Intersections

  In our journey through the lectionary texts, it brings us to this passage in Isaiah, which I’m not sure if it would normally stand out on its own, but here we are.   We have brief words of thanksgiving from Isaiah, which seems appropriate today in all of our reflections we may be having about the year that was and the year we want to have. You may have had this week off of work, and are gearing up to return, and this week between Christmas and New Year’s is kind of time without structure, or liminal time. It just passes without any real organization.  I wish it had been like that for me this week. As some of you know, my uncle died on Christmas Eve. I was planning to spend this week with Ali & Aaron, but I also knew that I needed to make the journey to see my uncle’s funeral. So I caught a ride with my parents and off to Wisconsin we went.  But as I was traveling to a place where I had gone so many times as a child, lots of those memories came back. I had...

  Happy New Year everyone! May our God of new beginnings refresh His mercies for you and your loved ones, and to the ends of the earth.  Well done… well done, my good and faithful one. These are lyrics from a song called “Well Done” by the Afters. I assume they are referring to the baptism of Jesus out of Luke when the sky opened, and there was a voice saying “Well done, my good and faithful servant;” to Jesus as he was baptized. We all want that greeting some day when it’s our turn at the gates of Heaven.  What does it mean to be a good and faithful servant? Is it just reading the Bible, and memorizing verses? Is it coming to church, and giving your offering every week? Yes, those help, but in addition, is to build relationships of faith. Our goal is to be disciples - to take the words of Jesus Christ to bring light to the darkness of this world. Hope is not just a catchphrase, it’s a lifestyle. As believers, we embody faith and hope to a world that just cannot und...

 From the Pastor’s Desk:  Happy New Year! Well - that does sound kind of weird, but it’s the beginning of the church year, starting at Advent. I follow the Revised Common Lectionary - which is simply a rotating list of bible verses to preach on that covers about 75% of the Bible over three years (A, B & C). We are beginning year C, which means that it focuses the Gospel readings from the book of Luke. Now, Luke loves people, not only those who were in his community, but many in the margins of “acceptable” society. Luke highlights that no matter who we are or what we have done, there is a place for us in the Kingdom of God.  The focus this month is on “Coming Home for Christmas”. That can mean so many things to each of you. We all have our favorite places we consider to be home. I hope you feel as though Bethany is a place you can call home.  But, maybe we are lucky enough to have more than one place that feels as comforting as home.  When I was growing up, m...