Get Ready for Back to Church Sunday #1: Church Is Boring

09.05.10

There are a variety of reasons why some think that church is boring. Sometimes it’s because the things the world calls “exciting” distract them. Sometimes, though, it’s because God’s people have forgotten the radical nature of Jesus’ message.

Listen Now Get MP3

A Humble/Exalted Life

08.29.10

We learn early in life that if you want to be noticed by others, you have to do something to make sure you are noticed. We learn that if we want the best place, we must ask for it or demand it. We learn that we will be “left behind” if we do not “push ahead” of others and promote ourselves as the best. God has some interesting advice for the people of our time and culture. When we strive to place ourselves in the best places, we may be embarrassed or humiliated by the result. Today we will consider that the way of Jesus is a way that always leads to exaltation, even if that seems impossible.

Listen Now Get MP3

Who's In Charge Here?

08.22.10

Among God's faithful people, you might expect that the answer to the question, "Who's in charge here?" would have an easy answer:  God!  Today's lesson reminds us that even among God's people, there is a struggle to remember this answer.  Today's message examines why that is . . . and how to remember the right answer.

Listen Now Get MP3

Praising God in Various Ways

08.15.10

There are lots of amazing events, moments and messages at a National Youth Gathering. One of these is the way in which a large number of youth and adults are able to join together in worship, prayer, and singing changing 25,000 voices into 1 clear voice. Another amazing fact is that each participant experiences the gathering in a different way and has moments at the gathering that allow for a different way of praising God. Today we will hear from a few of our youth who each experienced the gathering in unique ways and who each have interesting ways they praised God.

Listen Now Get MP3

What Is Your Treasure?

08.08.10

More often than we notice, Jesus speaks about worldly problems with God’s wisdom. Likewise, Jesus often speaks about the values of the world in contrast with the values of heaven. What Jesus says does not make sense to the world and ONLY makes sense through the eyes of faith. Today we will consider the words of Jesus as we ask the question, “What Is Your Treasure?”

Listen Now Get MP3

Money makes us free. . . . or does it?

08.01.10

We live with two scripts constantly running through our heads about the importance of money.  One script says, "You don't have enough, so if you get more, you'll finally be happy and free."  The other script says, "Money can't buy me love, neither can it make me either happy or free."  The lesson for this morning helps us understand how to live as faithful followers of Jesus in a world of confusing and often contradictory messages.

Listen Now Get MP3

Do We Forgive?

07.25.10

Jesus teaches his disciples to pray in what is commonly known as the Lord’s Prayer. There is nothing like hearing the words of the Lord’s Prayer as spoken by 25,000 youth and adults in a domed stadium. Today I would like to take a few moments to study the second half of the fifth petition. We usually pray this, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” The translation for this morning states in part, “for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us.” Today we will consider whether we do this and whether the value we find in doing this.

Listen Now Get MP3

A Transformed Life

07.18.10

Left to myself, I tend to think that I really just need some minor adjustments to my life for everything to be much better - even with God. But the Gospel calls us to something much more dangerous… and really much better: a transformed life.

Listen Now Get MP3

A Transformed Mind

07.11.10

What criteria do you use to determine what is true and what is false? How about what is real and what is not? Some ideas are so prevalent that they are beyond question . . . until a mind shaped by the Gospel of Jesus gets hold of them.

Listen Now Get MP3

A Transformed Heart

07.04.10

Sometimes it’s hard to grasp how Christian faith can be about more than superficial changes. Sure, we spend time on Sunday at worship. Maybe we pray. We try to do good things. But Jesus is after a much deeper transformation that brings a much more joyful life: he wants to transform our character so that his life goes all the way to our hearts.

Listen Now Get MP3

How Are We Rewarded?

06.27.10

Last week, we talked about the fact that our work lives are meant to be lives of service to others and that we should not separate our faith life from the rest of our lives. Today we will continue with this theme, but looking at the idea that God has called all of us into a ministry through our work lives. The story of the workers in the vineyard is often used to show how God is generous beyond measure and how we can be caught off guard by that generosity and even become jealous. Today, we will consider a deeper meaning about the fact that we have all been paid and our jobs may just be a place where we earn much more than a paycheck.

