Bethany Lutheran Church

God is never named in the book of Esther — and yet He is all over it. Esther becomes queen through a series of unlikely events. God's hidden work through the ordinary, even in secular settings. God's grace is not always spectacular but always present — especially in weakness and mystery. 

Esther 2:5–11, 15–18 (ESV)

Now there was a Jew in Susa the citadel whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, ...

The work of the Spirit doesn’t end with individual empowerment — it creates a Spirit-filled, united, and mission-driven Church. The Spirit gives diverse gifts for one shared purpose, binds believers together in unity, and equips us to be Christ’s body in the world. 

1 Corinthians 12:4–13 (ESV)

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activ...

The Holy Spirit is not silent — He speaks, convicts, and guides. This spirit invites us to cultivate listening hearts, discerning the Spirit’s voice through Scripture, prayer, and community. Explore the Spirit’s ongoing role in shaping our daily direction and decisions. 

Acts 13:1–4

Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod...

 Ezekiel 36:26–27, Acts 1:4–8, John 14:15–17, 25–27 

The Spirit didn’t arrive unexpectedly — He was promised by Jesus and foretold by the prophets.The Holy Spirit is the living fulfillment of God’s plan to dwell within His people, continuing Jesus' presence and power in the world.

 Ezekiel 36:26–27 (ESV)

And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh a...

On Pentecost, the Spirit is poured out with power, transforming the fearful into the bold. The Spirit is not just a gentle helper — but the fire and breath of God that equips the Church for its mission. 

Acts 2:1–13 ESV

When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongu...

When Jesus finished his Sermon on the Mount, the people were astonished with what they had just heard. What if Jesus’ words were meant to do more than shock us? What if Jesus’ words are actually meant to be taken seriously and applied to our daily lives? What would your life look like if you took Jesus’ words seriously? 

Jeremiah 17:7-8 (ESV)

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
    whose trust is the Lord.
He is like ...

Jesus said, “When you pray.” This means Jesus assumed that his followers would be people shaped by prayer. Many Christians see prayer as only asking God to do things for them. But what if Jesus invited his disciples to pray, not so much for other people's sake, but so that we may be transformed by being in an intimate relationship with him? What if Jesus was serious about prayer because he knew that without it, we may never ex...

“You have heard it said” is a phrase Jesus uses throughout his Sermon on the Mount. With those five words, Jesus was challenging his hearers' entire worldview. And he is doing the same thing for us today. We live in a divided world, inside and outside the church. What if Jesus was serious about his command for his followers to love their enemies? What would that look like in your life? 

Romans 12:14-21 (ESV)

Bless those who pers...

Anger. Lust. Divorce. Religious people tend to be pretty good at making it look like they don’t struggle with these things to a watching world, and Jesus knows that. But Jesus cares much more than only about our behavior. According to Jesus righteousness includes outward behavior and the motivation behind our outward behavior. What if Jesus was more serious about righteousness than religious people seem to be? 

Deuteronomy 30:6 (ESV...

Most Christians think God cannot use them. That they are not good enough or know enough… surely God wants to use someone else to do his work in the world. But what if Jesus has chosen you, YES YOU, to partner with him in his kingdom work? What if Jesus was serious about his desire to use you, no matter how ordinary or unimpressive you think your life may be? 

1 Peter 2:9-12

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation...

Author Sky Jethani writes, “The beginning of the Sermon on the Mount is not a to-do list; it is a good news list. Jesus is describing who has the most to gain by the arrival of His Kingdom. He is not prescribing what you must do to enter it.” What if Jesus was serious about transforming us into the kind of people who desire to receive his Upside-Down Kingdom? Perhaps what Jesus means by being blessed is far greater than we could ev...

Promises are powerful but only when they are kept. On that first Easter Sunday Jesus' tomb was empty, proving that his promise to deal with evil once and for all was not an empty promise. Join us on Easter Sunday as we celebrate the victory of our God as we experience the promise of the resurrection. 

Luke 24:1-12 (ESV)

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. A...

Our Lenten journey has been an in medias res, or Latin for in the middle of things. We started in the middle of the story with the Passover and ended last week with Jesus’ crucifixion. And today we are going back to the beginning, Palm Sunday, where everything was set in motion for Jesus to go to the cross. What was the meaning of this lowly rabbi riding into town on a donkey? Was this a triumphal entry or a humble act foreshadowin...

Our reading this week is Luke’s account of Jesus’ crucifixion. You may be thinking, “But wait, it isn’t Good Friday yet!” This is true. But the cross of Christ is central to the life of the Christian and is at the heart of our preparation for Easter Sunday. Before we take a time warp and go back to where all this was set in motion, on Palm Sunday, we will meditate on the Cross of Christ in preparation for Holy Week. 

Luke 23:26-43 (...

We live in a complicated world; that may be an understatement. Following Jesus in this world is getting more complicated as time marches on. We have had many opportunities this Lenten season to be honest about how as we participate with the evil one we are adding to the confusion in this world. Yet, many of us find ourselves asking God why he isn’t doing anything about it. This morning as we look at Jesus before Pilate we will expl...

With one voice the religious leaders spoke evil against the Son of God. It is easy to read the accounts recorded in Luke 22 and 23 and think I would never respond to Jesus like those people did! That is a dangerous place to find oneself in. As we prepare for Easter morning we are invited to be honest about how we often join in with one voice to speak evil against the Son of God and his rule and reign in this world. As we confess th...

Lent is a season for us to be honest about our participation in the evil that has infected this world like cancer. As we prepare ourselves for the celebration of Easter morning, we must pause and face the reality that our good-willed intentions to faithfully follow Jesus in life and death often go awry; sadly, very quickly. Why is that so? Is our faith really that fickle, or is there something or someone behind the scenes pulling t...

We begin the Lenten season by joining Jesus in the upper room where Jesus and his disciples celebrate the Passover meal together. Jesus begins to prepare his disciples with a warning; Things are about to get difficult. Evil is coming for you. And you are going to end up participating in evil. As we begin our Lenten journey with Jesus we hear the same warning from Jesus as we reflect on how we are often blind to evil and end up part...

We live in a culture that is obsessed with moving up and to the right. As the season of Lent begins we pause to remember that from the dust we have come and to the dust we shall return. There is no escaping death. The smearing of ashes on our foreheads reminds us of this sobering reality. At the same time, the sign of the ash cross that marks our foreheads also invites us to long for and hope for the day when Jesus will return to m...