Simply the Sermon for March 30, 2025: Fourth Sunday in Lent

Our texts for Sunday, March 30, 2025 are Joshua 5:9-12, 2 Corinthians 5:16-21, and Luke 15:1-3,11b-32. 

As the old hymn says, Our Father, we have wandered and hidden from your face, in foolishness have squandered your legacy of grace. We read today of a prodigal parent, so in love with their child that no matter the situation they wait with baited breath to welcome their child home. This grace seems foolish and extravagant but we so welcome it when we recognize the gifts of God, freely offered.

Live in love, my siblings in Christ,
Pastor Diana

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Simply the Sermon for March 23, 2025: Third Sunday in Lent

Our Bible texts for Sunday, March 23, 2025 are: Isaiah 55:1-9, 1 Corinthians 10:1-13, and Luke 13:1-9.  

The warnings are plentiful and blunt on the third Sunday in Lent. Cut it out or get cut down! The warnings are accompanied by God’s invitation to attentiveness: “Incline your ear, and come to me; listen, so that you may live.” The landowner’s ultimatum is forestalled by the gardener’s readiness to till the ground one more year. That is good news for all of us. Thanks be to God!

Live in love, my siblings in Christ,
Pastor Diana

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Simply the Sermon for March 16, 2025: Second Sunday in Lent

Our texts for Sunday, March 16 are Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18, Psalm 27, and Luke 13:31-35.

Though we sometimes doubt and often resist God’s desire to protect and save us, our God persists. In holy baptism, God’s people have been called and gathered into a God-initiated relationship that will endure. Lent provides the church with a time and a tradition in which to seek God’s face again. Lent provides another occasion to behold the God of our salvation in the face of the Blessed One who “comes in the name of the Lord.”

Live in love, my siblings in Christ,

Pastor Diana

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Simply the Sermon for March 9, 2025: First Sunday in Lent

Our readings for Sunday, March 9 are from Deuteronomy 26:1-11, Romans 10:8b-13, and Luke 4:1-13. Sundays and Seasons introduces worship with these words:

These forty days called Lent are like no other. It is our opportune time to return to the God who rescues, to receive the gifts of God’s grace, to believe with the heart and confess with the mouth the wonder of God’s love in Jesus, and to resist temptation at every turn. This is no small pilgrimage on which we have just embarked. It is a struggle Jesus knew. It is a struggle Jesus shares. The nearness of the Lord, in bread and wine, water and word, will uphold and sustain us.

Live in love, my siblings in Christ,

Pastor Diana

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Simply the Sermon for March 5, 2025: Ash Wednesday

Our readings for Ash Wednesday are Joel 2:1-2, 12-17, 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10 and Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Live in love, my siblings in Christ,

Pastor Diana

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Simply the Sermon for March 2, 2025: Transfiguration Sunday

Our readings for Transfiguration Sunday, March 2, are Exodus 34:29-35, 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2, and Luke 9:28-43a. 

On this Sunday, we remember and experience the liberating power of our Lord and Savior as his kinship with both God's promises of the Hebrew Scriptures and with God's self are revealed. As we revel in this liberation, who will we invite into this incredible relationship?

Live in love, my siblings in Christ,

Pastor Diana

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Simply the Sermon for February 23, 2025: Epiphany 7C

Our Bible texts for this Sunday are Genesis 45:3-15, Psalm 37:1-11, 39-40, and Luke 6:27-38. 

Mercy. Mercy. Mercy. Joseph eventually lives it out in Egypt. Jesus preaches it in the gospel. The Spirit guides us into merciful lives with the power of forgiveness to reconcile what is fractured and divided. Such merciful living is the baptismal blessing of having put on Christ. It is the gift of the life-giving Spirit. It is a reflection of God’s glory revealed in Christ.

Live in love, my siblings in Christ,
Pastor Diana

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Simply the Sermon for February 16, 2025: Epiphany 6C

Our readings for worship today, Feb. 16, 2025 are Jeremiah 17:5-10, Psalm 1, and Luke 6:17-31. We hear today about the sermon on the plain, where Jesus comes to the regular people, both Jewish and non-Jewish. To heal and to strengthen, to teach and to love. And he goes on to teach the disciples how to live among God's beloved people, blessing them and calling them to an awareness of God's plan to upend cultural power dynamics so that everyone is on this level plain. 

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Simply the Sermon for February 9, 2025: "Called Despite Our Imperfections"

The fifth Sunday after Epiphany continues to highlight unlikely people being used and odd circumstances surrounding how God's glory will be revealed. Our texts are Isaiah 6:1-13, 1 Corinthians 15:1-11, and Luke 5:1-11.

