Bethlehem Lutheran Church – Aloha, OR
Thank You Sponsors
A big thank you to our 2020 Trivia Night Sponsors!
| Park Lanes |
| Portland Children’s Museum |
| Inverted Experience |
| Marine Discovery Tours |
| Theatre in the Grove |
| Pietros Pizza |
| OMSI |
| Kingpins Bowling |
| Willamette Valley Vineyards |
| Tom’s Pancake House |
| THPRD |
| Winterhawks Skating Center |
| Oak’s Park |
| Reedville Café |
| Plumper Pumpkin Patch |
| McMenamins |
| SuperPlay |
| Kings Raven Winery |
| Burgerville on 185th Ave |
| Four Seasons |
| Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt |
| Bethlehem Lutheran Preschool |
| Aloha Garden Club |
| Pacific Office Automation |
Lent 2020
NOTE: Due to the Covid-19 Virus, all services at Bethlehem have been cancelled for the next several weeks and moved online. Check out our new page “Bethlehem Online” for videos and bulletins of our services.
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.
Red Letter Challenge
Starting on Ash Wednesday (February 26th) and running through Palm Sunday (April 5th), Bethlehem will spend 40 days in the Red Letter Challenge. Watch our Facebook and Instagram for daily challenges! You can click here to download a pdf version of the Red Letter Challenge slide booklet.
If you would like to purchase the Red Letter Challenge, you can do so for $20 by clicking here.
During Lent, Pastor Shearier’s sermons will be based on the weekly themes of the Red Letter Challenge.
Facing the Cross
On Wednesdays during Lent, Pastor Shearier’s sermon theme will be “Facing the Cross”, where we will look at facing our sins, each other, our temptation, our fears, our worldliness, and our suffering.
Listen to Jesus
It was back in the late 1990s. I had been asked to fill the position of Junior Pastoral Counselor for the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League of the Rocky Mountain District. The previous holder of that office had taken a call out of the District. For the remaining term, I would be the advisor to what was then called the Spiritual Growth Committee and the Spiritual Life Committee.
The Spiritual Growth Committee was in charge of the worship services for the conventions and put on skits at the rallies and the conventions. The chairperson of the committee decided we needed to be visible as a committee. Many months of discussion and planning happened before we decided that we would all dress alike each time we did something public. We decided that we would have special red polos made with the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove (in white!) just over our hearts. We would all wear tan khakis. Red shirts and tan pants. People would know who we were and that we belonged together.
That is, until we went to Target….
We can plan and we can take action that we hope results in what we want. Our children begin college classes; husbands and wives marry; couples add children to become families; we start jobs and careers we hope will last our lifetimes. And, then, reality happens. Colleges close or our children change their minds about schooling. Couples go through divorces. Families experience dysfunction and tragedy and pain. What we hoped for lies in pieces on the ground.
“Instead of telling them to “get themselves together,” what if He was inviting them to be vulnerable and come to Him?”
We have a God Who seems to enjoy jigsaw puzzles—putting the pieces together into something amazing. I’ve seen the meme on Facebook and elsewhere that claims that 365 times in the Scriptures our Lord tells us, “Don’t be afraid.” That may be, I haven’t counted. Can you trust a meme? I don’t know, but I do know you can trust our Lord.
I have become familiar with a social science researcher and author from the University of Houston, Brene Brown. She is not a theologian—her story involves time away and back again with her Christian faith. (I wonder if she has also discovered God enjoys putting jigsaw puzzles together?) She offers a definition of courage: “Courage originally meant “To speak one’s mind by telling all one’s heart.” So, when Jesus met the disciples in the middle of the night during a terrible storm and told them to “take courage,” perhaps He was inviting them to tell Him all that was in their hearts. Instead of telling them to “get themselves together,” what if He was inviting them to be vulnerable and come to Him?
During Lent, we are borrowing heavily from a program developed by a Lutheran pastor named “The Red Letter Challenge.” Why? So that you and I can intentionally listen to Jesus’ words. Reflect on those words. Listen to Him and hear Him call us to Himself. Some of the challenges the RLC may suggest may not “fit” you, but the challenge and invitation that Jesus offers you to be vulnerable and tell Him your heart will fit you. Take the advice on the daily devotional slides and read that word from Jesus—or just start reading the words of Jesus yourself. However you do it, listen to Jesus. His words will direct you. His words might confront you. His words will comfort you. I guess, that is the purpose behind the Lenten season.
Enjoy the journey with Jesus,
Pastor Jeff Shearier
We Build on His Word
By now you have heard the results of our capital campaign—that we have received well over our “goal” of $500,000 in pledges toward reducing our debt. I am just amazed at these results. God’s Holy Spirit working through your pledges has blessed us beyond expectation. I’d like to thank Pastor Tim Rossow, Jim Cullen (the chairman) and the whole capital campaign team, and you for serving as God’s instruments to support ministry here at Bethlehem.
Usually, capital campaigns end with building something. The previous capital campaign supported the building of the Community Center. Each time we built a building on our campus, a capital campaign helped us to accomplish the build. So, what are we going to do with the funds realized by paying down our mortgage?
Let’s build something!
Our mission statement is: Building the family of God through relationship with Jesus Christ. So, we are—by God’s grace—always building something. In 2020, we are focusing on building the “infrastructure” here at Bethlehem. I had hoped to “launch” a number of new home-based or church-based Bible study groups this past September. We did begin one new one—and there are a few leaders who are interested but not able to commit right now. But our LORD has given us new opportunities in giving us this new year—2020.
“…built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone.”
I have worn corrective lenses since I was in the Fourth Grade. I am very much aware of clear vision—20/20—because I don’t have it. Maybe, you’re the same way. So, here we tumble into AD 2020—the Year of our LORD 2020. His year, His gift—for us to see clearly. How do we see clearly? He opens our eyes as we read His Word.
Paul writes to the Ephesians: “So then you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone.” We are built on the foundation of His Word. We build on His Word.
So, we began in January, spending time with Jonah—seeing our stories as similar to Jonah’s. During the Lenten season, we will get involved in the “Red Letter Challenge”—which will challenge you as we read and listen to Jesus’ words in the Scriptures. Maybe, you have a “red letter” edition of the Bible—with Jesus’ words in red. It’s cool (to me) that the red ink appears in Acts, Second Corinthians and Revelation when Jesus’ words are recorded as well.
Following the Easter celebrations, April and May Sundays will provide us with an opportunity to read Psalm 23 again, leading up to Confirmation Sunday. This year, we hope to welcome six young people as they confirm the promises made in their baptisms for themselves. Beginning that June, we will do something I have not done before. Each sermon—whether on a Sunday or a mid-week Advent, Christmas Eve/Day, Lenten or Holy Week—will focus on the message of a book of the Bible. We will “read” through the Bible during our worship services.
Let’s see what the LORD builds among us as we spend time in His Word!
Joy in the journey!
Pastor Jeff Shearier
January With Jonah
As a congregation, we will be spending “January with Jonah” on Sundays. The Sunday messages will take their themes from a chapter of Jonah and on Sunday mornings, during the Bible class hour we will look at each chapter in more depth.
Our topics will include:
January 5 (Epiphany celebration), “The God We Have;”
January 12 (Baptism of Our Lord), “God Rescues Us;”
January 19, “God’s Mercy is for Everyone;” and,
January 26, “A Compassionate Heart?”
Pastor Jeff will be the preacher and the Bible class leader.
Come join us!
Bethlehem Lutheran Church - Aloha, OR 