Article 7

At the Last Supper, a cup is passed after Jesus says words of blessing and then pronounces, "This is my blood of the new covenant…". Later, in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prays that "this cup" may be taken away. Cups are used in different ways throughout the Bible, and in this chapter, we see a cup of blessing and a cup of wrath. Both are significant to know the depths of God's love for us and our salvation. This sermon is from last year's Good Friday service. At the end, there is an organ postlude, "Echo" by J.S. Bach, performed by Linda Hemphill.

"The Story" reaches a climax with God's decisive action to overcome our sinful nature and even death itself. The sermon on this podcast was preached one year ago when we only had a small group in church broadcasting online. You will hear some of what we were all going through, including our (no) communion practices at the time. There is also a hymn sung by our small group that began our Maundy Thursday service.

This podcast collects some of the readings and music you are likely to hear at Bethany Lutheran around Christmas time. Merry Christmas! And my God bless us, every one.

"You are the messiah," Peter confesses. What is a messiah? The title connects us to the kingdoms of David and Solomon and the expectation of God's people to be saved from their enemies. People in the days of Jesus debated what signs to look for to know that God has sent the Messiah. As Jesus approaches the end of His earthly mission, He gives a sign to the people and to us that identifies who He is and what He has come to do. This podcast includes the organ piece, "Rhosymedre" by John D. Edwards (1805 - 1885) played by Linda Hemphill.

Powerful words and powerful miracles astonish those around Jesus of Nazareth in chapter 24 of "The Story". Jesus gives the greatest commandment, He finds the lost, He silences the wind with a word, and beats back the devil's hold on this world by banishing demons, sicknesses and blindness. Then there comes the moment when one of His disciples is sinking and shouts, "Lord, save me!" Jesus reaches out His hand. Through all these words and actions of our savior, we may begin to understand the meaning of the word "salvation" and why the ongoing work of Jesus through the church is so important.

Water is very prevalent in chapter 23 of "The Story". We begin with the ministry of John the Baptist by the Jordan River and then water is turned to wine at a wedding, and that is followed with a discussion about being born again through "water and the Spirit." Where is all this water leading us? Jesus discusses "Living Water" at a well in Samaria and the mission and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth starts to come into focus for His disciples and also for us.

This sermon was recorded at a special "Christmas in the Spring" service where we marked God's entrance into "The Story" with chapter 22. The mission of Jesus includes adopting us into His family and that gives us something to celebrate! Going with the "Christmas" theme, C2W (Created 2 Worship) offers the instrumental "I Wonder as I Wander."

"He was a teacher well versed in the Law of Moses, which the Lord, the God of Israel, had given." – Ezra 7:6

"Let us start rebuilding!" – Nehemiah 2:18

God provides for the exiles who were returning from the east. Two men who were instrumental in rebuilding – one, a person who was an effective and canny leader who helped to defend the Jews from the enemies that surrounded them. The other one "devoted himself to study and observance of the Law of the Lord." One helped the physical rebuilding, while the other helped the spiritual rebuilding. When the bottom falls out, how does God help us and equip us to rebuild both physically and spiritually?

The year 2020 has not been good for podcasting, so far, but this sermon I felt I had to get out because I feel it is an important message. Do you belong at our church? Who are the little ones in Matthew 18? Listen to the sermon from this past Labor Day weekend along with music from our Summer Singers performing "Teach Me, O Lord, the Way of Thy Statutes" by Attwood and the hymn "Rock of Ages."

"…who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" – Esther 4:14 (ESV)

"And the city of Susa held a joyous celebration" – Esther 8:15 (NIV)

There are quite a few banquets in the book of Esther, but no mention of God's name. This story takes place in the city of Susa, which was very far away from Jerusalem. God's name is never mentioned in this story, but God was still present with His people. With each banquet in the book of Esther, we see His power at work. How do these banquets help us to see God's work in our time, as well? Who else might be raised up as a hero, called upon for "such a time as this?"