ポッドキャスト Bethlehem Lutheran Church

Bethlehem Lutheran ChurchRev. Matthew D. Priem による

There is a wide range of experiences and beliefs surrounding prayer among those with a faith tradition, including Christians. This week Pastor Chad shares how The Lord’s Prayer helped change his perspective on prayer. Jesus was teaching his disciples a lot more than a simple prayer to recite from memory, sometimes in a single breath! Jesus uses the…

The heart of prayer is the recognition of the character and identity of GodRev. Matthew D. Priem による

What’s your one thing? In today’s Gospel, Jesus interaction with Mary and Martha teaches us that the most important thing is to receive the ministry of mercy He came to bring us.Rev. David M. Reimnitz による

So many words! Words that shape a story. Words that can distort a story. Words that can inspire. Words that can harm. Today Pastor Chad invites us to consider the words that Jesus used. Words that formed a powerful story. A story so powerful it caused Mary to stop what she was doing, what was expected of her, what her sister continued to do. The st…

The parable of the Good Samaritan is actually every person’s story with Jesus always the hero. It's about what Jesus has done to save us in our need. All of us by nature were dead in our sin and thus helpless to save ourselves. In our Baptism, Jesus picked us up in His arms and delivered us from death to life. The price He paid was His own life on …

Who is my neighbor? This week Pastor Stephanie helps us explore the Story of the Good Samaritan to better understand God’s definition of a neighbor. Sometimes in life we get too focused on our own path to recognize our neighbor’s need passing them by. Sometimes we don’t stop to help because we don’t know what to do. Sometimes we think that the pers…

Jesus sends His disciples to the world and to one another to represent Him and His work in Law and Gospel to one anotherRev. Matthew D. Priem による

Social Media can be a wonderful tool for connecting with family, friends, and the world around us. It can also be a home to misinformation, hatred, and otherwise nasty comments. Sometimes engaging others online feels like being a lamb amongst wolves. At other times we get trapped in the algorithm that surrounds us with posts that match our beliefs.…

We understand that there will be storms in life and so we take the necessary precautions. We educate ourselves on how to prevent identity theft. We wear seatbelts every time we ride in the car and bike helmets every time we ride our bikes. We try to eat right. We see our doctor faithfully. We take our meds religiously. We put our savings in safe pl…

What do you do? What do you make? How do you use your gifts & passions? Is it a ‘Higher Calling’? We might be too quick to dismiss our career, vocation, or work as unworthy of being a Higher Calling, thinking it is a title reserved for religious professionals. In the Gospel reading for today, Jesus’ disciples learn that following Jesus has a high c…

The blessings of home and family are a gift from God. By His Word he heals homes and families broken by sin, and He calls us to share that Word in our homes, whether it’s “Leave It To Beaver” homes, blended families, empty nests, or nursing homes. He gives Fathers a special responsibility and special influence in the home, which should encourage al…

What are you afraid of? In today’s message Pastor Stephanie shares a scary story from the Gospel of Luke about a man who was possessed by demons and cast out of his community to wander the cemetery. His community used the God’s Law as a weapon to exclude him from their community. God’s Law isn’t intended to be policed by the faithful but is rather …

Peter's Pentecost sermon focuses on what God as the Triune God does for us and for our salvation.Rev. David M. Reimnitz による

This week we celebrate Holy Trinity Sunday. The Trinity, Father—Son—Holy Spirit, being one God is difficult to describe without diminishing the power of each ‘Person’ within the Trinity or dividing the power of the One True God. Perhaps it is best left as a mystery of our faith. While we can’t comprehend God’s complete being, we do have God’s gift …

Today, more people are asking how they may experience God in their own lives than they are asking what God says about Himself. Americans are looking for a deeper and immediate personal feeling of God within them. If they have it, the important question is settled; the rest are details. A "spiritual feeling" has become more important than spiritual …

Pentecost is the church holiday that remembers the Spirit of God descending on the followers of Jesus after he had ascended to Heaven. The Spirit empowered the disciples to share the good news of God’s Kingdom in the native languages of the diverse crowd gathered in Jerusalem. It’s worth celebrating, certainly, but is the Spirit of God still active…

