Bethany Lutheran Church

Jesus didn’t just preach good news—He embodied it in ordinary encounters, like with Zacchaeus. In this opening week, we see how Jesus “blessed” people through simple acts of presence and attention. The B.L.E.S.S. model helps us recover this everyday approach to mission. God makes us new in Christ—and then sends us out as His ambassadors, not with pressure to convert, but with an invitation to love, serve, and bless.Luke 19:1–10 (ESV)He entered Jericho and was passing through. And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.” So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all grumbled, “He ha

Celebrate what we have done and what God will be doing. Ephesians 2:19–22 (ESV)So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.Romans 12:1–2 (ESV)I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.Matthew 5:14–16 (ESV)“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives l

As Joshua led the people into what was new, they had to let go of what was, and before they did, he told them to consecrate themselves because the Lord was about to do amazing miracles among them. The word consecrate comes from the Hebrew word qadosh, which means to be “set apart, holy, or sacred” or to “prepare or dedicate” oneself. Are we in a place where we are prepared and set apart for what God desires to do in and through us? Probably not. This is how God works though.. When the conditions are not perfect (the river was at flood stage) He leads us into something new and usually He does it so we have to completely trust Him to lead us through. Joshua 3:5-8,14-17 (ESV)Then Joshua said to the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.” And Joshua said to the priests, “Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on before the people.” So they took up the ark of the covenant and went before the people.The Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of

Bethany has seen a lot of change over all its years of ministry. Staff have come and gone for various reasons but in everything we always remember who we are and how far we have come. Even more so, we remember who He is and what He’s done. Remembering how far we’ve come is worth celebrating. Remembering how good God is reminds us that He is worthy of our praise.Hebrews 12:1–2 (ESV)Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.Luke 5:1–11 (ESV)On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Gettin

Change often involves releasing what was in order to embrace what God is doing now. Change is about moving forward with integrity and trust. Often we are not in control of change. We might initiate something or move forward but how everything unfolds is part of what makes change hard. We cannot control how others choose to embrace changes or evaluate what is changing but we do get to decide if we will face changes with integrity and trust in God. Whatever transitions we walk through we can take heart in knowing “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.” Psalm 24:1Philippians 3:12–14 (ESV)Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.Mark 2:18–22 (ESV)Now John's disciples and the Phari

In every new season we have the same God. Starting a new school year, going to a new school, changes at work. In the middle of all the change it can feel like a storm. In this the words of Christ ring true: “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” (Matthew 14:27). Transition can be a teacher or take us out. We get to choose. Joshua 1:1-9 (ESV)After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' assistant, “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory. No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with y

The Feast of Purim is established to remember God’s deliverance. The story ends with joy and peace for God's people. Christians also are a remembering people — not in ritual for its own sake, but to proclaim the Gospel of God's faithfulness. We gather to remember, rejoice, and receive grace in Word and Sacrament. Esther 9:20–28 (ESV)20 And Mordecai recorded these things and sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both near and far, 21 obliging them to keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar and also the fifteenth day of the same, year by year, 22 as the days on which the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month that had been turned for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and gladness, days for sending gifts of food to one another and gifts to the poor.23 So the Jews accepted what they had started to do, and what Mordecai had written to them. 24 For Haman the Agagite, the son o

The Jews are saved, Haman is defeated, and the people rejoice. Mordecai is elevated, and Esther’s people are delivered.God delivers His people by grace, through hidden means. This foreshadows the greater deliverance in Christ. Esther 8:3–8, 15–17 (ESV)On that day King Ahasuerus gave to Queen Esther the house of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. And Mordecai came before the king, for Esther had told what he was to her. And the king took off his signet ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman.Then Esther spoke again to the king. She fell at his feet and wept and pleaded with him to avert the evil plan of Haman the Agagite and the plot that he had devised against the Jews. When the king held out the golden scepter to Esther, Esther rose and stood before the king. And she said, “If it please the king, and if I have found favor in his sight, and if the thing seems right before the king, and I am pleasing in his eyes, let an order be written to revoke

Esther approaches the king, risking her life. Meanwhile, God begins to unravel Haman’s power and protect His people. This is not a story of self-salvation but of faith acting in love. Esther’s courage flows from her trust in God’s providence, not in her own power. This is about faith over fear. Esther 5:1–8; 7:1–6 (ESV)On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king's palace, in front of the king's quarters, while the king was sitting on his royal throne inside the throne room opposite the entrance to the palace. And when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, she won favor in his sight, and he held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. Then Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter. And the king said to her, “What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given you, even to the half of my kingdom.” And Esther said, “If it please the king, let the king and Haman come today to a feast that I have prepared for t

Mordecai uncovers a plot, and Haman's plan to destroy the Jews is revealed. Esther hesitates, but Mordecai challenges her with the famous words: “Who knows but that you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” God works through the everyday roles and positions He gives us. Esther is not a superhero, but someone God has placed in a particular setting for a purpose. So are we.Esther 4:6–17 (ESV)Hathach went out to Mordecai in the open square of the city in front of the king's gate, and Mordecai told him all that had happened to him, and the exact sum of money that Haman had promised to pay into the king's treasuries for the destruction of the Jews. Mordecai also gave him a copy of the written decree issued in Susa for their destruction, that he might show it to Esther and explain it to her and command her to go to the king to beg his favor and plead with him on behalf of her people. And Hathach went and told Esther what Mordecai had said. Then Esther spoke to Hathach and commanded him t