Month: January 2021
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Fourth Sunday after Epiphany
Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR Readings: Deuteronomy 18:15–20 | 1 Corinthians 8:1–13 | Mark 1:21–28 Text: Mark 1:21-28 That Sabbath in Capernaum was a remarkable day. Jesus and his disciples came to the synagogue service, and Jesus began to teach. In an age when anybody with a webcam and some provocative things to say calls…
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St. Timothy, Pastor and Confessor
Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR Readings: Acts 16:1–5 | 1 Timothy 6:11–16 | Matthew 24:42–47 Text: 1 Timothy 6:11-16 Today, we commemorate Timothy, a young man of a mixed Jewish-Greek marriage, whose believing grandmother Lois, and mother Eunice, nurtured in him a messianic faith that was kindled when St. Paul came to Lystra (2 Tim.…
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The Confession of St. Peter (observed)
Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR Readings: Acts 4:8-13 | 2 Peter 1:1-15 | Mark 8:27-35 Text: Mark 8:27-35 Human opinions abound. In politics, in reaction to the pandemic, in parenting, in education. In each of these arenas, we each have strong convictions. Sometimes our views are so firmly held that we have difficulty even interacting…
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Baptism of Our Lord
Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR Readings: Genesis 1:1-5| Romans 6:1-11 | Mark 1:4-11 Text: Mark 1:4-11 Now, you may think this is ten days late, but today we’re going to talk about beginnings. In the Beginning – Genesis 1:1-5 The Old Testament reading is the very beginning of the Bible. In fact, that’s the first Word written in…
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Second Sunday after Christmas
Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR Readings: 1 Kings 3:4–15 | Ephesians 1:3–14 | Luke 2:40–52 Text: Psalm 119:97-104 When we see the boy Jesus in the Temple at 12 years of age, it’s clear he had an acuity for Scripture. After all, He was “sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.…