God shows His love to us and provides for us so richly in so many different ways!Rev. Matthew D. Priem による

Throughout the year we have been hearing from members of the Bethlehem Community as an opportunity to hear how God's Story has resonated with our neighbor and hopefully finding some resonance between our story and theirs. In our final Story of Resonance we hear, appropriately, from a Physics Teacher who knows a thing or two about resonance. Charles…

Why did Jesus go away? It’s a good question. Fortunately, the Bible gives us some good answers to that question, answers that can help us understand what a blessing it is for us that our Lord did not stay, but ascended into heaven. Jesus ascended into heaven: to take His rightful place as the King of kings - exercising His authority over all creati…

Superstition, misconceptions, and misdirection can turn our eyes away from the help, hope, and healing freely available in Jesus Christ (and nowhere else!)Rev. Matthew D. Priem による

Sometimes in life the words we intend to bring comfort to our loved ones fall flat, or worse, cause more harm than good. This week’s Gospel is filled with what have become Christian buzzwords and depending on where you are at in life may seem to be hollow. So how can we find hope in these words almost seem like God is silent? The Good News is that …

John 16 is part of a much larger narrative (John 13-17) in which Jesus prepares His disciples for His departure. Delivered on the night He was betrayed, Jesus teaches His disciples about what was about to happen and why. And yet, when the events of the next two days "suddenly" blew up in their faces, the disciples were traumatized…leaving them over…

WARNING: The reading from Acts in worship today is DANGEROUS! It is dangerous to those who insist on keeping their faith practices and understanding the same at all costs. God challenges Peter's understanding of being a disciple by showing him that God's love and salvation is meant for everyone even those that Peter saw as unclean. We too are chall…

Jesus really did clearly identify Himself as the Messiah and God. The Jewish leaders just didn’t want to hear it. We have every reason to listen to what Jesus says, though, because the words He speaks give eternal life.Rev. Matthew D. Priem による

Voices are distinct. When we recognize a voice we can recall the speaker with great detail. Some voices instill a sense of calm and comfort. This week Jesus says the “sheep” of his flock recognize his voice and are comforted. He also reminds us that there is nothing that can snatch his sheep away from his care. As we continue in this Easter Season …

Easter proved you can’t keep a good God down when Jesus bounced right back from the dead, but He proved that victory and He proved His faithfulness repeatedly after that, showing that His power and love are always present for us.Rev. Matthew D. Priem による

In all the Gospels, the Disciples’ encounters with the resurrected Jesus have a common theme: skepticism. In today’s Gospel lesson Jesus doesn’t try to reason with the Disciples, instead he allows them to experience their resurrected teacher. Encountering Jesus in the everyday experience of their life helps them move from skepticism to trust. In to…

Easter is a new beginning, a celebration that by its very nature doesn’t stop, a blessing that is ours for always, not just once a yearRev. Matthew D. Priem による

Throughout the year we are hearing from members of the Bethlehem Community as an opportunity to hear how God's Story has resonated with our neighbor and hopefully finding some resonance between our story and theirs. This month, Bill Vossler shares his story of finding resonance with God’s Story again after 18 years away from religion. Bill’s childh…

Upon reaching Jesus' tomb that first Easter morning, the women were confused that the stone had already been moved and the grave was empty. Where is Jesus? So many things in life can raise the same confusion and fear. The question remains the same: Where is Jesus in all this mess? Where is Jesus? He has risen! He is here now! He is here in Baptism,…

It’s Easter you know the story. At least you think you do?!? Pastor Chad, has a reminder that even though we think we know the story the details escape us. But are the details important or do they just get in the way? The Gospels all share the same lesson for us told in different ways. The Good News of Easter is that God has not given up on the wor…

God draws His people together in an unexpected way, demonstrating His power in all thingsRev. Matthew D. Priem による

The new covenant in Jesus’ blood brings our fellowship full circle, including all God’s people and all God’s promises of all time. That’s a full circle!Rev. Matthew D. Priem による

