Bethlehem Lutheran Church – Aloha, OR
Welcome to Bethlehem!
We are glad that you are visiting our site! Please have a look around and see for yourself what makes the people that gather in this place a family. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Holy Week 2023
Holy Week is the week leading up to Easter Sunday and includes Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday. You are invited to join us here at Bethlehem for our worship services throughout the week either in person in our Worship Center or online . Below, you can find information pertaining to our Holy Week events including links to our services as well as bulletins for Maundy Thursday and Good Friday when they are available. (Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday bulletins will be available on the normal Sunday Worship Service Page).
Why do we have a week called “Holy Week”?
Why would we refer to a week as being holy? The word “holy” means “set apart.” That’s why we call the Bible “holy.” It isn’t just any book. It is set apart from all other books because it is God’s living Word given to us for our salvation! The same goes for Holy Week. This week is set apart from all other weeks because this is the week in the Church Year when follow Jesus through His final days on earth and hear again of the sacrifice He was willing to make on our behave to pay for our sins with His life and win for us salvation!
Palm Sunday – April 2, 2022
The Sunday before Jesus was crucified by the people, they honored and adored Him as their Lord and king with palm branches and shouts of “Hosanna!” We remember this as the beginning of Christ’s bitter walk to the cross.
Why did the people honor and adore Jesus on Palm Sunday and then kill Him on Good Friday?
When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, the people began to praise and honor Him as their king. They believed Him to be a powerful leader who would overthrow the Roman government and restore Israel. When Jesus did not do this as they expected, the people wanted Him crucified. But Jesus revealed Himself as our humble King who came with a much bigger task. He’s a king who came to die for the sins of all people. Wow! What a King!
Maundy Thursday – April 6, 2022
The Thursday before Jesus was crucified He sat in the Upper Room with His disciples and shared a meal with them, His last before His death and resurrection. It is here that Jesus institutes the sacrament of Holy Communion that we still celebrate today, where God meets us with His true presence in the bread and wine, and offers us forgiveness.
This is also the day that Jesus, the King of the Universe, got down on His knees, and washed His disciples’ feet. By performing this act of humility (which only the lowest of servants would do) Jesus gives us an example of the kind of humility and service we are to show each other and the world.
SEDER MEAL: This year, the morning service will be a Seder Meal walkthrough in the Community Center Starting at 11:30am.
NOTE: Only the 7:00pm service is Live Streamed.
Good Friday – April 7, 2022
It seems strange to call the day that Jesus was crucified “good”. It doesn’t feel very good knowing that because of us, Jesus had to go through all of those horrible things and then pay the ultimate price, His very life, up on the cross. But that is exactly why it is good! Jesus, who never sinned, paid the penalty for our sins and made us right with God.
Our Good Friday Services reflect the sobering realization that it was our sins that put Jesus on that cross. The service is dark, and quiet, and somber. We leave the Worship Center without sound, but not without hope! Because we know what happened after three days!
NOTE: Only the 8:00pm Service is Live Streamed
Easter Sunday (Resurrection Day) – April 9, 2022
He is Risen! He is Risen indeed! Hallelujah! God’s promise to save His people is fulfilled and we celebrate this day, reveling in God’s grace, mercy, and victory over sin, death, and the devil. For not even death can win over our King! We lift our voices together in shouts of “Hallelujah!” to our Redeemer and Lord, Jesus Christ.
Easter Egg Hunt
Bethlehem Lutheran Preschool is hosting an Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 8th from 11am to 12pm. For more information visit https://www.facebook.com/events/1716261432178183/?ref=newsfeed.
Join Mid-Week Lenten Services 2023 Here!
February 22nd – March 29th
Every Wednesday in Lent. Below you can download bulletins and there is a link to the service.
We pray that these services are a blessing to you!
10:30am Service
6:30pm Service
Lent 2023
Join us for Lent!
What is “Lent”?
Lent is a season of the Church Year that lasts six weeks. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and ends the day before Easter Sunday. During these six weeks we look forward to Good Friday, the day our Lord died on the cross to pay for our sins, and to Easter Sunday, the day He rose from the dead to prove it!
