Bethany Lutheran Church

Parenting can feel like death by a thousand papercuts. Just when you think you have it figured out there is a curve ball thrown your way. Children go against their parents, parents do not do right by their children. In the middle of the chaos sometimes it can feel far from holy. It can feel tedious with little thanks. However, each little conversation, every bit of grace given, the mundane repetitive tasks that come with parenting bear fruit and show the world a different kind of love.Ephesians 6:1-4 (ESV)Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.Luke 18:15-17 (ESV)Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the childr

Where we work we are called to do it to the glory of God. To let our light shine, serve those we are called to serve, and do the very best that we can. Being holy isn’t about working in a church God uses you where you are.Philippians 2:3-4Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.Matthew 5:14-16“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

We all continue to learn from Christ but sometimes we make the mistake and limit what Christ is teaching us to things in Sunday school, a sermon. It is greater than just what happens in church. All knowledge is God’s knowledge. Being a student is about being a student of God’s creation and God’s wisdom as it permeates all of creation. This never ends. Matthew 11:25-30At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”Ps

Sometimes we forget that the service shown to others in keeping house…being domestic in Christ can be holy and honoring. A home is an extension of the body of Christ and the hospitality we are to show. Cleaning feet was a service and about keeping house. Cleaning the toilets, doing the dishes, all these things are little acts that serve others. John 13:1-5 Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him

God’s blessing had been given to people who time and time again chose to reject it. Later in the story, after Israel had been exiled from the promised land, God sent the true Israelite, the only one who could faithfully walk in God’s blessing and truly unleash it for all people. Join us as we conclude our end-of-summer series as we see how Jesus is the ultimate blessing. Galatians 3:13 (ESV)Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”Matthew 3:15-17 (ESV)But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

After the first humans’ rebellion, God chose a new couple to bless so that God’s blessing may extend to all nations through them. Later, God’s people are offered a choice to choose life or death, to receive God’s blessing or to reject it. Join us as we continue to see how God is always inviting us into his larger story to partner with him in his redemptive story. Genesis 12:1-3 (ESV)Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”Deuteronomy 30:15-20 (ESV)“See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and h

The human story begins with God blessing the first two humans, but something goes tragically wrong shortly after the initial blessing. The first two humans reject God’s blessing for something they think will be better, but instead of greater blessings comes a curse, which has skewed the human experience ever since. Join us as we unpack why being a human can sometimes be so difficult.Genesis 3:1-24 (ESV)Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the

The first time the word bless/blessed appears in the Bible is at the start of Genesis. This one tiny word has amazing and beautiful ramifications on what it means to be human and shows us how God continues to invite us to partner with him on his mission in the world. Genesis 1:26-31 (ESV)Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”So God created man in his own image,    in the image of God he created him;    male and female he created them.And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its

Where does your help come from? Your bank account? Capitol Hill? Your career?  Psalm 121 lifts our eyes from these things that are sure to fail us and fixes our gaze on Yahweh, who is the maker of heaven and earth. Join us as we wrap up our series as we learn to pray prayers of trust. Psalm 121 (ESV)A Song of Ascents.I lift up my eyes to the hills.    From where does my help come?My help comes from the Lord,    who made heaven and earth.He will not let your foot be moved;    he who keeps you will not slumber.Behold, he who keeps Israel    will neither slumber nor sleep.The Lord is your keeper;    the Lord is your shade on your right hand.The sun shall not strike you by day,    nor the moon by night.The Lord will keep you from all evil;    he will keep your life.The Lord will keep    your going out and your coming in    from this time forth and forevermore.Matthew 6:25-34 (ESV)“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will

God’s way often seems foolish to the world, and to surrender our will to God’s will often seems very foolish to those around us who don’t know God. The Psalms give us language to come to grips with what true wisdom is, even when it feels like foolishness. Psalm 14 (ESV)To the choirmaster. Of David.The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”    They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds;    there is none who does good.The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man,    to see if there are any who understand,    who seek after God.They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt;    there is none who does good,    not even one.Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers    who eat up my people as they eat bread    and do not call upon the Lord?There they are in great terror,    for God is with the generation of the righteous.You would shame the plans of the poor,    but the Lord is his refuge.Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!    When the Lord restores the fortunes of his

Psalms scholar Dr. Saleska writes, “Psalm 2 puts us in the middle of a power dispute. Who has power and who does not? What does power look like? Who gets to exercise it? Whose side are you on?” Sound familiar?!  As followers of Jesus, these ancient words can help form our prayers as we wrestle with the same questions. Psalm 2 (ESV)Why do the nations rage    and the peoples plot in vain?The kings of the earth set themselves,    and the rulers take counsel together,    against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying,“Let us burst their bonds apart    and cast away their cords from us.”He who sits in the heavens laughs;    the Lord holds them in derision.Then he will speak to them in his wrath,    and terrify them in his fury, saying,“As for me, I have set my King    on Zion, my holy hill.”I will tell of the decree:The Lord said to me, “You are my Son;    today I have begotten you.Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,    and the ends of the earth your possession.You shall break them with a rod