Palm Sunday's parade exhibited excitement and enthusiasm about the coming of Christ to Jerusalem; however, as His procession continues to Good Friday their cheers gave way to jeers.Although our loyalties may change, Christ is faithful to the end. Unlike the crowds, Jesus keeps His focus on His purpose: to suffer and die for the salvation of all peo…

Our journey through Lent continues to explore the theme: “Hope-Full in a Weary World.” Living in a Weary World is not a ‘new thing’ the people of Jesus’ time were also weary. They were weary of Roman occupation and hoped Jesus would be the King to overthrow Caesar’s Empire. But time and again Jesus showed he was a different kind of King with a diff…

The Holy Spirit uses the talents and abilities He’s given us to build up our fellowship with our brothers and sisters in many waysRev. Matthew D. Priem による

Even though we know the facts concerning eternal life, we still seem to fail the test of living in the present. I fail to rejoice in the Lord always, especially when life goes "wrong" in all kinds of ways.Paul, convinced of his future with Christ Jesus, changed his perspective on how he experienced his life in the present. Not matter what – he coul…

We wrap up our exploration of our theme for Lent “Hope-Full in a Weary World” by looking at Authenticity. In this week’s Gospel Jesus says we are salt and we are light. What?!? It’s not an easy metaphor to understand. Maybe a first-hand experience of the metaphor will help. Matt Metz joins Pastor Chad “In the Kitchen” for an encounter with one part…

Warning one another and allowing one another to hold us accountable is an important part of our relationship as brothers and sisters in ChristRev. Matthew D. Priem による

The third of Jesus’ three parables in Luke 15 is His ultima reply to those who complain and criticize Him for welcoming and eating with sinners. As an important Lenten theme, the parable of the "Prodigal Son" describes the amazing joy our Heavenly Father feels toward those who repent. We are in God’s family by the same forgiving love that sent our …

We continue our exploration of our theme for Lent “Hope-Full in a Weary World” by looking at Wholeness. In this week’s Gospel we hear the story of a woman who had been hunched over for 18 years before Jesus healed her. Pastor Stephanie speaks about Wholeness as being in balance Physically, Emotionally, Mentally and Spiritually. Too often we think o…

We don’t stop sharing the Good News with people once they become believers; that’s actually when we can talk about it even more!Rev. Matthew D. Priem による

tempted. He uses the experiences of God's people in the Old Testament to illustrate how God has been faithful with punishment as well as pleasure. Even though His people are not good examples of faithfulness to Him, God remains faithful to His people so that we may remain faithful even as we face Satan's "opportune" times of temptation and testing.…

We continue our exploration of our theme for Lent “Hope-Full in a Weary World” by looking at Rest. Everyone’s life experience is different but we all know the weight of our unique burdens in life. Pastor Chad uses an egg to illustrate the impact of stress on our fragile lives. When we are weary from the weight of the world bearing down on us it is …

Communication is a vital part of any relationship; prayer kicks our communication up to a supernatural level!Rev. Matthew D. Priem による

We became citizens of this world by birth and citizens of heaven by our rebirth through God's gift of grace via our Baptism. As concurrent citizens of this world and heaven, we are to resist the daily temptations of living solely in the "Now" as citizens of this world.As Christians we have the God-given ability and discernment to live as citizens o…

We continue our exploration of our theme for Lent “Hope-Full in a Weary World” by looking at Civility. In life we often have a difference of opinion with our neighbors, like during football season when, somehow, our loved ones are donning a cheesehead! In her role as a military chaplain Pastor Stephanie works with a whole Battalion of soldiers with…

Forgiveness is one of the great gifts God gives us to thrive in our relationships with one another and display His love to the worldRev. Matthew D. Priem による

Are you aware of the various ways each day when you’re being tempted Temptation is subtle. Temptation is tricky. We are usually oblivious to the presence and power of the tempter in our lives.Jesus overcame the temptations of the Satan for us. As the author of Hebrews wrote, "Because He Himself suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help those…