejection, and betrayal faced by prophets like Jeremiah, and even Jesus, will also face us as His followers. What did He mean when He said, “You will be hated by all for My name’s sake”? (Luke 21:17). But rather than a dire prediction, Jesus said, “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on My account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:11–12). When challenges arise and temptations overwhelm, we are reminded to remember and observe examples of faith, such as the apostle Paul in his many struggles and even our Lord Himself whose faith and confidence in His Father’s gracious design made Him endure “the cross, despising the shame” with the prospect of His certain victory and eternal placement at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:2). That certainty is ours. Faith hangs on to the promise “I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown” (Revelation 3:11). Or as Paul says, “Therefore, my brothers, . . .my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord” (Philippians 4:1).
“Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness” (1 Timothy 3:16). As we have now entered the forty-day pilgrimage of Lent, we approach the most climactic event of our Lord’s earthly ministry, the one that confused and frightened the first followers of Jesus and perhaps even some to this day. The expectation of the establishment of the kingdom of God with Jesus, the Son of God, seated on a royal throne as ruler was demolished as they witnessed their Rabbi, Master, and Lord taken captive, convicted, tortured, and executed on that Passover in Jerusalem.
The cross has always been an offense. To this day, the same mystery stands: His royal throne is but a frightful cross of crucifixion—His kingdom hidden to the eyes. When confronted with the facts of God’s Word, many cannot see past this mystery. Yet it is the power of God’s Word that gives people the gift of faith and new eyes to see what was incomprehensible and secret now revealed by the Spirit of God. God’s truth is that in the death of Christ, redemption and forgiveness of sin now avails for the entire world. Sinners are delivered, justified before God by faith in the blood of Jesus shed on the cross and given the ability to repent and believe and become children of God for eternity. For sinful mankind, this life-giving truth is impossible to believe or understand. Only because of the mighty Word of God proclaimed to the world by His church and by the power of the Spirit is that otherwise mysterious Word actually easy and powerful to understand and to believe.
Beloved heirs of God’s glory—sinners and saints, sons and daughters—see God’s promised revelation in Jesus’ transfigured glory! All believing patriarchs, prophets, disciples, leaders, teachers, and confessors experience the tragic result of sin. Yet we are all invited into the light of Jesus! Our journeys, despite mistrust and faithlessness, are enveloped in God’s forgiveness. The sinless Son of God appears before sinful Moses, Elilah, Peter, James, and John on the mountain together! A revelation like no other! This pivotal moment of glory compels us to anticipate the journey of the “gory,” the pending crimes against Jesus: the cross, the mockery, the crucifixion. Death is coming! Soon, the church’s alleluias will be hushed.
Forgiving is not beyond the realm of possibility for us. Although, as children of Adam, we are part of the earthly world, by the grace of God we are also His children, in the family through Baptism. We can extend God’s love and forgiveness to those who hate us, take from us, and are our enemies. Anyone who is in Christ, while still dealing with this Adamic world, can expect undeserved favor—grace—from our heavenly Father for Jesus’ sake. Today our worship helps to strengthen us for the task. Fear not! Those who oppose us are part of this fallen world; Christ has destroyed even death for us. And we are in Christ.
Blessing abound in today’s readings! Jeremiah laments the one who “trusts in man,” but sees the one who “trusts in the Lord,” to be like a tree planted with abundant water that “does not cease to bear fruit”
(Jeremiah 17:5, 7, 8). Note that we are “Planted,”—a passive verb, grace! Luke records another time Jesus preached using beatitudes. He concluded that we, his hearers, should rejoice and leap for joy, for
our reward is great in heaven. Such grace! No wonder that Paul, in the Epistle, warns against those who doubt Christ’s resurrection. Our Lord is only “the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:20). Today, our worship is full of rejoicing in the grace of God. It also gives us strength to produce fruit every day.
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Today we hear the “hook” God used to attract Isaiah as His prophet. With him, we are moved to respond, “Here am I! Send me.” Like Paul, we have a “line” to reel in people who might otherwise stray; we are called to speak clearly to be about the task of “building up the church.” But we are not called to introduce them to a sinker who will weigh them down, for Jesus has risen! Now He sets us up to “fish” for others, replacing their empty lives with God’s overflowing, eternal bounty. Today we let the Word move us into action, to use the hook and line God provides to follow our Lord and catch others for the One who has risen above our every weighty sin and empty life and calls us to follow.
Although this day is about the purification of Mary according to the law and the presentation of Jesus as the firstborn of her womb, these are saving acts done on behalf of all of us. This is what Simeon acknowledges when he sings the Nunc Dimittis. Here is the promise of God kept in Christ for his salvation and for the redemption of the Gentiles. Here we see the face of God, the display of His mercy, and the glory long promised. We sing with Simeon in praise of our Savior, while acknowledging that in the Holy Sacrament we see our salvation every bit as much as Simeon saw it in the baby in his arms.
When Jesus unrolled the scroll, the people might have been expecting words from His mouth, but what they got was the Word made flesh, the Word that endures forever. It did not take long before they found reason to wonder. “Is this not Joseph’s son?” The reality is that there are always those who look for reason to doubt or to reject but the Word is given to bring forth faith. The Word is given that by hearing we might believe, but wherever God’s Word is spoken it is also a scandal and offense to the way we see ourselves and our salvation. Jesus has come to address us with the Word of Life so that by hearing we may believe and by believing we may see that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. The best appreciation for God’s Word is faith.
The miracle of water turned into wine is a surprising one. It is marked by the fact that this is the choicest of wines, that the sheer amount of wine was embarrassingly extravagant, and that the full benefit of this miracle was limited to the servants who did what Jesus said, Mary, and the disciples who were with Jesus. It is the mark of what is to come. Jesus’ whole ministry is one of goodness beyond compare, of extravagant mercy beyond what we deserve or even dare ask, and of grace hidden in ordinary things like words, water, bread, and wine. This is then a precursor of what is to come, the first of many manifestations of His mercy and the rich and overflowing provision of His grace to supply salvation to a world that otherwise knows no joy.
Have you ever received a surprise present, one that was out of your own price range to get? That, in a nutshell, describes Epiphany. The Wise Men came to give presents, and instead received one their wealth could not have bought. We are included in this. We are baptized for the forgiveness of sins by His blood on the cross that covers our sins, once for all. That water and blood give us the greatest—and most expensive—gift in the world. Here we see Jesus revealed, manifested, in a star, in the coming of the Magi and the gifts they bring.
Did you already forget Christmas? The department stores have begun selling the leftovers for a discount because “Christmas is over.” For the same reason, formerly decorated Christmas trees already line the streets as refuse for disposal. Even though Christmas songs speak joyously of “the twelve days of Christmas,” many, if not most, people seem to think of them as a countdown rather than an extended celebration. Remember? Today, December 29, is but the fifth day of the twelve! We are not done yet. Or did you forget?
To “forget” is the opposite of the biblical word we hear today: “remember.” But in Scripture, to remember means much more than merely recalling a past event as something that has no real, lasting effect on today; rather, the opposite is true. For instance, God remembers His promises by acting to fulfill them in each believer. For us, to remember means to bring a past promise or act to take effect in the present. Today we hear how the newborn Jesus, as the firstborn of Mary, was presented in the temple according to God’s law, a command to remember the Lord’s deliverance of His people from slavery in Egypt. Every firstborn was to be a reminder that the Lord still delivers His people from the slavery of sin and death. So to remember that it is still Christmas is to believe that the Christ Child who came to free us comes now to each believer. Remember, that is, believe that Christ was born for you to save you. Remember, that is, believe that the forgiveness He won for us on the cross is actually given to us in the Sacrament of the Altar when, as He commanded, we do in remembrance of Him.
One of the great pleasures of the Advent and Christmas season is the singing of hymns and carols associated with the nativity of our Lord. Many of the texts of these well-loved songs were written specifically for services in the Christmas season; others were not. “Silent Night, Holy Night” (LSB 363) was written to be first sung at a Christmas Eve service in Austria in 1818, and “O Little Town of Bethlehem” (LSB 361) was initially included as part of a children’s Christmas program at Holy Trinity Church in Philadelphia in 1868. But another well-loved hymn associated with Christmas was not originally a Christmas song. “Joy to the World” (LSB 387) was written as a paraphrase of the second half of Psalm 98 by the English hymnwriter Isaac Watts in 1719. When the text was printed as part of a collection of Psalms in English verse, he gave the song the heading “The Messiah’s Coming and Kingdom.” Our celebration of the coming to earth of Jesus as our Messiah and Lord gives us a great “resounding joy” that lasts all through our years as we await the fullness of His kingdom yet to come!
The Advent season of preparing for the promised Savior to be born as one of us soon reaches its climax. Though in our homes and lives we may be wondering if we have done all we have needed to get ready for our own celebrations, we give thanks that at the center of our coming Christmas observations the Lord has prepared all we need. In this last Sunday of Advent and in the days ahead of anticipated Christmas joy, may we find peace in the preparations done freely for us out of grace, mercy, and perfect love centered on the Savior we soon welcome, who was born for us and all the world.
Are you feeling the joy? At this point in the month of December, studies show that many people are not feeling joy. Many people are feeling overwhelmed as they approach Christmas, feeling stressors that include not having enough money, missing loved ones, and anticipating family conflict. No matter how we come to our time of worship today, even if stressed, distracted, and frazzled, what great timing to hear what God speaks to us in this season and each day. From all our Readings today, we hear of joy! It is a joy not based on our own momentary perspectives of how things should go, but rather a joy from God’s eternal perspective for our sake and what has freely been done for us. As our Advent season continues, may our true joy be found in the one for whom we prepare—Christ, who was born for us and who is with us and for us and is today in our midst as He comes to us in the means of grace.
In this month of December, we find ourselves getting ready and preparing for many things, such as gatherings with family and friends, gifts to get and give to others, traditional treats to be made, and decorations for the season. The foremost preparation, of course, is for our Savior’s birth. Today we are reminded of another time of preparation that would be after Jesus’ birth and prior to His earthly ministry—that of John the Baptist, who would prepare for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. In our busy times of preparing to celebrate this season, today we draw our focus on and give thanks for the one who would raise valleys, level mountains, and make straight the paths for Him.
Though a full month remains before we turn our calendars to 2025, today we can wish a “happy new year” in the life of the church. The Advent season begins a new church year and is a time of preparation, as the Latin “Adventus” means an arrival or coming of someone. More than preparing for the coming of just anyone, here we prepare for our Savior. As we get hearts and minds ready for the Christmas crescendo to come celebrating Christ’s humble birth, we also remain prepared in this season and always as He promises to come again.
The Last Sunday of the Church Year is about the last things, the day of judgment when Jesus Christ “will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead,” Christ, “whose kingdom will have no end” (Nicene Creed). The last Sunday is therefore known as the Sunday of fulfillment, when all the plans and promises of God’s salvation break forth in the resurrection of all flesh and eternal life in the new heavens and earth. This year we hear the Readings appointed for what some churches call Christ the King Sunday.
With the vision of the prophet Daniel, we are given a fascinating “apocalyptic” revelation. As such, we are cautioned against overinterpreting the symbolism of the four beasts, fiery flames, burning wheels, and the like. The clear point is that God Himself is Lord, king, and ruler over all the nations of the earth. The four nations of Daniel chapter 7 are progressively more evil than the ones before: Babylon, Medo-Persian, Greek, and Roman empires. Not all earthly kingdoms or nations are evil, of course. Yet evil and the devil’s madness appear here and there everywhere. Christ is the king not only over all the ancient nations of the world but also over our own! With great and glad celebration, therefore, we gather to rejoice over our assurance that Jesus Christ, the King of kings, rules ultimately over all things, always for our good, our healing, our salvation, and our destiny in the day of resurrection.
Photo: Aimee Munson 2024. Ellingston Newfoundland
The ending of a liturgical year speaks of the end of all things. Our Lord spoke plainly about the end of the world. There are signs the end is coming. Jesus’ teaching seems to elicit only question marks on our part. “When?” “What?” “How?” The signs He speaks of include false teachers in the church, wars, rumors of wars, and earthquakes as “but the beginning of the birth pains” (Mark 13:8). The Jewish people of Jesus’ time on earth would be alarmed at His prediction of the destruction of the temple as it would mean the end of their faith and hope in God. The world is to see, however, that the loving, saving God is closer than ever in the new temple of the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ, crucified and risen again for the life of the world. As the beloved hymn says, our “hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.” No merit of our own can prepare us “when darkness veils, . . . in every high and stormy gale, . . . in the raging flood; when every earthly prop gives way.” No matter what comes we are “clothed in His righteousness alone, redeemed to stand before His throne! On Christ, the solid rock, I stand; all other ground is sinking sand” (LSB 575/576).
As the liturgical year is coming to its end, God our Father gives us great encouragement that our salvation and deliverance from sin and sorrow is complete because of the forgiveness won for us by the blood of Jesus, the one and only sacrifice for your sin and the source of daily cleansing, faith, hope, confidence, and love. This faith is certain and full of hope even if your current circumstances would have you think otherwise. As God provided for the widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17), so was the widow’s offering (Mark 12) an expression of confident faith in God’s promised salvation. No clearer picture can be given of the certainty of hope in Christ our Savior than in the letter to the Hebrews as it tells of Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice that not only forgives but takes away all sin and supplies us with newness of life by His life-giving body and blood all our days!
