Look! How good and how pleasant it is when brothers truly live
in unity…Indeed, that is where the Lord has decreed a blessing
will be available—eternal life.

These words frame Psalm 133. The verses in between use images from worship and nature to describe the abundance with which our LORD blesses. The ultimate blessing given when God’s people dwell together is eternal life—”the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and the life of the world to
come” summarizes the Apostles Creed.

There are other blessings received as well as God’s people gather together. As we encourage one another, seeing each other from week to week, we assure one another that by God’s grace in Christ we have gotten through another week. In a world with so many voices shouting for our attention, certainly this
voice of reassurance speaks hope. The gift of fellowship with other believers whose focus is on the things above—those things given in Word and the sacraments—is a treasure.

While the online fellowship we experience is certainly valid and valuable—God’s gifts are given through the Word; I wanted to share the invitation with you—as you are able and feel safe—to rejoin us for in-person worship. While some of the protocols are still in place, the limits on the number of Bethlehem family members who can gather on-site are basically the same for a Home Depot or grocery store. I mention those examples as I remember some of the social media posts that suggested we could gather in-person for worship at Home Depot early on in the pandemic. We can welcome 166 people at each worship service, so we certainly have room for you! You don’t need to make a reservation, just come to worship our God together and be together with your Bethlehem family. Celebrate the unity we have in Jesus!

Together, we have joy in the journey,
Pastor Jeff Shearier