One thing have I desired of the Lord... that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life...Psalm 27:4
In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus’s disciples are eager to get out and join in the ministry of healing and proclaiming the kingdom of God! But Jesus has a few words of caution for them, and Intern Monica reminds us that his words still hold true for us today as we also embark on Jesus’s irresistible mission. Today’s readings are Jeremiah 20:7-13 and Matthew 10:24-39.
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Pastor Russ' message is entitled "Sent!" as the Gospel reading reminds us of our Christ-given task to be bearers of the Good News. Although we are imperfect human beings, Christ still calls us to go out and tend to those in need. Today’s reading is Matthew 9:35-10:8.
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In his sermon, Pastor Russ reminds us how the Covid pandemic kept us from enjoying one another's presence and touch for a long while as we worked through the fear of the unknown. In the Gospel reading, Jesus shows mercy, and thereby defeats the fears and artificial boundaries we construct that keeps us from being a truly beloved community. This week’s reading is Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26.
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It’s Holy Trinity Sunday, which means we get to talk about the Father, the Son, AND the Holy Spirit! Intern Monica dives into the mystery of who we are as people who worship the Triune God. This week’s readings are Psalm 8, 2 Corinthians 13:11-13, and Matthew 28:16-20.
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Happy Pentecost! Intern Pastor Monica takes us back to the arrival of the Holy Spirit during Pentecost, and challenges us to think about what languages we speak. What would it look like today for everyone to hear about God in their own native language? This week’s readings are Numbers 11:24-30 and Acts 2:1-21.
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Guest Pastor Mary Stein-Webber returns to Bethel Lutheran Church with a message about looking to God for guidance. And as we listen for an answer, can we be open to receive the advice when it comes? When the Holy Spirit offers us direction, it’s not always a quiet whisper riding in on a cool breeze. Sometimes it’s a honking goose trampling across the picnic blanket and stepping in the potato salad. Can we be an open handed receiver when the Holy Spirit nudges us in unexpected ways?
The Bible readings for this week are Acts 1:6-14 and Luke 24:44-53 if you’d like to grab a Bible and follow along with Pastor Mary’s reading. (Or click here to read online).
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We live in a world with so many choices...including what religious expression we wish to follow. Pastor Russ asks: What makes the Christian faith so unique? What is our calling in the presence of so many religious options? When Paul was in Athens on his 2nd missionary journey, he acknowledged the many statues to their various gods...and he complimented their religious inquisitiveness to introduce to the Athenians the message of Jesus. So too, the diverse expressions within our world, and even in our church, need not induce fear. Instead, we can grow in our love for one another in seeing God already living, moving and having being in the other.
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We’re still in the season of Easter, celebrating the joy of the resurrection and shouting our alleluias! But Intern Monica Holman reminds us that we can’t celebrate Easter without remembering Stephen, the first Christian martyr, whose story made it clear that the church is not called to stay comfortable.
Our Bible passages today (click to follow along): John 14:1-14 and Acts 7:54-8:1.
Sermon Note: Monica cites a statistic from the 2022 National Survey of LGBTQ Youth Mental Health.
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It’s good to be reminded that God is our shepherd, leading us to still waters and helping us along on our path. Today Pastor Russ Gordon guides us through what it means to be the shepherd, and what it means to be, …well… the sheep. What’s more, when the shoe is on the other foot and God calls on us to be shepherds to a particular flock, can we be ready to answer the call?
Our Bible passages today (click to follow along): Psalm 23 and John 10:1-10.
Sermon Note: The pastor’s sermon refers to the Darien Gap, an inhospitable jungle region along the border of Columbia and Panama. Many migrants travel through this area hoping to reach the United States or Canada. For more information, search for “Darien Gap” on your favorite news site. (Here is a link to many sources on Google News.) Here’s a podcast episode on the subject as well: The Daily: A Mother, a Daughter, a Deadly Journey.
