Bethlehem Lutheran Church Podcast
265 episodes - English - Latest episode: 2 days ago -This podcast is made available from Bethlehem Lutheran Church. Saint Cloud, MN
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Episodes
"Unfair" -- Sermon from July 20, 2024
July 20, 2024 23:00 - 16 minutes“Life’s not fair!” Sometimes we hear that when things don’t go our way or we complain about the advantages someone else has in life. And it’s true, life isn’t fair when we live to see our grandchildren grow up, when we are born in a country where access to clean water & food is easy, or when we have parents who love us with unfair grace & mercy. In this week’s Parable Jesus is showing us just how unfair God is in showing us love beyond what we deserve.
"Wheat" -- Sermon from July 13, 2024
July 13, 2024 23:00 - 10 minutesAs we continue to explore the Agrarian Parables, stories using agricultural metaphors to describe the Kingdom of God, Pastor Stephanie shares more of her gardening successes and challenges. This week the Parable is about weeds and wheat. Sometimes it’s difficult to tell what is a desirable plant and what is a weed until they are grown and by that time they are intertwined. As the complicated beings that we are, humans can be both fruitful wheat and toxic weeds all tangled up together. The ...
"Soil" -- Sermon from July 6, 2024
July 06, 2024 23:00Soil is so important when growing plants. In The Parable of the Sower Jesus compares us to soil, for God’s Word to grow and flourish in us we must be good soil. And like garden soil we can work at making improvements to ourselves that will give the seed of God’s Word the best chance to grow and spread.
"Invite" -- Sermon from June 29, 2024
June 29, 2024 23:00 - 14 minutesIt’s a given in our world that not everyone gets an invitation. Not everyone gets invited to the party, to join the team, to your dream job, or to be in the club. We also know the disappointment when someone else is invited that we don’t think deserves to be on the inside of the exclusive event. Jesus shares a Parable that shows God’s vision for us is very different. In the Kingdom of God, everyone gets an invitation, “the good and the bad.” God wants us all to join the party, but we must f...
"From" -- Sermon from June 22, 2024
June 22, 2024 23:00 - 14 minutes“Where are you from?” Pastor Chad was asked this many times while accompanying the Sr High Service Learning Trip to the Boston area recently; it seems his Midwestern accent was a giveaway he wasn’t from “The Home of Dunkin’.” Pastor Chad encourages us to look deeper into the question “Where are you from?” beyond where you live or where you were born to what makes you who you are as a person. Our focus text this week, tries to answer this question for Jesus through a genealogy. This long li...
"Sad Parts" -- Sermon from June 15, 2024
June 15, 2024 23:00 - 14 minutes“Stop your crying and suck it up!” and similar phrases are tossed about when someone is deemed to be “too emotional” or expressing their emotions at an inappropriate moment. You are in good company if you’ve heard this before, in our Focus Text people tell Jesus his crying over the death of Lazarus is inappropriate. Wouldn’t it have been better if he healed Lazarus like the blind man and others he encountered? Jesus grieving the death of a friend, shows how God understands our tears when w...
"Healers" -- Sermon from June 8, 2024
June 08, 2024 23:00 - 12 minutesHow has our understanding of healing changed since biblical times? In our focus text this week Jesus heals a boy with what we would call Epilepsy. In the time of Jesus, the boy’s seizures were thought to be caused by a demon twisting his body. Today we know that seizures are caused by electrical misfires in our brain and nervous system. While Jesus is not walking the earth offering healing with a touch, God has gifted some of us with the knowledge and skills to be professional healers. And...
"Should" -- Sermon from June 1, 2024
June 01, 2024 23:00 - 14 minutesWhere does your anger lead you? Does it lead to you trying to shape reality by proclaiming what SHOULD or SHOULD NOT be happening. In our focus text this week the people of Nazareth insist that Jesus SHOULD NOT say God’s favor is for all people especially the outsiders and even their enemies! Instead of using anger to exclude others we feel SHOULD NOT be included, Jesus uses anger to expand who SHOULD receive healing and hope from God’s love, mercy, and grace.
