Bethlehem Lutheran Church Bethlehem Lutheran Church

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.

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.

The Holy Spirit is alive and active, lighting the way for us to see God in our midst. God is powerfully revealed in how we live our lives. We celebrate this today in the Holy Baptism of Walter Edward Birkholz. Together we rejoice in the Holy Spirit’s work through the ministry of Word and Sacrament. As Pastor Disney retires and Bethlehem prays for the next chapter of life together, we celebrate the faithfulness of God in giving us His Living Spirit so that we may see the Image of God, the Firstborn over All Creation.  

One denarius, that's what each worker receives in the story Jesus tells. It is a full-day's wage, even for those who work only one hour. God generously gives us a gift no one could earn: life and salvation. That is unbelievably generous. Following Jesus’ example means being the one who is generous with compassion and forgiveness, help and support, even when other people don’t deserve it. 

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.