17 days and counting

Confirmation begins tonight! As it does, parents are continuing to keep the promises they made for their children in Holy Baptism, promising to raise their children in the church, bring them to worship and to the Lord’s Supper, teach them the Lord’s Prayer, the Creed, and the Ten Commandments, and nurture them in God’s Word, in prayer and in faith, so they may grow up to live as disciples of Jesus Christ. Over the years, through Bethlehem’s 100 years of ministry, thousands of young people have affirmed the promises God made to them when they were baptized. We pray these students, too, might be nurtured in faith and in the love of this community as they come together tonight.

Prayer
We give you thanks, O God, that through water and the Holy Spirit you give your daughters and sons new birth, cleanse them from sin, and raise them to eternal life. Sustain these young people with the gift of your Holy Spirit: the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord, the spirit of joy in your presence, both now and forever. Amen.

--Evangelical Lutheran Worship, p. 231

18 days and counting

Church is about being a Christian community together, and in worship this past Sunday, we had a wonderful opportunity to experience our connections to the Lutheran Church in Liberia. Two of our members who recently traveled to Liberia, brought words of thanks from people in area where a new mission field is beginning. Partnering with the ELCA and the Lutheran Church in Liberia, we will help the people there in their dream of building a church and school. During worship, our friends presented gifts to the leaders and pastors as an expression of thanks for our partnership. If you didn’t see the garments, come and look – they’re amazing. They were made by women in the village, who prayed for us at Bethlehem while they sewed. On Sunday our Bethlehem friends spoke about how light is beginning to shine in their home village in Liberia: lights from a generator to chase away the nighttime, the light of learning, and the light of Jesus Christ. Hmm. Maybe the light of Christ has been there already, and now it’s shining to us. Thanks be to God!

Prayer
Draw your church together, O God, into one great company of disciples, together following our teacher Jesus Christ, into every walk of life, together serving in Christ’s mission to the world, and together witnessing to your love wherever you will send us; for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

--Evangelical Lutheran Worship, p. 75.

19 days and counting

It’s the first day of Bethlehem Lutheran Preschool for this new school year! It is so wonderful to see the children arriving for their first day of class, filled with excitement, energy, sometimes a little nervousness…..you can see all of these emotions on their faces. Parents are here too, filled with love and excitement and yes, a little bit of nervousness for their little ones as they take this big, new step. Both children and parents are at the start of a year of making new friends and learning through new experiences. They are all part of a strong heritage, because Bethlehem Preschool was started in 1965; that means we’re in our 43rd year, dedicated to making it possible for children and their parents to grow in the love of Christ.

Prayer
Dear God, as this new year of preschool begins, bless all of the children and parents who will walk through the doors of this church building. Strengthen our staff, our teachers, and all who will assist in this new school year. May your love be known and shared here in wonderful new ways. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

20 days and counting

It’s Rally Sunday! Today there will be a whole team of adults – staff, parents, and young people – ready to welcome our children as they come to Sunday School. The behind-the-scenes work that is done to get ready for this day is tremendous! It’s quite a bit different than it was when the congregation was organized! Back then, as the 1948 history puts it, “Some of the farm families would have to drive to church with horses during the winter months and they enduring much suffering to get their children to Sunday School and services on cold winter mornings. Many times they had to sit through the services with their wraps, overcoats, and overshoes on to keep warm.” Wow! As we come together here, we say “Thanks be to God!” for all of the people who made it possible for us to be here today!

Prayer
Almighty God, with a mother’s love and a father’s care you have blessed us with the joy and responsibility of raising the children of our church to grow as your disciples. As we encourage them in the faith, give us wisdom and inspiration. Bless all of our Sunday School teachers, staff, leaders, assistants, and parents, that the mind of Jesus Christ might be formed in all of us, whom you have claimed to be your disciples today. Amen.

21 days and counting

Now it’s starting to hit me: How can we have a Centennial celebration without Pastor Dick, without such an important person who inspired us in our efforts?! He needed to make it to the Centennial. We needed him to make it to the Centennial. Yet if we’ve learned anything from this pastor, colleague, teacher, and friend, it is that the church belongs to Christ, not to us; it is about all of the people whom God has called together to be this church. When Pastor Dick wrote

The Bethlehem Story, he began the narrative by stating his operating premise:
The approach to this history, our Bethlehem story, is a bit different. An effort is made to focus on the congregation, the developing disciple community, rather than leading personalities. As a result, names are not introduced once we leave behind the founders…A church community has its leaders, as does every community. But as Lutherans we confess that the church community is the creation of the Holy Spirit of God working through the Word and Sacraments. This leads to many ministries over the course of the years. Disciples are inspired and motivated to reach out in various aspects of mission and ministry. People familiar with the story will identify the leaders referred to in particular situations. (p. 2)

Prayer
Eternal God, your love is stronger than death, and your passion more fierce than the grave. We thank you for your servant, Dick, and for his leadership in this congregation in so many ways over so many years. Comfort those who mourn his death, and keep before us your promises of eternal life, until we join the saints of every people and nation gathered before your throne in your ceaseless praise, through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

With Heavy Hearts: 22 days and counting

With heavy hearts: Today, Bethlehem lost the person who has been the guide, historian, and teacher for our 100th Anniversary. Rev. Dick Vangerud passed away today following a short hospitalization. A lifelong scholar and teacher, Pastor Dick served as a pastor of Bethlehem from 1960-66, 1969-75, and again as an Interim Pastor during 2004-05. He spent much of the past 2 years reading through Church Council minutes and looking at photographs from the past 100 years as part of his homework for The Bethlehem Story, the history narrative that he wrote. The book is available now as we get ready for this Centennial celebration. How we give thanks for Pastor Dick’s life and witness, and how we will miss his faith-filled presence!

Prayer
Eternal God, you gave your servant, Dick, a new birth in Baptism and entrusted him to us for a time that seems too short. As we thank you for the life we shared, help us now to release him to your mighty keeping. Bring us all to that day when we shall stand in your presence with all your saints in light eternal; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

--Lutheran Book of Worship, Occasional Services Book

23 days and counting

One hundred years ago, a small group of Norwegian families had spent the previous year praying, meeting, working, and planning, so that a Norwegian church could be formed in the area. On September 27, 1908, their hopes came true as this church was organized. The first members were the families of: Christian Knutson, Alfred Haugen, Nels Fuhre, Carl Iverson, Christ Hendrickson, Nels Johnson, and Bertha Quickstad.

Prayer
We thank you, O God, for all your servants and witnesses of times past: for Abraham and Sarah, Moses and Miriam, Deborah and Gideon, Samuel and Hannah; for Isaiah and the prophets; for Mary, mother of our Lord; for Mary Magdalene, Peter, Paul, and for all the apostles, for Stephen and Phoebe; for the families who formed this congregation; and for all the martyrs and saints in every time and in every land. In your mercy, give us, as you gave them, the hope of salvation and the promise of eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

--Adapted from ELW, p. 73.