When you were growing up, there was most likely a time where your parents said, “Do this.” You heard them say it. You knew they said it. Yet for whatever reason, you did not do the “this” they asked you to do. Were there consequences? If there were, you can probably recall those consequences even today. Even though there were consequences, did you still know they loved you? That’s what today is all about. God tells His children in the Old Testament Reading, “Do this”—the greatest commandment. Jesus also points out the second great commandment in our Gospel. None of us has kept those commandments perfectly. That is where the Epistle comes into the picture, reminding us of God’s greater love when He sent Jesus to the cross. Have we disobeyed Him? Yes. Has He ever stopped loving us? The cross answers that question. He never has stopped loving us; His love for us is so great.
The prophet Jeremiah was alive and witnessed the deportation of God’s people into exile. That is not the end of the story, however. Today’s Old Testament Reading previews a day when God’s mercy and grace would be outpoured upon the remnant of God’s people who returned. The Gospel builds on this, as we see Jesus’ healing those whom Jeremiah foresaw God’s grace and mercy would one day be poured out upon in abundant measure. In the cross, we have the greatest healing of all—the forgiveness (not covering) of sins in the cross of Jesus Christ.
Imagine someone offering you a gift—a gift that you cannot get on your own. How do you think the giver of that gift would react if you rejected it? That is what today’s Readings are about. The children of Israel refused to go into the Promised Land. God’s response was, “They shall not enter My rest.” They had been slaves and gotten a good taste of the harshness of the wilderness. Yet they refused to go into a land where they would have rest. Today, God offers you rest through the gift of the forgiveness of sins. Do not miss out on the rest God offers you right now through Jesus.
Jesus’ conversation with the rich man seems to point out how childish the man is. The reality is that we all are tempted like him to believe that the things of this life are our real treasures and the works we do in this life determine if we are saved. The man could not let go of either—not of his own prospect of earning the kingdom of God nor of his many possessions and wealth that secured his life. The man was disheartened by the choice between Christ and these things when in reality there is no choice at all. Our wealth is temporary and relative and our works small and insufficient. Christ is the assurance of our salvation.
The wisdom of the world suggests that God has given us the idea, and we are to design this thing called marriage and family. Yet for all our best intentions, sin has left us struggling not only to fulfill but to even accept the wisdom of God’s design. Jesus is not apologetic of the shape of marriage and family, and He calls us to join Him in rejoicing over God’s gift and to work to fulfill His holy purpose in our own homes and families. Even the child does not get overlooked by our Lord’s hand of mercy and blessing.
Everlasting Father, source of every blessing, mercifully direct and govern us by Your Holy Spirit that we may complete the works You have prepared for us to do; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
In today’s Old Testament Reading, Jeremiah has just learned of a plot against him, and he asks God to provide him justice, ridding him of his enemies. David’s psalm likewise asks God to intervene and provide justice. Indeed, when we are weak in the face of opposition, that is when we need to rely on our great God. But if He measured out the same justice on us all, we would be doomed! Even one of the Twelve betrayed our Lord! But God “gives grace to the humble,” James teaches in the Epistle. Only when we acknowledge God’s grace in Christ can we pray for His justice. The Twelve were ignorant of Jesus’ coming sacrifice, but we are well aware that by it we have received every grace and blessing. Today we thank God for His grace to us as He deals with the sin-filled world around us.
Photo Credit: Aimee Munson, Signal Hill, NL Canada 2024
In today’s Gospel, the father of a possessed boy says, “If you can do anything . . .” As God in the flesh, Jesus can do anything—and He wants to! His concern is never an “if,” but an “always.” When our troubles increase, their resolution awaits not God’s intention but our waffling faith in His concern. Few of us have the resolve and bravado of Isaiah in the Old Testament Reading. Seldom do we recognize how we use our tongues for both good and evil. Today the Scriptures encourage us to turn from relying on ourselves to putting our faith-borne trust in Him alone.
Illustration: Mosaic in Basilica of San Vitale. Ravenna RA, Italy
The Readings for today tell us that God will change people’s circumstances. The Old Testament Reading lists those who are blind, deaf, lame, and mute. Instead of advising them simply to pray, Isaiah promises that God will take action, like water in the desert. Among the ways God will help is through His people; according to the advice to James, we, who have been given the gift of faith, are called to be fair in court, to try to keep the entire Law of God, and to see that the people around us are clothed and fed. Jesus casts out demons and heals a deaf man in the Gospel. He is doing no less when we become His caring instruments. Today we let the Word come into us so that we might be part of God’s healing answer to prayer.
Guest Pastor this week: Pastor Michael Heggen
Gossip with Breakfast. Oil Painting by: Charles Joseph Frederick Soulacroix
The Holy Gospel for today is about why the dietary laws never saved anyone and is a warning about what we think or say. The Old Testament Reading provides a warning against not passing on the teachings to the next generation. The Good News of the Gospel is most clearly found in the Epistle, which clearly tells us to rely on the armor God provides, not ourselves, so that we can stand up in this evil age. That we shall do in song and speech today, asking God’s help for the coming week.
One of the saddest things in life is when we lose our sense of wonder—when we can no longer behold the beauty of God’s creation and be moved by it or when we take for granted the mystery of our salvation by the blood of the Lamb. The prophet Isaiah promises the restoration of wonder and the Spirit fulfills that promise with faith that trusts in what we have not seen. Today we ask the Lord to fill us with awe as we receive the inheritance of the saints who went before and add to it the witness of our age of the joy of salvation to bequeath to those who come after.
Our Lord has argued with His enemies and insists that His flesh is real food and His blood real drink. Even the truth can sometimes be unsettling. The disciples are not sure what to make of it all and watched as many of His followers abandoned Jesus. Peter speaks what is on all our hearts. The way of faith in Christ is not easy, but what choice do we have? Where else is the One who keeps His promises and delivers what He says? Christ alone is the Word of eternal life.
Many grumbled when Jesus said, “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35). Perhaps we grumble as well. We are always looking for God to meet our expectations and to answer our needs as we see best. But we meet the Lord where He reveals Himself—from a manger that cradles the Son of God in flesh and blood to a cross on which the King dies to free His people from their sin, down to bread that promises His flesh and a cup, His blood. Where we will meet Him on the ground of faith, He will not leave us wanting. He will bestow upon us far more than we ask or dare to desire—the communion of His body and blood for the forgiveness of our sins and as pledge of the eternal life to come. What a blessed mystery is given to us by faith.
An interesting list of seven publicized in recent years is that of “The Seven Natural Wonders of the World.” Six of these wonderful parts of God’s amazing creation are specific to a certain location: Mount Everest in Nepal, the Great Barrier Reef of Australia, the Harbor of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, Victoria Falls between Zambia and Zimbabwe, Mount Paricutin in Mexico, and the Grand Canyon in the United States. The seventh natural wonder on the list is the aurora borealis (or northern lights), which can be seen in many countries in the northern hemisphere of the globe, including Canada, Russia, Iceland, Norway, and the United States. Whether we live near any of these seven special natural wonders or not, the beauty of God’s handiwork surrounds us in every place. Many centuries ago, the inspired psalmist wrote, “Great are the works of the LORD, studied by all who delight in them” (Psalm 111:2). From colorful rainbows to delicate snowflakes to lofty mountain peaks, “full of splendor and majesty is His work” (Psalm 111:3a). May we be inspired by it as well!
Photo Credit: Aimee Munson, 2024. Tablelands are of Gros Morne Provincial Park, Newfoundland, Canada.
Lutheran Service Book: Concordance contains an alphabetical listing of key words in the texts of the hymnal. Although it might seem to be structured for church professionals choosing hymns for services, it has value for all people in the church. Paging through the book, it is easy to discover what words are frequently repeated in hymns—words that are important to singers of Christian songs. Among frequently repeated words are “eternal,” “forever,” “everlasting,” “endless,” “eternally,” and “eternity.” There is no time limit to the relationship God has with His faithful people. This makes it easy for us to begin a hymn by singing confidently “Thine forever, God of love” (LSB 687:1) or to conclude a hymn with the words that affirm what God in steadfast love has done for us: “You had mercy so that we might be saved eternally” (LSB 559:5). God is with us through time and beyond it as well—a great reason for us to rejoice endlessly!
In 1969, a pop song titled “Love (Can Make You Happy)” was recorded by a group of vocalists called Mercy. Although it rose toward the top of the national music charts, it became another in a long line of “one hit wonders”—single hits by groups that were never heard from again after their initial successful number. Fame in the musical world can be fleeting. Reading through the Psalms, we are reminded that our gracious God is with us for the distance of our life and beyond, attending to us with His great goodness and limitless mercy. Two of those reassuring verses are these: “For the LORD is good; His steadfast love endures forever” (Psalm 100:5) and “As for You, O LORD, You will not restrain Your mercy from me; Your steadfast love and Your faithfulness will ever preserve me!” (Psalm 40:11). By His grace, we can sing of the mercy of our God forever!
We are often reminded things in this life don’t last. This includes everything from material things and earthly goods to health and well-being as age increases, to relationships we treasure, and ultimately mortality, which leads to death. Yet just as things in this life are temporary, with joy we are pointed frequently to what is everlasting. Adopted as God’s own children, we are given an eternal inheritance through the work of Jesus Christ. Amid the temporary things of a broken and sinful world, we keep our focus on Christ and the eternal blessings assured “to the praise of His glorious grace” (Ephesians 1:6).
Life is not always easy. Life in and of faith is often less easy. In our readings today we encounter a few people who faced difficulty and challenges amid their godly callings. Ezekiel would be sent to speak the Word of God to a rebellious people who wouldn’t happily receive the message. The apostle Paul would face his own personal struggles with his “thorn . . . in the flesh” (2 Corinthians 12:7) as he brought the Gospel to many on his mission journeys. Jesus Himself would not be welcomed as Savior when He returned to His hometown of Nazareth. Though things were far from easy, God would bless the work that He called His people and His own Son to do. Even in our times of difficulty and challenges living as His people, we are reminded of the same truth from the Lord: “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
There’s an old English proverb which states, “Good things come to those who wait.” Though a nice thought, there is no certainty of the saying coming to fruition. The Word of God, however, is always true, especially as we hear the Old Testament Reading from Lamentations: “The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD” (3:25–26). Even as we hear in today’s Gospel from Mark, people waited in affliction and grief, as Jesus would heal a woman’s twelve-year ailment and raise the dead daughter of a synagogue ruler. Though our waiting on the Lord may not result in a miracle in this earthly life, in our greatest wait we are assured of what is sure to come to fruition as we, “wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD” (Lamentations 3:26).
Guest Pastor: Rev Stadler
For all of the Bible’s reassurances of how much God loves us, cares for us, protects and guides us, it is, nevertheless, of our fallen, sinful nature that we still at times harbor doubts and even despairingly want to argue with God Himself and question His love and promises. The undying question is “Why?” The troubles, setbacks, trials, tragedies, and reverses in life do that. The Word before us today describes those times with the imagery of the destructive power of raging water and the greater power of God to deliver from threatening distress. Even when threatened with a raging flood, we are reminded that our help is still in the God who created everything. The trials of the otherwise “blameless and upright” man of God named Job (1:1) and the Lord’s patient yet commanding love in His answer to Job’s complaint should remind us to live our faith in daily repentance yet always still in praise of our saving God.
Guest Pastor: Rev Stadler
Once again, the Word of God in our ears this day speaks of the glorious and happy goal that God’s salvation promises to all who believe in His saving mercy, grace, and love. From of old, the Lord has promised a secure future in His presence both now and especially in the eternity of life in the resurrection. Though we experience the weakness and maybe even dread of growing old, by faith we are like firm trees planted by the strength of God. That faith is the very creation of God the Holy Spirit, which grows and remains strong regardless of our circumstances. So even though we become discouraged at times, our confidence is always renewed by God as we remain steadfast in connection with His mighty Word.
Guest Pastor: Rev Stadler
In the face of a world seeming to be falling apart, and maybe even your personal “world,” God’s Word has great and convincing comfort and hope for you this day. That hope, however, begins with knowing the real cause of our troubles. It is our sin and alienation from God that is at the root of all anger, frustration, bitterness, and death. We easily “lose heart” when all seems hopeless for us. The center and substance of hope in God is Jesus Christ whose resurrection from all that is darkness and death to us is the means and strength of faith to endure and stand firm through all that troubles us. For “if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you” (Romans 8:11). Far from being merely a blind hope for future deliverance, believing in the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come far outweighs everything and anything that can happen to us now. Living in this hope, we do not lose heart.
Guest Chaplin Keith Perry
In our Gospel for today, the Old Testament commandment was used to try and show the disciples as law-breakers. Jesus replied, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27). None of us, because of sinful condition, can keep the letter of the Law. The cross of Christ sets us free from the guilt of not keeping the Law. Those who accuse others of not keeping the Commandments often are legalistic and do not understand the sacrifice Jesus made to set us free from the Law. Do not let another person’s interpretation of the Commandments bring guilt into your heart! Christ died to set us free from that. Live in the freedom and forgiveness of the cross.
Guest Pastor: Rev Stadler
Holy Trinity image – Sybille Yates
We ponder today the great mystery of God—that God is one and that this one God is three persons. The liturgy in its proclamation focuses on the divine mystery of the triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Holy Trinity is not so much truth to be understood as it is truth to be confessed. We confess the Father from whom all things come, the Son who is the incarnate Lord Jesus Christ, and the Spirit who proceeds from the Father through the Son. Throughout the centuries of the Christian Church, the confession of the Holy Trinity has been a hallmark of faithful believers. We sing of the Trinity and, with the profound words of the Athanasian Creed, we confess the Holy Trinity to be the one true God.