"Hurt" -- Sermon from May 25, 2024
May 25, 2024 23:00 - 12 minutesSometimes it’s hard to see the worth of someone who is lashing out against us. It is hard to remember that we can sometimes lash out the same way, especially when we are tired, or hurt, or fearful, or hungry or feeling like we’ve lost control. In our focus text for this week the religious leaders don’t think a man was worthy of the healing he got because he broke their rules and carried his mat away on the Sabbath. He argues was only following Jesus command: “Stand up, take your mat and wal...
"Slang" -- Sermon from May 18, 2024
May 18, 2024 23:00 - 18 minutesLanguage changes over time, and that leads to new slang with each new generation. This creates a gap in understanding between generations that is not unlike the gap between the disciples and the visitors from many countries they met on Pentecost. How could they share the Good News of Jesus when they didn’t understand the language of those they encountered? On Pentecost it was the work of the Holy Spirit that enabled everyone to hear the message in their native language. But what about toda...
"Motivated" -- Sermon from May 11, 2024
May 11, 2024 23:00 - 13 minutesToday’s focus text is an addendum to the Gospel of Mark. Why did the early scribes feel the need to add to the Gospel? It was to add motivation, it was a commissioning for the followers of Jesus. Being motivated is important and the best motivation comes from inside. The motivation in the text at first seems like external motivators, believe and receive this reward, but Pastor Chad challenges us to see these rewards as the results of being motivated from the inside by a heart that reflects...
"Crossed" -- Sermon from May 4, 2024
May 04, 2024 23:00 - 14 minutesHumans are very good about placing boundaries between US and THEM. In our focus text Jesus acknowledges one of these human boundaries that separated the Jewish people from the non-Jewish people. But the woman he encounters is desperate to help her daughter even if it means crossing that boundary to ask for help from someone on the other side. The healing of her daughter illustrates the power of God’s love, grace, mercy, and compassion to break down our boundaries so that we can cross over ...
"Chains" -- Sermon from April 27, 2024
April 27, 2024 23:00 - 11 minutesHow many times should you forgive someone before you give up? Jesus says 77 times. That's a lot! And that's the point we should follow Jesus' example in forgiving others an infinite number of times. But why should we continue to forgive those who don't change their ways or never apologize? Pastor Stephanie reminds us that your forgiveness is not for them it is for you! It breaks the chain that connects you to them and the evil they have done, freeing you to love & forgive others as God int...
"Rule Book" -- Sermon from April 20, 2024
April 20, 2024 23:00 - 14 minutesAs much as we say we hate rules, we also need direction, a vision of where we are headed. Pastor Stephanie invites us to view today’s focus text not as a rule book but a vision of what our life looks like if we are following in the way that Jesus set before us.
"Reconciled" -- Sermon from April 13, 2024
April 13, 2024 23:00 - 12 minutesDo you have a ‘friend’ who is blocked from your life because of the way they wronged you or a difference in opinion that you can’t overcome? On Social Media it is easy to mute, block, or ban these people in an instant; in real life we have also gotten good at avoiding the hard work and the time needed to restore broken relationships. Pastor Chad invites us to explore our focus text where Jesus reminds us that God’s vision for Creation is all about taking the time and putting in the effort ...
"UnFair" -- Sermon from April 6, 2024
April 06, 2024 23:00 - 14 minutes"That's Not Fair!" There's many times in life where we find ourselves uttering those words. The Parable of the Prodigal Son is an example of just how unfair life can be! The son who squandered his inheritance in far-off places gets a party while his brother who stayed home has been working hard for their father gets nothing! It's just not fair! Jesus uses parables to show his followers what the Kingdom of God is all about. So the Kingdom of God is unfair?! Yes, and that's the Good News!! G...
"Monday" -- Sermon for Easter 2024
March 30, 2024 23:00 - 13 minutesPastor Chad is marking his 43rd Easter Service. Hearing the same story over and over again you begin to get comfortable with it as it becomes familiar. Hearing the Easter Story 43 times it is in danger of becoming predictable, so routine it loses meaning. Pastor Chad challenges us to rePHRASE the Easter message and find its value in our life especially our life on Monday after the celebration is over, after our family has gone home, after the decorations are put away and when we most need t...
