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Dearest Members of Bethlehem, “Therefore, you also must be ready, for the son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” Matthew 24:44 I distinctly remember the fireworks displays of my childhood, these were stirring spectacles of sight and sound; they were the excuse to stay up late and relish a summer evening. But it didn’t take very long to catch on to the rhythm of the fireworks display. There were be a couple of loud booms to let folks know things were about to begi

Dearest Members of Bethlehem, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The passage above comes straight from scripture, quoted exactly from the NRSVue edition. If you had to guess, from where in the Bible does that passage come? It certainly does appear in the New Testament; you might have pointed to Matthew 22:39, or perhaps Mark 12:31. Both would be correct. However, for the sake of this brief devotion, I would like to note that this glorious bit of wisdom also appears i

“Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. If you have ears, hear!” Matthew 13:8-9- (NRSVue) Not long after receiving this newsletter you may be celebrating our country’s semiquincentennial; that’s a fancy way of saying 250th birthday. I am all for recognizing the milestone, and I will certainly be enjoying the festivities taking shape in the days ahead. I am a patriotic person. I love our country and remain deeply c

Dearest Members of Bethlehem, “Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshipping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big day approaching.” -Hebrews 10:25, The Message Worship is such a regular and important part of my life, and has been for such a long time, that it is easy for me to take my time in the sanctuary for granted. I shouldn’t. In fact, I want to take a moment today to celebrate and

Dearest Members of Bethlehem, “…with all humility, and gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” -Ephesians 4:2-3 Most of the time when we talk about “patience,” we’re talking about keeping our cool while we stand in line at the DMV. People who are patient, have no problem at all waiting for their meal to arrive at a restaurant. Bumper to bumper traffic, or even gridlock, no probl

Dearest Members of Bethlehem, “So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day.” -2 Corinthians 4:16 Every once in a while a bright red notification will appear on my computer or phone screen indicating to me that it is time for an “update.” And now, the deliberation begins! Should I do it? Will the update introduce too many new changes into my life? Do I really want to sit around and wait for a fu

Tidings from Bethlehem-June 2026 A word from our Associate Pastor June, 2026 Dear friends in Christ, Blessings this June! June means ma ny things for our community. Remember that worship times have shifted to our Summer Schedule: Saturday 6 pm, Sunday 8 am and 9:30 am. Our summer Bible Study will feature a look at And look! We Li

Dearest Members of Bethlehem, “Our life is not only a great deal of trouble and hard work; it is also refreshment and joy in God’s goodness. We labor, but God nourishes and sustains us. That is reason to celebrate.” -Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together I don’t know about you, but I am always looking for a reason to celebrate. I greatly appreciate the insight from Bonhoeffer that appears above. Ever the realist, he acknowledges the truth; our lives involve ups and downs,

Dearest Members of Bethlehem, “A threefold cord is not quickly broken.” -Ecclesiastes 4:12 As of today, May 19, 2026, Kari and I have been married for 25 years. This is our “silver anniversary,” and this email is being sent to you from the Gettysburg Campus of United Lutheran Seminary; where we began our relationship all those years ago. I can honestly say that I have been grateful for every day we have shared together. Those of you who know her, know that Kari truly is a tr

Dearest Members of Bethlehem, There’s a brilliant novel out there written by John Williams entitled, “Stoner.” It’s definitely, at least in my humble opinion, one of the best of all time. For the record, I am not recommending the novel. Lots of folks think the book is absolutely awful. So, if you read it and you don’t like it, please don’t tell me. However, in the latter chapters of that novel, there is a haunting line that I think captures what Christian Education should be

Dearest Members of Bethlehem, “But the Lord in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him.” -Habakkuk 2:20 I’ve heard folks say that “we,” I am assuming they mean Lutheran Christians, “aren’t good at silence.” I can kind of see how that critique might be legitimate, but I would beg to differ just a bit. I mean seriously, have you ever been on the receiving end of the “silent treatment?” In these particular instances I would say that some folks are very mu

-----Monthly News From In & Around Our Parish----- From the Pastor’s Desk May 2026 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.” -Matthew 7:24-27 (NRSV) This is the time of year when many of us begin to spend a little more time outside. As we do, we notice the effects of a long winter; the sheer force of the freeze-thaw cycle i

Dearest Members of Bethlehem, “You feel hedged in; you dream of escape; but beware of mirages. Do not run or fly away in order to get free: rather dig in the narrow place which has been given you; you will find God there and everything. God does not float on your horizon, he sleeps in your substance. Vanity runs, love digs.” -Gabriel Marcel As we come to the end of April we are on the very precipice of the summer months; a time of vacations and get aways. Some have had the

Dearest Members of Bethlehem, “Even to your old age, I am he; even when you turn gray I will carry you. I have made and I will bear; I will carry and I will save.” -Isaiah 46:4 There is a distinctive blessing in being young, you often do not need to think through the ravages of time; the way your mind and body are slowing; the way you begin to plan differently for your future. There is a distinctive blessing in growing older… actually there may be several. First, you appreci

Dearest Members of Bethlehem, “Iron sharpens iron, and one person sharpens the wits of another.” Proverbs 27:17 A couple of weeks ago, Brenda Frese the head coach of the University of Maryland’s women’s basketball program went viral for “yelling” at one of her players, Oluchi Okananwa. Criticism of the coach was mounting until Okananwa spoke out. In a surprising turn the player informed the media that she had been looking for that kind of intensity in a coach. She was not u

Dearest Members of Bethlehem, On this day we commemorate a poet by the name of John Donne. Donne entered the Church Triumphant in 1631, but his poetry remains an inspiring testament to his profound faith. In one of his poems entitled Resurrection Donne writes, “May then sin’s sleep, and death’s soon from me pass, That waked from both, I again risen may Salute the last, and everlasting day.” This is just glorious. God bless him, John Donne understood that we are living an “

Dear friends in Christ, We get to celebrate the season of Easter all throughout the month of April! Easter extends into May until the celebration of Pentecost. This means weeks of celebration and joy in the resurrected Jesus. You’ll continue to see the color white used in the church paraments to symbolize resurrection and joy. We’ll hear together how Jesus appears to his disciples and discuss the difference resurrection brings to our lives. This celebration kicks off during

Dearest Members of Bethlehem, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them, bear much fruit…” -John 15:5 I was reminded recently that this little line from the Gospel of John is both a source of meaningful wisdom and a compelling image. Jesus wanted to be sure that we understood where we stood, or at least should be standing. We are not the “vine,” and we certainly are not the “roots”… we are the “branches.” Is this a heap of poetical nonsense,

Dearest Members of Bethlehem, “There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the most high.” I grew up on the Kiskiminetas River, I had lots of adventures on that river. Fishing, boating, swimming, and countless hours peering out on to the perpetual flow. That river became a part of my story, I was a kind of 1980’s Huckleberry Finn, every once in a while even sleeping out in a tree house. And yet, as glorious as those memories might be, ye

Dearest Members of Bethlehem, “What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing new under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 1:9 Every once in a while, I’ll slip up and say something like, “Now I have seen it all!” But, you know what? I haven’t, and I never will… there’s always more to see, more to hear, more to learn; and best of all, more to behold (“behold” is a such a spiritually rich word). When I am at my most morose, I am at my least c