On this third week of Advent Pastor Stephanie recounts her time at the Jordan River as we hear about John the Baptist again this week. Her time there was peaceful, unlike the crowds that had flocked to John. The theme for the third week of Advent is Joy but John has some harsh words for the crowds that come off as anything but joy-filled. The crowds ask what they can do to prepare for the coming of the Messiah and avoid the fate John is suggesting awaits this “brood of vipers.” His answer is generosity, an answer that is very familiar to us during this Season of Giving. The Advent & Christmas Season in our modern has become defined by gifts. Gifts shared with loved ones, gifts shared with our neighbors in need, and gifts we receive.  Unfortunately, we too often forget that our neighbors’ needs continue all year round. Pastor Stephanie invites us to continue our generosity beyond Christmas as a better way to remember the greatest gift of God which is: an eternity surrounded by the love that came to earth as a baby in the manger.

On this second week of Advent Pastor Chad asks us to consider our image of God. It’s a question he always uses with Confirmation Students as they start the year. “What does God look like to you?” Often the results are the cartoon God on a cloud image that is distant and removed from their real life. The Gospel text includes Luke’s vision of God by explaining that God didn’t choose the powerful rulers of the region or temple leaders but rather the insignificant man in the wilderness John, son of Zechariah, to announce God’s approach. The Gospel goes on to explain that God is in the wilderness, the wild places of our real lives, raising the valleys and leveling the hills to make a straight path. It is this image of God with us on our personal journey through the wilderness where we find faith in Emmanuel, God with Us!

On this first week of Advent Pastor Stephanie shares a message of hope found in the seemingly apocalyptic reading. The disciples were expecting Jesus to bring about the end of the Roman occupation of Israel, but Jesus reminds them that the Kingdom of God is not yet here and their human understanding of time cannot predict the timing of God. It’s also a reminder that our time on earth is fleeting and fragile. We are called to make the most of the time we do have here on earth with faith in God and hope in the promise of the resurrection. We are created to spend our lives in worry, but to recognize the power of God at work in our lives. We can find hope in the reading as Jesus promises that even when the world is falling down around us the Word of God will not pass away!

This week we hear our next Story of Resonance from a member of the Bethlehem community. Heather Kraft shares how she finds resonance with God’s Story through encountering the stories of others in her volunteer work. Heather is a Befriender at Bethlehem visiting hospitalized & home-bound members of the congregation where she gets to sit and listen finding God’s Story interwoven with those she visits. She also uses her skills in recreational therapy at a therapeutic horseback riding program where seeing progress in the clients reminds her that God is at work all around us. Heather is also a hospice volunteer with the privilege of accompanying people at the end of their life journey which often includes lots of Stories shared about life, family, and faith. Through her volunteering Heather finds that empathy for our neighbors is what resonates most with her in God’s Story, Our Stories, and Her Story.

This week we hear Jesus talking to his disciples about the temple where they find comfort and a purpose for their life. Then Jesus tells them that the stones of the temple they are admiring will tumble to the ground. We have our own temples today, places where we find comfort, meaning, and purpose. But like the temple in Jerusalem, our temples get demolished and that leaves us feeling alone and afraid. Jesus words to the disciples hold promise for us, God is with us even when the temple has crumbled around us.

The 2:30am phone call that startles you awake starts you on a journey into grief and loss we know too well. We are created to be in relationship with our loved ones & neighbors and when they die, the lost relationship is isolating & painful. In worship this week we are celebrating All Saints, a time when we take time to remember and give thanks for all those who have touched our lives. We want to remember especially the loved ones of those who have died in the past year as their journey through grief & loss is fresh and all too often lonely. In the Gospel text for All Saints Sunday, Jesus’ friends are on this journey and they are waiting for Jesus to bring healing. But instead of hurrying to the bedside, Jesus drags his feet, leaving his friends waiting until it is seemingly too late and his friend dies. In the depths of your grief has it seemed like God is silent, leaving you all alone? Days later Jesus arrives and God’s glory shines through a great miracle as he commands: “Lazarus, come out!” and his friends rejoice that their relationship with Lazarus has been restored! We will continue to experience lost relationships and grief, it’s an inescapable part of the human condition. But. We don’t need to go through it alone! We are created for community and we can reassure those experiencing grief and loss that they are not alone, their faith community is here, you are here as a reminder of God’s love and presence! In his message Pastor Chad is asking us to make our presence known to those who are experiencing the loneliness of a relationship lost in the death of a loved one. Share a note of hope

This week we celebrate the Reformation that Martin Luther launched on October 31, 1517 by posting a list of 95 ideas he wanted to debate regarding the practices of the Catholic Church. At the core of Luther’s arguments was his understanding of Romans 3:19-28: “. . . since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are now justified by his grace as a gift. . .” Before he studied Romans, Luther never felt like he was doing enough to earn his salvation. This new understanding of grace, freed Luther from his fears of not measuring up to God’s expectations. Grace is offered to Luther, and to us, just as we are for who we are, there is nothing we have done, or could do, to deserve the gift of salvation.

This week we hear another Story of Resonance. Jan Nelson shares how God's Story has resonated in her life story. Finding a church home in every new city her career took her to was vital to making friends and finding a purpose outside of work. Jan retired from a busy, stressful career to move closer to her family. She moved into a home just blocks from her parents (Duane & Ele Nelson) and spent lots of time with them listening and learning. As her parents aged, she took on more of a caretaker role, especially for Ele whose dementia is progressing. Having found a church home at Bethlehem has provided Jan with a support network of friends who understand the challenges of caring for aging parents. Jan, we are so grateful you can share your Story of Resonance with us this week!

Pastor Stephanie reminds us that seeking glory, wealth, and power has been part of the human condition long before powerful corporations started influencing our social connections. This week’s Gospel has two of the most beloved disciples asking Jesus to provide them each with a seat of glory beside Jesus. Jesus needs to them to understand the great cost of his own glory and that the glory they seek is not what they are expecting it to be. While the other disciples were angered by the audacity of James & John, they too have something to learn from Jesus. Glory comes not from grabbing for more power but in reaching out with the power, wealth and influence you do have to those who are the least among us. The true seat of power in God’s Kingdom is beside your neighbor in need, building them up and showing them the love that God has for all creation.

"I don't have enough: __________" Too often we view the world from a scarcity mindset which leads us to be overly possessive of what we are most afraid of losing: time, money, attention, family time, ________ . A faithful and very successful man asks Jesus what he must do to inherit Eternal Life. Jesus recognizes the man's faithfulness but challenges him to use his success to help bring about God's vision for the whole world. When the things he treasures are with those "on the outside" of society, his heart will follow and he will find his heartbeat is in tune with God's heart! Our treasures cannot be the center of our existence because it leads to a scarcity mindset that prevents us from sharing with those who need our support and then our heart is not loving in the same way God loves us.