"2nd Chances" -- Sermon from March 16, 2024
March 16, 2024 23:00 - 14 minutesWhy does Luke include the dialogue between Jesus and the criminals in the account of the Crucifixion? Pastor Chad invites us to rePHRASE our understanding to see how Luke is emphasizing second chances. A justly condemned criminal is invited to join Jesus in Paradise. Jesus offers forgiveness to the people who were part of his execution while hanging on the very implement of his death. The executioner gets a second chance at life after he recognizes the sacrifice God made to offer him forgi...
"Fantastical" -- Sermon from March 9, 2024
March 09, 2024 23:00 - 17 minutesAmericans love to read novels set in fantasy worlds. Pastor Stephanie invites us to consider what happens when real life blends into the fantastical and the world of faith? God warned King Nebuchadnezzar in a dream that his arrogance would be his downfall. Like many fables used to teach a moral lesson the story of King Nebuchadnezzar uses a fantastical transformation to warn the hearer of the dangers of certain character traits. It took being reduced to a wild creature for him to be humbled...
"Control" -- Sermon from March 2, 2024
March 02, 2024 23:00 - 12 minutesHumans like the illusion that they have everything figured out and under control. But times change and the things we thought we had figured out turn out to be completely wrong. The Snake Oil Remedies of the 19th Century where medical breakthroughs of the day. Looking back we know they were ineffective or worse dangerous but at the time we thought we “had it all figured out!” Jesus reminds us that we don’t have it figured out. And, that’s okay, because when we give up that false sense of co...
"Weird" Sermon from February 24, 2024
February 24, 2024 23:00 - 13 minutesPeople are weird! Their actions are bizarre. Their behaviors are odd. How are we supposed to react when these peculiar people interact with us? In today’s focus text Jesus has an out of the ordinary encounter. Actions that the Pharisee views as bizarre, Jesus understands as love grounded in repentance & faith. From Jesus’ perspective it is the Pharisee whose behavior is odd, not recognizing the gift of forgiveness Jesus was offering. We all are a bit different, but the Good News is that J...
"Fail" -- Sermon February 17, 2024
February 17, 2024 23:00 - 13 minutesDo you ever find yourself wishing someone else would fail, just so you look better? Pastor Stephanie has spent the last two weeks in Norway, training with the MN National Guard. The Winter Survival Training included a number of challenging tasks that would have ended in failure if every member of the team didn't put in the effort to see the whole team succeed. Wanting others to fail so that you could look successful, likely would have resulted in the failure of everyone. In our focus text t...
"Tired" -- Sermon from February 10, 2024
February 10, 2024 23:00 - 12 minutesGo to your happy place. It’s advice we sometimes hear when we get so tired we dread doing the simplest of things. In our focus text the weary disciples find their happy place on the mountain top with Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. Pastor Chad understands the rest that can be found in our happy places, but also knows, like the disciples, we can’t stay in those places forever. Eventually we need to come down the mountain and back into the world that made us tired in the first place. The Good News...
"Magical" -- Sermon from February 3, 2024
February 03, 2024 23:00 - 11 minutesTurning water into wine is just a magic trick, right? If ‘The Amazing Chad’ can do it, what is so miraculous about Jesus’ version? Pastor Chad invites us to rePHRASE this story in a way that is less about a miracle and more about being a sign pointing to God’s vision for our world. It is about finding God’s abundance among the scarcity of life. When we share our time & resources with an abundance mindset something magical happens, our neighbors suffering in scarcity experience the abundanc...
"Worries" -- Sermon from January 27, 2024
January 27, 2024 23:00 - 15 minutesWe all have worries. But what happens when those worries become such a burden that we are paralyzed by fear? Our focus text has some words from Jesus addressing our worry. It is not simply have faith and your worries will be gone. Jesus recognizes that there are some worries that can be beneficial, those worries that spur us into action. But too often we get caught up in worrying about things that are out of our control. Those are the worries that Jesus is inviting us to let go of so that ...