Guest Pastor Rev David Buuck
Image Credit: Hyatt Moore. Pentecost, Oil over Acrylic on Canvas
24" x 48"
The Day of Pentecost is more connected to Easter than to the Sundays after Pentecost. It is the fiftieth day of Easter, marking the new dawn under the guidance of the Spirit. The Lord works through the preached Gospel and our life together as the baptized around His Table to deliver what He has promised. Thus the ministry of the Spirit is not some ethereal reality experienced in our feelings but the concrete reality of the Word spoken into our ears to bring forth faith and the body and blood of Jesus received by faith in Holy Communion. This is the way the Spirit continues to work in us and for us and we continue to receive His ministry by faith and to celebrate this with great joy.
The Easter season finds its culmination in the high priestly prayer of Jesus. With this we are reminded that the Lord is praying for us, for our faith, and for our unity in the faith, so that we may fulfill His purpose in making known all that He has done. It should be of great comfort to us that on the night of His betrayal, our Lord does not pray for Himself but for His disciples and those who will believe through their witness. As we confront the mission of the church to be His witnesses still, He does not relent praying for us still. United in faith and living together our common life under His Word and at His Table, we are strengthened in unity and in mission.
Guest Pastor: Rev Stadler
A treasured children’s song, “I Love to Tell the Story, has a refrain that follows each of the stanzas penned by poet Arabella Katherine Hankey, repeating the simple words: “I love to tell the story; ’Twill be my theme in glory, To tell the old, old story Of Jesus and His love.” The original Greek language in which John wrote his Gospel uses the word “love” either as a noun or a verb some nine times in the section of Jesus’ words heard in the Gospel for today. Jesus wants His disciples and us to know the abiding power of His love. It is that love that compels us to love one another—and the “others” beyond our circles of family, friends, and other close relationships. We are blessed in hearing the “old, old story of Jesus and His love” anew today. May we be blessed in telling it out in love as well!
Image from freepik: by frimufilms
When Jesus uses the image of the vine and speaks of vineyards, He is choosing something very familiar to His hearers. Viticulture is well known around the world. More than eighteen million acres worldwide is used for growing grapes—from Panama to Tajikistan to Zimbabwe! Today, the cultivation of vineyards is still an important agricultural component in both Israel and the Jordan, lands where Jesus walked and taught. Life in the vineyard is vital! As branches grafted to the Vine that is Christ, we are vitalized by His power. As we worship, God’s life-supporting power infuses us! It is time to continue growing!
One of the small but interesting features of many cathedral and monastery churches in Europe and other places is presence of misericords. A misericord is a small wooden shelf attached to the underside of a folding seat in a church, often in the choir area. Misericords physically supported people at worship during long periods of standing during extended prayer and other services when sitting was not permitted. The term “misericord” means “pity of the heart.” That word is part of the church phrase Misericordia Domini, a Latin term for describing the acts of mercy of God to His people. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, constantly and consistently shows acts of mercy to us as His people. His care comes straight from the heart!
“Amazing” is a commonly used word in the English that has a rich history. It came into common usage in the 14th century as a variant of the older root word “amasod,” which meant stupefied or confounded or overwhelmed with sudden surprise or wonder. The word “amazing” shows up several times in hymns that we sing—from describing the action of God in the birth of Jesus as “love amazing” to bringing to our hearts and minds that in His suffering to pay the price of our sins, our Lord showed “amazing pity”. Two other hymns refer to the “amazing grace” of God, and in another hymn, the author of the text rejoices that God “has done amazing things to me”. The season of Easter is a time for us to be truly amazed and filled with the praise of our amazing Lord!
When Thomas finally met Jesus, alive again after Easter, he went from demanding proof to a personal confession of faith, “My Lord and my God.” It would have been a different story had the news been false. The rest of the Jerusalem congregation truly exhibited Easter faith when they became a welcoming community, one that shared with newcomers whatever they needed. The news was unbelievable, but so were the responses—in word and deed as faith saw the freeing truth: we need fear nothing, not even death. We have heard the news as well. How shall we respond?
Empty Tomb by JESUS MAFA.
When Isaiah wrote about God’s plans in terms of a feast, people may have wondered, “Says who?” The prophecy wasn’t clear, and the resurrection of Jesus was still centuries in the future. If the women at the tomb decided to tell someone later, they might not have been believed. But today’s Epistle includes a list of those who did hear and see Jesus Himself, including Paul, who had persecuted the church. We are here because untold millions of our brothers and sisters heard God’s Word, came to faith, and couldn’t keep the news to themselves. Who told you? Whom will you tell? And if anyone asks, “Says who?” invite them to join us in worship to hear for themselves.
The death of Jesus on the cross is not cause for continued sorrow or ongoing relief. As the Epistle points out, our Lord’s giving of Himself for our sin makes His a glorious death. It causes “every tongue [to] confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:11). How do we do that? First, our Lord’s death draws us to Him, where we find forgiveness, grace, and mercy. Then, each day we are given opportunity to die to sin ourselves and to receive Christ’s forgiveness. It is an ongoing process that involves interacting with the people around us, with whom we share Christ’s invitation to heaven itself. We sing “Hosanna,” which means “save us.” Because of the cross, we are confident that we have been saved already.
Today’s Epistle speaks of Jesus, our High Priest. High priests are called to offer sacrifices for the sins of the people as well as themselves. Jesus is a different sort of high priest who offers Himself as sacrifice, once for all, that we might be forgiven and granted eternal salvation. In the Gospel, Jesus proclaims that He came not to be served, but to serve. He came to offer His life as a ransom for us. As we follow Jesus, we are called to reflect His actions and attitude of service and sacrifice. May we likewise go to serve and sacrifice for others.
iStock Photo
We hear today of eternal life that is given to us because of God’s great love for us, shown to us in perhaps the most famous Bible verse, John 3:16. This verse speaks of God’s genuine love for us and the world shown in Jesus’ death on the cross for us. The love of God never ends. God’s love is present here and now and extends into eternal life as eternal love. May we be so encouraged by God’s love to share it with others. Thanks be to God for such love!
We focus our attention on Christ crucified. The apostle Paul tells us that this is a stumbling block and foolishness to some people. Yet Paul also reminds us that for us who are being saved, Christ crucified is the power and wisdom of God. We may face people in our lives who view us as foolish. God, in His wisdom, sent Jesus to die for you.
Today we hear the apostle Paul proclaim something rather odd: that we can rejoice in our sufferings. Paul says this because—as he tells us—suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame because our hope is in Jesus who died and is risen for us and our reconciliation and peace. That is something to rejoice in!
The season of Lent lasts for forty days (excluding Sundays). This forty-day season of Lent is a time of fasting and repentance. It is a time when we recall Jesus’ forty days of fasting and temptation in the wilderness. Throughout these forty days, remember where we are going. We are headed toward the cross and empty tomb of Jesus. We are headed toward Jesus’ victory over sin, death, and the devil.
Living at a time when it seems the Church is under attack, we might long for a time when everyone was looking for Jesus. Whether they know or realize it, the world is looking for Jesus, that is, for an answer to sin, fear, loneliness, pain, and death. Jesus is that answer. For this reason, our Lord had to continue to preach at the next town and the next. For this reason, we continue to proclaim the unchanging Gospel year in and year out, for it is the only Gospel by which any can be saved. May the Lord grant us zeal for His house and His kingdom!
In a world where there is nothing new under the sun, we still run to anything that appears to be new. When Jesus taught in the synagogue, the hearers heard a man speak with the authority of the author of the Scriptures. They were surprised and even more surprised when His Word was not simply theoretical but silenced an unclean spirit and relieved the man of this demon. In their amazement, they could not help but tell the story to any who would listen. Yet even as Jesus’ fame spread, so did opposition to His teaching and preaching.
Ever had those days that felt like weeks or those weeks that felt like days? Those minutes that felt like hours, or the hours that felt like minutes? Time is a fickle thing on this earth, as we are bound by it yet our perspective of it is ever changing. Our Scripture Readings today all deal with time. As God deemed it time for Nineveh to have the opportunity to repent and know His grace, He came to Jonah a second time. In the Epistle, Paul reminds us time is short, and the physical world is passing away.In the Gospel, Jesus would begin His earthly ministry and call His disciples, echoing the words of John the Baptist, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand” (Mark 1:15).Though to the Lord a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years are like a day, we live each day knowing that all time is in His hands. Until He calls His people to glory, we rejoice for the time to gather where His Spirit is, be blessed by His Word of Law and Gospel, rejoice in mercy and forgiveness, and make use of the time given to be witnesses to others.
Since the beginning of creation, God has spoken. He spoke into being our universe and our very selves as the crown of His creation; He spoke when seeking out Adam and Eve in a fallen world; He spoke many times and many ways through the prophets; and He spoke by the very words that came from the mouth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. From Him came words of instructing, healing, forgiving, and of invitation to follow Him as we hear today with Philip and Nathanael. The Lord still speaks to us today in His Word, as His Spirit spoke instruction and encouragement of the use of bodies through Paul in his letter to the church of Corinth. Through all He speaks, we are called to listen to that Word to guide and direct, and to hear His continued words of forgiveness, peace, hope, and joy as “in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son” (Hebrews 1:2).
The Twelve Days of our Christmas celebration have come to an end. But the miraculous birth of the Son of God is only the beginning of the story. For though Jesus came as the fulfillment of all the promises to God’s chosen people Israel, the promise to Abraham was clear that by his seed “all the families of the earth” would be blessed (Genesis 12:3). This is the mystery Paul speaks of in Ephesians 3, how “the Gentiles are fellow heirs . . . of the promise in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 3:6). Anything hidden remains a mystery until it is revealed. No one, Jew or Gentile, can come to faith in Christ without the Gospel being revealed. Another word for “reveal” is “epiphany.” So today Matthew uses the word “behold,” showing what may seem a surprise to some. “Behold, wise men from the east” (Matthew 2:1). “Behold, the star that they had seen” (Matthew 2:9). Today we say, behold, Christmas is a much bigger thing than many have thought. It encompasses nothing less than all our Lord’s earthly ministry culminating in His suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension and the sending of the Holy Spirit. It is nothing less than the gift of salvation to all who believe. This epiphany has invaded your darkness through the water and the Word of your Holy Baptism, through the Word of God preached in your hearing, and through the receiving of our Lord’s very body and blood in the Sacrament of the Altar to sustain that gift, that epiphany of faith to the end of days. By faith you have made a very good beginning.
How long is a generation? Keepers of statistics suggest that a generation is between twenty and thirty years and note that at the present time there are six distinct generations living in the United States. The current generations range from our oldest citizens, known as the Greatest Generation through our youngest, given the group name of Generation Z. In the account of the presentation of our Lord in the temple at Jerusalem, we see Jesus as a baby from the youngest generation and we meet Anna the prophetess, well advanced into the most elderly generation, and Simeon, who is often portrayed as an older man. The temple is the place for all generations to experience the presence and blessing of God! The psalmist exults in praise to God: “One generation shall commend Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty acts” (Psalm 145:4). As we worship, we continue that praise in this generation.
Christmas is a celebration of love. Loving thoughts and deeds certainly are part of this holy season as goodwill among people seems more pronounced than at other times of the year. What is the source of that love? It is the love of God that is fully expressed in Christ Jesus, the babe in the manger. For centuries, hymn writers and poets have found meaningful ways of describing that love of God. A poem by English writer Christina Rossetti simply but beautifully shares the Gospel truth that blesses this season. Love came down at Christmas, Love all lovely, Love divine; Love was born at Christmas, Star and angels gave the sign. (LW 46:1) Through the words of gifted hymn writers and poets and the evangelists Luke and Matthew, we hear the angels and we see the star. Once again, the message of God’s love echoes in our world!
Advent is the season of waiting! Soon and very soon our waiting and planning for Christmas celebrations will come to their close, and we will rejoice in Christ’s coming to save us. Such waiting and planning for Christmas can also guide us as we prepare for Christ’s final advent, His ultimate coming, when He returns on the Last Day. Until that glorious Day, when all portions of God’s plan for our salvation will be accomplished, we are blessed with the peace “which surpasses all understanding” (Philippians 4:7). Such peace is an amazing gift that the Lord gave to the virgin Mary, the mother of our Lord, when she received God’s Word from the angel Gabriel and then carried our salvation in her womb, delivering Jesus into the world. “Let it be to me according to your word,” she said (Luke 1:38). May we say the same as we gather this day and, like Mary, receive the peace that God alone can give.
Advent is the season of waiting! As we wait, we have a special job to do. We joyfully get ready for Jesus’ arrival by remembering the ministry of John the Baptist, who came as a witness to Christ, the light of the world. John himself was not the light, nor was he the centerpiece of God’s plan to save the world; no, John’s life was dedicated to preparing the way before the Lord and to get people ready for Jesus coming to the rescue of His people. In many ways, we are invited to be like John. Through our personal witness to Christ in our interpersonal relationships with others, God is working through us so that others will come to know His Son. Our goal is not only to trust in Jesus for ourselves but also to let the world know that He is coming to save them too. And His soon-to-come arrival will be well worth the wait!
Advent is the season of waiting! As we await Christ’s coming again in power and glory, we know that the time we are given before that great Day is due to the Lord’s patience. “The Lord . . . is patient toward you,” says Peter (2 Peter 3:9). Why? More time before Christ’s return as King and Judge means more opportunities for us to share the life-giving Gospel with all the world. As people hear the message of Christ, repenting of their sin and turning to Him in faith, more souls will be brought into God’s eternal kingdom. And because He is working His wonders of salvation, we rejoice in Him and receive from Him all He seeks to give!