Listen Now Get MP3

Where Do We Serve Others?

06.20.10

What do you want from life? My guess is that your answer on Sunday morning is different from your answer on Tuesday at noon. It is easy to separate the parts of our lives and have two different answers. In fact, as Lutherans, we were some of the first to proclaim that there needed to be a separation between church and state. However, there are times when I think that we see the separation as a separation of church and everything else. The message of Jesus to his disciples was meant for both their faith lives and their work lives. Today, we will consider the idea that we are called to serve the people with whom we work and how that changes our perspective about work.

Listen Now Get MP3

Food for the Poor

06.13.10

Today we welcome Rev. Bruce Rudolf, representing Food for the Poor. Pastor Bruce has been a pastor in the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod for 44 years, having been ordained in 1960. He served congregations in Rockville, CN, Newton, NJ, and, for the last 20 years, had been pastor of Emanuel Lutheran Church and School in Patchogue, NY, from which he retired in 2004. He has been married to Dorothy for 47 years and our Lord has blessed their marriage with 6 children, 4 born to them, a fifth, an African-American adopted daughter, and a sixth, a Vietnamese foster son. God has also blessed them with six terrific grandchildren. We welcome Pastor Bruce Rudolph to Bethany.

Listen Now Get MP3

Now What?

06.06.10

In today's Gospel lesson, Jesus raises from the dead the son of a widow in the city of Nain.  It's a wonderful and compassionate story of an amazing miracle.  But other than helping us to see that Jesus holds the power of life, what are we to do with it?  It's truly amazing, but... now what?

Listen Now Get MP3

The Work of the Holy Spirit . . . Our Work, Too

05.30.10

It is discouraging to read the fewer and fewer people believe in the Holy Spirit as the third person of the Trinity. Sadly, this fact is understandable because there is less preaching and fewer Bible references about the work of the Holy Spirit. However, the passages available in the Bible are incredibly important. First we have to understand that Jesus planned to leave the message of the Gospel to us. This is hard to comprehend and even harder to accept as best for the world. However, when we truly understand the work of the Holy Spirit, we begin to understand that Jesus has not left us so much as He has entered us and worked through us.

Listen Now Get MP3

Help for the Hurried Life: Conclusion

05.23.10

Often in life, there are issues underlying our current problems. For some people, fear is what drives them into a hurried life. Fear of failure, fear of success, fear of the adulation, or lack thereof, from other people. There are many things to fear in life that can drive us to a hurried and ultimately unproductive life. God has always sent us messages that we should, “Fear not!” Like the shepherds, prophets, and disciples who heard these messages, it is hard to set aside our fears in a sin filled world. However, in Jesus we have forgiveness of sins, an end to fear and help for our hurried lives.

Listen Now Get MP3

Help for the Hurried Life: I Wish I Could Quit . . . Discovering Peace and Contentment

05.16.10

Contentment always seems somewhere in the future: after I've graduated . . . after I'm married . . . after the kids are grown . . . after I retire. But, in today's message, we learn that contentment isn't a goal for some time in the future. It is God's gift to you for today.

Listen Now Get MP3

Help for the Hurried Life: Everyone Wants a Piece of Me

05.09.10

There are times in our lives when we enjoy the notoriety and the fame that seems to be ours when everyone wants our help or to be with us. As more and more requests are made on your time, it becomes harder and harder to give the proper focus and attention to each request. As we become busier, we stray toward being hurried and we begin to lose our focus, even for the people we love. In the race of life, Paul gives us a wonderful goal on which to focus, allowing us to break away from the hurried life.

Listen Now Get MP3

Help for the Hurried Life: I’m Feeling Overwhelmed

05.02.10

How do you find help for the hurried life?  It's not about finding a new time management scheme or better management of your ‘to do’ list.  Help comes from the grace of Jesus that grants forgiveness and re-orients your life forever.