"Given Name" -- Sermon from January 20, 2024
January 20, 2024 23:00What is the story behind your name? Parents often are very deliberate in choosing a name, because names matter! That name is not the only one we are given. As we go through life we might acquire other names: sibling, spouse, or parent. Then there are names we are called. Too often these names are negative, especially those we call ourselves: fat, stupid, or unlovable. These same names are used by others as weapons to make themselves feel superior. Too rarely others give us names that build...
"Void" -- Sermon from January 13, 2024
January 13, 2024 23:00 - 11 minutesWe all want more peace in our lives. Unfortunately, too often we think we can find that peace in a quick fix: buying the latest trendy product that promises fulfillment, by tackling one more task that will finally let you relax, or turning to a chemical fix that numbs the mind & emotions. Today’s Focus Text offers a solution that brought true peace, but it wasn’t a quick fix! Simeon had waited his entire life to meet the promised Messiah. He didn’t feel the need to do anything or buy anyth...
"Warned" -- Sermon from January 6, 2024
January 06, 2024 23:00 - 13 minutesFAIR WARNING: Today’s focus text takes us into a dangerous place: the wilderness! Across cultures the wilderness is dangerous place because it is where we encounter “the other.” The story of the wise men visiting Jesus is a wilderness story. The wise men are travelling to an unknown land with foreign customs and culture, they are entering a wilderness space and bringing with them the customs & culture of “the other”. The thing about the wilderness in the biblical story is that it brings c...
"Auld Lang Syne" Sermon from December 30, 2023
December 30, 2023 23:00 - 11 minutesThe focus text for this week is one that we tend to ignore because it doesn't fit our idea of the Christmas season. We would much rather focus on the Hallmark-esque version filled with family, friends, joy, and peace than hear about how children were massacred by a tyrant in the name of power and control. Pastor Stephanie encourages us to recognize that God is with us when Christmas and life don't meet the Hallmark standard. Like "Auld Lang Syne" if we forget the times God shows up in the r...
"Lamp Post" -- Sermon from December 23, 2023
December 23, 2023 23:00 - 9 minutesOne of the ideas behind our theme of rePHRASE was how perspective changes the way we interpret a story. This week’s focus text is a good example of how a little different perspective can help us relate to a familiar story that we may find unapproachable with our past perspective. The Annunciation, when an angel visited Mary to tell her she would carry the Son of God, often depicts Mary as at peace with the unbelievable life-changing news. Pastor Chad invites us to take a different perspecti...
"Disrupted" -- Sermon from December 16, 2023
December 16, 2023 23:00 - 13 minutesOne of the ideas behind our theme of rePHRASE was how perspective changes the way we interpret a story. This week’s focus text is a good example of how a little different perspective can help us relate to a familiar story that we may find unapproachable with our past perspective. The Annunciation, when an angel visited Mary to tell her she would carry the Son of God, often depicts Mary as at peace with the unbelievable life-changing news. Pastor Chad invites us to take a different perspecti...
"Refined" -- Sermon from December 9, 2023
December 09, 2023 23:00 - 9 minutesA diamond ring begins as some ordinary looking rocks. It takes time and energy to bring out the beauty within those raw materials. This week’s focus text reminds us that we too benefit from time and energy to bring out the true beauty that reflects the light of God! Advent is a season of waiting, a time to slow down and prepare for the birth of the Light of God in Jesus. May we all take some time and invest some energy in refining our lives so we may better reflect God’s love back out into...
"Losing" -- Sermon from December 2, 2023
December 02, 2023 23:00 - 16 minutesPastor Chad finds himself talking about fear more often these days. But why is that? Most, if not all, of us experience fear, and more specifically anxiety (fear of losing something without an immediate threat) so it is a relevant concern. Pastor Chad is focused on is how Jesus teaches his followers to counter their fear with compassion and action. Jesus does not dismiss our fears or promise our anxiety will be eliminated instead he shows us the way to actively love God and our neighbor. ...