Welcome to the season of waiting! Not only is Advent a period of preparation for Jesus’ first coming at Christmas, but this sacred season readies our hearts for Jesus’ ultimate coming: when He, as King of kings and Lord of lords, returns in power and glory on the Last Day, when every knee will bow before Him and every eye will see Him as the One who reigns in sovereign majesty over all things. Until His ultimate revealing on that Day, we wait for Him in confident faith, strengthened by His Word and Meal, trusting His promise to make us guiltless in His sight. With the expectant people of old, may our worship together lead us to say: “Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield” (Psalm 33:20).
Christ the King ... a modern American tapestry
Too often we think about God’s being up in His heaven, looking down on us. Today’s Readings give us the correct perspective. Through Ezekiel, God announces that He is the One who will provide pasture for His people and that He will send them David to be their king. In the Psalm, we reflect that God is our maker. Christ is not only the first to rise from death, Paul explains in the Epistle; He is also the foremost, the One to subject all things under Him. And so His decisions when judging on the Last Day cannot be questioned. First and foremost, then, today is a day to let God’s Word give us a correct perspective. This last Sunday of the Church Year is an opportunity to “make a joyful noise to Him with songs of praise” (Psalm 95:2).
YouTube video of the Sermon will be updated in the coming week.
The Last Day may come soon, but in the meantime, many people are neglecting to use their abilities and opportunities for God’s purposes. Zephaniah writes that it will be a day of wrath and mourning. But for those who have realized God’s blessings over the years, as Psalm 90 recalls, though the times are mean, each day is an opportunity to “encourage one another and build one another up” (1 Thessalonians 5:11). Today is an opportunity to hear God’s very gracious Word, “well done!” and be strengthened to respond by using the talents He has loaned to us.
The Last Day may come soon, but in the meantime, many people are neglecting to use their abilities and opportunities for God’s purposes. Zephaniah writes that it will be a day of wrath and mourning. But for those who have realized God’s blessings over the years, as Psalm 90 recalls, though the times are mean, each day is an opportunity to “encourage one another and build one another up” (1 Thessalonians 5:11). Today is an opportunity to hear God’s very gracious Word, “well done!” and be strengthened to respond by using the talents He has loaned to us.
THIS WEEKS AUDIO IS REPOSTED FROM November 14, 2021 Worship.
Jesus, the man who is God, and the God who is man speaks with authority and wisdom. He is the truest and most trustworthy of prophets. He knows what to tell us about the future and what not to tell us. Jesus, the Son of the Living God can the see the whole of the future. He can see us standing firm in the faith and hope. He can see God saving us from the hardest and most impossible things. He can see us celebrating with him the complete revealing of God’s Glory.
The Day of God. Paul Gauguin French 1894–95
It’s not a big surprise that no one has accurately predicted the end of the world—not that it hasn’t been attempted. From religious sects to cult leaders to apocalyptic predictions made when we entered a new millennium, a fascination grows around those who claim they have it all figured out. We are wise though to take the Lord at His word concerning the Last Day. From Amos in the Old Testament proclaiming the day of the Lord, to Paul writing the Thessalonians about Christ’s return, to Jesus’ parable of the ten virgins, the Lord does not give us a date or a time of the end of this world as we know it. What He continues to give us, though, are promises of His faithfulness, His continued care and providence, and His assurance that when that day comes, it will usher in a glorious blessedness in His perfect presence that will last forever.
This audio service is a rebroadcast from Jesus, The King. Worship, November 21, 2021.
When all is said and done Christ will stand in triumph over all things. He will make the wrongs and injustices right in the end. We put our 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 God made a good and perfect world, He will restore it. By His victory Jesus is already our King. In the end we will see that Jesus Christ is truly King of Kings for all of time and eternity. Are you ready to celebrate?
Candles burn on All Saints' Day at the Central Cemetery in Szczecin, Poland (Marcin Bielecki/EPA-EFE/Rex)
Today is bittersweet. Bitter, because some of us will be remembering someone we love who died recently, and we are still grieving. Yet sweet, because that loved one was also loved by God, redeemed by Jesus, and lives in that place Jesus went ahead to prepare. We grieve, as Paul says, but not “as others do who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13). We also hear the words of Jesus in the Beatitudes, where Jesus blesses people not usually considered blessed: the poor in spirit, the mourning, the meek, peacemakers, the persecuted. The broken circumstances of your life do not define you entirely; Jesus defines you as blessed because He has taken hold of you in love and mercy and will never let you go. Blessed are you.
This week’s Audio Service is a rebroadcast from October 31, 2021. Please enjoy.
The word “Saint” is a pretty big word. We use it to talk about disciples, martyrs, and leaders of the Church throughout 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. 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 God considers our lives holy and set apart because of Jesus’ sacrifice of His holiness for us. By His victory we are Saints by grace.
On this day when we observe and celebrate the Reformation, our Readings point us to remember the struggles and eventual insights of Martin Luther. God used these struggles and insights of one man in Germany to reshape the Church and let the true Gospel resound all over the world. Luther struggled as a young monk and professor because he had been taught that he, by his works of righteousness, might possibly then qualify to be loved by God. This teaching caused him nearly to despair entirely. But then he read Romans 3:23–24: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” Struck by God’s Word here, Luther recognized that it is Christ’s work of righteousness—His dying and rising for sinners like Luther—that saves. Today is a celebration of what Christ has done for sinners like Luther and us.
Leaflets with information on people believed to have been captured by Hamas during its Oct. 7 raid into Israel are displayed outside the Israeli military headquarters in Tel Aviv.
Credit...Avishag Shaar-Yashuv for The New York Times
The most profound comfort lies in the assurance that God is always working out His purpose no matter the circumstances or the people. God’s saving purpose cannot be thwarted. Isaiah lived in an age of bad news and despair, but he was confident that God could overcome them all. In the short term, this redemption came through an unlikely messianic figure named Cyrus. At the appointed time, however, the true Messiah would come and save Israel and all who trust in Him. God is in charge—not just of the ups and downs of this world’s good and bad news but for the sake of His saving work. Jesus’ power is greater than every other power, and His saving purpose will prevail. This is our comfort.
Peace. Image from iStock.com
Living in the ups and downs of this mortal life, in a world opposed to Christ and His purposes, it may seem like peace is a secret that must be found to be enjoyed. There is no secret, as it were, but the peace that passes understanding is hidden—hidden in Christ. This peace is not some relative calm against the upset of the world but knowing Christ and living in His strength, comfort, forgiveness, joy, and peace amid every circumstance of life. This is not to be confused with happiness, which is hard to find and ever harder to define. No, this gift of peace means knowing with contentment the steadfast love and mercy of God given to us in Christ Jesus, His Son.
There will be no audio service this week. We look to resume audio services shortly.
Like a building, we have a foundation stone on which we rest, a cornerstone on which we build, a capstone that holds it all together. Christ is each of those stones—the foundation on which our faith is established, the cornerstone on which our faith is built, and the capstone that holds us up. He is also a stone of stumbling. Those who reject His foundation, His cornerstone, and His capstone are broken into pieces in the day of judgment. All of this is revealed in the surprise of a parable about a master who built a vineyard, planted the vines, and set it out for tenants to produce the wine. Instead, they conspired to keep the vineyard as their own, rejected those whom the master sent, and killed his son. This is the story of Jesus and of the people of God that He had chosen and created to be His vineyard. It is a story of warning, but it is also a story of grace.
There will be no audio service this week.
The audio podcast for the Sunday, October 1, 2023 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. Recorded by Pastor James Disney with music by Sue Blom. Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson If you enjoy listening we encourage you to visit our website at www.blcmtka.org to learn more about our Church and to support this podcast.
Pastor James Disney
Music by Sue Blom
Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson
The audio podcast for the Sunday, September 24, 2023 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. Recorded by Pastor James Disney with music by Sue Blom. Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson If you enjoy listening we encourage you to visit our website at www.blcmtka.org to learn more about our Church and to support this podcast.
Pastor James Disney
Music by Sue Blom
Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson
Our God is abundantly, outrageously generous in His love for us. Jesus came to tell us about God’s gracious way and then make it so by His sacrifice and triumph. The gracious way of God is ours today and forever.
God is creative. The Bible tells us from its first pages that God has infinite power to make new things. He can also renew and recreate. When Jesus finds his disciples squabbling about who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven he invites them to think about themselves as children. In thinking of ourselves this way we prepare ourselves for the newness of life God can create. By his Spirit God can bring newness in wonderful, graceful, and eternal ways. Today as we begin new things we pray, “God, come among us, and create anew”.
God works in the simple natural order of things most of the time, but God’s way is also sometimes amazing and unexpected. Jesus willingly went to the cross when His disciples could not see what that would accomplish. His sacrifice made the way that leads to our salvation. St. Paul tells us in Romans how it is that what looks like a loss can be the very way in which we gain something great from God. Our God is awesome, surprising, and amazing. We pray for His Spirit now to bless us in God’s amazing way.
The audio podcast for the Sunday, September 4, 2022 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. Recorded by Pastor James Disney with music by Sue Blom. Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson If you enjoy listening we encourage you to visit our website at www.blcmtka.org to learn more about our Church and to support this podcast.
Pastor James Disney
Music by Sue Blom
Produced and Edited by Aimee Muns
Jesus changes the way his disciple Peter thinks about himself and the world around him. He gives him a new identity and a new mission. God builds our faith and our lives by His infinite grace and eternal wisdom. we can celebrate this, saying "To Him be glory forever. Amen."
The audio podcast for the Sunday, August 28, 2022 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. Recorded by Pastor James Disney with music by Sue Blom. Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson If you enjoy listening we encourage you to visit our website at www.blcmtka.org to learn more about our Church and to support this podcast.
Pastor James Disney
Music by Sue Blom
Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson
The audio podcast for the Sunday, August 21, 2022 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. Recorded by Pastor James Disney with music by Sue Blom. Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson If you enjoy listening we encourage you to visit our website at www.blcmtka.org to learn more about our Church and to support this podcast.
Pastor James Disney
Music by Sue Blom
Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson
The audio podcast for the Sunday, August 14, 2022 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. Recorded by Pastor James Disney with music by Sue Blom. Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson If you enjoy listening we encourage you to visit our website at www.blcmtka.org to learn more about our Church and to support this podcast.
Pastor James Disney
Music by Sue Blom
Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson
A crowd follows Jesus out of town. As long as they can see Him they feel like they can go anywhere. He takes them to a remote place. Somehow it was easier to listen and absorb the strength of His spirit here. Jesus had everything they need for body and soul. We too can rejoice in this: Our God is leading us and provides all that we need.
The audio podcast for the Sunday, July 30, 2023 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. Recorded by Pastor James Disney with music by Sue Blom. Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson If you enjoy listening we encourage you to visit our website at www.blcmtka.org to learn more about our Church and to support this podcast.
Pastor James Disney
Music by Sue Blom
Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson
God’s Word gives us an amazing array of statements about the love of God. “Nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus.” God is “keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations.” Jesus tells us several parables trying to convey that this love is the greatest of treasures in all the world. He wants us to embrace the idea that God’s love is the most vital thing for each of us. It makes an eternal and infinite difference in every way and in everything.
The audio podcast for the Sunday, July 23, 2023 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. Recorded by Pastor James Disney with music by Sue Blom. Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson If you enjoy listening we encourage you to visit our website at www.blcmtka.org to learn more about our Church and to support this podcast.
Pastor James Disney
Music by Sue Blom
Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson
Jesus saw the farm fields around him as a place of drama. In many of his parables Jesus would point to those fields to illustrate the essence of God’s relationship to His Creation. As Jesus looked at those fields he could see the whole of God’s plan, from beginning to end. In the parable Jesus tells about Weeds we hear that despite every challenge God is still bringing in the harvest of what he wanted from the beginning. Even though there are weeds, God is growing wheat and He will bring it to harvest. Jesus is telling us that we can trust that God is carrying us toward His triumphant and amazing harvest.
The audio podcast for the Sunday, July 16, 2023 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. Recorded by Pastor James Disney with music by Sue Blom. Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson If you enjoy listening we encourage you to visit our website at www.blcmtka.org to learn more about our Church and to support this podcast.
Pastor James Disney
Music by Sue Blom
Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson
What does it take to keep something growing in your backyard? Typically the battle is with the heat, insects, hungry animals, and weeds. We have such things to battle to keep our souls growing as well. The ground of our hearts and minds might be hard-packed, rock-infested, and thorn-choked. But God’s merciful Spirit creates fertile, receptive soil in which small, new life finds purchase, takes root, and bears much fruit. Today we celebrate God’s attentive care and His ever nurturing Spirit.
The audio podcast for the Sunday, July 9, 2023 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. Recorded by Pastor James Disney with music by Sue Blom. Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson If you enjoy listening we encourage you to visit our website at www.blcmtka.org to learn more about our Church and to support this podcast.
Pastor James Disney
Music by Sue Blom
Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson
Jesus promises to be our tranquility and serenity. His invitation to take our rest in him is a call to humility and gratitude. May God’s Spirit show you the abundance of His provision. In Jesus’ victory we have real and eternal things to rest in, for this very day and forever.
It is the most compelling piece of news: the battle has been fought and the price for our souls has been paid by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He has been triumphant over sin and all that is broken in all the world. Now we listen attentively as Jesus speaks about facing the challenges of living in a broken world while holding onto the faith that God has been triumphant. Our God is strong to Save.
The audio podcast for the Sunday, June 25, 2023 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. Recorded by Pastor James Disney with music by Sue Blom. Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson If you enjoy listening we encourage you to visit our website at www.blcmtka.org to learn more about our Church and to support this podcast.