Listen Now Get MP3

Help for the Hurried Life: I’ll Never Get It All Done

04.25.10

We all seem to live busy lives where we are encouraged to do more and more in less time. We have cell phones that seemingly can do everything, but really just take up more of our time and attention. We demand productivity at the price of human interaction and kindness. In all of these things, our busy lives become . . . hurried lives. There are even new forms of guilt, like TIVO guilt, which is the guilty feeling that you will never have time to watch all of the shows you have recorded! Today we will consider how to combat that nagging thought, “I’ll never get it all done!”

Listen Now Get MP3

Help for the Hurried Life: Slow Down

04.18.10

The Great Recession may mean that the economy has slowed down significantly, but for many of us life seems even faster than ever.  This Sunday begins a new sermon series entitled, "Help for the Hurried Life."  In this series Pastor Jon and Pastor Tom will take a look at six passages from the New Testament that help us to live more from our faith than from the chaos that swirls around our daily lives.

Listen Now Get MP3

Rev. John Nunes and Lutheran World Relief

04.11.10

Today we are pleased to have Rev. John Nunes as our guest preacher. Pastor Nunes is the president of Lutheran World Relief, an agency that brings help to people in need through many different programs in the world. Pastor Nunes is a frequent preacher and Bible study leader at the National Youth Gathering. He is a vibrant and creative presenter who is known for his ability to bring his message to life for all of the people listening.

Listen Now Get MP3

Easter: Don’t Touch Me

04.04.10

On Maundy Thursday, I shared at the Seder Dinner how Jesus touched his disciples in a way that was unfitting for a king and much more in line with a slave. He touched their feet, which were considered at least unclean and at worst contaminated or unhealthy. On Good Friday, I shared that Joseph of Arimathea touched Jesus and brought his body to a grave. Joseph became ritually unclean and, therefore, was unable to celebrate the Passover because of this act of devotion. Today we will consider that on Easter morning, Jesus says to Mary, “Do not touch me”, or in some translations, “Do not cling to me.”

Listen Now Get MP3

Palm Sunday

03.28.10

The highways and byways of our land give us many examples of bad attitudes. It is not just other people who have attitude problems. It is us as well. We all need an attitude overhaul and the only one who can give it to us is Jesus. Today’s sermon text gives us a clear description of His remarkable attitude. As we come under His gracious influence, He changes our attitude and behavior to become more like His. Holy Week is a perfect time for us to consider His attitude and let it change ours.

Listen Now Get MP3

How Could God?

03.21.10

We hear the questions in so many forms and from so many people . . .“How can I believe in God when there are so many tragedies in the world?”, “Why would God allow me to suffer the loss of a friend or relative?”, “Where was God when this child was harmed?” Today we will look at this from a different perspective, one that asks, “How could God sacrifice his one and only Son, to suffer our pain and death so that we would receive the glories of heaven?”

Listen Now Get MP3

I'm my own person . . . right?

03.14.10

The culture around us encourages us to think of ourselves as individuals, as "selfs" who determine who they are and what their lives are to be about.  The truth is that we are really more the product of the social and political structures under which we live than we'd like to imagine or admit.  Today's sermon helps us to recognize the hold these have on us and points us to the freedom of life together in Jesus Christ.

Listen Now Get MP3

This Is It?

03.07.10

During our lives we are often faced with competing realities, or at least competing temporary realities, which can distract our attention from the cross. One set of competing realities would be our desire to leave a legacy for the world, or at least for those who live after us, competes with the nagging feeling that all we have is this world and what we accomplish in our brief life. We may feel good when the legacy seems strong and protected. We may seem despondent when we ask the question “Is this all there is to life?” Jesus offers the thief on the cross another perspective when he states, “Today you will be with me in paradise.”

Listen Now Get MP3

To Thine Own Self Be True?

