Author: Bethlehem Lutheran
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Feast of the Holy Trinity (Matthew 28:16-20)
It is impossible to fully comprehend the mystery of the Trinity. It isn’t a math problem to be solved—three in one and one in three, or a puzzle to be unlocked. It’s an article of faith—something we believe because that’s what God has told us in His Word. In the first several centuries of the…
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Sunday after Ascension (Psalm 68:1–10)
We long for the end, for God to display His victory over His enemies. The Psalm we spoke earlier brings to mind pictures of God triumphantly establishing His Kingdom, driving out the Devil more and more, and bringing the righteous to shine and become stronger each day. 1 God shall arise, his enemies shall be…
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The Ascension of Our Lord (Luke 24:44-53; Acts 1:1-11)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Times of uncertainty, fear, and disappointment leave us grasping for something sure. Dr. Bruce Hartung highlighted this at a pastor’s meeting on Tuesday where he was addressing the effects of the pandemic on mental health. These kinds of situations leave people vulnerable to clinging to any confident sounding…
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Sixth Sunday of Easter (Acts 17:16-31)
In the Name of Jesus. Amen. Paul had entered a context in Athens that was not entirely foreign to us today. It was a very diverse city, with metropolitan people of diverse opinions and philosophies. Athens had a reputation as being the seat of many great thinkers: Socrates and Antisthenes, Plato and Epicurus. These were…
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Fifth Sunday of Easter (John 14:1-14)
In the Name of + Jesus. Amen. Jesus says, “The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out…they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers” (vv. 1-5). Let’s test…
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Fourth Sunday of Easter (John 10:1-10)
In the Name of + Jesus. Amen. Jesus says, “The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out…they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers” (vv. 1-5). Let’s test…
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Third Sunday of Easter (Luke 24:13-35)
At the outset of the day, Jesus’ disciples were in sorrow and grief. Their present circumstances were weighing them down, because in their estimation, “the chief priests and rulers delivered him up to death and crucified him.” End of story. The world had won, in spite of all that Jesus had said. Their hopes were…
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Second Sunday of Easter (John 20:19-31)
In the Name of Jesus. Amen. Right now we’re all too familiar with barriers. If you make it to Costco, they have Plexiglass shields between you and the checker. We’re can all play bank robber and put a mask on and ask the teller to give us money (as long as it’s ours, of course).…
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Resurrection of Our Lord (Matthew 28:1-10)
Alleluia! Christ is risen! Good news beyond comprehension. That’s what Jesus’ resurrection was. Mary of Magdala and Mary, the mother of James, go to the tomb after resting on the Sabbath. They come with burial spices to complete what was taken care of with haste as the sun set on Friday. It wasn’t fitting that…
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Good Friday (Isaiah 53:4-5)
One of the strongest illustrations of the Gospel coming out the Reformation is that of the courtroom scene—forensic justification—where God looks upon the guilty sinner and His verdict is “not guilty” because Christ is the One who stood in our place and bore the punishment. This makes sense, because people were often under judgment and…