“Who will go for us?” God asks. The ones who answer God's call are a person of unclean lips, a person who used to threaten and abuse the members of the church of God, and three fishermen who couldn’t catch a thing. More surprising still, perhaps, is that we are also called.

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Simply the Sermon for February 2, 2025: "Embracing God's Call"

Our readings today are from Jeremiah 1:4-10, 1 Corinthians 13:1-13, and our gospel is from Luke 4:21-30. But actually we pick up the Lukan story that began last week at 4:14. We talk about the challenges of living up to God’s call to be helpers as God turns the world upside down, granting gifts and favors in unexpected places. 

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Installation Service for Pastor Diana: January 26, 2025

We were blessed to have our Bishop Brenda Bos preach for Pastor Diana's installation as well as welcoming Pastor and George into membership here at Bethel and, of course, installing Pastor as our minister. 

Her sermon takes the three readings selected for the day, Numbers 6:22-27, 1 Cor, 12:12-31a, and John 20:19-23, and weaves them into a beautiful story of God's peace in our lives.

Photo by Jan McKee

Simply the Sermon for January 26, 2025

The sermon today takes the reading from 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a as it's jumping off point. The apostle and pastor Paul uses the metaphor of the human body to describe how intimately connected we are in the church. Unfortunately, we sometimes lose sight of this connectedness, this inter-reliance, and we fail to recognize God in the faces we see around us. God uses prophets and pesterers to bring us back the love of God and gift of our siblings around the world. 

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Simply the Sermon for January 19, 2025: "Keep Your Eyes Open"

On this Second Sunday of Epiphany Pastor Diana preaches. This weeks reading are Isaiah 62:1-5, 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 and John 2:1-11. Pastor Diana preaches about Jesus turning water to wine and to keep your eyes open to the signs we have in life!

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Simply the Sermon for January 12, 2025: "Wet Walk"

On this Baptism of Our Lord's Day, Pastor Russ shares two stories from the Bible about the Jordan River and how it becomes symbolic of life's challenges and call to commitment.  God rarely has us stay in one place for very long...in our personal lives, our relationships, our careers, our congregation.  We are "here" and we come to understand God is calling us to be "there"...a new place.  How does our baptism into Christ help us with these challenges?  Pastor Russ' sermon is entitled "Walk Wet."

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Simply the Sermon for January 5, 2025: "More Than A Visit"

John 1:1-18 shares the most pivotal event in all of human history...when God became one of us in Jesus.  What does that mean for us?  How should we respond to such an event?  Pastor Russ' last sermon as interim pastor is entitled, "More Than A Visit."

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Simply the Sermon for December 29, 2024: "It Takes a Family"

Luke is the only one of the 4 Gospels to include a story from Jesus' childhood.  This insightful story from Luke 2:41-52 tells of the time when Mary and Joseph "lose" Jesus for a few days...but later find him in the temple in Jerusalem.  What can we learn about the meaning and purpose of family from this story?  Pastor Russ shares his thoughts in his sermon entitled:  "It Takes a Family".

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Simply the Sermon for December 24, 2024: "God's Gift Has Come"

The familiar Christmas story evokes many wonderful memories for us as we gather with family and friends.  This is the story that has changed the world and the lives of millions throughout the ages.  And even though the birth of Jesus was over 2,000 years ago, we have to ask the question:  had we been there...what would we have done?  Pastor Russ shares his Christmas Eve homily entitled:  "God's Gift Has Come".

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Simply the Sermon for December 22, 2024: "Mary's Song"

After Mary was visited by the angel Gabriel and told she would be the mother to the Son of God, she traveled to Judea to visit with Elizabeth.  At Elizabeth's greeting, Mary burst into song known as the Magnificat.  God chooses the least likely to do great things.  The proud and powerful should not rely on their pride and power, says the song.  And we are invited to sing along with Mary.

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Simply the Sermon for December 15, 2024: "Repentance is Good News!"

At first, John the Baptist's cry for repentance makes one cringe.  Is repentance all about making us feel bad about ourselves?  And what does this have to do with Christmas anyway?  Pastor Russ' message is based on Luke 3:7-18 and is titled:  "Repentance is Good News!"

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Simply the Sermon for December 8, 2024: "Prepare the Way"

What does John the Baptist's message "Prepare the way" mean for us today?  What did it mean back then, in Jesus' day?  This season of Advent is a blessed time to get our homes ready for Christmas and our hearts as well.  How can we be a gift to others and to our world as Christ is for us?  Pastor Russ shares his thoughts in this sermon.

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