Jesus got angry. So, is such a thing as righteous anger? What do we do when we become angry? How do we express that anger? How do we process that anger? The Psalms give us words to help us process this universal emotion. Psalm 137 (ESV)By the waters of Babylon,    there we sat down and wept,    when we remembered Zion.On the willows there    we hung up our lyres.For there our captors    required of us songs,and our tormentors, mirth, saying,    “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”How shall we sing the Lord's song    in a foreign land?If I forget you, O Jerusalem,    let my right hand forget its skill!Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth,    if I do not remember you,if I do not set Jerusalem    above my highest joy!Remember, O Lord, against the Edomites    the day of Jerusalem,how they said, “Lay it bare, lay it bare,    down to its foundations!”O daughter of Babylon, doomed to be destroyed,    blessed shall he be who repays you    with what you have done to us!Blessed shall he be who takes your lit

It is easy to look around and let our hearts grow cold and numb because of the brokenness all around us. The Psalms give us language to express the lament we experience. But the Psalms also teach us how to pray prayers of thanksgiving as a form of protest against the evil in this world. What does it mean to bring a sacrifice of praise to the LORD? The Psalms teach us how to do this. Psalm 95Oh come, let us sing to the Lord;    let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;    let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!For the Lord is a great God,    and a great King above all gods.In his hand are the depths of the earth;    the heights of the mountains are his also.The sea is his, for he made it,    and his hands formed the dry land.Oh come, let us worship and bow down;    let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!For he is our God,    and we are the people of his pasture,    and the sheep of his hand.Today, if you hear his voice,    do not h

What do you do when you feel as though God has deserted you? Jesus experienced this and he used the words of Psalm 22 to give voice to what he was experiencing as he was dying on the cross. Join us as we explore how to pray when we are overcome with grief, sorrow, and lament and when God seems to remain silent. Psalm 22My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?    Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer,    and by night, but I find no rest.Yet you are holy,    enthroned on the praises of Israel.In you our fathers trusted;    they trusted, and you delivered them.To you they cried and were rescued;    in you they trusted and were not put to shame.But I am a worm and not a man,    scorned by mankind and despised by the people.All who see me mock me;    they make mouths at me; they wag their heads;“He trusts in the Lord; let him deliver him;    let him rescue him, for he delights in him!”Yet you are he who took me from the womb;    you made me

Jesus’ disciples asked Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray!” Jesus gave them what we now call the Lord’s Prayer. However, as a Jewish man Jesus’ prayer life would have been formed by the prayers in The Book of Psalms. Join us Pastor Jake introduces this beautiful book and how Jesus desires to teach us to pray as we learn how to Pray the Psalms. Psalm 1Blessed is the man    who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,nor stands in the way of sinners,    nor sits in the seat of scoffers;2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord,    and on his law he meditates day and night.3 He is like a tree    planted by streams of waterthat yields its fruit in its season,    and its leaf does not wither.In all that he does, he prospers.4 The wicked are not so,    but are like chaff that the wind drives away.5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,    nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;6 for the Lord knows the way of the righteous,    but the way of the wicked will perish. Luke 11:1-4Now Jesus was pray

As we wrap up our series of Meeting Jesus in John’s Gospel, we will see how Jesus meets us in our fears, doubts, and confusion but he doesn’t leave us there. Jesus invites us to follow him as he breathes his peace upon us, even when things don’t make sense and seem unclear. Only by His Spirit can we truly see and believe.  John 20:1-29 (ESV)Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw t

“What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” Following Jesus is often unclear and scary. As Jesus was preparing to leave his disciples they had lots of questions about what was next. Jesus didn’t give them a step-by-step plan to follow. Rather he gave them an example of what it meant to be his disciple, of what it meant to be marked by his love, and how to extend his love to the world around them. And Jesus invites us into the same way of living. John 13:1-20; 31-35  (ESV)Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it a

In this story we see Jesus’ humanity and divinity come together as he and his friends stare death in the face. But Jesus is not too quick to “save the day.” Instead, he sits with Mary and Martha in their heartbreak. Sometimes it feels like Jesus has let us down. What can we learn about pain and disappointment from Jesus’ meeting with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus? John 11:17-37 (ESV)Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them concerning their brother. So when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, God will give you.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her,

Jesus meets a man born blind and miraculously heals him. The man is later interrogated about who had done this act on the Sabbath. The man could only answer by saying, “One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” The man’s answer infuriated the religious leaders and they began a debate about who Jesus was. Jesus quickly revealed that they were indeed the blind ones. When we meet Jesus he often opens our eyes to see and experience life and God in new ways that may not make sense to the world around us. How do we give testimony to God’s action in our lives? John 9:1-41 (ESV)As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” Having

Forty days after Easter the church celebrates the outpouring of the Holy Spirit which Jesus promised would happen back in John 15 and 16. Join us as we celebrate Pentecost Sunday and as we exigence the Spirit-led life. Acts 2:1–21 (ESV) When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Parthians an