Bethlehem Lutheran Church

God breathes and the earth is changed forever!

God has given us certainty that is greater than death

David in his time of suffering saw hope in the suffering of Christ and God’s ultimate deliverance.

The seventh of the seven Penitential Psalms is Psalm 143 which has been attributed to King David. Although relatively speaking, David is the innocent party in his conflicts with Saul, Absalom, and Adonijah, he recognizes that his own sins make him unworthy of claiming any blessings from the Lord. Like a parched land, there is a dire need sapping the life of the penitent. God provides sustenance fo...

True worship isn’t about what we give to God or what we want to get out of it. It’s receiving what God wants us to get out of it.

The sixth of the seven Penitential Psalms is Psalm 130 which was commonly recited as God’s people made their way to worship in the temple in Jerusalem. The penitent’s patient waiting considers the tension between the depth and depravity of their sin and the hope of the Lord’s promised deliverance.

Even though we know the facts concerning eternal life, we still seem to fail the test of living in the present. I fail to rejoice in the Lord always, especially when life goes "wrong" in all kinds of ways. Paul, convinced of his future with Christ Jesus, changed his perspective on how he experienced his life in the present. Not matter what – he could "rejoice in the Lord always." What we know and...

Even in the most desperate circumstances, we can rejoice because God is always providing for us

The fourth of the seven Penitential Psalms is Psalm 51. The penitent prays for and from a purified heart. Penitential prayer is always a prayer confessing sinfulness through and through with a desire for renewal, a complete change of heart. From that purified heart, the penitent now prays for renewed service.

We’re always tempted to put our faith and hope in the vehicles of God’s grace rather than God’s grace itself

The 3rd of the seven Penitential Psalms is Psalm 38. Here we discover that the disposition of the penitent is clinging faith, even when the Lord’s hand is heavy upon us. The penitent feels the Lord’s heavy warning of sin even as they cling to the Lord for salvation

When life spins out of control, Jesus is the one thing we can hold onto for dear life

The 2nd of the seven Penitential Psalms is Psalm 32. It is one of the clearest statements of the doctrines of repentance, justification and forgiveness in the Old Testament. It is closely related to Psalm 51. It appears that this psalm, like Psalm 51, was written to express David's repentance after the prophet Nathan had confronted him with his sins of adultery and murder (2 Samuel 12). Psalm 32 c...

One step at a time, faith in God’s salvation bring us the victory through Jesus’ strength

Ash Wednesday begins the penitential season of Lent: 40 days (not including Sundays) of reflection and sorrow over our sin and its consequences. During this time, we also meditate on what Jesus Christ suffered for us because of our sins and what His perfect obedience to the Father, even unto death on the cross, brings for us. Around the 6th century AD, seven psalms were designated as the Penitenti...

Like Moses and Elijah but greater, you know Jesus’ departure in Jerusalem won’t be for good