02.28.10

Is our identity a patchwork of various images and influences that are projected through our social worlds or is our identity worked in us by God who made us his children at baptism?

Listen Now Get MP3

Life is Better in My Hands

02.21.10

Today we will begin a sermon series that will look at a number of concerns we find in society about the church and about religion. For the sake of labeling, these are called Postmodern ideas or a Postmodern attitude. We will begin by considering the misguided thought that our lives are best when we are completely in control of them. Postmodernism advocates “Life is better in my hands.” Gathering around the cross says, “Life is better when we entrust it to the heavenly Father.” Our series will follow the work of St. Peter in his first letter which was addressed to Christian slaves in Asia Minor.

Listen Now Get MP3

Ash Wednesday: The Sign of Jonah

02.17.10

The Sign of Jonah: “God is Calling”

Listen Now Get MP3

The Prodigal God: The Feast of the Father

02.14.10

Today in our final installment of the Parable of the Prodigal Son, we will consider what salvation from Jesus really means in our lives. We will also consider what it means that God is having a celebration because we were “lost and are now found, were dead, but are now alive.” We will think about what it means to live in the celebration God has already prepared for us on earth.

Listen Now Get MP3

The Prodigal God: Redefining Hope

02.07.10

Today we will consider a brief part of the Parable of the Prodigal Son. When the younger son leaves his father, Jesus states that he traveled to a far off country. It was in this far off country, away from his father, that he both found trouble and realized that he needed to return. In many ways, as Christians, we live in that far off country and long to return to the father. Today we will consider how God provides hope for us and a future in heaven.

Listen Now

The Prodigal God: The True Elder Brother

01.31.10

Today we will continue our discussion on the Parable of the Prodigal Son as we consider what the lost younger son really needed from his elder brother. We will consider that this parable is the climax for a set of three parables. In each of the preceding parables, the item lost is found after great effort and then there is a celebration. In Jesus, we have the ultimate elder brother, who came to earth with great effort, sacrificed everything, and left for us a celebration.

Listen Now Get MP3

Prodigal God: Give Me My Share

01.24.10

While the younger son demands it outright, the elder son works for the same thing — the father's property.  Both covet the father's stuff; neither wants the father.  This Sunday, we'll examine what lies behind this desire, how the father responds to it, and what it all means for us today.

Listen Now Get MP3

Prodigal God: The People Around Jesus

01.17.10

What is sin? What is salvation? The people around Jesus in the parable of the "prodigal son: both have their own answers to these questions, but they both miss the mark.  In this Sunday's look at this fascinating parable, Jesus provides his own answers - ones that challenge even the way we think about sin and salvation.

Listen Now Get MP3

The Prodigal God: The Parable

01.10.10

The parable of the "prodigal son" is one of the most well-known of Jesus' parables.  But most of the time, it is only the first half of the parable that is remembered.  This Sunday begins a new series based on Rev. Timothy Keller's book The Prodigal God, which helps us to remember the whole parable as Jesus told it in order to know its full meaning . . . and to help return us to the heart of Christian faith.

Listen Now Get MP3

Now We See

01.03.10

What does God look like?  For thousands of years, people have tried to get a picture of what God looks like in order to understand who God really is.  Today's Gospel lesson tells us that we can quit guessing.  God has shown up in Jesus' incarnation and the picture of God that Jesus displays is both more troubling and more deeply gracious that we ever would imagine on our own.

Listen Now Get MP3

The Sign of Forgiveness

12.27.09

Forgiveness is probably the most difficult concept in the Bible, and yet it is possibly the concept which is the most familiar for all of us and it is also the core doctrine of the Lutheran Church. We are saved by God’s grace through faith. That is the core doctrine. What it brings to us is the forgiveness of sins. That is what grace means in our lives. The sign of Jesus will always be the sign of forgiveness for the sins of the world. The hard part is when we apply this sign to our lives. We are called to be people who forgive. We prefer to think that only applies to other Christians, but I will contend that forgiveness is also the way we bring the message of salvation, because after all “we are saved by God’s grace…”, which is the forgiveness of sins and comes to us through the free gift of faith.