Pastor James Disney
Music by Sue Blom
Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson
Jeremiah has been called the weeping or reluctant prophet. He felt like God had thrown too much at him. But again and again God inspired Jeremiah to be a man of integrity and conviction. “The Lord is with me like a mighty warrior,” he wrote. Jeremiah longed to see God bring justice. Along with the prophet each of us longs for these ultimate things that only God can provide. Our faith is that in Christ Jesus we have seen the person of God: goodness, and justice, grace and love are found on the peaceful path of God.
God treasures us and his whole creation. We are in the season of hope—a season when seeds of the Spirit are planted just as the whole creation is being renewed. We can take to heart that we are being renewed as we live in God’s grace.
Photo Credit: Aimee Munson 6/30/2023
The audio podcast for the Sunday, June 11, 2023 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. Recorded by Pastor James Disney with music by Sue Blom. Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson If you enjoy listening we encourage you to visit our website at www.blcmtka.org to learn more about our Church and to support this podcast.
Pastor James Disney
Music by Sue Blom
Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson
The mercies of God are new every morning. God invites us to believe this and take it to heart. Hosea, Matthew, and Paul heard God speak this invitation. May you be blessed to hear God speak to you of His renewing mercy and peace.
We wonder at the mystery and majesty of the Trinity. The Father creates, the Son redeems, the Spirit sanctifies. All three persons are present and active in the creation of the world. All three persons are active in the salvation of the world. All three persons are active in the new life we have as baptized children of God.
The audio podcast for the Sunday, May 28, 2023 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. Recorded by Pastor James Disney with music by Sue Blom. Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson If you enjoy listening we encourage you to visit our website at www.blcmtka.org to learn more about our Church and to support this podcast.
Pastor James Disney
Music by Sue Blom
Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson
Jesus’ ascension means His triumph is over all humankind, all nations, kingdoms, and powers. He who was crucified, died, and risen, now takes His victory with Him to sit at God's right hand in power and majesty. He is triumphant above all things forever.
Jesus prepared His disciples for His departure. He will leave them at His ascension. Yet He wants us to know and believe that He never really leaves us. He tells us that He will be with us always. He calls the Holy Spirit to embody His love among us. Though the Spirit is a person distinct from the Father and the Son, yet He is also the Spirit of Christ in the mystery of the Trinity. In this Easter season, as we celebrate Jesus raised from the dead, we begin to celebrate that by the Holy Spirit, we live in new life, inspired by God’s abundant love among us.
Jesus spoke with certainty about the way toward life and truth. He Himself is the way to the Father’s house. After his Resurrection his followers started making different kinds of decisions about how they would live, and the hope they would hold within themselves. Two thousand years later Jesus is still the certain way, and by his living spirit we are on this most blessed and certain way by the grace of God.
Jesus wants to tell us something vitally important. His relationship to us is like a shepherd to his sheep. The shepherd knows each of his sheep and we know his voice when he calls. Jesus also tells us that he is the gate of the sheep pen. He is the connection between earth and heaven. Jesus is the caretaker who promises to guard and care for us. As we continue our celebration of Easter, this is more good news: the One who left his grave alive stands in Shepherd’s watch over our lives.
Two men are walking down a road and Jesus joins them. He seemed to appear out of nowhere. He easily became part of the conversation. It took them a while before they figured out that this was the same Jesus who had the whole of Jerusalem buzzing with the news of His Resurrection. Just when we think God is some abstract, distant idea He can surprise us. God is closer than you think. He is in His present glory.
Thomas had missed seeing Jesus risen from the grave alive. If Thomas had been able to get past his doubt he could probably have seen Jesus’ living spirit living in the new emotions expressed by those who had seen Jesus. The excitement, the hope, the resurgence of life they felt was a powerful testimony to the Resurrected Jesus. Thomas did see Jesus for himself and so will we, but even now we can see Jesus in His living Spirit in what we share together.
Jesus is alive! He is risen indeed. This changes everything. Since Jesus rose from the dead, we know He can bring life to everything, in all ways. He will raise us from death to everlasting life. We celebrate that Jesus is alive. Christ is Risen! He is risen indeed!
The eternal King comes riding into Jerusalem on a donkey. It was time to join in the parade that celebrated Jesus’ arrival. So many had been touched by His warmth. They had been impressed by the miraculous things He had done. They were ready to call Jesus King. But it was risky and dangerous for Jesus to enter through the gates of the great city. There were those who considered Him a threat. Just five days later Jesus will be crucified. Then it seemed as if darkness and doubt had won. Who in Jerusalem could guess that the celebration of this King was just beginning? The eternal triumph would be His!
The raising of Lazarus from death was the dramatic event that led to Jesus' suffering and death on the cross. Jesus knew that by calling his friend back from the grave he would put his own life in danger. Those who were afraid that Jesus was gaining too much of a following would not be able to ignore such a powerful event. But Jesus had come so that God’s love will always have the last word even if he had to sacrifice himself to prove that point. Today we can appreciate what it means that God’s love has the last word in all things and in our lives.
"If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation," says Paul. When Jesus gave sight to a blind man it seemed to confirm God’s ability to be endlessly creative. Our God creates sight for the eyes, and the heart, and soul. We see the wonders of His created world. We see the beauty of God, given in faith by Jesus, healer of our sight.
Jesus arrived in a Samaritan village and in just a couple of days he had people saying, “really, truly, this man is the Savior of the world. The certainty of who Jesus is does not change. He really is the One who saves us, and that really changes everything.
Nicodemus was a wise and curious man. But he had his reputation to consider, so he met with Jesus in the night. Nicodemus wanted time with Jesus, away from the busy hustle of the day. He would need the quiet of the night to really hear Jesus. During the season of Lent we each want to give God a chance to speak to us. God alone knows what your soul needs to hear. The words Jesus gave to Nicodemus that night are still speaking to us of God’s great love and grace.
Over the next forty days we journey in the Holy Spirt. Like the ancient ones we pray for the renewal that only God can bring. Psalm 103 says, “The Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.” Rising from the dust we see our Salvation, Jesus, the Son of the Living God stands in the desert wilderness with us. Into this wilderness, God sends His Son who is faithful to us ---even to death on the cross. This great news can be cherished even as we pass through the desert wilderness. Christ Jesus fought victoriously for us, and now there is glory before us, as Christ leads us home to the promise of the Father.
“He is clothed in majesty and glory, he is wrapped in a robe of light.” These are beautiful images that begin Psalm 104. On the Mount of Transfiguration Jesus showed his disciples that these words are more than good poetry. They are who God is in eternity. Jesus showed them a glimpse of this reality. As we follow the life of Jesus, we have come to a mountaintop. Like his first disciples we have followed this amazing man as he began to reveal himself to those who were increasingly curious about where all this was leading. Here Jesus shows us His glory in all its splendor and light. As we look out at where God will now lead us we must hold onto this vision of light and goodness. As we descend, the valley below our faith must actively remember who God is, and what He has done. Jesus has shown us God can lead us and assure us that he is pure, holy and good, now and forever.
The audio podcast for the Sunday, February 20, 2022 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. Recorded by Pastor James Disney with music by Sue Blom. Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson If you enjoy listening we encourage you to visit our website at www.blcmtka.org to learn more about our Church and to support this podcast.
Pastor James Disney
Music by Sue Blom
Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson
God’s love makes us grow in spirit and faith. As with light itself, when we are in God’s love we grow. As the day light grows longer we are encouraged about what will come. In his parable about a man planting seed Jesus teaches his disciples about the dramatic difference even just a ray of God’s love can make.
Jesus speaks of salt and light. He wants to inspire us to honor the Almighty Creator in ways that are like these elegant and essential things. Jesus draws close to us and guides us with the insight of his own spirit and character.
Jesus said a lot of amazing things, but in the speaking of what we call the Beatitudes he almost seems deliberate in wanting to surprise us. He is trying to tell us that God’s love and compassion for us is so deep that he will bless us even in the most unexpected situations. May God so bless us with discerning hearts of wisdom to be able to see that we are truly blessed in infinite and eternal ways by God above all else.
Jesus walked north to Galilee and did many things. There he wanted to fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah, that light would shine on those living in darkness. Jesus called four fishermen to be His first disciples. Jesus healed “every disease and sickness among the people.” Jesus was beginning what God is doing now today, caring for us, in the infinite and eternal ways of God.
The audio podcast for the Sunday, January 16, 2022 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. Recorded by Pastor James Disney with music by Sue Blom. Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson If you enjoy listening we encourage you to visit our website at www.blcmtka.org to learn more about our Church and to support this podcast.
The light of Christ expands throughout the Epiphany season as God reveals the many ways in which His joyous light of glory has come among us. His light illuminates even the darkest of days and ultimately guides the way to eternal light. As we gather for worship, we celebrate that we are children of the light in eternal and infinite ways.
The audio podcast for the Sunday, January 9, 2022 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. Recorded by Pastor James Disney with music by Sue Blom. Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson If you enjoy listening we encourage you to visit our website at www.blcmtka.org to learn more about our Church and to support this podcast.
Our celebration of Christmas now turns into Epiphany when the Magi followed a star that led them to Bethlehem. There they found the Christ Child, Jesus, and worshiped Him as King.
As we consider the mystery of just how that guiding light might have worked, we can celebrate that God has arrived in our midst to guide us. He is a real guiding light. Wise men and women still seek Him because the True Light that enlightens all things has come!
The audio podcast for the Sunday, January 2, 2022 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. Recorded by Pastor James Disney with music by Sue Blom. Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson If you enjoy listening we encourage you to visit our website at www/blcmtka.org to learn more about our Church and to support this podcast.
Jesus was born into the real world that we live in. The new born Prince of Peace was already changing the course of history. As King Herod was determined to destroy this new threat, Joseph and Mary were warned to escape to the safety of Egypt. This is what we celebrate: that God has come to prove his righteousness and love in the reality of the world we live in. He is why we are forever confident that goodness and truth win out.
The audio podcast for the Sunday, December 26, 2021 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. Recorded by Pastor James Disney with music by Sue Blom. Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson If you enjoy listening we encourage you to visit our website at www/blcmtka.org to learn more about our Church and to support this podcast.
Christmas might bring new gifts and new strength to relationships with family and friends. Christmas creates a point of connection to all the gifts Almighty God has for us. Today in our Christmas worship we connect the manger at Bethlehem to the empty tomb at Jerusalem as we ponder the meaning of this miracle child being the eternal Savior King. The whole story of our salvation in Jesus is packed into this one day. It is as if someone gave you a gift in a great big box and every time you pull something out of the box you see that there is even more down there in the bottom. There is such great reason for joy in Jesus. Christmas reminds us that we have an eternity of gifts and blessings to look forward to because of the Christ Child born this sacred day.
The audio podcast for the Sunday, December 19, 2021 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. Recorded by Pastor James Disney with music by Sue Blom. Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson If you enjoy listening we encourage you to visit our website at www/blcmtka.org to learn more about our Church and to support this podcast.
We draw closer to the sign we are awaiting---the sign of the Word made flesh, our Emmanuel (God with us). Long ago the prophet Elijah spoke of this, that God himself would come to be with us. As this promise was being fulfilled we hear the angel tell Joseph to name his new son “Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” This is what we prepare to celebrate: God has come to be with us, and we know his name is Jesus.
The audio podcast for the Sunday, December 12, 2021 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. Recorded by Pastor James Disney with music by Sue Blom. Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson If you enjoy listening we encourage you to visit our website at www/blcmtka.org to learn more about our Church and to support this podcast. You may also subscribe at Apple Podcasts.
John the Baptist was a strong and confident man, loudly proclaiming that the Savior of the world had come. But then John was thrown in prison. Challenged and tested by that circumstance John asked for reassurance that indeed Jesus was the one they had been waiting for. Jesus sent John a message of hope and confidence that echoed back to the words of Isaiah the Prophet spoken 800 years earlier. Isaiah proclaims, “Our God comes in glory, He comes to save you.” God speaks this hope to us even now. He comes in glory for us to see.
The audio podcast for the Sunday, December 5, 2021 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. Recorded by Pastor James Disney with music by Sue Blom. Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson If you enjoy listening we encourage you to visit our website at www/blcmtka.org to learn more about our Church and to support this podcast.
The audio version of the Sunday, November 28, 2021 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. This podcast features Rev James Disney with music by Sue Blom. Produced and edited by Aimee Munson. For more information about our Church, we invite you to visit our website at www.blcmtka.org.
When all is said and done Christ will stand in triumph over all things. He will make the wrongs and injustices right in the end. We put our 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 God made a good and perfect world, He will restore it. By His victory Jesus is already our King. In the end we will see that Jesus Christ is truly King of Kings for all of time and eternity. Are you ready to celebrate?
As the end of the Church Year draws near, we take heart that God will finish what He started. God has promised to orchestrate the events that shape history to a good end. Throughout the church year we celebrate that God himself appeared and Jesus won our salvation. In these last days of the church year we hear Jesus tell us that hard things may come but God is completing the fulfillment of His Word and promise. We can live in trust: “Stand up,” He says, “and lift up your heads because your redemption is drawing near.” We are in God’s care.
THIS WEEKS AUDIO IS REPOSTED FROM November 14, 2021 Worship.
Jesus, the man who is God, and the God who is man speaks with authority and wisdom. He is the truest and most trustworthy of prophets. He knows what to tell us about the future and what not to tell us. Jesus, the Son of the Living God can the see the whole of the future. He can see us standing firm in the faith and hope. He can see God saving us from the hardest and most impossible things. He can see us celebrating with him the complete revealing of God’s Glory.
Who is a “Saint”? We use the word “saint” to talk about disciples, martyrs, and leaders of the Church throughout 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. 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 God considers our lives holy and set apart because of Jesus’ sacrifice of His holiness for us. By His victory we are Saints by grace.
