Bethlehem Lutheran Church

Christmas celebration isn’t something to rush, it’s something worth waiting for, lingering over, and hanging onto!

Bethlehem Lutheran Church

At first hearing it seems as though Mary must have gotten it all wrong. Isn’t Christmas a time for celebration? Luke tells us that "Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart" (2:19). The contrast is striking. While every year the Christmas retail season starts earlier and earlier and the hype gets more and more intense, the first Christmas was not an intense affair at all. If anything, it seems to be quite calm and quiet in comparison to today’s festivities.

Bethlehem Lutheran Church

Being prepared means being made ready, not just making ourselves ready. Our activity is all based in acknowledging and pointing toward what God has done for us as the what, why, and how of our celebration

Bethlehem Lutheran Church

The theme for our Advent midweek services this year is "Location, Location, Location." Not only are these considered the three most important things when buying real estate on earth, but one's "Location" is even more important as we consider our journey toward heaven. The final location we'll consider is "Surrounded by God's Love."

There's something about the Season of Advent and the Christmas celebration that brings our life's journey into focus. This includes the positive memories of Christmases past as well as the sad memories from years gone by. As Phillips Brook wrote in the well-known hymn, O Little Town of Bethlehem, "The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight." The location we seek is where we can see God's love all the time, regardless of life's events.

Bethlehem Lutheran Church

Being prepared means staying prepared. That can be hard in the face of many pressures to draw our effort and attention elsewhere, but it’s easier when we recognized that staying prepared is actually a celebration of fellowship, with God and one another, not a solitary burden