"Kind" -- Sermon from November 25, 2023
November 25, 2023 23:00Nice vs Kind. Sheep vs Goats. Pastor Stephanie invites us to consider how much time and energy we waste on trying to figure out whether someone is worthy of our kindness or not. She reminds us that Jesus told us to be sheep who share with those in need just like we were sharing with Jesus himself. The good news is that God loves us all like sheep even when we are acting like goats, our job now is to see our neighbors as sheep beloved by God.
"Stop" -- Sermon from November 18, 2023
November 18, 2023 23:00What’s stopping you? In the case of our focus text this week: EVERYTHING! When the Ethiopian eunuch asked to be baptized by Philip, everything said the answer was a clear “No!” Generations of tradition and teaching said that the eunuch could not be made part of the community of faith. He was a foreigner, he was not “a whole man,” both of which would have excluded him from worship in the Jewish Temple. But Philip had experienced the way Jesus was constantly welcoming the outsider into his c...
"Parent" -- Sermon from November 11, 2023
November 11, 2023 23:00 - 13 minutesSince the beginning threats of God’s wrath have been used to instill fear in others. Fear allows those in power to control others and further solidify their power. When religion abuses this fear it takes away our ability to explore, search, ask questions, grow, and become what God actually intends for us. Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount encourages his followers to ask God and seek out the good things of life together. Bad parents use fear to control their children and maintain their own po...
"Candle" -- Sermon from November 4, 2023
November 04, 2023 23:00 - 12 minutesDeath is scary. Last week Pastor Stephanie introduced us to the Hallowtide, the Triduum for the Dead, as we explored All Hallows’ Eve (Halloween) and the Reformation. This week we explore the next day in the Hallowtide, All Saints’ Day. While in history it was a day to remember the proclaimed Saints (like the Apostles), in the Lutheran Church we remember that we are all claimed by God in baptism to be saints. On All Saints’ we honor both those who have been baptized and those who have die...
"Reform" -- Sermon from October 28, 203
October 28, 2023 23:00What does Halloween have to do with Martin Lutheran and the Reformation? More than you might realize! Pastor Stephanie explains the connection between the two as she looks at the role shame played in Martin Luther's early understanding of faith and how that changed after reading Romans helped him understand Grace. God offers us salvation just as we are, even when we feel like wearing a crown and carrying a lightsaber!
"Little" -- Sermon from October 21, 2023
October 21, 2023 23:00 - 12 minutes“I am just average, I won’t change the world.” Faced with the issues of the world we often see ourselves as too little, too insignificant to make a difference. But God knows otherwise! In our focus text Jesus tells his followers they are light. Our little lights shine through the darkness. Pastor Chad invites us to consider our identity from God’s perspective: “I am _____”. Over and over again, Jesus compares us to little things that make a big difference: light, salt, yeast, mustard seeds...
"Fog" -- Sermon from October 14, 2023
October 16, 2023 16:34 - 15 minutesSometimes when we get lost in a fog, literal or metaphorical, the world passes us by unnoticed. In our focus text this week, two of Jesus’ followers are in a fog of grief after the Crucifixion and a fog of disbelief regarding the rumors of the Resurrection. They are so lost they don’t believe the man they met as he reveals the truth about the Resurrection, about HIS Resurrection! Even in their lost disbelief Jesus continues to accompany them which is good news for us: even when we are lost...
"Layers" -- Sermon from October 7, 2023
October 07, 2023 23:00Don’t judge a book by its cover! In our focus text today the crowds are judging Zaccheus by what they can see, he is a Chief Tax Collector which means he is a liar, a cheat, and a collaborator with occupying Roman Empire. But like the paint on an old house, people have layer upon layer of complexity. Jesus sees beyond the Chief Tax Collector layer of Zaccheus and recognizes him as a beloved child of God. Being seen on a deeper layer also changes Zaccheus as he gives half his riches to the ...
"Tasked: -- Sermon from September 30, 2023
September 30, 2023 23:00Do you find yourself making things harder than they need to be? We have been taught that nothing good comes without hard work. Unfortunately, that makes it hard to comprehend God’s unconditional love for us. Like Naaman in this week’s focus text we think there must be something we can do to be rewarded with God’s healing and love! Or that we can have God’s love taken away from us for not following the long list of rules we set for ourselves and others. The story of Naaman reminds us that G...