This week’s Audio Service is a rebroadcast from October 31, 2021. Please enjoy.
The word “Saint” is a pretty big word. We use it to talk about disciples, martyrs, and leaders of the Church throughout 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. 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 God considers our lives holy and set apart because of Jesus’ sacrifice of His holiness for us. By His victory we are Saints by grace.
The Reformation is a celebration of Jesus Christ. Five hundred years ago 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 in Jesus. God is good!
The Reformation is a celebration of Jesus Christ. Five hundred years ago 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 in Jesus, the Son of the Living God.
God cares for us His family. Jesus wants all of us to feel as cared for as a nurtured child. In our lesson from Proverbs we are given the image of a woman and her family who are thriving because they have noble character built by the grace of God. The Apostle James challenges us to be humble before our God. In this way we will be richly blessed and can live noble lives in the family of our great God and Father.
There is a mystery at the center of everything, and God gives us the sight to see it. Like the blind man that Jesus heals, when the eyes of our spirit open we see Jesus. The great secret is revealed: Jesus is Lord of heaven and earth.
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?
Jesus is confident that God is our eternal treasure. 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 and love is our eternal treasure. We celebrate the reality of Jesus who is the saving Christ, the living God, who is our eternal treasure.
The audio podcast for the Sunday, September 25, 2022 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. Recorded by Pastor James Disney with music by Sue Blom. Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson If you enjoy listening we encourage you to visit our website at www.blcmtka.org to learn more about our Church and to support this podcast.
Pastor James Disney
Music by Sue Blom
Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson
The audio podcast for the Sunday, September 18, 2022 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. Recorded by Pastor James Disney with music by Sue Blom. Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson If you enjoy listening we encourage you to visit our website at www.blcmtka.org to learn more about our Church and to support this podcast.
Pastor James Disney
Music by Sue Blom
Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson
The audio podcast for the Sunday,September 11, 2022 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. Recorded by Pastor James Disney with music by Sue Blom. Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson If you enjoy listening we encourage you to visit our website at www.blcmtka.org to learn more about our Church and to support this podcast.
Pastor James Disney
Music by Sue Blom
Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson
New born children quickly start picking up wisdom about the world with wide-eyed wonder. Inevitably we put our heads down and trudge along, relying on what we have learned in the past. But God’s Spirit tells us that seeking God’s wisdom is a vital part of thriving in the present moment. The voice of God’s wisdom enriches every moment for us. God makes things sacred. He reshapes and redeems things. Listening for God’s wisdom is the most important part of prayer. God speaks His eternal voice of wisdom.
Maybe you have been impressed by some feat of strength like someone lifting a lot of weight or hitting a baseball really far for a home run. But, the most impressive power of all is the strength of Almighty God. His strength is so great that it can be seen in the humility of Jesus’ life. The strength of God can be seen in us as we walk in His humble way. God showed infinite strength in forgiving us. We show His strength whenever we use the great gift of forgiveness or express undeserved compassion and grace. God’s strength is living among us.
Where would you like to go? The Bible is filled with travelers and pilgrims on journeys. Ultimately and always we want to head toward God. In His Word God gives us the image of his Holy Mountain to help us focus our spirit on the journey we are taking toward him. In God’s Living and Holy Spirit we journey on to God’s Mountain.
Jesus could be gentle, but he also could be stern and deliberate when he wanted to be. This is God’s way. Wanting our purity and righteousness God will challenge us and affirm us. Like fire that has many good uses God’s will for us must be carefully watched and respected. “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him.” Psalm 103
Our faith in God is secure for many reasons. The history of what Jesus did and said gives us solid reason to believe in God’s amazing provision. We are also inspired to believe by the faith of other people who have believed. Great figures of faith from ancient times still speak to us and encourage us to believe. Maybe the faith of your grandparents or a good friend is inspiration for your faith. Consistently we see that God has had mercy on everyone who calls upon Him in faith. Our Spirit-given faith is always a blessing. We celebrate God’s faithfulness to us by our confidence in Him.
The audio podcast for the Sunday, July 31, 2022 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. Recorded by Pastor James Disney with music by Sue Blom. Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson If you enjoy listening we encourage you to visit our website at www.blcmtka.org to learn more about our Church and to support this podcast.
Pastor James Disney
Music by Sue Blom
Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson
We need perspective. So often everything depends on how you look at it. From the most ancient of days searching souls have looked for the big picture that frames and clarifies how we think and feel. The writer of Ecclesiastes peels away the layers in his search: “Everything is meaningless” he says. Jesus picks it up from there: “This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.” Jesus wants us to ask him, “How could we possibly be “rich toward God”? Jesus himself is the answer to this deepest of questions. In him we are given the greatest riches of life’s meaning.
The audio podcast for the Sunday, July 24, 2022 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. Recorded by Pastor James Disney with music by Sue Blom. Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson If you enjoy listening we encourage you to visit our website at www.blcmtka.org to learn more about our Church and to support this podcast.
Pastor James Disney
Music by Sue Blom
Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson
The audio podcast for the Sunday, July 17, 2022 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. Recorded by Pastor James Disney with music by Sue Blom. Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson If you enjoy listening we encourage you to visit our website at www.blcmtka.org to learn more about our Church and to support this podcast.
Pastor James Disney
Music by Sue Blom
Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson
The audio podcast for the Sunday, July 10, 2022 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. Recorded by Pastor James Disney with music by Sue Blom. Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson If you enjoy listening we encourage you to visit our website at www.blcmtka.org to learn more about our Church and to support this podcast.
Pastor James Disney
Music by Sue Blom
Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson
Have you have ever tried to plant something and make it grow? Maybe the process was nearly effortless and the growing thing shot up with ease. Or maybe, despite your best efforts at nurturing the plant, it just would not grow. Our Creator God is absolutely persistent in wanting to nurture life to its fullness. We might experience God’s love like a mother’s caring hug. At other times God sends us out with the confidence that we can share his love in gracious ways. God is consistent and persistent in his love of life.
The audio podcast for the Sunday, June 19, 2022 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. Recorded by Pastor James Disney with music by Sue Blom. Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson If you enjoy listening we encourage you to visit our website at www.blcmtka.org to learn more about our Church and to support this podcast.
Pastor James Disney
Music by Sue Blom
Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson
The audio podcast for the Sunday, June 19, 2022 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. Recorded by Pastor James Disney with music by Sue Blom. Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson If you enjoy listening we encourage you to visit our website at www.blcmtka.org to learn more about our Church and to support this podcast.
Pastor James Disney
Music by Sue Blom
Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson
God has revealed Himself to us as one God in three different ways. We rejoice in this mystery of God and in all the blessings that He provides to us. In the sacred name of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit we celebrate God in infinite and eternal ways.
The audio podcast for the Sunday, June 5, 2022 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. Recorded by Pastor James Disney with music by Sue Blom. Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson If you enjoy listening we encourage you to visit our website at www.blcmtka.org to learn more about our Church and to support this podcast.
Pastor James Disney
Music by Sue Blom
Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson
The audio podcast for the Sunday, May 29, 2022 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. Recorded by Pastor James Disney with music by Sue Blom. Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson If you enjoy listening we encourage you to visit our website at www.blcmtka.org to learn more about our Church and to support this podcast.
Pastor James Disney
Music by Sue Blom
Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson
Podcast Episode Note
The audio podcast for the Sunday, May 22, 2022 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. Recorded by Pastor James Disney with music by Sue Blom. Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson If you enjoy listening we encourage you to visit our website at www.blcmtka.org to learn more about our Church and to support this podcast.
Pastor James Disney
Music by Sue Blom
Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson
The audio podcast for the Sunday, May 15, 2022 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. Recorded by Pastor James Disney with music by Sue Blom. Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson If you enjoy listening we encourage you to visit our website at www.blcmtka.org to learn more about our Church and to support this podcast.
Pastor James Disney
Music by Sue Blom
Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson
The audio podcast for the Sunday, May 8, 2022 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. Recorded by Pastor James Disney with music by Sue Blom. Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson If you enjoy listening we encourage you to visit our website at www.blcmtka.org to learn more about our Church and to support this podcast.
Pastor James Disney
Music by Sue Blom
Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson
The audio podcast for the Sunday, May 1, 2022 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. Recorded by Pastor James Disney with music by Sue Blom. Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson If you enjoy listening we encourage you to visit our website at www.blcmtka.org to learn more about our Church and to support this podcast.
Pastor James Disney
Music by Sue Blom
Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson
The audio podcast for the Sunday, April 24, 2022 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. Recorded by Pastor James Disney with music by Sue Blom. Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson If you enjoy listening we encourage you to visit our website at www.blcmtka.org to learn more about our Church and to support this podcast.
Pastor James Disney
Music by Sue Blom
Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson
The audio podcast for the Sunday, April 3, 2022 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. Recorded by Pastor James Disney with music by Sue Blom. Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson If you enjoy listening we encourage you to visit our website at www.blcmtka.org to learn more about our Church and to support this podcast.
Pastor James Disney
Music by Sue Blom
Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson
The Eternal King comes riding into Jerusalem on a donkey. In this moment it was time to join in the simple innocent parade that celebrated Jesus’ arrival. So many had been touched by His warmth. They had been impressed by the miraculous things He had done. They were ready to call Jesus King. Just five days later Jesus will be crucified. Then, for three days it seemed as if darkness hadh won. Who in Jerusalem could guess that the celebration of the King was just beginning? The eternal triumph would be His!
The audio podcast for the Sunday, April 3, 2022 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. Recorded by Pastor James Disney with music by Sue Blom. Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson If you enjoy listening we encourage you to visit our website at www.blcmtka.org to learn more about our Church and to support this podcast.
Pastor James Disney
Music by Sue Blom
Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson
The audio podcast for the Sunday, March 27, 2022 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. Recorded by Pastor James Disney with music by Sue Blom. Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson If you enjoy listening we encourage you to visit our website at www.blcmtka.org to learn more about our Church and to support this podcast.
Pastor James Disney
Music by Sue Blom
Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson
Thank you for listening to this audio service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church glen lake, Minnesota. This podcast features Rev James Disney with music by Sue Blom. Produced and edited by Aimee Munson. If you enjoy listening we encourage you to visit our website at www.blcmtka.org to learn more about our Church and to support this podcast. Blessings upon your week.
The audio podcast for the Sunday, March 13, 2022 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. Recorded by Pastor James Disney with music by Sue Blom. Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson If you enjoy listening we encourage you to visit our website at www.blcmtka.org to learn more about our Church and to support this podcast.
Pastor James Disney
Music by Sue Blom
Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson
Jesus enters the wilderness of temptation, joining us in all of our humanity. We will watch as Jesus defeats the devil’s temptations by putting the way of His Father before his own needs. Jesus can inspire us to meditate on our own lives and the agendas that drive them. Lent can be a kind of spring time for the soul as we find spiritual renewal.
Thank you for listening to this audio service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church glen lake, Minnesota. This podcast features Rev James Disney with music by Sue Blom. Produced and edited by Aimee Munson. If you enjoy listening we encourage you to visit our website at www.blcmtka.org to learn more about our Church and to support this podcast. Blessings upon your week.
The audio podcast for the Sunday, February 20, 2022 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. Recorded by Pastor James Disney with music by Sue Blom. Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson If you enjoy listening we encourage you to visit our website at www.blcmtka.org to learn more about our Church and to support this podcast.
Pastor James Disney
Music by Sue Blom
Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson
The audio podcast for the Sunday, February 13, 2022 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. Recorded by Pastor James Disney with music by Sue Blom. Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson If you enjoy listening we encourage you to visit our website at www.blcmtka.org to learn more about our Church and to support this podcast.
Pastor James Disney
Music by Sue Blom
Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson
The audio podcast for the Sunday, February 6, 2022 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. Recorded by Pastor James Disney with music by Sue Blom. Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson.
If you enjoy listening we encourage you to visit our website at www.blcmtka.org to learn more about our Church and to support this podcast.
The audio podcast for the Sunday, January 30, 2022 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. Recorded by Pastor James Disney with music by Sue Blom. Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson If you enjoy listening we encourage you to visit our website at www.blcmtka.org to learn more about our Church and to support this podcast.
Pastor James Disney
Music by Sue Blom
Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson
The audio podcast for the Sunday, January 23, 2022 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. Recorded by Pastor James Disney with music by Sue Blom. Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson If you enjoy listening we encourage you to visit our website at www.blcmtka.org to learn more about our Church and to support this podcast.
Pastor James Disney
Music by Sue Blom
Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson
The audio podcast for the Sunday, January 16, 2022 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. Recorded by Pastor James Disney with music by Sue Blom. Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson If you enjoy listening we encourage you to visit our website at www.blcmtka.org to learn more about our Church and to support this podcast.
The audio podcast for the Sunday, January 9, 2022 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. Recorded by Pastor James Disney with music by Sue Blom. Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson If you enjoy listening we encourage you to visit our website at www.blcmtka.org to learn more about our Church and to support this podcast.
The audio podcast for the Sunday, January 2, 2022 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. Recorded by Pastor James Disney with music by Sue Blom. Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson If you enjoy listening we encourage you to visit our website at www/blcmtka.org to learn more about our Church and to support this podcast.
The audio podcast for the Sunday, December 26, 2021 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. Recorded by Pastor James Disney with music by Sue Blom. Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson If you enjoy listening we encourage you to visit our website at www/blcmtka.org to learn more about our Church and to support this podcast.
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.
The audio podcast for the Sunday, December 19, 2021 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. Recorded by Pastor James Disney with music by Sue Blom. Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson If you enjoy listening we encourage you to visit our website at www/blcmtka.org to learn more about our Church and to support this podcast.