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Pastor Russ Gordon helps us see our way through Luke 24, where two sad disciples walk for miles with a stranger, but but “were kept” from recognizing him as the risen Jesus. (Spoiler: later their “eyes were opened.”) Could this passage be an example for us when we struggle to see God’s presence when we look around today?
The Gospel passage for this week is Luke 24:13-35 if you’d like to grab a Bible and read along. (Or click here to read it online).
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Intern Monica Holman finds the John 20 passage a little weird. Why does Jesus’s resurrected body still have wounds? Turns out that scars (his, mine, and even yours) can bear pretty powerful witness to the risen Lord.
The Gospel passage for this week is John 20:19-31 if you’d like to grab a Bible and read it before listening. (Or click here to read it online). Monica reads the passage in the podcast, along with Psalm 16 and Acts 2:14a, 22-32.
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On Easter Sunday we commemorate Jesus rising from the dead to “make good” for the sins of the world. Pastor Russ Gordon reminds us in his Easter sermon that there is more to celebrate than a miracle that occurred 2000 years ago. It is miraculous right now in our present time and in our future. Today is a time to celebrate what God has in store for everyone.
The Easter Gospel passage is John 20:1-18 if you’d like to grab a Bible and read it before listening. (Or click here to read it online).
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On Palm Sunday we celebrate Christ’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem. Then the day darkens as we listen to the telling of the story of Jesus’ arrest, trial, and death on the cross. (Open your Bible to Matthew 26 if you’d like to follow along.) We remember what Jesus endured to save us from sin; and we anticipate what’s to come when he triumphs once again.
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The raising of Lazarus and the valley of the dry bones in Ezekiel both tell stories of pain and loss. Before we can jump to the joy of resurrection, though, Intern Monica Holman explores God’s promises of hope even within the tomb.
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Last Sunday we heard the well-known story of the woman at the well, and this week Interim Pastor Russ Gordon considers another memorable Bible passage, this time from the ninth chapter of John. Jesus heals a blind man, setting off an investigation seeking answers to many questions. What exactly happened? Who is the person that did it? And perhaps most importantly, does God punish us for our sins?
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The Samaritan woman at the well and her meeting with Jesus in John 4 is one of the best-known stories in the gospel. But how much do you really know about it? Intern Monica Holman takes this old, old story and asks us to think in a new way about what assumptions we bring when we hear it.
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There are all kinds of journeys – outward and inward. The stories of Abram and Sarai venturing out at God’s request, as well as Nicodemus’s nighttime visit to Jesus on his spiritual journey, remind us that faith is trust. We are called in our life’s journey to put our hand in Jesus’ as we go.
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Why do we “celebrate” Lent? Does it have to be so depressing and dark? Intern Monica Holman explores the temptation to either turn Lent into some sort of suffering contest or to avoid the darkness altogether and shape it into something pretty and palatable. Does this ancient tradition still serve a purpose? Monica thinks so, especially today!
At the end of the sermon, Monica reads a blessing from the wonderful new book The Lives We Actually Have: 100 Blessings for Imperfect Days by Kate Bowler and Jessica Richie. Find it on Amazon here.
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At times, there can be a rhythm to church life that can lead to feelings of complacency, as if our walk with God has entered a “same old, same old” pattern of sameness. In this week’s gospel reading (Matthew 17:1-9), Pastor Russ Gordon sees a few disciples of Jesus perhaps slipping into this kind of complacency. They seem to be getting a little bit too accustomed to the wonders occurring around them. What happens next?
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There are a lot of changes happening around us! A lot of uncertainty, a lot of new things, and with that a lot of temptation to worry that we won’t be able to rise to the challenge, and that we just aren’t enough to handle it. Intern Monica Holman describes how God promises us that we are enough with God leading us, and how stepping into the sometimes-scary unknown is a step towards choosing an abundant life with God.
The blessing read at the end of the sermon is from Creating Space: A Prayer Book for Peace in a Time of Crisis and Chaos from LEAD. Click the link to learn more about the book, or about the wonderful work that LEAD does.
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