Author: Bethlehem Lutheran

  • Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost (Romans 12:9-21)

    Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost (Romans 12:9-21)

    Bethlehem Lutheran Church & Bethel Lutheran Church, Lebanon & Sweet Home, OR Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost + September 3, 2017 Text: Romans 12:9-21 Christians are strange people in the world.   On June 17, 2015, a young man came to Bible study at a church in.  The rest of the group welcomed him, even though…

  • Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost (Isaiah 51:1-6)

    Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost (Isaiah 51:1-6)

    Bethlehem Lutheran Church & Bethel Lutheran Church, Lebanon & Sweet Home, OR Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost + August 27, 2017 Text: Isaiah 51:1-6 The year was around 700 BC.  Judah was facing destruction at the hand of the Assyrians. They were the last holdout, now that the northern kingdom of Israel had fallen some 20…

  • Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost (Matthew 15:21-28)

    Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost (Matthew 15:21-28)

    Bethlehem Lutheran Church & Bethel Lutheran Church, Lebanon & Sweet Home, OR Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost + August 20, 2017 Text: Matthew 15:21-28 The Psalmist, David writes in Psalm 25:6, “Remember your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old.”   And it’s true: God always remembers us. The harder…

  • Tenth Sunday after Pentecost (Job 38:4-18)

    Tenth Sunday after Pentecost (Job 38:4-18)

    Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon & Bethel Lutheran Church, Sweet Home, OR Tenth Sunday after Pentecost + August 13, 2017 Text: Job 38:4-18 You may notice the portraits of two hymnwriters inside the bulletin.  The hymns which they wrote are more than “songs for a heavy heart”[1] or platitudes to feed someone after a terrible loss. …

  • Ninth Sunday after Pentecost (Matthew 14:13-21)

    Ninth Sunday after Pentecost (Matthew 14:13-21)

    Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR and Bethel Lutheran Church, Sweet Home, OR Ninth Sunday after Pentecost + August 6, 2017 Text: Matthew 14:13-21 It was a perfectly ordinary day in Galilee, although the mood was rather somber.  Jesus had just received news that John the Baptist had been beheaded.  He wanted to withdraw with His…

  • Eighth Sunday after Pentecost (Matthew 13:44-52)

    Eighth Sunday after Pentecost (Matthew 13:44-52)

    Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon & Bethel Lutheran Church, Sweet Home, OR Eighth Sunday after Pentecost + July 30, 2017 Text: Matthew 13:44-52 In the Gospel today, there are two familiar parables, the one about the treasure hidden in the field and the pearl of great price.  Both of these parables, Jesus tells us, are descriptive…

  • Seventh Sunday after Pentecost (Romans 8:18-27)

    Seventh Sunday after Pentecost (Romans 8:18-27)

    Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR Bethel Lutheran Church, Sweet Home, OR Seventh Sunday after Pentecost + July 23, 2017 Text: Romans 8:18-27 Two people can look at exactly the same thing and come to vastly different conclusions, because of the assumptions they have.  Anybody can look at the world we live in and realize that…

  • Christian Funeral of Walferd G. Delzer (Romans 8:28-39)

    Christian Funeral of Walferd G. Delzer (Romans 8:28-39)

    Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR Christian Funeral of Walferd G. Delzer – July 20, 2017 Text: Romans 8:28-39 85 years: that’s how long Wally lived (actually just a month ago today).  65 years: that’s how long Wally and Lucille were married.  38 years is how long he worked for CalPortland Cement Company.  24 years is…

  • Sixth Sunday after Pentecost (Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23)

    Sixth Sunday after Pentecost (Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23)

    Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR Sixth Sunday after Pentecost + July 16, 2017 Text: Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 In the Old Testament reading, we heard these words from the Prophet Isaiah:   “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth…

  • Christian Funeral of Rachel Fannie Vogel (John 14:25-27)

    Christian Funeral of Rachel Fannie Vogel (John 14:25-27)

    Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR Christian Funeral of Rachel Fannie Vogel – July 15, 2017 Text: John 14:25-27 In the Name + of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.   Rachel was a beloved mother, grandmother, and even great grandmother.  One of the things many people have noticed is…