Bethlehem Lutheran Church

Author: Bethlehem Lutheran

  • Septuagesima

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    Bethlehem Lutheran
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    (About 70 Days to Easter) Readings: Exodus 17:1-7 | 1 Corinthians 9:24-10:5 | Matthew 20:1–16 Text: Matthew 20:1-16 The way of the world is based on merit.  You get what you deserve, you don’t get what you don’t pay for.  Years of service ought to be recognized and compensated.  For example, in 2005, Delphi Automotive…

  • The Transfiguration of Our Lord

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    Bethlehem Lutheran
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    Readings: Exodus 34:29–35 | 2 Peter 1:16–21 | Matthew 17:1-9 Text: Matthew 17:1-9 There was a temptation for Peter, James, John, and the disciples to think of Jesus as merely human.  True, they had seen His miracles, and heard Him call Himself the end-times “Son of Man.”[1]  But they also knew His mother and family,…

  • Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany

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    Bethlehem Lutheran
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    Text: Psalm 96 1    Oh sing to the Lord a new song;          sing to the Lord, all the earth! 2     Sing to the Lord, bless his name;          tell of his salvation from day to day. 3     Declare his glory among the nations,          his marvelous works…

  • Third Sunday after the Epiphany

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    Bethlehem Lutheran
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    Readings: 2 Kings 5:1–15a | Romans 12:16–21 | Matthew 8:1–13 Text: Matthew 8:1-13 “Our Father, who art in heaven” – The Small Catechism tells us, “With these words, God tenderly invites us to believe that He is our true Father, and that we are His true children, so that with all boldness and confidence, we…

  • Second Sunday after the Epiphany

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    Bethlehem Lutheran
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    Readings: Amos 9:11–15 | Romans 12:6–16 | John 2:1–11 Text: John 2:1-11 Today, we’ll start with the end of the lesson: “This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.” The Wedding at Cana is not primarily about marriage, or whether drinking…

  • The Baptism of Our Lord

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    Bethlehem Lutheran
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    Readings: Joshua 3:1–3, 7–8, 13–17 | 1 Corinthians 1:26–31 | Matthew 3:13–17 Text: Matthew 3:13-17 You’ll meet people who are skeptical about God and consider confident Christians arrogant for saying they know so much about knowing what God’s will is or what’s right and wrong. This plays out in two main ways.  The first is…

  • Second Sunday after Christmas

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    Bethlehem Lutheran
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    Text: Matthew 2:13-23 The life of Christ has a twofold purpose. First and foremost, it is substitutionary. Everything that He did and suffered happened in our place, for our own good. As a result, we are saved from our sins, reconciled to God, and have true righteousness before God. We are saved by God’s grace…

  • First Sunday after Christmas

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    Bethlehem Lutheran
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    Text: Luke 2:33-40 Joseph and Mary marveled about what was spoken about Jesus by Simeon.  Just before the reading appointed for today, Simeon was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed, “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have…

  • The Nativity of Our Lord

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    Bethlehem Lutheran
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    Readings: Exodus 40:17–21, 34–38 | Titus 3:4–7 | John 1:1-18 Text: John 1:1-14 In dialog, God always goes back to the beginning, the foundation upon which He built.  Consider these examples from Jacob, Moses, and the prophet Isaiah: “And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham…

  • The Eve of the Nativity of Our Lord

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    Bethlehem Lutheran
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    Readings: Genesis 3:8–15 | Genesis 22:15–18 | Isaiah 7:10-14 | Luke 1:26-38 | Matthew 1:18-25 | Luke 2:1-7 | Luke 2:8-14 | Luke 2:15-20 Text: Luke 1:26–38 In the first reading we heard tonight, this was what happened immediately after sin came into the world.  Sin and death are not the natural state the world…