Why do we celebrate Lent for 40 days?
Lent is a time when we are reminded of what Jesus gave up for us, and a time when we look forward to and prepare for His death and resurrection! During these 40 days, we remember God’s faithfulness to His people and how His faithfulness is complete in Jesus, our Savior. Jesus remains faithful to us, always.
Mid-Week Lenten Worship Services
Every Wednesday from February 22nd (Ash Wednesday) to March 29th we will have services at 10:30 am and 6:30 pm. One or both of the services will be livestreamed.
Ash Wednesday
You may see something strange happening in church on Ash Wednesday. You’ll see your family and friends go forward to receive the sign of the cross on their foreheads. The strange part about all of this is that it will be done with the ashes from last year’s Palm Sunday palm branches.
Why do we do this?
Usually when someone gets dirty they know they need water to get clean. The ashes that are put on our foreheads remind us that in sin we are dirty and need to be cleaned. It also helps us to remember the first time the sign of the cross was made on us at our Baptism. In the waters of Baptism, we are cleaned and the dirt of sin is washed away. Ash Wednesday helps to remind us of this.
God Has a Plan
BY JEFF SHEARIER
Imagine the prophet Habakkuk, watching change happening right before his eyes. He can see the campfires of the approaching Babylonian army on the hillsides around Jerusalem. He chooses to have a word or two with God.
His first word with God is one that questions God. Does God see what is happening? Why does it seem that God is letting the Babylonians win—over against the people whom the LORD has said are precious in His sight? What is God’s plan to work His good even in this mess?
The LORD answers Habakkuk. By the way, it’s good to note that when God answers Habakkuk, He doesn’t say, “Who are you to question me?” It’s okay to ask God questions—serious questions. I recall the advice the pastor who supervised my internship told me: It’s good to ask questions…just don’t stop asking them until you find yourself at the foot of the cross.”
In a way, the LORD takes Habakkuk to the foot of the cross in Habakkuk 2. The LORD assures Habakkuk that He has a plan for a future time, but not a plan that can’t be known. As that plan unfolds, the one who trusts in the LORD—the one who believes His promises—will live. John would say it later, “…will have life in His (Jesus’) name.” Trust Me, the LORD says. I have a plan.
While the retirement of a pastor is really not comparable to the Babylonians camped on the hillsides, Habakkuk’s question—or ones like his question—might be on your mind right now. What is the LORD up to? Does He know what we need? These initial questions are inward-looking, but other questions like, “What is the LORD wanting us to do next,” might also be on your heart. The LORD’s answer is the same as the one to Habakkuk: Trust Me, I have a plan. In fact, the LORD already has Bethlehem’s next pastor in His sight.
Like Habakkuk, we live trusting the LORD as we walk through the unfolding of His plan.
There is a process the church—our church and the churches of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod—follows. As you become more familiar with that process, you might wonder how it can possibly work. The process seems counter-intuitive to the way that the business world looks for leaders. The “call process” has yielded pastors and other church workers that have been blessings to the churches they served for a couple of centuries. The process and those involved in it trust the Holy Spirit to lead. Remember the LORD’s promise to Habakkuk: Trust Me, I have a plan.
That process began in earnest on January 21, when some of Bethlehem’s leaders and members met. We began by asking what the strengths of ministry at Bethlehem are—and also confronting the weaknesses—to seek what the opportunities lie ahead as we seek both the pastor and direction for the Lord’s work in this place. That discussion gave us an opportunity to remember Samuel’s words from 1 Samuel 7: “Up to here the LORD has helped us.”
The next step will be the selection and election of the Call Committee. This step will be taken in March at a Voters’ Meeting. If you have questions about this, please speak with Heather Cammack or Pastor Jeff. The days ahead might be a bit unsettling and they will be exciting as Bethlehem waits to see whom the LORD has in mind. Please keep all of this in prayer. Remember the LORD’s promise: Trust Me. I have a plan.
Joy in the journey,
Pastor Jeff Shearier
Bethlehem Lutheran Church - Aloha, OR 