Listen Now Get MP3

The Sign of Accepting God’s Will

12.20.09

The story of the Annunciation reports Mary’s faithful reaction when Gabriel appears to tell her the good but frightening news that she will conceive and give birth to the Messiah.  It speaks of the nature of faith and both the difficulty and fierce hope of faithfulness.  Today, Mary’s story is a sign that points us to what it means to fully accept the will of God.

Listen Now Get MP3

The Sign of Social Compassion

12.13.09

Once we are saved, what do we do with our faith? This is the question that confronts John the Baptist as he sees the crowds of people who are coming to him for Baptism. Remember they, like us, are probably focused on the idea of repentance and their own good works. John wants them focused on forgiveness and their change of heart that comes from the forgiveness of sins. When we are self-righteous, we depend on things like our family name, our number of years in church, or our status in the community. John points out that when we are righteous in Christ, we become new people who have a heart of social compassion. We want to do things that will help serve others and we are compelled to care for the needs of others. Today we will consider how this can happen in our lives on a year round basis.

Listen Now Get MP3

The Sign of Proclaiming

12.06.09

If someone were to ask you, "Would you rather be told you have to apologize or would you rather be told that your mistakes were forgiven?” what would be your answer? John the Baptist begins the ministry of Jesus in his prophetic role of proclaiming that the Messiah has come and does so through the proclamation of a "Baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins." We tend to focus on the word repentance and we tend to think that logically this happens first because it is the first part of the sentence. However, the term Baptism means a washing or cleansing. It is the first words in the phrase and while it recognizes that we are unclean, it also makes the action the cleaning, or the forgiveness we receive from Jesus. Today we will consider the sign of proclaiming and how Jesus fulfills that sign.

Listen Now Get MP3

The Sign of Justice

11.29.09

The prophet Jeremiah is foretelling the appearance of the Messiah, Jesus, who is from the "house and lineage of David. The idea of a "righteous Branch to spring up" is one that helps us understand how God's people had fallen from prominence. David was arguably the greatest King known to all people, but his descendants were often the captives of other nations. Jesus is the one who would restore the glory of King David. It is little wonder then that the disciples and others expected an earthly king. Jeremiah goes on to say that "he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land." Today we will consider how Jesus brings justice to all people and how the justice of God is different than our expectations.

Listen Now Get MP3

Already . . . and yet, not yet

11.22.09

On All Saints Day it is easy to remember that we live in an "in-between" time: in-between Christ first advent and his return, in-between the time when we last saw our friends and family who have died in Christ and when we'll see them again. It is for just such in-between times that these words from Daniel are designed . . . for times when we see, but not yet fully, for times when we mourn but in hope, and for times when we celebrate victory while the war is still being waged.

Listen Now Get MP3

Childlike Awe . . . What Wows You?

11.15.09

It would be easy to make the case that the disciples of Jesus are “awestruck” or “wowed” by the size of the stones in the temple at Jerusalem. There are many reasons for their amazement when they see these stones. I have seen video of some stones that are left in the temple and others from buildings of a similar time period. People who study such things are still unsure how the stones were moved because of the incredible weight. Today, we will talk about the things that impress us and consider that Jesus still delivers a message that is more impressive than any of the parts of His creation.

Listen Now Get MP3

Childlike Song

11.08.09

What is your song? When you were a child, what was the first song you remember singing or remember hearing sung to you? As children, we love to sing and we love to hear the songs of others. Even in our teen years, we are not very self-conscious about singing. However, as adults, the songs of our childhood and our youth seem to disappear and we stop singing for ourselves. In many ways, our lives are like a song. When we are children, we live boldly, not giving a moment of worry about how people perceive our song. As adults, we seem to be more willing to listen to the people who will steal our songs. Jesus points out that these people exist in the church and points his disciples toward a more childlike way of living out the songs of our lives.