"Argued" -- Sermon from September 23, 2023
September 23, 2023 23:00 - 15 minutesDo you like to argue? This week’s focus text is about an argument about who is right and who is wrong, about who is on the inside and who is on the outside. The problem is the Jewish followers of Jesus are trying to argue that they are the only ones inside God’s love. They don’t think the people with different food and cultural customs should be included in the community of believers. God of course has a very different idea of who belongs and gives Simon Peter a vision that those divisions...
"Sign" -- Sermon from September 16, 2023
September 16, 2023 23:00 - 14 minutesPastor Stephanie encourages us to look at the signs and symbols that are all around us. Pay close attention to those that offer you hope. Our focus text this week includes a symbol of hope God offered Creation after The Flood: the rainbow. It is a reminder of the promise God made that there will be hope after the storm. Pastor Stephanie encourages you to consider two questions when you find your own sign of hope, whether it’s the Cross or the Hot Donuts Now sign at Krispy Kreme. Ask yoursel...
"Playlist" -- Sermon from September 9, 2023
September 09, 2023 23:00 - 14 minutesPastor Chad introduces our theme for 2023-24 re:PHRASE by asking us to take a look at our music playlist. There’s a reason it (likely) doesn’t feature the Greatest Hits of 1904 like “Yankee Doodle Dandy” and “Sweet Adeline.” Musical tastes change over time, even Pastor Chad’s Workout Playlist of ‘90s Alt Rock gets weird looks from the Taylor Swift Fans of today. Over time and with life experience our understanding of music, art, literature changes and needs to be rephrased for today. In the...
"Opening" -- Sermon from September 2, 2023
September 02, 2023 23:00 - 12 minutesPastor Stephanie wraps up the final week of our final Momentum focus: Renewed Spirit with a look at transitions, a very timely topic as we close the door on summer and open up into a new school year. Our Momentum theme ends at the end of the Bible, the closing chapter of Revelation. In his dream John is told Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega: the beginning and the end. Jesus was there at the beginning and will be there at the end of time, which is good news for us! God is with us when we ar...
"Motive" -- Sermon from August 26, 2023
August 26, 2023 23:00 - 12 minutesLast week Pastor Chad was talking about evangelism and how we can best motivate others to join us in this community of faith. The best way is to interact with our neighbors in a way that reflects God’s love for us all and then share our faith story. One of the worst ways is to instill a sense of obligation to follow in the traditions simply because they are tradition. This week he is looking at what motivates us, as people of faith, to follow God’s Call into the world to share the Good News...
"Apostle" -- Sermon from August 19, 2023
August 19, 2023 23:00 - 15 minutesAfter 16 year of ministry Pastor Chad should be an expert at evangelism, bringing new people into faith, right? So why does he struggle with even the idea of evangelism? Pastor Chad like many of us has encountered evangelism strategies gone wrong, if using these strategies is what evangelism means he wants no part of it! Our focus text this week provides an alternative to those strategies, an alternative that actually models the way Christ brought people to faith through an encounter with ...
"Labeled" -- Sermon from August 12, 2023
August 12, 2023 23:00Have you ever been labeled? A bookworm. A slob. An All-Star. A jerk. A genius. Have you ever labeled someone else? We are often quick to assign labels based on our point of view, without knowing their story. This week Pastor Stephanie continues our exploration of August’s focus: “Renewed Spirit” with a look at Paul’s letter to the Ephesians where he reminds them that their previous labels no longer apply, their identity as beloved Child of God is the only label that matters. And with that i...
"Step" -- Sermon from August 5, 2023
August 05, 2023 23:00 - 13 minutesKicking off our focus for August: “Renewed Spirit” Pastor Stephanie explores the story of Moses and the Burning Bush. Understanding Moses’ story helps us better understand our own reluctance to take the first step into following the calling God has given each of us. Like Moses, God doesn’t accept our excuses and instead equips us with the skills and partners needed to accomplish the tasks at hand. Moses can be an example of daring to take that first step into the unknown with a Renewed Spi...