The audio podcast for the Sunday, December 12, 2021 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. Recorded by Pastor James Disney with music by Sue Blom. Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson If you enjoy listening we encourage you to visit our website at www/blcmtka.org to learn more about our Church and to support this podcast. You may also subscribe at Apple Podcasts.
The audio podcast for the Sunday, December 5, 2021 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. Recorded by Pastor James Disney with music by Sue Blom. Produced and Edited by Aimee Munson If you enjoy listening we encourage you to visit our website at www/blcmtka.org to learn more about our Church and to support this podcast.
The audio version of the Sunday, November 28, 2021 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. This podcast features Rev James Disney with music by Sue Blom. Produced and edited by Aimee Munson. For more information about our Church, we invite you to visit our website at www.blcmtka.org.
When all is said and done Christ will stand in triumph over all things. He will make the wrongs and injustices right in the end. We put our 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 God made a good and perfect world, He will restore it. By His victory Jesus is already our King. In the end we will see that Jesus Christ is truly King of Kings for all of time and eternity. Are you ready to celebrate?
Jesus, the man who is God, and the God who is man speaks with authority and wisdom. He is the truest and most trustworthy of prophets. He knows what to tell us about the future and what not to tell us. Jesus, the Son of the Living God can the see the whole of the future. He can see us standing firm in the faith and hope. He can see God saving us from the hardest and most impossible things. He can see us celebrating with him the complete revealing of God’s Glory.
Yeshua Teaches People by the Sea, by James Tissot
The word “Saint” is a pretty big word. We use it to talk about disciples, martyrs, and leaders of the Church throughout 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. 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 God considers our lives holy and set apart because of Jesus’ sacrifice of His holiness for us. By His victory we are Saints by grace.
The Forerunners of Christ with Saints and Martyrs: Inner Right Predella Panel
Probably by Fra Angelico active 1417; died 1455
The Reformation is a celebration of Jesus Christ. Five hundred years ago 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 in Jesus. God is good!
There is a mystery at the center of everything, and God gives us the sight to see it. Like the blind man that Jesus heals, when the eyes of our spirit open we see Jesus. The great secret is revealed: Jesus is Lord of heaven and earth.
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?
Jesus is confident that God is our eternal treasure. 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 and love is our eternal treasure. We celebrate the reality of Jesus who is the saving Christ, the living God, who is our eternal treasure.
To bring humanity back to Him, God sent His Son Jesus 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. Jesus is the author of a new story that unfolds in our lives as children of God, saved, delivered, preserved by Him forever.
We find our purpose and meaning in life by knowing Christ Jesus. Today, we pray in thanksgiving for the amazing gifts Jesus gives us, and we pray that we may be seasoned with the salt of His grace and favor.
God cares for us His family. Jesus wants all of us to feel as cared for as a nurtured child. In our lesson from Proverbs we are given the image of a woman and her family who are thriving because they have noble character built by the grace of God. The Apostle James challenges us to be humble before our God. In this way we will be richly blessed and can live noble lives in the family of our great God and Father.
O, the power of words. From the mouth of Jesus words change lives in dramatic ways. Despite our best efforts our words can fall short of what we hoped for. We can pray for the Holy Spirit to guide us to good words that encourage and create a good spirit within and around us. By getting to know the character and personality of Jesus our words will be guided by the Eternal Word of God, forever good and righteous.
God tells the prophet Isaiah, “say to those with fearful hearts, ‘be strong, do not fear; your God will come to save you.” In our Gospel lesson we see Jesus fulfill Isaiah’s promises. He “opened the eyes of the blind, and unstopped the ears of the deaf and the mute tongue shouts for joy.” In many and eternal ways we are made new in Christ. The past can be left behind and we can celebrate the new things of God.
Paul tells us that God wants to put us in a full suit of armor. Should we be worried and ask why are we going to need armor? Perhaps the warfare we are preparing for is to fight for the honor of our King. Are you ready? Well of course not. Thanks be to God that He himself stands already triumphant on the battlefield. We know the victory is His. Jesus is our victory in everything and in every way.
God speaks and sometimes what He says is challenging. God wants to make things sacred and holy. From the heavens He brings us wisdom and guidance, love and compassion that begins to change what is broken and flawed into things that are good. Our faith and trust in God’s way is the beginning of something sacred and holy, made so by God’s grace.
Paul writes to his friends and says “live as children of light.” He hopes that we can be “wise making the most of every opportunity.” What wonderful gifts we can celebrate together in Christ, ‘the Living Bread from Heaven.” Like Jesus’ Disciples we celebrate that He is “the Holy One of God.”
This is the weekly audio service from Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. For more information about our Church or to Worship with us in person please visit our website at www.blcmtka.org. Blessings upon your day.
The audio version of the Sunday, August 1, 2021 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. For more information about our Church, we invite you to visit our website at www.blcmtka.org.
The audio version of the Sunday, July 25, 2021 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. For more information about our Church, we invite you to visit our website at www.blcmtka.org.
In Jesus we find real rest from things that trouble us in body and soul. In Him we find rest with one another because Jesus gives us reason to leave behind the things that would seem to divide us. Ultimately all things will be brought together in unity under the reign of Christ. We can imagine joining the large crowd of diverse people that came and sat down in the green grass to listen to Jesus. They had come from different towns, but they all were “like a sheep without a shepherd.” After Jesus fed their souls with his teaching he also fed their bodies with a meal he amazingly produces from five loaves of bread and two fish. Today and forever we find real rest in God’s presence.
God is building a Kingdom on His compassion and grace. We need God’s compassion and guidance because the human heart can become a dark and desperate thing. The Gospel today tells us about how King Herod had John the Baptist put in prison and then Herod is tricked into beheading the prophet. This king got trapped by his own pride and later regretted it. We all feel such moments of confusion and self-deception. But our God is great and He can make something better. When we trust God to care for us it removes the helpless desperation of our hearts. Within God’s protective kingdom we can make better choices, and God brings to earth His wisdom and love, just as it is in heaven.
You probably have a couple of amazing stories: things you have seen or learned that make the world a bigger and more amazing place. The apostle Paul could tell some tales. But at the same time there was at least one thing that kept him very grounded to the earth, “a thorn in the flesh,” he called it. This kept him humble and needful. He tells us that it was in his weakness that he really began to understand how great God is. One of the most amazing things in Paul’s life was to hear God say, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
As we witness the compassion of Jesus in the lives of those He healed we are seeing Him give us reasons to believe that God will be faithful to us. He invites our trust, and walks with us in all of our waiting. In faithfully waiting for God we take to heart the words of Lamentations 3:26: "It is good that we should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord."
Jesus answers the need of His disciples with great compassion and power. With the wind howling, the boat taking on water, and the disciples afraid for their lives, Jesus speaks. "Peace, be still," and the wind and the waves become still. All of nature must follow His command. Today His voice speaks to the deepest part of our mind and spirit as Jesus quiets us with His still peace.
Jesus tells us that the mustard seed "is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade" (Mark 4:31-32). Jesus wants to spark the imagination of His listeners. Almighty God is infinite and creative. God loves to see life thrive and grow. God’s Kingdom is a place where small things are significant. Jesus’ story is about all this and more. We celebrate all the wondrous ways God can care and nurture us today and forever.
God is eternal, and that forms the foundation of our faith and hope. With every hard or difficult thing we face, God is with us. Seeing that God has come to us in His eternal nature, in all the compassion and love of Jesus, is reason for trust. God has eternally and victoriously triumphed. We have eternal reasons to celebrate our God every day and forever.
God has revealed Himself to us as one God in three different ways. We rejoice in this mystery of God and in all the blessings that He provides to us. In the sacred name of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit we celebrate God in infinite and eternal ways.
Weekly Worship Services from Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, Minnesota, USA. Find out more at www/blcmtka.org
Jesus’ ascension means His triumph is complete and total. He who was crucified, died, and risen, now takes His victory with Him to sit at God's right hand in power and majesty. He is triumphant over all things forever.
Jesus’ Living Resurrection inspires us to believe in the power of God’s love. Our hope is anchored on God’s love. His love is our confidence, comfort and strength, today and forever.
All around us the earth is sprouting new life. Plants, seeds, or bulbs that have been resting in the ground now are coming to life. In His Resurrection Jesus came back to life. In Jesus’ Resurrection life begins again for us. God can bring us back to life from even the most dormant winter blues or the biggest challenges we face. Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Jesus’ Resurrection is the most significant event in all of history. It took some getting used to for His first disciples. They had to ask questions and begin to think in new ways about the world and their own lives. Still today we are always trying to catch up to what God is doing. Jesus is alive! We have the privilege of exploring the eternity of what it means to be living in the light of Jesus’ Resurrection.
The audio version of the Sunday, April 11, 2021 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. For more information about our Church, we invite you to visit our website at www.blcmtka.org.
The audio version of the Sunday, April 4, 2021 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. For more information about our Church, we invite you to visit our website at www.blcmtka.org.
The audio version of the Sunday, March 29, 2021 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. For more information about our Church, we invite you to visit our website at www.blcmtka.org.
Pastor James Disney. Music by Sue Blom.
The audio version of the Sunday, March 21, 2021 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. For more information about our Church, we invite you to visit our website at www.blcmtka.org.
The audio version of the Sunday, March 14, 2021 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. For more information about our Church, we invite you to visit our website at www.blcmtka.org.
The audio version of the Sunday, March 7, 2021 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. For more information about our Church, we invite you to visit our website at www.blcmtka.org.
The audio version of the Sunday, February 28, 2021 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. For more information about our Church, we invite you to visit our website at www.blcmtka.org.
The audio version of the Sunday, February 21, 2021 Worship service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN. For more information about our Church, we invite you to visit our website at www.blcmtka.org.
In the glorious transfiguration of Jesus God confirmed the mysteries of our faith. Moses and Elijah appear from the past, linking all of human history. In the voice that came from the bright cloud God the Father was proclaiming that God’s love is central to everything in the whole world. Jesus, transfigured in majestic glory revealed the fullness of heaven that awaits us.
The people in Isaiah’s day were wondering about God’s providence and the prophet tells them “those who hope in God will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles.” When Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law and many others who were suffering from both sickness and demons, He demonstrated that He is the Healing and Renewing One Isaiah had spoken of. Jesus is our hope in every and even infinite ways.
For more information about our Church and to join us for Sunday In-person worship please go to www.blcmtka.org
Jesus visited the town of Capernaum. He brought the power and authority of heaven. His voice ultimately rises above all other voices. Our hope is that the triumphant voice of Jesus command this moment. This is our faith in any and all moments of our lives. This is our trust for all of time and eternity. From heaven to earth, our Good and Almighty God speaks with ultimate and final authority.
Jesus began his ministry by announcing the fullness of time, “the time has come,” Jesus says to the fishermen, Peter, Andrew, James, and John. God invites each of us to follow Him. He promises that He will take the ordinary elements of our lives and make them count in his kingdom in eternal and infinite ways.
The audio version of the 9:30 Traditional Service of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Minnetonka, MN.
Epiphany is when we remember the long journey of the wise man who searched for the new King, sent from heaven. They looked to the night sky and followed the guiding light of the Spirit, until at last they arrived to see Jesus. We are on a kind of journey now. We need the hope and sense of expectation that enabled the wise men to complete their journey of vigilance. Together we celebrate the Light of God guiding us in all His goodness and mercy.
We are only told about one moment in the childhood life of Jesus. Slipping away from his parents Jesus went into the temple in Jerusalem and shared amazing wisdom and insight with the scholars gathered there. Jesus said he had to be in His Father’s house. In our continued celebration of God’s entrance into our world, we rejoice that He has come with wisdom and grace. We can now sit with Him in the sanctuary and refuge of God’s House, and be blessed by His eternal wisdom.
After waiting and waiting Simeon and Anna were blessed beyond measure. There in the great temple their old eyes beheld the salvation of God, the baby Jesus brought right to them. Seeing Jesus inspired in them a roaring outpouring of thanks and praise to God. One day we will see Jesus face to face, but we are even now in the presence of the sacred mystery: God with us, Emmanuel. God bless you with joy, thanks and peace.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
There is a mystery at the center of everything, and we all can sense it. When the mystery was revealed his name was Jesus. It is really all about Jesus. The great secret is revealed: Jesus is Lord of heaven and earth.
The first and second hymn is LSB 523, “O Word of God Incarnate”. The third and fourth hymn is LSB 793, “Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven ”. If you have a Lutheran Service Book Hymnal at home, please sing along.
We are invited to a banquet. It’s quite a feast. On the menu is mercy, grace, and joy. Come and sit at this table and you will laugh with relief and wonder. This is God’s banquet, and He invites us to come and sit with him at His table. Here we are in the presence of the Almighty Creator and King. God’s banquet is an eternal celebration of all that good, right, and true.
The first and second hymn is LSB 636, “Soul Adorn Yourself with Gladness”. The third and fourth hymn is LSB 621, “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence ”. If you have a Lutheran Service Book Hymnal at home, please sing along.
Jesus told many stories in which he uses images from the harvest time. Any farmer would agree with Jesus that the harvest can be surprising, requiring versatility and vigilance. Jesus is telling us why we can be confident in the harvest. He will be triumphant and the harvest is his victory in our salvation.
The first and second hymn is LSB 893, “Sing to the Lord of Harvest”. The third and fourth hymn is LSB 894, “For the Fruits of His Creation”. If you have a Lutheran Service Book Hymnal at home, please sing along.