Listen Now Get MP3

Childlike Faith

11.01.09

They say that familiarity breeds contempt.  While that might not always be true, familiarity does frequently lead to taking the thing for granted.  Sometimes it's that way with us and God's Word.  We've heard the stories about Jesus' miracles many times and . . . we're bored.  This Sunday's message invites us to examine why that is. . . and to rethink our approach.

Listen Now Get MP3

Science and the Bible: Can They Work Together?

10.25.09

Sadly over the past few decades, science and religion have been driven apart by ideas that they cannot coexist. In my early days of school, I was quite successful and truly loved science, even as I was being formed in a religious school. Through the years, I have found that science and religion no only can coexist, but really complement each other in wonderful ways. Today we will consider Psalm 148, which gives praise to God about the creation of the world. We will take a few moments to look through the "eyes of science" and the "eyes of religion" to see an amazing creation formed by God.

Listen Now Get MP3

Reasons to Believe

10.18.09

The new atheists charge that Christianity is anti-reason.  Are faith and reason completely unrelated?  Or is it possible to say that Christianity is actually . . . reasonable?  Listen today and find out why Christianity is believable.

Listen Now Get MP3

Psychology and the Bible: Is the Bible the guide for life?

10.11.09

It is easy to think that the Bible is an old book that no longer applies in the lives of modern people. We turn to popular psychological models and theories to help shape our lives, often missing that we return back to some things that are very…well Biblical. Today we will consider the 10 commandments as much more than just some “good rules to live by”. We will look at how some of the basic concepts of psychology are rooted in the concepts of the Bible. Finally, we will consider some of the most recent mental health theories and a passage from St. Paul.

Listen Now Get MP3

Do All Religions Really Teach the Same Thing?

10.04.09

We hear it again and again:  All religions are really the same; all religions take you to the same destination; all paths lead to the top of the mountain. Does it really matter, then what you believe?  Whether you believe anything at all?  This Sunday's message will explore where that idea comes from, and give you answers to respond.

Listen Now Get MP3

No Judgment Based on Health or Sinfulness

09.27.09

Of all the things that have ever been the easiest to judge, physical illness is one of the earliest and easiest things for us to judge about a person. At the time of Jesus many people were outcasts of society for diseases that are now common and better understood. Yet, we continue to judge people based on physical health. Likewise, it is so easy to judge others by their sins and not notice our own. Worse yet, we forget that God has called us to bring people to Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins, not by ostracizing them because of their sins. Today we will conclude our series on James and Judgment.

Listen Now Get MP3

No Judgment Based on Intelligence

09.20.09

Think about the wisest people in the world – which names come to mind? Are they inventors, leaders of industry or government, or are they people of great wealth and influence? Consider the wisest people in your life. What are their attributes that make you consider them as wise? Today we continue with the book of James and with ways we judge one another. It is easy to judge people based on worldly ideas of wisdom and never recognize the wisdom for God is faith in Christ. This free gift from God creates a wisdom that is humble before God and that serves others in this world.

Listen Now Get MP3

No Judgment Based on Preconceptions

09.13.09

It has always bothered me that Jesus turns to Peter and says, “Get behind me, Satan!” I suppose it is difficult to accept that one of the great disciples of Jesus was doing something so bad that he needed this kind of verbal challenge. Looking at our text from James, we would be tempted to say that Peter’s tongue was not under control. However, there is something much more basic to the problem. Last week we heard about how we are not to judge people based on appearances. Today we will consider how our perceptions of reality tempt us to judge behaviors in the same sinful fashion.

Listen Now Get MP3

No Judgment Based on Outward Appearances

09.06.09

One of the major messages we hear is that what you look like on the outside is an indication of who your really are. Consequently, we spend billions of dollars each year on diet books, special food, and exercise equipment and apparel. The problem is, this sinister treadmill gets us nowhere. In today's message, we hear what Jesus has to say about our trouble and hear about help for the trouble Jesus says comes from our hearts.

Listen Now Get MP3