Author: Bethlehem Lutheran
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Third Sunday of Easter (Misericordias Domini)
Readings: Ezekiel 34:11-16 | 1 Peter 2:21-25 | John 10:11-16 Text: John 10:11-16 The name for this second Sunday after Easter is a mouthful: Misericordias Domini. It’s also a strange name, unless you’re a Spanish-speaker. Misericordias in both Latin and Spanish means “mercy.” It’s from Psalm 33:5, which we heard in the introit as, “The…
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Second Sunday after Easter (Quasimodo Geniti)
Readings: Ezekiel 37:1-14 | 1 John 5:4-10 | John 20:19-31 Text: John 20:19-31 On the evening of the Resurrection, the disciples—at least ten of them—saw the risen Lord! Sometimes we get to thinking the disciples must have had an easier time because they had Jesus in the flesh. After all, what quality of teaching! What…
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The Resurrection of Our Lord (Easter Day)
Readings: Job 19:23-27 | 1 Corinthians 5:6-8 | Mark 16:1-8 Text: Mark 16:1-8 Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! Easter mornings are always the best for Church. We sing louder than any other day. We sing, “Jesus Christ is Risen Today, Alleluia!” We shout for joy. We tell each other He is…
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Vigil of Easter
Readings: Genesis 1:1-2:3 | Genesis 7:1-5, 11-18; 8:6-18; 9:8-13 Exodus 14:10-15:1 | Mark 16:1-8 Text: Jonah 3 In our reserved, sterile minds, we might take these words figuratively. That doesn’t really mean that God’s voice comes out in fire or earthquakes. I’ve never seen the earth melt! Because it’s so far removed from our daily…
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Palm Sunday
Readings: Philippians 2:5-11 | Matthew 27:11-54 Text: Matthew 27:11-26 It is a blessing to our faith that we meditate on our Lord’s passion yearly. A Christian faith that has a fuzzy view of the historical, fleshly sufferings of Jesus Christ will easily fall for suggestions that the Christian life is just the best of the…
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Fifth Sunday in Lent (Judica)
Holy Baptism of Mathilda Goehring Readings: Genesis 22:1-14 | Hebrews 9:11-15 | John 8:46-59 Text: Genesis 22:1-14 “God, what in the world are You doing? I can’t handle this! I just got done with the last wrench You threw in the works!” There are times like this, where honestly, we have no idea what our…
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Fourth Sunday in Lent
Readings: Exodus 16:2-21 | Galatians 4:21-31 | John 6:1-15 Text: John 6:1-15 We began Lent in the wilderness. Jesus is alone and hungry. Then, the Devil comes along and tempts him. Hunger is evil, he seems to say: “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread to feed you in…
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Third Sunday in Lent (Oculi)
Readings: Exodus 8:16-24 | Ephesians 5:1-9 | Luke 11:14-28 Text: Luke 11:14-28 This time of year, many of us are looking at spring cleaning. As more light comes in the window, the grime on the windows and the dust in the air is harder to turn a blind eye to. The first part of spring…
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Second Sunday in Lent (Reminiscere)
Readings: Genesis 32:22-32 | 1 Thessalonians 4:1-7 | Matthew 15:21-28 Text: Genesis 32:22-32 One of our world’s favorite questions is to ask, “Where is God?” When the floods rage, where is your God? When the tornadoes touch down, where is your God? When tidal waves destroy, when earthquakes level cities, or people die, where is…
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First Sunday in Lent (Invocavit)
Readings: Genesis 3:1-21 | 2 Corinthians 6:1-10 | Matthew 4:1-11 Text: Genesis 3:1-21; Matthew 4:1-11 The Apostle Peter warns us, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by…