Author: Bethlehem Lutheran
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Reformation Sunday (John 8:31-36)
Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR Reformation Sunday + October 27, 2019 Text: John 8:31-36 We’re accustomed to evaluating things on the basis of what we can see. If you go to the dentist, how good or bad your teeth are can be observed. If you’re buying a house, the home inspector looks for red flags…
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Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity (Matthew 22:23-33, 34-46)
Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR Eighteenth Sunday after Trinity + October 20, 2019 Text: Matthew 22:(23-33) 34-46 The Pharisees knew who they were, and they knew who the God of Israel was. They knew His Word thoroughly, and unlike those fools who don’t even believe in angels, the afterlife, or the resurrection (the Sadducees), they…
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Ninth Sunday after Trinity (Luke 16:1-13)
Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR Ninth Sunday after Trinity + August 18, 2019 Text: Luke 16:1-13 “For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light.” They say, “where there’s a will, there’s a way.” This was the manager’s tactic: that through tipping the scales…
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Eighth Sunday after Trinity (Matthew 7:15-23)
Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR Eighth Sunday after Trinity + August 11, 2019 Text: Matthew 7:15-23 You can tell a garden that is kept and tended from a garden that has been neglected. The tended garden shows careful attention, addresses weeds before they get out of hand and hurt the good plants preventing them from…
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Seventh Sunday after Trinity(Mark 8:1-9)
Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR Seventh Sunday after Trinity + August 4, 2019 Text: Mark 8:1-9 Recently in the news, there has been a story about a USDA rule change that would render 3.1 million people ineligible for food stamp benefits. Of course, an outcry ensues, because food is important for people to have. Every…
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Sixth Sunday after Trinity (Matthew 5:20-26)
Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR Sixth Sunday after Trinity + July 28, 2019 Text: Matthew 5:20-26 How different Judaism was from Christianity! Of course, there’s the main difference: believing that Jesus is the promised Messiah (Christ). But when you accept Christ, all of Scripture suddenly must be reexamined through the cross. Jesus says to the…
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Fifth Sunday after Trinity (1 Kings 19:11-21, 1 Cor. 1:18-25; Luke 5:1-11)
Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR Fifth Sunday after Trinity + July 21, 2019 Text: 1 Kings 19:11-21, 1 Cor. 1:18-25; Luke 5:1-11 I think we would all agree that God is higher and greater than us. (After all, we wouldn’t be here if we were convinced otherwise.) As He explains in Isaiah 55:8-9, “For my…
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Third Sunday after Trinity (Luke 15:1-10)
Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR Third Sunday after Trinity + July 7, 2019 Text: Luke 15:1-10 Sometimes, Jesus is offensive. No, not like Howard Stern or Alex Jones. Jesus is offensive because He sheds His holy light on what is ungodly in us. When Jesus brings that light to men, one of two things happens:…
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Second Sunday after Trinity (1 John 3:13-18)
Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR Second Sunday after Trinity + June 30, 2019 Text: 1 John 3:13-18 The word “love” has taken on a life of its own. It’s as if everyone has their own private dictionary of what they want it to mean. So many interpret it simply as an emotion, and a shallow…
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The Nativity of St. John the Baptist (observed) (Isaiah 40:1-5)
Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, OR The Nativity of St. John the Baptist (observed) + June 23, 2019 Text: Isaiah 40:1-5 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that her warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for…