Now, perhaps more than ever, we see that many things are too big or complicated for us to finish. Even though we long for things that are whole and complete, so many things in life are too vast to even see the end. But, we can celebrate that Our Great God knows how to finish and complete things. God’s promise is to continue with us until we are made complete. Even when it feels like we will never get to the end of things God is already there, just as powerfully as He is also present with us in the here and now. He is Sovereign King over all of time and eternity.
The first and second hymn is LSB 940, “Holy God We Praise Thy Name”. The third and fourth hymn is LSB 524, “How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds”. If you have a Lutheran Service Book Hymnal at home, please sing along.
Our God is abundantly, outrageously generous in His love for us. Jesus came to tell us about God’s gracious way and then make it so by His sacrifice and triumph that the gracious way of God is ours today and forever.
The first and second hymn is LSB 818, “In Thee is Gladness”. The third and fourth hymn is LSB 763, “When Peace Like a River”. If you have a Lutheran Service Book Hymnal at home, please sing along.
Jesus opens the ears of a deaf man and loosens his mute tongue so that he could speak. What a fitting image for us to consider on the Sunday when we open the doors of our church and ask for His life-giving Spirit. Perhaps we know better than ever what the Book of Proverbs tells us, God’s Words “are life to those who find them, and health for the whole body.” Together we praise the goodness of our Heavenly Father, and gather our prayers to him for the healing of the nations, and the blessing of His Living Spirit among us.
The first and second hymn is LSB 537, “Beautiful Savior”. The third and fourth hymn is LSB 727, “On Eagle's Wings”. If you have a Lutheran Service Book Hymnal at home, please sing along.
God is creative. The Bible tells us from its first pages that God has infinite power to make new things, and maybe even more amazing, He can also renew and recreate. When Jesus finds his disciples squabbling about who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven he invites them to think about themselves as children. In thinking of ourselves in this way we prepare ourselves for the newness of life God can create. By his Word and Spirit God can bring newness in wonderful, graceful, and eternal ways. Today as we begin new things we gather to pray, “God, come among us, and create anew”.
The first and second hymn is LSB 817, “Earth and All Stars”. The third and fourth hymn is LSB 809, “Great Is Thy Faithfulness”. If you have a Lutheran Service Book Hymnal at home, please sing along.
God works in the simple natural order of things most of the time, but God’s way is also sometimes amazing and unexpected. Jesus willingly went to the cross when His disciples could not see what that would accomplish. His sacrifice made the way that leads to our salvation. St. Paul tells us in Romans how it is that what looks like a loss can be the very way in which we gain something great from God. Our God is awesome, surprising, and amazing. We pray for His Spirit now to bless us in God’s amazing way.
The first and second hymn is LSB 905, “Come, Thou Almighty King”. The third and fourth hymn is LSB 810, “O God of God, O Light of Light”. If you have a Lutheran Service Book Hymnal at home, please sing along.
Jesus promises that He will be the Rock of our salvation and our sure and eternal defense. We can build our faith and live our lives on this Rock. Celebrating God's infinite grace and eternal might, we can say "To Him be glory forever. Amen."
The first and second hymn is LSB 575, “My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less”. The third and fourth hymn is LSB 645, “Built on the Rock”. If you have a Lutheran Service Book Hymnal at home, please sing along.
A woman comes to Jesus to plea for her daughter’s well-being. Jesus gives them his compassion, healing, and mercy. God has abundant mercy for everyone who calls upon Him in faith. This means we can be bold with God and bring him our needs. So great is God’s mercy, that from Him we can be inspired to be merciful and care for the people in our lives.
The first and second hymn is LSB 779, “Come, My Soul, with Every Care”. The third and fourth hymn is LSB 791, “All People That on Earth Do Dwell”. If you have a Lutheran Service Book Hymnal at home, please sing along.
Quite in contrast to us, God has no limitation. He can walk on water. He can create a splendid world out of nothing. He can even declare us holy and set apart simply because He wants to. We are not alone if we struggle with understanding the nature of God. We join Peter and Job, and Paul who all were amazed to see that indeed, God has no limitation. In God’s unlimited strength, care and love we can have courage.
The first and second hymn is LSB 804, “O Worship the King”. The third and fourth hymn is LSB 807, “When Morning Gilds the Skies ”. If you have a Lutheran Service Book Hymnal at home, please sing along.
A crowd follows Jesus out of town. As long as they can see Him they feel like they can go anywhere. He takes them to a remote place. Somehow it was easier to listen and absorb the strength of His spirit here. Jesus had everything they need for body and soul. We too can rejoice in this: Our God is leading us and provides all that we need.
The first and second hymn is LSB 907, “God Himself is Present”. The third and fourth hymn is LSB 733, “O God, Our Help in Ages Past ”. If you have a Lutheran Service Book Hymnal at home, please sing along.
God’s Word gives us an amazing array of statements about the love of God. “Nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus.” God is “keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations.” Jesus tells us several parables trying to convey that this love is the greatest of treasures in all the world. He wants us to embrace the idea that God’s love is the most vital thing for each of us. It makes an eternal and infinite difference in every way and in everything.
The first and second hymn is LSB 686, “Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing”. The third and fourth hymn is LSB 802, “Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise”. If you have a Lutheran Service Book Hymnal at home, please sing along.
Jesus saw the farm fields around him as a place of drama. In many of his parables Jesus would point to those fields to illustrate the essence of God’s relationship to His Creation. As Jesus looked at those fields he could see the whole of God’s plan, from beginning to end. But how to communicate that plan to us? In the parable Jesus tells about Weeds we hear that despite every challenge God is still bringing in the harvest of what he wanted from the beginning. Even though there are weeds, God is growing wheat and He will bring it to harvest. Jesus is telling us that we can trust that God is carrying us toward His triumphant and amazing harvest.
The first and second hymn is LSB 794, “The Lord My God Be Praised”. The third and fourth hymn is LSB 549, “All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name”. If you have a Lutheran Service Book Hymnal at home, please sing along.
What does it take to keep something growing in your backyard? Typically the battle is with the heat, insects, hungry animals, and weeds. We have such things to battle to keep our souls growing as well. Especially now our Spirit must be carefully tended if we want them to grow and mature in this challenging time. The ground of our hearts and minds might be hard-packed, rock-infested, and thorn-choked. But God’s merciful Spirit creates fertile, receptive soil in which small, new life finds purchase, takes root, and bears much fruit. Today we celebrate God’s attentive care and His ever nurturing Spirit.
The first and second hymn is LSB 790, “Praise to the Lord Almighty”. The third and fourth hymn is LSB 806, “Give Thanks With a Grateful Heart”. If you have a Lutheran Service Book Hymnal at home, please sing along.
This summer is different. Many of the blissful things that make summer great are out of reach. Jesus’ promise to be our real and nurturing rest is perhaps more valuable to us now than ever before. His invitation to take our rest in him is a call to humility and gratitude. May God’s Spirit show you the abundance of God’s provision. In Jesus’ victory we have real and eternal things to rest in, even this very day.
The first and second hymn is LSB 743, “Jesus Priceless Treasure”. The third and fourth hymn is LSB 684, “Come to Me You Weary”. If you have a Lutheran Service Book Hymnal at home, please sing along.
Maybe you have spent a lifetime holding onto this most compelling piece of news: the battle has been fought and the price has been paid by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He has been triumphant over sin and all that is broken in all the world. Now we listen attentively as Jesus spoke to his disciples about the reality of facing the challenges of living in a broken world while holding onto the faith that God has been triumphant. As Jesus says, even as things we cherish are lost, our real and ever blessed life is found in Him.
The first and second hymn is LSB 687, “Thine Forever, God of Love”. The third and fourth hymn is LSB 861, “Christ be my Leader”. If you have a Lutheran Service Book Hymnal at home, please sing along.
Jeremiah has been called the weeping or reluctant prophet. He felt like God had thrown too much at him. But again and again God inspired Jeremiah to be a man of integrity and conviction. “The Lord is with me like a mighty warrior,” he wrote. Jeremiah longed to see God bring justice. Along with the prophet each of us longs for these ultimate things that only God can provide. Our faith is that in Christ Jesus we have seen the person of God: goodness, and justice, grace and love, triumphs in His name.
The first and second hymn is LSB 475, “Good Christian Friends Rejoice and Sing”. The third and fourth hymn is LSB 483, “With High Delight Let Us Unite”. If you have a Lutheran Service Book Hymnal at home, please sing along.
While they were camping under a mountain God tells his people on their Exodus they are His treasured children. Though they were on a hard journey that would take longer than any of them could imagine, God tells them He will carry them as on eagle’s wings. Much later, Jesus spoke this same sort of promise to Peter, Andrew, James, John, and the other disciples who would need to be brave and confident in the challenges they would face. “The Kingdom of Heaven is near,” Jesus said, “Freely you have received, freely give.”
The first and second hymn is LSB 729, “I Am Trusting Thee, Lord Jesus”. The third and fourth hymn is LSB 744, “Amazing Grace”. If you have a Lutheran Service Book Hymnal at home, please sing along.
We wonder at the mystery and majesty of the Trinity- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit we can start with the basics: the Father creates, the Son redeems, the Spirit sanctifies. God’s Word gives us the endless implications of this. Today, in the Old Testament Reading from Genesis, we see all three persons are present and active in the creation of the world. In our Reading from Acts, we see all three persons active in the salvation of the world. And in the Holy Gospel from Matthew, we see that all three persons are active in the new life we have as children of God. We have much to celebrate in our Great God, three and one.
The first and second hymn is LSB 507, “Holy Holy Holy”. The third and fourth hymn is LSB 506, “Glory Be to God the Father”. If you have a Lutheran Service Book Hymnal at home, please sing along.
God has fulfilled his ancient promise to “pour out His Spirit on all people.” As we celebrate the Day of Pentecost we welcome The Spirit of the Living God, the guiding and comforting Spirit of God is ours to call into this moment and this place.
The first and second hymn is LSB 496, “Holy Spirit Light Divine”. The third and fourth hymn is LSB 503, “O Day Full of Grace”. If you have a Lutheran Service Book Hymnal at home, please sing along.
When his disciples saw Jesus alive again after His Resurrection that let themselves hope for some small victory. As we go through life we hope for triumphs. Jesus’ disciples, just before Christ was about to ascend to heaven asked Him, "Lord will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" But God had a greater victory in mind. Jesus’ ascension means His triumph is over all things, over all that is broken, over all that we fear. Jesus who was crucified, died, and risen, ascends to heaven taking His victory with Him to sit at God's right hand in power and majesty. He is triumphant over all things forever.
The first and second hymn is LSB 493, “A Hymn of Glory Let Us Sing”. The third and fourth hymn is LSB 495, “Look, Ye Saints, the Sight Is Glorious”. If you have a Lutheran Service Book Hymnal at home, please sing along.
Jesus wants us to believe and take to heart that He never really leaves us. He tells us that He will be with us always. He calls the Holy Spirit to embody His love among us. In this Easter season, as we celebrate Jesus raised from the dead, we begin to celebrate that by the Holy Spirit, we have God’s abundant love among us in all the mercy and grace won for us in Jesus’ triumphant Resurrection.
The first and second hymn is LSB 475, “Good Christians Friends, Rejoice and Sing”. The third and fourth hymn is LSB 527, “O Savior, Precious Savior”. If you have a Lutheran Service Book Hymnal at home, please sing along.
It took Jesus’ personal revelation to his disciples to get them to see who He was, now glorified in Resurrection triumph. It is by God’s grace and love that we can see how Jesus is our Savior and Redeemer. He is the One promised on every page of God’s Word. Jesus is our eternal security, and our good and certain way.
The first and second hymn is LSB 687, “Thine Forever God of Love”. The third and fourth hymn is LSB 861, “Christ Be My Leader”. If you have a Lutheran Service Book Hymnal at home, please sing along.
Jesus uses a simple illustration to tell us something vitally important. His relationship to us is like a shepherd to his sheep. The shepherd knows each of his sheep and we know his voice when he calls. Jesus also tells us that he is the gate of the sheep pen. He is the connection between earth and heaven. Jesus is the caretaker who promises to guard and care for us. As we continue our celebration of Easter, hearing about our Good Shepherd adds to our appreciation of His victorious triumph: the One who left his grave alive stands in careful watch over our lives.
The first and second hymn is LSB 710, “The Lord’s My Shepherd, I’ll Not Want”. The third and fourth hymn is LSB 709, “The King of Love My Shepherd Is”. If you have a Lutheran Service Book Hymnal at home, please sing along.
Two men are walking down a road and all of a sudden Jesus is right there with them. He seemed to appear out of nowhere. They were not sure who had joined them on their walk as he easily became part of the conversation. It took them a while before they suddenly figured out that this was the same Jesus who had the whole of Jerusalem buzzing with the news of His Resurrection. Just when we think God is some abstract, distant idea He can surprise us. God is closer than you think. He is in His present glory.
The first and second hymn is LSB 474, “Alleluia! Jesus Is Risen”. The third and fourth hymn is LSB 483, “With High Delight Let Us Unite”. If you have a Lutheran Service Book Hymnal at home, please sing along.
An essential part of absorbing the implications of Jesus’ Resurrection is to understand that it is a solid historical fact. Things that happened two thousand years ago can get shrouded in myth and legend. But Jesus’ Resurrection was an event of such immense importance that great care was taken to record the details. Not just the Gospel writers but also historians of the era put the pieces together for us so that we can be sure. Jesus left His grave alive. Resurrection is a reality.
The first and second hymn is LSB 463, “Christ the Lord is Risen Today, Alleluia”. The third and fourth hymn is LSB 461, “I Know that My Redeemer Lives”. If you have a Lutheran Service Book Hymnal at home, please sing along.