Simply the Sermon for July 23, 2023: Tale As Old As Time

Continuing with the “Heroes of the Bible” sermon series, Intern Monica takes us back to the beginning of Exodus. What started as a promising life in Egypt hasn’t turned out that way for the Israelites, and there doesn’t seem to be any help coming on the horizon. What are normal people supposed to do while they’re waiting for God to act? Let’s meet a few people who can give us some ideas. Today’s reading is Exodus 1:8-2:10.

Photo credit: Ali Syed @777pilot_photography_lover

Simply the Sermon for July 16, 2023: Who Is Your Jonathan?

Pastor Russ continues the Summer Sermon Series “Heroes of the Bible” with Jonathan, David’s good friend. Do you have a “Jonathan” in your life? Are you a Jonathan for someone else? Read I Samuel 18-20 and learn how Jonathan’s friendship was critical to our faith today. Today’s reading is 1 Samuel 18:1-4; 19:1-7; 20:12-42.

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Simply the Sermon for July 9, 2023: Seeing Hagar

Sometimes when we’re focused on those who loom large, we don’t notice those standing in their shadow. Intern Monica Holman talks today about Hagar, who some see as a side note in the story of Abraham. Luckily for us, God doesn’t see her that way! Today’s reading is Genesis 16:1-15, 21:1-3, 8-21.

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Simply the Sermon for July 2, 2023: Facing Off With a Giant

How do we face fearsome giants, you and I? Today Pastor Russ Gordon kicks off a summer series on the heroes of the Bible, beginning with a familiar story that you may have first heard in Sunday School. But make no mistake; there’s a message here for anyone who has ever been afraid. So get comfortable, open your Bible to 1 Samuel 17, and press Play…

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Simply the Sermon for June 25, 2023: Something Irresistible

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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Simply the Sermon for June 18, 2023: Sent!

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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Simply the Sermon for June 11, 2023: The Importance of Touch

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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Simply the Sermon for June 4, 2023: The Holy Trinity -- And You!

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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Simply the Sermon for May 28, 2023: Words That Feel Like Home

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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Worship for May 21, 2023: Holy Spirit, the Wild Goose

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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Worship for May 14, 2023: Being Christian in a Pluralistic Society

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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Worship for May 7, 2023: Thanks A Lot, Stephen

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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Worship for Apr 30, 2023: God, our Shepherd

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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Worship for Apr 23, 2023: Then Their Eyes Were Opened...

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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Worship for Apr 16, 2023: Scars

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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Worship for Apr 9, 2023: Easter -- Christ is Risen! We are Risen!

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).

Photo credit: Ann Hillesland

Worship for Apr 2, 2023: Palm Sunday, The Passion of Jesus

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.

Photo credit: Tim Mossholder (of Santa Maria) @timmossholder on Unsplash.com.

Worship for Mar 26, 2023: Simply the Sermon – "The Hope Not Lost"

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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Worship for Mar 19, 2023: Simply the Sermon – "What Kind of God Do We Have?"

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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Worship for Mar 12, 2023: Simply the Sermon – "Y'all Are Just So Literal!"

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.

Photo credit: Maxime Bouffard @maxeime