https://www.bethanyappleton.org/upcoming-events daily 0.75 2019-09-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1569261451629-FDCVPMA9YIG8TRA93Z2U/69858308_2612077668832108_6416815104548929536_o.jpg Upcoming Events https://www.bethanyappleton.org/upcoming-events/2018/9/22/ignite-tnt-goes-mini-golfing monthly 0.5 2025-09-11 https://www.bethanyappleton.org/upcoming-events/2018/9/22/2018-mission-festival monthly 0.5 2018-08-22 https://www.bethanyappleton.org/upcoming-events/2018/10/6/fall-festival monthly 0.5 2018-09-07 https://www.bethanyappleton.org/upcoming-events/2018/9/9/connections monthly 0.5 2018-08-13 https://www.bethanyappleton.org/upcoming-events/2018/8/13/sermon-series monthly 0.5 2018-08-13 https://www.bethanyappleton.org/upcoming-events/2018/7/13/grmgff0ln2yuiz7fom1md6xwb4tffc monthly 0.5 2018-07-13 https://www.bethanyappleton.org/upcoming-events/2018/4/20/summer-vbs-2018-at-our-shepherdbethany monthly 0.5 2018-04-20 https://www.bethanyappleton.org/upcoming-events/2018/7/18/bethany-night-the-timber-rattlers monthly 0.5 2018-04-11 https://www.bethanyappleton.org/upcoming-events/2018/2/12/family-scoopie-night monthly 0.5 2018-02-12 https://www.bethanyappleton.org/upcoming-events/2017/11/27/holiday-service-times monthly 0.5 2017-11-27 https://www.bethanyappleton.org/upcoming-events/2017/11/29/advent-services monthly 0.5 2017-11-27 https://www.bethanyappleton.org/upcoming-events/2017/11/22/thanksgiving-eve-worship monthly 0.5 2017-11-07 https://www.bethanyappleton.org/upcoming-events/2017/9/23/free-family-outdoor-movie-night monthly 0.5 2025-09-11 https://www.bethanyappleton.org/upcoming-events/2017/10/14/community-fall-festival monthly 0.5 2025-09-11 https://www.bethanyappleton.org/upcoming-events/2017/9/7/fall-bible-classes monthly 0.5 2017-09-07 https://www.bethanyappleton.org/upcoming-events/2017/6/11/summer-shindig monthly 0.5 2017-05-16 https://www.bethanyappleton.org/upcoming-events/2017/6/13/vacation-bible-school monthly 0.5 2017-05-13 https://www.bethanyappleton.org/upcoming-events/2017/4/29/church-cleanup monthly 0.5 2017-04-12 https://www.bethanyappleton.org/upcoming-events/2017/4/13/holy-week-services monthly 0.5 2017-03-22 https://www.bethanyappleton.org/upcoming-events/2017/2/20/new-bible-study monthly 0.5 2017-03-15 https://www.bethanyappleton.org/upcoming-events/2017/2/14/our-shepherd-family-fun-night monthly 0.5 2017-02-23 https://www.bethanyappleton.org/upcoming-events/2017/2/14/lenten-services monthly 0.5 2017-03-06 https://www.bethanyappleton.org/upcoming-events/2017/1/26/voters-meeting monthly 0.5 2017-01-26 https://www.bethanyappleton.org/upcoming-events/2015/12/28/family-meeting monthly 0.5 2025-09-11 https://www.bethanyappleton.org/upcoming-events/2016/10/8/fall-festival monthly 0.5 2025-09-11 https://www.bethanyappleton.org/upcoming-events/2016/9/11/fall-bible-classes-begin monthly 0.5 2025-09-11 https://www.bethanyappleton.org/upcoming-events/2016/8/16/75th-anniversary-celebration monthly 0.5 2025-09-11 https://www.bethanyappleton.org/upcoming-events/2015/12/31/new-years-eve-worship monthly 0.5 2025-09-11 https://www.bethanyappleton.org/upcoming-events/2015/12/25/christmas-day-festival-service monthly 0.5 2025-09-11 https://www.bethanyappleton.org/upcoming-events/2015/12/24/christmas-eve-candlelight-service monthly 0.5 2025-09-11 https://www.bethanyappleton.org/upcoming-events/2015/12/20/childrens-christmas-program monthly 0.5 2025-09-11 https://www.bethanyappleton.org/upcoming-events/2015/11/24/our-shepherd-thanksgiving-meal monthly 0.5 2025-09-11 https://www.bethanyappleton.org/upcoming-events/2015/10/25/church-potluck monthly 0.5 2025-09-11 https://www.bethanyappleton.org/upcoming-events/2015/10/3/fall-festival monthly 0.5 2025-09-11 https://www.bethanyappleton.org/upcoming-events/2015/8/16/bible-study monthly 0.5 2025-09-11 https://www.bethanyappleton.org/bible-studies daily 0.75 2025-11-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1487114567788-716FRDJ0LFM1R0O8H8BJ/Sunday+Studies.png Bible Studies https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1611256191626-LT39DPUFWH17X0HLZ7L4/Bethany-homepage-reel-sunday_studies.jpg Bible Studies Sundays 10:15 AM Pastor Krenke, Instructor Large group Bible study for adults https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1611520669120-C2MGDWJTBW9L5PFGC4Q4/Growing+in+Christ.png Bible Studies Sundays 10:15 AM For children, 4K - 8th Grade https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1611520764394-X49EHQ5FU44PYGDRTQN0/Mens+Bible+Breakfast.png Bible Studies Tuesdays 7:30 AM Charlie Clarey, Facilitator For men, 16 and older https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1673141740374-LWQYJMVLGA628YUE7FSY/Bethany-homepage-reel-midweek-oasis.jpg Bible Studies Wednesdays 10:00 AM Pastor Belter, Instructor Large group Bible study for adults https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1611520822876-8YU7X9X4ALIIABUKV0VP/Copy+of+DISCIPLESHIP.101.png Bible Studies Thursdays 5:30 PM, Lynndale Campus Pastor Johnston & Pastor Krenke, Instructor For all ages, an intro to Bethany class https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1444148829681-BZD955TDYSG5JPEKHNPG/POWER+HOUR+%281%29.png Bible Studies Wednesday, 8:45-9:45 am, Lynndale Campus Ms Kerin Gebert, leader For toddlers 18 months - 3 years & their caregivers https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1444142051676-DHVR8EHF2KM4YC0W1YQ7/CONNECTIONS.png Bible Studies Sunday 9:15-10:15, Parkway Campus Pastor Zach, Facilitator For parents and young adults https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1611520887108-643CM04R1NNCZ4E7U3RB/Bible+History.png Bible Studies Wednesdays 4:30 PM, Parkway Campus Pastor Johnston, Instructor For 5th & 6th grade students https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1611520947212-7A2DC5V3KLRIG8EOCVBZ/CONFIRMATION.png Bible Studies Various Times Pastor Krenke, Instructor For 7th & 8th grade students https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1444148146264-VF94K69P3R97DCH0782D/FAMILY+BIBLE+NIGHT.png Bible Studies Wednesday 6-7 pm, Lynndale Campus Pastor Darin, Facilitator For all ages https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1498137117480-HCNK1YXNDT8EF6U4536M/thursday+night+bible+study.png Bible Studies Thursday, 6-7 pm, Lynndale Campus Pastor Zach, Instructor For all ages https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1611522632579-C6IEB6LXECVNCGTA444W/Connections+for+website.png Bible Studies Small Group Bible Study, Various Times and Locations Various Bethany Member Leaders For all adults https://www.bethanyappleton.org/new-gallery daily 0.75 2018-03-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1442550502218-P1PQ6038NMKC2SL3F4SU/STUDENT+ACTICITES.png Student Ministry Sometimes, you just want to get together with your friends and have some fun. Pretty regularly throughout the year, Bethany hosts, organizes, or simply provides resources to allow Bethany students to get together and go have fun. Whether it’s a bowling night, movie night, or campfire night, keep an eye out for the next Bethany student outing that’s coming up! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1442550502218-P1PQ6038NMKC2SL3F4SU/STUDENT+ACTICITES.png Student Ministry Sometimes, you just want to get together with your friends and have some fun. Pretty regularly throughout the year, Bethany hosts, organizes, or simply provides resources to allow Bethany students to get together and go have fun. Whether it’s a bowling night, movie night, or campfire night, keep an eye out for the next Bethany student outing that’s coming up! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1442550688605-05K4EFJ2DH4FCXPFLCJK/THE+AVE..png Student Ministry Bethany is a big supporter of the ave. student ministry in Appleton. We call it our student ministry, along with many other WELS churches in Appleton. The ave. gathers at the Copper Rock Coffee Co. on College Ave. twice a month for study, worship, and growth. Visit their www.theavesm.com for details and a fuller explanation. In their own words, “The ave. is a community and a cause. It's an avenue through which teens in the Fox Valley can unplug from the life and the spiritual warfare that surrounds them, and in a real way plug into God's Word. God's Word is where everything in our life finds its motivation and is where everything in our life culminates. Through dynamic speakers, peer study of God's Word, conversations, and time in prayer, praise, and reflection, we refocus our perspective at Christ's cross. There the playing field is leveled. At the cross there is no social status, there is no race, there is no clique, there is only the nothing that you bring to Jesus and the everything that he offers you. It doesn't matter who you are. Here, we are his.” (www.theavesm.com/about/) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1442551674216-SBMFOGX8JL0O34SS38WW/SUNDAY+MORNING.png Student Ministry 9:15-10:15, Parkway Campus Sunday morning at the Parkway Campus, Bethany’s High School students meet for a small group study. The format allows students to come from their different backgrounds and weekly experiences and talk about them in the context of God’s Word. 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Who Reigns as Our King. Pastor Dan Johnston, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 6: Worthy Is the Lamb … Who Reigns as Our King There are a lot of things that we might expect a king to do or to be or to look like. Today, we see a King in Jesus—but he is not like other kings of this earth. Jesus is an entirely different class of King. He is a King who is not only worthy of our service or obedience, but he is worthy of our deepest love and loyalty. As we begin Holy Week, we see Jesus pouring out his love for us in the greatest way imaginable. Because of all that Jesus has done—living, dying and rising again to rescue us from our sins—he is truly the Lamb who is worthy to be called our King. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1680835286251-USNDXEOJMMH43FFS03ND/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Worthy Is the Lamb ... Who Reigns as Our King. Pastor Dan Johnston, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 6: Worthy Is the Lamb … Who Reigns as Our King There are a lot of things that we might expect a king to do or to be or to look like. Today, we see a King in Jesus—but he is not like other kings of this earth. Jesus is an entirely different class of King. He is a King who is not only worthy of our service or obedience, but he is worthy of our deepest love and loyalty. As we begin Holy Week, we see Jesus pouring out his love for us in the greatest way imaginable. Because of all that Jesus has done—living, dying and rising again to rescue us from our sins—he is truly the Lamb who is worthy to be called our King. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1704341104212-VUC1E4WAV3J4SZZGB0U3/image-asset.png Sermon Library - A New Year's Letter. Pastor Dan Johnston, Bethany, Appleton, WI https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1704139675555-PIHW4EI2RO7JXG0RDVHJ/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Christmas Day: God with Us. Pastor Dan Johnston, Bethany, Appleton, WI https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1704061015288-9HHA4EHDCURVSQYIRNK9/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - The God of Love and Peace Will Be with You. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI The God of Love and Peace Will Be with You In his final sermon at Bethany before continuing his ministry with a new congregation, Pastor Brown shares a farewell message of the joy and peace we have in the grace of our Lord Jesus, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1701652646018-V14BSBAIP3SM0AH7ROEY/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Rest Assured in What's Coming. Pastor Dan Johnston, Bethany, Appleton, WI Rest Assured in What’s Coming As we look forward to Christ’s second coming, when he will come again to judge the living and the dead and bring his people home, we also remember his first coming into the world at Christmas. Today we remember that we can rest assured in the one who is coming, knowing that he is bringing joy with him. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1701652532495-DC7ALMGMBA3BCXWZ0JJF/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - He's Coming-So, "What Kind of People Ought We to Be?" Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI He’s Coming—So, “What Kind of People Ought We to Be?” In Jesus’ time, John the Baptist prepared the way for the Lord’s first coming. In our message today, we hear from the Apostle Peter as he asks us what kind of people we ought to be as we prepare for the Lord’s second coming. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1701010355276-L3RVLCJO5BGLW43C2XNY/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Thanksgiving Eve: Thanks, Not Angst. Pastor Dan Johnston, Bethany, Appleton, WI Thanksgiving Eve: Thanks, Not Angst! As we celebrate Thanksgiving, we recognize that every good and gracious gift comes from our Father above. So we rightly ought to return our gratitude and thanksgiving to him. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1700436065328-BEHW29MSE9FUKXBWLP5Z/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - The Time In Between: A Time to Worship the King. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 3: A Time to Worship the King For the last Sunday of the church year, we focus on Christ our King and the victory he won for us. Since by faith we share in that victory with Jesus, this time between his first coming and his second coming is a time for us to worship our King. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1700420225879-7VUUO2AYYDLS5L91BM20/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - The Time In Between: A Time for Faithful Service. Pastor Dan Johnston, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 2: A Time for Faithful Service Christ came once to accomplish all of his work of salvation. We know he is coming again, but in this in-between time, God has given us important work to do. Today we consider what it means to live lives of faithful service during the time in between. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1700419206509-BL5LTHN8O2TU1255IGJ7/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - The Time In Between: A Time to Focus on Future Glory. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 1: A Time to Focus on Future Glory Today, God gives us a glimpse of the saints who have gone on before us into heaven. We know that, through faith in Jesus, we have a place among them as well. Today we will see that this time in between is a time for us to look ahead and focus on the future glory that Jesus has in store for us. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1699842593687-JPECA2GH0WA78BUITVNJ/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Reformation: Reform Isn't the Answer. Pastor Dan Johnston, Bethany, Appleton, WI Reformation: Reform Isn’t the Answer The Reformation is a very important moment in our world’s history. But the Reformation is not really about a man named Martin Luther or even a cultural revolution. It was about a simple return to the gospel message—a message by faith, through grace, relying entirely on Jesus Christ crucified for our salvation. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1698507603173-HU8BFNKNU79T855KU2KG/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - God's Vision for the Church: A Church That Is Watchful as It Waits. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany Week 7: A Church That Is Watchful as It Waits As we conclude our series on God’s vision for the church, our eyes are pointed ahead to the Last Day when Jesus returns. God wants us to be watchful as we wait for that day—not to be down and out or defeated, but rather to rise up in God’s grace and strength to carry out the mission that he has laid before us. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1698507169680-5GLIEIMCWHCN3QD9739Z/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - God's Vision for the Church: A Church That Teaches the Next Generation. Pastor Dan Johnston, Bethany Week 6: A Church That Teaches the Next Generation God is clear: His church is one that he has commissioned to teach the next generation—to proclaim his saving deeds to the our children, and they to their children … and so on, until our Lord Jesus comes again. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1696894708554-QQ93B7GS5OJV7UE1QPHP/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - God's Vision for the Church: A Church That Forgives as God Forgives. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany Week 5: A Church That Forgives as God Forgives This week follows closely on the heels of understanding that God’s church is to be one that values accountability—people who are ready and willing to have those hard conversations when sin gets into the mix of our relationships. But just as we should be ready to do that, God wants us to be ready and willing to then offer forgiveness, just as he has forgiven each one of us in Christ Jesus. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1696894607164-RJOR18V1GYAD79F7WJ1J/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - God's Vision for the Church: A Church That Values Accountability. Pastor Dan Johnston, Bethany Week 4: A Church That Values Accountability God’s vision for the church also includes valuing accountability. This may not be a part of our lives as God’s people that we look forward to—calling sin to the carpet when needed. Yet, this is a very important part of the ministry that God has given to the church—and to each of us—as we look out for the spiritual health of one another. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1696894502962-F50LZ1ZYJ38HUFNVCRI0/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - God's Vision for the Church: A Church That Embraces the Cross. Pastor Dan Johnston, Bethany Week 3: A Church That Embraces the Cross As we continue to consider God’s vision for the church, we see that God’s vision is a church that embraces the cross. So often in life, we flee the difficult things. We want to stay far away from the hard or painful things. Yet, very frequently, for the sake of Christ’s name God calls us exactly to those things—as we embrace the cross of Christ, and embrace crosses of our own. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1696894364746-XJD8VJMKLXIPINBZC3RD/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - God's Vision for the Church: A Church That Is Focused on One. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton Week 2: A Church That Is Focused on One As we continue to consider God’s vision for the church, we see that the church is to be a place that is focused on One. We will talk about the wonderful confession of faith that God works in our hearts in his Son Jesus, and our call to share that message with others in this world. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1696894196831-HJU8JMQYVNFVPBJAG3H7/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - God's Vision for the Church: A Church That Welcomes All. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 1: A Church That Welcomes All God’s vision for the church is to be a church that welcomes all people. As we consider God’s Word through the apostle Paul, we’ll see what it truly means to welcome all—by understanding how God has welcomed us into his family through the saving work of Jesus. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1694493650464-DISTM80CSNISPY5BDJJN/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Share the Hope of Heaven by Telling Others about the Grace of Jesus. Pastor Dan Johnston, Bethany Week 4: Share the hope of heaven by telling others about the grace of Jesus Today we consider the last of our core strategies for living out Bethany’s mission as a congregation: We share the hope of heaven that we all have, by telling others about the grace of Jesus. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1694475133362-4HRXWWW51J6QOCVZ49QM/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Serve God and Others by Using Our Distinct Gifts. Pastor Mark Henke, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 3: Serve God and others by using our distinct gifts Serving our gracious God with all that we are and all that we have … it’s something that sometimes feels like a burden or obligation. Sometimes we think of a life of service as a life sentence. But it isn’t—and it also is. Today God lays before us an opportunity, rather than a punishment, to serve him and serve others. A life of service is an opportunity to live out our praise and thanksgiving to our God. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1694474188261-LSYOD4ISYFX6QND5XSQF/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Grow Spiritually by Faithfully Studying His Word at Home and Together. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany Week 2: Grow spiritually by faithfully studying God’s Word at home and together Today we consider the second of our four core strategies for living out Bethany’s mission as a congregation: We grow spiritually by faithfully studying God’s Word, both at home individually and among our brothers and sisters in Christ. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1694375439641-LDS8PIU7X7PF4M4EKGRF/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Worship God by Coming Together around Word & Sacrament. Pastor Dan Johnston, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 1: Gather - Worship God by coming together around Word and Sacrament Today we consider the first of our four core strategies for living out Bethany’s mission as a congregation: Worship God by coming together around Word and Sacrament. Why do we come to church? Why is it so necessary for our lives to gather as a body of believers around God’s Word? Psalm 84 provides some answers. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1691981630582-MXF3U9136XU1VLAUP2P5/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Summer School: Lessons from Jesus - The Feeding of the 5,000. Pastor Dan Johnston, Bethany, Appleton Week 5: The Feeding of the 5,000 As we wrap up our Summer School series, we consider the account of the Feeding of the 5,000. Even though we are not physically fed with the same bread that Jesus gave to the people that day, we are still spiritually fed by what we learn about Jesus and about our God in this account. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1691972593654-20K07LA8ZFA3WM2PSS7O/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Summer School: Lessons from Jesus - The Parables of Priceless Treasure. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany Week 4: The Parables of Priceless Treasure As we continue to learn at the feet of Jesus, we consider three parables telling of priceless treasure. And in these parables, Jesus reminds us of the value, importance and urgency of his Kingdom. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1691972426128-TKHVPEOHH9YWHM0JZPGF/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Summer School: Lessons from Jesus - The Parable of the Weeds. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton Week 3: The Parable of the Weeds The Parable of the Weeds gives us a lot of insight into and explanation for all of the evil that we see in the world around us. But the parable especially shows us how God would have us react and respond to all of this as we live as his people—the wheat among the weeds—in this world. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1689729073951-VTKROYG5MTFXSBWR4E06/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Summer School: Lessons from Jesus - The Parable of the Sower. Pastor Dan Johnston, Bethany, Appleton Week 2: The Parable of the Sower As we continue to learn at the feet of our great Teacher, Jesus, we consider his parable of the sower. Jesus often used parables as a way to share important truths about faith and salvation in simple and accessible language. Jesus wants us to understand—and in the parable of the sower, we can see and clearly understand God’s activity in his kingdom, and our place in that kingdom. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1689542608780-S6M5ZTV570U3IGHI7E1X/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Summer School: Lessons from Jesus - The Promise of Rest. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 1: The Promise of Rest We know that physical rest is important. And we take a lot of steps to make good rest possible—buying the right mattress, keeping the right schedule, taking the right kind of vacations. We place a high value on physical rest. But we need more than physical rest. We need spiritual rest. And the only place to find that true rest is in Jesus. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1688606565221-HI95639TX3MYA1B0N1S9/image-asset.png Sermon Library - Gospel Ministry Continues Despite Opposition. Pastor Dan Johnston, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 4: The Gospel Ministry Continues Despite Opposition As we wrap up our series, we hear the Apostle Paul tell the young pastor Timothy that the gospel ministry will face opposition from the world—and even from within the church. Still, by God’s grace, we see that the gospel ministry is something that will continue among us despite this opposition. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1688595170985-SM4DSYCWNRMMN06DPW50/image-asset.png Sermon Library - Gospel Ministry: Given Freely Because of God's Compassion. Pastor Dan Johnston, Bethany, Appleton Week 3: The Gospel Ministry: Given Freely Because of God’s Compassion The gospel ministry is a gift—and it’s a gift that God has given to us freely, no strings attached. We don’t deserve the love that God has shown to us in Jesus and continues to show to us through the ministry of the gospel. But God has given the gospel to us freely because of his compassion. And because of God’s compassion to us, the gospel is a gift that we also freely distribute to others. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1687215029002-MI1GT3GCGSH2Z4DX1AY0/image-asset.png Sermon Library - Gospel Ministry: Staffed by Sinners, Called by God to Serve Sinners. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany Week 2: The Gospel Ministry: Staffed by Sinners, Called by God to Serve Sinners Gospel ministry is staffed by sinners. We see plenty of examples of this in the Bible, and we know this is true of our gospel ministers today, as well. Gospel ministers are sinners who are called by God to serve other sinners. Today we will see that through this gift of gospel ministry, God pours out some of his greatest gifts both on those who serve in ministry and on those who are served by it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1686517962284-J8AIWAW08NEQIHKAK87N/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Gospel Ministry Stands on the Truth of God's Word. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 1: The Gospel Ministry Stands on the Truth of God’s Word Today, as we begin to consider the great gift that is the ministry of the gospel, we start where all gospel ministry must start—with the Word of God itself. We see that gospel ministry must stand on the truth of God’s Word. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1686431845684-PEOL8OST5RXBE8AVSNJV/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - The Great Mystery of God. Pastor Dan Johnston, Bethany, Appleton, WI Trinity Sunday 2023: The Great Mystery of God On Trinity Sunday, we consider one of the great mysteries we find in Scripture: that God is three Persons, yet one God. We call this mystery the Trinity. It’s a truth we confess as God’s people, while recognizing that our finite minds will never be able to fully grasp this great mystery. But we also see in God’s Word everything we need to understand about how our Triune God blesses us with faith, life and salvation. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1686412785068-ZKBZFFP9VYA83AAQCFAY/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Give Thanks to God, the Holy Spirit. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI Pentecost 2023: Give Thanks to God, the Holy Spirit On Pentecost, we look at the work of the Holy Spirit. His primary work is to create faith in our hearts through the gospel. And he also pours out many other gifts on his church, so that we can share with others the good news about Jesus as well. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1685385245015-0C6A3NSYPWCKBPGRSITG/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Because Jesus Lives: We Are Ready to Give an Answer. Pastor Dan Johnston, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 6: Because Jesus Lives We Are Ready to Give an Answer As we celebrate Confirmation Sunday, our thoughts turn to what it means to live a life of faithfulness to our God. It’s only because of the hope we have in Jesus that we’re able to live a faithful life. It’s this hope that we have in Jesus—the certainty of our eternal future in him—that enables our confirmands to make their promises of faithfulness. And it’s the same certainty of faith that enables us to be prepared at all times to give an answer to the reason for the hope that we have in Jesus. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1684628251090-TJTQRKQCFOKFENEFFBCH/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Because Jesus Lives: We Are Sustained through Our Struggles. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 5: Because Jesus Lives We Are Sustained through Our Struggles Today, the Apostle Peter tells us about a number of the struggles we face as God’s people in this world. But at the same time, he gives us the sure hope that God will bring us through those things. What’s more, God promises to bring us safely to the other side—to his side in eternal glory. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1684210497330-E2RSM50E3V7C0J2YCVPH/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Because Jesus Lives: We Are Rebuilt on the Cornerstone. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 4: Because Jesus Lives We Are Rebuilt on the Cornerstone As God’s special people, we have a secure place in his house. And we also have a call to serve him with our lives in this world. God has selected us to be his own, brought us into his family, and has set us apart for service in his kingdom. This is God’s spiritual building project—and it all rests on Jesus, the Cornerstone of our faith. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1684210387726-AJVRHW27V5V7B1R3DX5B/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Because Jesus Lives: We Are Returned to the Good Shepherd. Pastor Dan Johnston, Bethany, Appleton WI Week 3: Because Jesus Lives We Are Returned to the Good Shepherd For Good Shepherd Sunday, we consider suffering. As the sheep of our Savior’s flock, we sometimes suffer for our faith. But this suffering is proof that we are indeed God’s sheep—brought into his flock through the suffering of the Good Shepherd. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1682911693161-T4WTR0TBH2OU1G0BRGAN/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Because Jesus Lives: We Have a New Way of Life. Pastor Dan Johnston, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 2: Because Jesus Lives We Have a New Way of Life “Be holy.” That’s the way of life that God has assigned to us. But we know that being holy isn’t possible for sinful people like us. So Jesus had to be holy for us. Through his perfect life, death and resurrection, he has given us a new way of life—one where we have his holiness as our own, and where we empowered to live our lives to his glory. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1682716931196-NAZ1BZW077W4WICKZMFB/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Because Jesus Lives: We Are Reborn to a Living Hope. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 1: Because Jesus Lives We Are Reborn to a Living Hope The Apostle Peter knew firsthand what the resurrection of Jesus meant for his life and his future. So he’s in a prime position to share with us what the resurrection means for our lives and our futures, too. Today we consider that because Jesus lives, we are reborn to a living hope. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1681004233602-U1SWLQM1J7KKK4YNT0GA/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Worthy Is the Lamb ... Who Reigns as Our King. Pastor Dan Johnston, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 6: Worthy Is the Lamb … Who Reigns as Our King There are a lot of things that we might expect a king to do or to be or to look like. Today, we see a King in Jesus—but he is not like other kings of this earth. Jesus is an entirely different class of King. He is a King who is not only worthy of our service or obedience, but he is worthy of our deepest love and loyalty. As we begin Holy Week, we see Jesus pouring out his love for us in the greatest way imaginable. Because of all that Jesus has done—living, dying and rising again to rescue us from our sins—he is truly the Lamb who is worthy to be called our King. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1680914524264-PTPT6E7S71CQPA6IT2S9/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Maundy Thursday: Communion Celebrates Community. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI Maundy Thursday: Communion Celebrates Community On Maundy Thursday, we celebrate the institution of the Lord’s Supper. Tonight we consider how the sacrament of Holy Communion is a celebration of the community that we enjoy, both with God and with one another. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1680998893815-NCS5PNHDIUTQQF4CWC2Q/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Good Friday: Evil Friday, Good Friday. Pastor Dan Johnston, Bethany, Appleton, WI Good Friday: Evil Friday, Good Friday On Good Friday, some wonder—with so much evil happening on that day, why do we call it good? The answer lies in what Jesus went to the cross to accomplish for us. As we commemorate the Passion of our Lord Jesus and his suffering and dying, today we consider everything that the Passion of Jesus means for us and for our eternity. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1681427478914-BFA468OGZR8IB293YML2/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Easter: Of First Importance. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI Easter: What Is of First Importance to You? We all have things that are important to us. Our marriage. Children. Health. Career. Finances. The list goes on. But of all these things, what is most important? This Easter, we consider the one thing that the Apostle Paul referred to as “of first importance”—the good news of Jesus Christ, crucified and risen for us and for our salvation. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1680483768072-AS5FFMO09CWAGTS1CY3Z/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Worthy Is the Lamb ... Who Undoes Death's Curse. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 5: Worthy Is the Lamb … Who Undoes Death’s Curse Today we see that our Savior is worthy of our honor and praise because he is the one who undoes death’s curse. We’ll consider a couple of resurrection stories—Lazarus being raised from the dead by Jesus, a young boy raised to life through the prophet Elisha. And the point isn’t that God would resurrect us for a few more years of life on this earth, as was the case with these two accounts. Rather, we see that through faith in Jesus we have the certainty that we will never be separated from the God who won our salvation. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1680474173180-JG8L4W80YFFSNTXJUERV/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Worthy Is the Lamb ... Who Serves as Our Ransom. Pastor Dan Johnston, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 4: Worthy Is the Lamb … Who Serves as Our Ransom As we continue to consider Jesus as the Worthy Lamb, we are once again seeing what it is about our Savior that makes him so worthy—and what he does for us as our worthy Savior. Today we see that Jesus is the Lamb who is worthy to serve as our ransom from sin. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1680459820228-7KUZ3A19E3UIXQT2NBVG/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Worthy Is the Lamb ... Who Gives Sight to the Blind. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 3: Worthy Is the Lamb … Who Gives Sight to the Blind Today, we see Jesus, the Worthy Lamb, restore sight to a blind man. But in restoring the blind man’s sight, Jesus does so much more—he teaches his disciples, the people around him and us today, a deeper lesson. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1678404643955-FHSBGHN49XI4TPKW754K/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Worthy Is the Lamb ... Who Calls the Outsiders. Pastor Dan Johnston, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 2: Worthy Is the Lamb … Who Calls the Outsiders What does it mean to be an “insider” with God? Are we insiders? What does it mean to be an “outsider” with God? By nature, we are all outsiders—separated from God by our sin. But God has made us insiders, and now we know what it’s like to live with God’s glorious presence in our lives. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1678333066848-OQB2T0DYTIMK867PG168/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Worthy Is the Lamb ... Who Overcomes Temptation. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 1: Worthy Is the Lamb … Who Overcomes Temptation As we begin the season of Lent, we consider Jesus as “the Lamb who was slain.” In Revelation, we hear all God’s angels cry, “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” Jesus is worthy of all of this because of everything he does for us and for all of his people. Today, as we see Jesus doing battle against Satan in the wilderness, we see that Jesus is worthy of our praise and honor because he is the one who overcomes temptation. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1678323477056-A3CA45LC721QTVX4LKKL/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Overflow in the Grace of Giving. Pastor Tom Mielke. Bethany, Appleton, WI Overflow in the Grace of Giving Guest preacher Pastor Tom Mielke, a Christian Giving Counselor who focuses on helping Christians with estate planning, shares a message from God’s Word under the theme “Overflow in the Grace of Giving.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1676342293065-1IPH56XOQ9HGSESQSB4E/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Satisfying the Thirsty Soul. Pastor Dan Johnston, Bethany, Appleton, WI Satisfying the Thirsty Soul Nothing can quench physical thirst quite like water. Spiritually, we all experience a far greater thirst. People search for so many things to try to quench that thirst in their souls. But there’s only one thing that can finally satisfy it—Jesus himself, his grace and the salvation he won for us at the cross and in the empty tomb. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1676331305513-G7FR2MSJ7BPFIJD0Z4TE/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Sitting at Jesus' Feet: We Learn to Be Who God Has Made Us. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 2: We Learn to Be Who God Has Made Us Jesus says that we are “salt and light” in this world. What does that mean? Jesus is telling us that we have the opportunity to make a tremendous impact in the world around us and to serve a glorious purpose in our lives as God’s people. So he encourages us to simply be who God has made us to be. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1676331169428-R1AZ94I6X8F326H2Z9U2/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Sitting at Jesus' Feet: We Learn What a Blessed Life Means. Pastor Dan Johnston, Bethany, Appleton Week 1: We Learn What a Blessed Life Means What Jesus calls blessed, the world never would. The world praises the strong and self-sufficient. Jesus calls blessed what others would consider weak, unimpressive or unsuccessful. Today, as we consider the Beatitudes from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, we learn what a blessed life truly looks like—a blessed life in God’s kingdom. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1674525130266-NH8C6JFXYUZNDCR4DQF1/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Introducing Jesus: The Light Who Overcomes All Darkness. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 3: The Light Who Overcomes All Darkness We’ve seen Jesus introduced as the Anointed One who came for all people and the Lamb who takes away all sin. Today we see Jesus introduced as the Light who overcomes all darkness. Whether it’s the opposition of a sinful world or the sin and guilt that lives in our own hearts, Jesus comes with his light of grace to shine and drive that darkness away. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1674430078351-P6BHDA2209PXL7Z6548N/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Introducing Jesus: The Lamb Who Takes Away All Sin. Pastor Dan Johnston, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 2: The Lamb Who Takes Away All Sin Today we see another glimpse of who Jesus is. We are introduced to Jesus in another beautiful way, and we see the meaning that Jesus holds for us. He is our Lamb—the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1673216963252-R8YMD3BIFFH9J85C1GGX/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Introducing Jesus: The Anointed One Who Came for All Nations. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 1: The Anointed One Who Came for All Nations Today we see Jesus introduced as the Anointed One, who came for all nations. That truth is a great comfort to us during those times when we might feel a bit like “outsiders” looking in. And that truth is an important lesson for us when we view ourselves as “insiders” too. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1673138795715-F5SI4J9K0YZZTESAG18T/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - A New Year's Letter. Pastor Dan Johnston, Bethany, Appleton, WI New Year’s Day 2023: A New Year’s Letter In the form of a New Year’s letter from our Savior Jesus, we hear the beautiful truth of why Jesus was born, the work he came to do to save us from our sins, and the heavenly inheritance we have waiting for us as members of God’s family. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1672078955341-0H8G015I9MSPDC9VVF2P/image-asset.png Sermon Library - Christmas Day: Grace Upon Grace. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI Christmas Day: Grace Upon Grace In Jesus, God has given to us grace upon grace. Gift after gift. Nowhere do we see this more clearly than in Bethlehem and in the manger. There we see God's gift of Jesus, our Savior. And there we see how gift after gift—grace upon grace—flows to us in Jesus' life, death and resurrection. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1672085325616-2460WPDOZA869KBQA4ZJ/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Come, Lord Jesus: As Immanuel. Pastor Dan Johnston, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 4: Come, Lord Jesus: As Immanuel When you look into the manger, what do you see? A baby? Yes. But there’s more. That is Immanuel, “God with us.” The Son of God became Mary’s son, so that he could do for us what we could not do for ourselves—to save us from our sins and open to us the door to eternal life. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1671112130909-6D40VVKGPY7VJI70QWRL/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Come, Lord Jesus: What Do You Expect of the Messiah? Pastor Brad Krause, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 3: Come, Lord Jesus: What Do You Expect of the Messiah? Many people have different expectations of who the Messiah should be. Today, some want a Messiah who is a good example, a wise teacher or an inspiring leader. In Jesus’s day, many wanted a political Messiah, who would remove Roman oppression and restore the kingdom of Israel to power. Even faithful Christians face the temptation to want a made-to-order Messiah, who turns a blind eye to our sin, doesn’t ask for a life of dedication, or only dispenses blessings as we would like them to be. But the true Messiah defies those expectations. Who he really is, is far better than what any of us could have expected. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1670853478252-JZYUM0PQMRNY1DSKQ5NC/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Come, Lord Jesus: As Judge. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 2: Come, Lord Jesus: As Judge “Judgment” is not a word we usually associate with the season of Advent and Christmas. But today, as we hear Isaiah describe who our judge really is—how he judges us and what the result of that judgment is—then we are glad to pray, “Come, Lord Jesus, as Judge.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1670084581844-R5320UAKWUCRJ7P8ZQ78/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Come, Lord Jesus: As King. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 1: Come, Lord Jesus: As King “Come, Lord Jesus.” They’re familiar words. You might say them every day at the dinner table. But they’re also some of the very last words in the Bible. Jesus says, “Yes, I am coming soon,” and we respond, “Come, Lord Jesus!” It’s an appropriate prayer as we get ready to celebrate Jesus’s first coming, and look ahead to his second coming. Today, we focus especially on Jesus coming as our King, looking at the kingdom that he establishes in this world and in our hearts through the message of the gospel. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1670081082781-OU3RKXG0F16I4MLDUHR9/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Thanksgiving Eve. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI Thanksgiving Eve 2022 On Thanksgiving, we’re looking at one of the things that often gets in the way of our giving thanks—the worry that so often fills our hearts. But as we listen to Jesus and the promises he gives, we see how he provides the antidote for our worry. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1669239421722-E83533SZR7D7BL9NIVVN/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Grace Upon Grace: Christ's Rule Brings Safety. Pastor Dan Johnston, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 4: Christ’s Rule Brings Safety True safety and security can’t be found in earthly rulers—they will always come up short. But in Christ’s Kingdom, we find forgiveness, love and a ruler who directs all things for our eternal good. It’s only under the gracious rule of Christ in our hearts that we find true, eternal safety. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1668921400401-KQN6N95ULR2H2MPJ8L9F/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Grace Upon Grace: Judgment Produces Perseverance. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 3: Judgment Produces Perseverance As we continue to consider God’s grace, we look at the gift of perseverance that God works in our hearts as his people. We know we need this perseverance, especially in these last difficult days as we consider the End Times. But today we see that God brings it to us through an unlikely source. Through the judgment that he warns about on the Last Day, as well as the gracious judgment that he passes on his people today through faith in Jesus, God works that perseverance in our hearts. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1668300444059-XY5ZMO0UFI5ALUU4FU5O/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Grace Upon Grace: Heaven Brings Comfort. Pastor Dan Johnston, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 2: Heaven Brings Comfort As we continue our series Grace Upon Grace, we again see how the grace and blessings of God beget further grace and further blessings. Today, we consider God’s grace in the promise of heaven and what that means for our lives here on earth. We live in a broken world. We see sin and its effects all around us—and we’re part of that problem, too. But God has solved the problem of sin in Jesus, and promises that he has something far better in store for us in heaven. And as God gives us the promise of heaven to look forward to, this gives us comfort in our lives today. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1668118226993-45QUPISPDKWK4JXOGOZX/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Grace Upon Grace: Truth Brings Freedom. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 1: Truth Brings Freedom As we begin a new sermon series, we will see how so often one blessing from God flows directly out of another one of God’s blessings. We see this especially clearly in the Reformation, when God worked through Martin Luther to restore his gospel to the church. By grace, God has revealed to us the saving truth of the gospel. And it’s that truth that brings us freedom from sin, death and the devil. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1667060379165-SWHL22ZW4QQBBSYHEXP5/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - My Faith Looks Up to Thee and Depends Entirely on You. Pastor Dan Johnston, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 4: My Faith Looks Up to Thee and Depends Entirely on You As we wrap up the series My Faith Looks Up to Thee, we consider a message from Luke’s gospel, in which a rich young ruler asked Jesus a straightforward question: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” There are many who believe—and many Christians who believe—that the way to heaven lies in our own good deeds. That we’re good enough to earn heaven ourselves. But in this gospel account, Jesus cut right to the heart of this man’s false belief in his own good works. Jesus uncovered the idol that was standing in the way of this young man’s faith relationship with God. And in this interaction, Jesus challenges us to examine our own attitudes, self-righteousness and idolatry. And we see that everything we have and everything that we hope for depends entirely upon the God that we look to in faith. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1667057419000-K1BR1OLSEIJ0C9SH328E/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - My Faith Looks Up to Thee and Does Not Give Up on Prayer. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 3: My Faith Looks Up to Thee and Does Not Give Up on Prayer There are so many things we have to pray for, both personally and for those around us. But life is hectic and it can be easy to let prayer fall off of our agenda. Hearing our Lord’s word and promise of salvation in Jesus is what encourages us to pray and never give up. Because it’s our faith connection with Jesus that fuels a life of persistent prayer. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1665354872423-QE5SCYOXMOR90EKWK2M2/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - My Faith Looks Up to Thee and Gives Thanks for Your Generosity. Pastor Dan Johnston, Bethany Week 2: My Faith Looks Up to Thee and Gives Thanks for Your Generosity We have a God who gives to us very generously. As our faith looks up to him, we not only understand the indescribable generosity of our Lord, but we learn how faith necessarily will respond to God’s generosity. And we will consider how the generosity that God has shown to us in Jesus truly and rightly begets the thanks and praise of our lives. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1665289716613-FRWV974SZONW3AS89AML/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - My Faith Looks Up to Thee and Finds Strength to Serve. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 1: My Faith Looks Up to Thee and Finds Strength to Serve As we begin a new sermon series, we consider our life of faith. And we recognize that the faith that we live by isn’t powerful because of who we are or what we can do. Faith is powerful because of the one in whom it rests. When our faith looks up to Jesus, then we are equipped for everything that he calls us to do. Today we see that when our faith looks up to Jesus, we find the strength we need to serve him in whatever way he calls us to. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1664681009892-2O0OL8C9PFNQV6SCTB2Q/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Hard Truth: In the End, Those Who Have May Be Have-Nots, and the Have-Nots May Have It All. Pastor Mark Henke, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 7: In the End, Those Who Have May Be Have-Nots, and the Have-Nots May Have It All Last week we looked at our attitudes toward wealth. Today, we see that just as wealth doesn’t provide true fulfillment in life, wealth also can provide us nothing in death. Through the story Jesus tells of the Rich Man and Lazarus, we see that in the end, those who seem to have it all now, may have nothing at all. Yet those who seem to have nothing now, may end up having it all. And the difference is not in the presence or absence of wealth—it’s entirely dependent upon what’s going on in our hearts. Today, we are encouraged to look at our own hearts to see where our confidence truly lies. Because it’s only faith in Jesus that can bring us true confidence in the end. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1664030860541-408QPAOGSKGTKZ7XZTGS/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Hard Truth: Where Satisfaction Is (and Isn't) Found. Pastor Dan Johnston, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 6: Where Satisfaction Is (and Isn’t) Found There are more than 2,300 Bible passages that speak about money. Why? Money is a master Satan frequently tempts us to serve. And that evil foe knows how successful his efforts with money can be. Money provides us with a false comfort and a sense of security. It serves as a source of pride. It serves as a wonderful tool for a favorite pastime: justifying ourselves in our own eyes and the eyes of others. King Solomon knew a thing or two about seeking satisfaction in what wealth could provide. But, as he grew older, he gained some Godly perspective. He asked, what has all this wealth really gained? Through his words in Ecclesiastes, God teaches us the same hard truth—true satisfaction can never come from wealth, but only comes when God is what occupies our heart. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1663523646291-8H6PV0NG6QLGGD1UT0UP/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Hard Truth: The Found Are Left and the Lost Are Found. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 5: The Found Are Left and the Lost Are Found In two parables from Luke 15, Jesus tells us about things that are lost and the joy of finding them. As we look at these two parables through the eyes of faith, we’ll be challenged with our definitions of what it means to be found and what it means to be lost. But one thing we’ll clearly see is that whether a person seems to be found or lost, every single soul is precious to Jesus. And they should be precious to us, too. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1662601919397-FHZPNYNQKZ9DD6JFKSJ8/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Hard Truth: Choose. Pastor Dan Johnston, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 4: Choose! It is an unavoidable hard truth. Our relationship with Jesus will put us in situations where we must decide where love for him ranks compared to love for other people and things. And Jesus is not content to be one of many important things in our life; he wants to be first. He wants us to follow his Word unwaveringly, even when he asks us to do difficult things. In our reading from Deuteronomy, the LORD sets two paths before Israel: one leading to life, the other to death. God also sets this choice before us—but through Jesus he empowers us to choose the path of life, which he has already made ours through faith. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1662146040208-7JWSEQ3WBTYFSBWKZ2EY/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Hard Truth: The Humble Will Be Exalted; The Exalted Will Be Humbled. Pastor Dan Johnston, Bethany Week 3: The Humble Will Be Exalted; The Exalted Will Be Humbled Everyone knows that humility is a positive trait and pride is a negative one. So, why bother talking about what we already know? Because in spite of that knowledge, we still helplessly fall into the trap of pride. We cannot help but think that our ascent to the exalted status we desire is our responsibility. We even take our exaltation into our own hands, either by treating poorly those we believe we can stand on top of or by showing favoritism to those we believe can provide us with upward mobility. Rather than minimizing pride as a sin that is common or harmless, Jesus’ words today confront us with this hard truth. Those who exalt themselves will be humbled by God. But Jesus also gives us the promise we need to be freed from pride’s trap. Our exaltation doesn’t need to be our responsibility because Jesus has already made it his. Those who humble themselves, Christ will exalt. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1661613329655-8FCIT1CJZNYXEJZVG5BY/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Hard Truth: Make Every Effort to Enter through the Narrow Door. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton Week 2: “Make Every Effort to Enter through the Narrow Door” Today we look at the hard truth Jesus teaches us when he says, “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door.” The words “make every effort” may sound strange in light of God’s grace. What may be even more difficult to understand is that Jesus then tells us many will try to enter but will not be able. As we wrestle with this hard truth, we turn to our Savior for guidance—and we’ll see how through his grace, Jesus has not only opened the narrow door for us, but he ensures that we will fit through it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1661009481469-620MSMLRG34LPES3S4TT/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Hard Truth. Pastor Dan Johnston, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 1: Hard Truth Today we look at one of the more difficult teachings in Scripture—that a life of faith is a life of struggle. It’s a race, a contest, and it requires perseverance. Jesus tells us that in our life of faith there will be hardship and sorrow, and division instead of peace. He tells us that anyone who follows him must take up their cross. Along the way, we’ll feel pain, discomfort and rejection. We may well become weary. Where do we find the strength to live our life of faith? The writer to the Hebrews tells us, “Fix your eyes on Jesus.” That’s how God trains and strengthens us to persevere toward the goal of faith—eternal life in heaven—won for us by Jesus, who has already run the race perfectly for us. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1660082809465-883XGSM7TTY1E7AKFPM7/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Focused Living Properly Values Heavenly Treasure. Pastor Dan Johnston, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 4: Focused Living Properly Values Heavenly Treasure Last week Jesus warned us against overvaluing earthly wealth. This week his Word warns against undervaluing heavenly treasure. Through the story of Abraham, recounted for us in the book of Hebrews, we will consider what it means to focus not on the things of this earth, but on the heavenly home that’s waiting for us. And we’ll see how the focus of faith shows us the true value of this treasure. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1659732742219-4MW90HKQ6AUEB47OZ3BY/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Focused Living Properly Values Earthly Wealth. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 3: Focused Living Properly Values Earthly Wealth Jesus wants focused followers. However, one of the things that can most easily get in the way of our focus is our earthly possessions. Today we look at the parable of the Rich Fool—a man who was blessed with such abundance that he didn’t know what to do with it. His solution? Build bigger barns to hold on to this bounty of earthly possessions while he enjoyed the good life. He stored up riches for himself, but quickly learned how wrong his thinking was. This prompts a question for us and our own lives, too. Are we rich toward God? Or are we just rich? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1658723030330-U7DLJGBCZ4GWEKWP6J87/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Focused: Prayer and You. Pastor Dan Johnston, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 2: Focused: Prayer and You Today we consider what it means to live a focused life of prayer. In a sense, prayer comes naturally to us. We want so we ask. We hurt so we cry out. We are blessed so we give thanks. So we sometimes define prayer as “speaking to God from the heart.” It seems so easy. What does not come naturally, however, is the focused prayer God wants for us. Prayer that has its basis in God’s grace and the good gifts he wishes to give us. Yes, we can speak from the heart and ask for anything we want. But our Father invites us to pray specifically for the things he wants to give us. Prayer is the opportunity to align our will to God’s will, not the other way around. We have much to learn about prayer. So, along with Jesus’ disciples, we say, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1). https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1658270704857-0C4V3RT5FSE6MPW8LJ2F/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Christ's Wisdom in the Word (Installation of Pastor Daniel Johnston). Bethany, Appleton, WI Pastor Johnston Installation - July 17, 2022 In this special service, we celebrate the installation of Pastor Daniel Johnston at Bethany under the theme “Christ’s Wisdom in the Word.” As pastors bring God’s Word to his people, we know that they are not just bringing an empty message, but they are bringing us the message of the Savior and salvation itself. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1657933300815-2R03GA0LVTAV0GX9GY1W/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Focused Love Finds a Neighbor in Need. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 1: Focused Love Finds a Neighbor in Need Jesus had a single-minded focus on our salvation—a drive to go to the cross to pay for the sins of the whole world. That focus directs us in our lives of serving Jesus and serving others. We want to have a focus on Jesus’ mission and his will for us—and his focus also teaches us to look to the needs of those around us. Today we think about how focused love always finds a neighbor in need. Considering the book of Ruth, we’ll see a wonderful example of how faith can lead us to focus not just inwardly on our own needs, but outward to the needs of others. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1657346887431-7G01OZ0SLWXZTXCHP55O/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - The Power, Purpose and Potential of Freedom. Pastor Mark Henke, Bethany, Appleton, WI The Power, Purpose and Potential of Freedom For Independence Day, we’re looking at the subject of freedom. As we celebrate the freedom that we have as citizens of the United States of America, we also have a different kind of freedom: the freedom that’s found in Christ. And those two freedoms can sometimes be in conflict with each other. “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed”—but that doesn’t mean we’re free to do whatever we want. Freedom without boundaries really isn’t freedom. Today, God asks us to wrestle with how we live out our freedom both as a citizen of the Kingdom of God and as a citizen of the United States. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1656167274266-7S2352KF75EZF66E5MQF/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - God's Powerful Words Reign over Evil. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 2: God’s Powerful Words Reign over Evil That’s a hard thought for us at times. We know what goes on in our world. We know what goes on in our own hearts and lives. There are times when it doesn’t seem to us that God and his Word are really reigning over evil. We might even think he’s indifferent, or wonder why he doesn’t take action. But in our gospel reading today, we see Jesus put on a clear demonstration of his power over evil. And through this, he gives us the confidence that his words always have that same power. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1655592642952-3RMIG87N123BJM92XZ5O/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - God's Powerful Words Assure Us of His Blessing. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 1: God’s Powerful Words Assure Us of His Blessing The victory Jesus won for us is given to us through his Word. As we begin to explore these powerful words of God, we are also celebrating Trinity Sunday, a day we set aside to contemplate the mystery of our Three-in-One God. This mystery of our Triune God goes beyond our ability to fully understand—but as God speaks to us through his Word, he makes sure that we know exactly what he wants us to know about him. And through the Word, we are assured of the Triune God’s blessing in our lives. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1654572676547-PMI9MN3EQ7A4KY0EE5R5/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Victorious through the Word. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 7: Victorious through the Word In the final week of our series called Victorious, we also celebrate the day of Pentecost. We will not only look at the work that the Holy Spirit does in coming to give God’s Word to his people, to create and strengthen faith. We will also consider how the Spirit delivers all of the blessings that Jesus won at the cross to the individual hearts of people in this world. The victory that Jesus won is all ours through the Word. And the Holy Spirit is the one who works through that Word to plant it in our hearts. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1654375091261-GPDLETU4VLVR2D9ZD6PD/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Victorious to the Ends of the Earth. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 6: Victorious to the Ends of the Earth As we consider the Ascension of our Lord Jesus, there are many different things we could focus on. We know that Jesus is at the right hand of the Father, speaking to the Father on our behalf. We know he is there preparing a place for us, where we will spend eternity with him. We know that Jesus is ruling all things for the benefit of his Church. But what we’ll focus on today is our Lord Jesus’s commission to his church to take the message of his salvation, the message of his Easter victory, to the ends of the earth. And we’ll see how he accompanies and blesses us as we carry out that important work. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1653434961467-G7VPCV4UGMMR2UYZCTQA/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Victorious: Faith over Fear of Life's Final Moments. Pastor Mark Henke, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 5: Victorious: Faith over Fear of Life’s Final Moments Today we consider how we think about the end of our life. Is it going to be fight or flight? Do we not want to deal with it? Or is it something we can embrace, even with contentment and joy? Because of Easter, the answer to that question is yes, we can face even life’s final moments with no fear. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1652758752016-RLVCGNJK9GT1E920PX2F/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Selfless Love Is Victorious over Self-Glorification. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 4: Selfless Love Is Victorious over Self-Glorification We see that selfless love is victorious over self-glorification most clearly in the saving work that Jesus did for us. But we also see how this has application in our lives as his followers, as we seek to love others just as Jesus has loved us. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1652482744330-84MXXBIN4JER178KEYC2/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Divine Works Are Victorious over Empty Words. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 3: Divine Works Are Victorious over Empty Words In a world where words are often said but not supported by actions, we see in Jesus words and actions that are in perfect harmony. Today we consider not only the miracles that Jesus did, but also the saving work he did on our behalf. All of the works of Jesus show us that his words and his promises are never empty. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1651539400131-O8X5XHW0FPKIYKGY2JTV/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Clear Sight Is Victorious over Spiritual Blindness. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 2: Clear Sight Is Victorious over Spiritual Blindness Spiritual blindness can come in many different varieties. Beyond the outward, hostile rejection of Jesus, there are things that come up in our lives that dim or blur our vision of God’s love for us. But Jesus’ victory at the cross and the empty grave, clear up our vision so that we always see God’s love for us perfectly. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1651346781151-HU53U88L07T2E784PPWM/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Victorious over Doubt and Fear. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 1: Victorious over Doubt and Fear Today we consider the eyewitness testimony we have of Jesus’ resurrection in his Word. We know that we are victorious with Jesus, and because we have this testimony, we are also victorious over the doubts and fears that often attack our faith as we go about our lives in this world. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1650765350795-HLD9J4W2MQTDJCTWLPIZ/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Easter: Jesus' Victory Is the Death of Death. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1650765247921-G8I3I9GTEO14C2MOZ7KE/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Good Friday: His Punishment, Our Peace. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1650765126331-WGNLFO8EY0D64DZQTUXU/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Maundy Thursday: His Food, Our Fill. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1649624604847-ZDVRIMU4A1AA6G2XZ8JD/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Palm Sunday: Who's Leading Your Parade? Pastor Mark Henke, Bethany, Appleton, WI https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1649374053910-007NCK91HBV02YFFEK03/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Crushed: Human Rejection Is Crushed by Divine Exaltation. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 5: Human Rejection Is Crushed by Divine Exaltation As we follow Jesus in this world, we know that we will face the same kind of rejection he faced. Jesus has told us to expect this. Yet we also find hope in our own exaltation by God in the exaltation and glorification of our Savior Jesus. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1648472515786-Q2F9AVN9381JRPNMIYDT/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Crushed: Condemnation. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 4: Crushed: Condemnation Condemnation comes in different varieties. There’s the condemnation we deserve because of our sins. And there’s the condemnation we often sinfully direct toward others, and even toward God at times. Today we’ll see how God’s grace to us in Jesus crushes all of that condemnation. In the parable of the prodigal son—or perhaps better named the parable of the loving father—we’ll see the grace the father shows to both of his sons, and we’ll understand the grace that our Father shows to us. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1647917412297-HZ0W67TBI9PYO72CJP55/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Crushed: The Fear of What's Next. Pastor Mark Henke, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 3: Crushed: The Fear of What’s Next We’ve been through a couple of strange years. With all of the things going on with the pandemic, new variants, new wars … we can get to the point where we’re “waiting for the other shoe to drop.” There’s a lot for us to be fearful of when it comes to the uncertainty of what’s coming next. But even in fearful times, we have absolute certainty of God’s love for us in Jesus Christ. Jesus crushes the fear of what’s next, so we can live in the certainty of his promises and his love. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1647281648927-UVF6LWDMHBJ7BHBP2IJ4/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Crushed: Shortcuts Are Crushed by Determination. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 2: Shortcuts Are Crushed by Determination Last week we talked about temptation. This week we see what is at the center of every temptation: a promise of a shortcut to glory. Even in a world as sharply divided as ours, there is near universal agreement that the preferred path to glory is the shortest and easiest. To walk the path our Savior puts us on, one on which the cross comes before the crown, puts us out of step with the world. Thankfully, the determination required to walk this path starts with our Savior and not with us. Because of his determination, we are offered a glory far superior to anything the world can offer. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1646877923062-YLHGOASLN0DC4PKDCMHC/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Crushed: Our Temptation Is Crushed By Christ's Obedience. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 1: Our Temptation Is Crushed by Christ’s Obedience It was a custom known as “battle by champion.” Two opposing armies would each send out their best warrior to fight each other. That is what we see this week. The demons send their champion: Satan. Humanity’s best warrior, Jesus Christ, steps forward to meet him. In this fight he does not use his divine power. He uses the same weapon we have, God’s Word. Because Christ fought the battle against Satan as one of us, he won that battle for all of us. Jesus is our perfect substitute. Even as the devil still seethes in rage against us, we can face him and his temptations unafraid, confident that our champion has already won the victory. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1646065371383-ZP5TQXY9VLZVWDHXP0JP/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Glory Uncovered: When It Is Most Hidden, It Is Most on Display. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton Glory Uncovered: When It Is Most Hidden, It Is Most on Display Throughout Epiphany, we have seen that God must uncover for us the truths that could not be discovered by us. As this season ends, we are presented with a twist. For God's glory to be revealed, it actually must be covered. God's glory needed to be hidden in Christ. It is hidden in the gospel. This is how God enables sinful human beings to see his glory and, rather than turning away in fear, stare at it in wonder for as long as they want. The truth God uncovers for us today: when his glory is hidden, it is most on display. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1645710134280-QZFTWSP3W1P0VJDVVSKB/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Reactions Uncovered: With Your Enemies, Be Consumed with the Love of Christ. Pastor Brad Krause Reactions Uncovered: With Your Enemies, Be Consumed with the Love of Christ This week we see that truth in how Christ would have us react to those who wrong us or oppose us. Jesus asks us to befriend our enemies, to love those who hate us, and to repay evil with good. Logic would say that is a recipe for being walked all over. Yet, have we not seen this tactic work? When we were Christ's enemies, he loved us to the point of death. He repays our daily evil with the daily goodness of his mercy. In doing so, he has won us for himself. Following the strategy Jesus lays out today is not a capitulation to evil. It is a means of conquering it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1644980262236-3B3PWUAJWA3Z38SZTL3B/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Messengers Uncovered: The Least Qualified Are the First Sent. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton Messengers Uncovered: The Least Qualified Are the First Sent It does not surprise us that from the beginning of his ministry Jesus demonstrated his commitment to proclaiming good news of the kingdom of God, regardless of whether people rejected his message or embraced it. That was Christ's agenda, and he was committed to it. What is surprising is that, also from the beginning, Jesus demonstrated his plan to carry out this proclamation by sending others to speak on his behalf. More surprising is whom he sends, not angels, but mere human beings. In many cases, it was individuals who seemed to lack the qualifications to speak on Christ's behalf. Yet, Christ equipped and prepared them. Do you feel unqualified to tell others the good news? Then be assured, Jesus plans to use you exactly for that purpose. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1644181902627-PN5HSPVA6QDGBN6BAF35/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Agenda Uncovered: What Must Be Said-Not What Asks to Be Heard. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton Agenda Uncovered: What Must Be Said—Not What Asks to Be Heard Paul wrote to Timothy, “The time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.” Often, that’s our agenda too—what our ears want to hear. But today God will show us that he has a better agenda. He has given us the charge to say what must be said—the truth of his law and gospel—rather than what is asked to be heard. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1643954937294-VS7BYZK9P5TQ3WYF5U6O/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Reception Uncovered: Rejection Is Not the Exception but the Rule. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany Reception Uncovered: Rejection Is Not the Exception but the Rule When one proclaims God's Word, typically the intentions are good. We want others to know the joy of salvation and the love of Christ. Therefore, it can be surprising to us when God's Word is met with apathy or rejection by those who hear it. It's easy to conclude that when the Word of God offends human minds and hearts (including our own), something has gone wrong. The truth that is uncovered this week is that rejection of Jesus' words is not the exception but the rule. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1643039496348-OZ08754FLEHEU1QGFXOB/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - The Value of Every Human Life. Pastor Mark Henke (retired), Bethany, Appleton, WI The Value of Every Human Life Our theme, the The Value of Every Human Life, calls for us to acknowledge that there is much for which our society needs to repent: the death of countless unborn babies, the elderly treated as burdens to society, the sexual trafficking of young people, the rejection and devaluing of those differently abled, the premeditated ending of life, the gluttony/wealth of some in the midst of another's hunger/poverty, and many other sins against our fellow human beings. At their core, all these sins evolve from a lack of respect for human life, for which God issues a call to repentance. Those who heed the message will always find grace and forgiveness through the Savior, Jesus Christ. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1642426229499-2GWZ3BAANQE4KZO3YIWY/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Delight Uncovered: God Delivers More Than We Ask. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI Delight Uncovered: God Delivers More Than We Ask Is the pursuit of God and the pursuit of pleasure two separate paths? Many make that assumption—that life with Jesus is a boring, sterile experience. They are dead wrong. Jesus came to undo everything that is wrong with our world as a result of sin's curse. He also came to multiply our joy and deliver delight beyond our wildest dreams. Note that when Jesus begins to reveal his glory, it isn't by going to a hospital to cure every ailment. Instead, he starts at a local wedding, one of the greatest sources of joy in this life. The truth uncovered for us this week is that life with Jesus is not a life with less delight, but infinitely more. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1641774947527-6TFF7558P9WEFO8LPN9B/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Uncovered: What the Eye Sees Differs from What God Decrees. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI Anointing Uncovered: What the Eye Sees Differs from What God Decrees Our sight tends to be the sense we trust most. We say we will believe something when we see it. That presents a problem when it comes to the work of God. So often what our eye sees differs from what God decrees. This is true of the life of Jesus. In the eyes of the world, he was nothing special. This is also true in the life of the Christian. To the world, the believer does not look more blessed than the unbeliever. In fact, the believer may appear to have more hardships as the devil and his allies attempt to destroy him. So, to assure his children, God connects his grace, power, and blessing to something we can see—a visible sign: the anointing of baptism. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1641225917242-EXC22OWJFZWN67MLRHB8/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - The Truth of the Gospel Brings People Together. Pastor John Roebke. Bethany, Appleton, WI The Truth of the Gospel Brings People Together We live in a world that’s divided in many ways. We see it around us every day. Political divides. Cultural divides. Differences in ideologies, customs and beliefs. But only one thing truly has the power to bring people together, regardless of the differences between us—the truth of the gospel of Jesus. That’s true in cross-cultural ministries overseas, and it’s true among us as well. It’s the truth of the gospel that creates unity in Christ. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1640980049843-G3UHRXNW8255XEN34GWY/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - What Child Is This? Our Substitute and Sacrifice. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI What Child Is This? Our Substitute and Sacrifice. Already as a child, Jesus' saving work had begun. His entire life, he served as our substitute, perfectly obeying God's Law. Just think of how we often neglect the study of God's Word. Then look at twelve-year-old Jesus, eager to be in the temple learning more about Scripture. However, he would need to do more than be our substitute. Eventually he would lay that perfect life down as the sacrifice for our sin. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1640825106356-SYSGK5G3USU4UIOJLN30/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - What Child Is This? God in the Flesh. (Christmas Day). Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI What Child Is This? God in the Flesh. The Lord had told Moses, "No one may see me and live." If sinners cannot even bear to look upon the glory of God, then they certainly could not hope to live with God in the glory of heaven. So, on that first Christmas, God chose to hide his glory under flesh. What child is this? It is God and man in one person, exactly what the human race needed to deliver it from its enemies of sin, death, and Satan. Christmas Day serves up the deep stuff of Christmas: the miracle and mystery of the incarnation. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1640824948181-NOQE8RTHN7LWCFOKXZQY/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - What Child Is This? (Christmas Eve). Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI What Child Is This? This Christmas Eve, an angel answers that question. "A savior has been born to you." It is a stunning statement, for two reasons. First, this child looks nothing like what we would expect in a hero-savior. This child is weak, helpless, and mired in poverty. Second, he has come to bring salvation "to you." It is a salvation we all need desperately. It was God's gift to us, given on that first Christmas Eve. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1639976028796-87YJFZZWHNIZKF38MQBB/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - When the Lord Comes Near, Week 4. Luke 1:41-55. Pastor Mark Henke (retired), Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 4: When the Lord Comes Near, He Lifts Up the Humbled A couple of weeks ago, we heard that when the Lord comes near, he humbles his people. In order to truly be prepared for Christ’s coming—both at Christmas and on the Last Day—he has to level the mountains of our arrogance and pride, so we can see our need for God’s salvation. Today, we see that when the Lord comes near, he lifts up the humbled. After God humbles us to see our sinful nature and our need for him, he comes to us with the message of forgiveness and the gift of faith. He lifts us up to live lives of joy and Godly humility as his loved and forgiven children. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1639359929186-8MOAL18M4XMNL1EZC4UD/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - When the Lord Comes Near, Week 3. Zephaniah 3:14-17. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 3: When the Lord Comes Near, He Humbles His Enemies When the Lord comes near, he humbles his enemies. He puts out of our way all of the things that interfere with our relationship with him. He clears the path of everything that separates us from him. And he brings us joy and confidence for our lives of service to him. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1638750043026-OROAEFTN4OI2ZBK7W3JS/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - When the Lord Comes Near, Week 2. Luke 3:1-6. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 2: When the Lord Comes Near, He Humbles His People When the Lord comes near, he humbles his people. He does this through the messengers he sends, and through the message that they proclaim. Today we want to not only consider how God humbles his people, but remember God’s purpose in doing so—it’s to prepare a way for Jesus to enter our hearts and lives, and bring us close to himself. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1638161104789-SLVXTFDW93YF5TZLN8U0/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - When the Lord Comes Near, Week 1. Jeremiah 33:14-16. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 1: When the Lord Comes Near, He Humbles Himself As we begin the season of Advent, we consider the theme, “When the Lord Comes Near.” When the Lord comes near, he humbles his people, he humbles his enemies, and he lifts up the humble. But today we consider that when the Lord comes near, he first of all humbles himself. He humbled himself in order to carry out our salvation. And he continues to come to his people in a very humble way to bring that salvation to our hearts. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1637899630247-2MMDDLEVT6OE5V7B9Y7R/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Humble Yet Hopeful Reflection (Thanksgiving). Genesis 32:10. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI Thanksgiving Eve 2021 Thanksgiving is a time for humble, yet hopeful reflection. There are certain times in our lives when we get a chance to reflect on the incredible blessings God gives. Maybe it’s a pivotal time—a wedding day, the birth of a child, a birthday or anniversary when friends and family gather around and we get a moment to think, “Wow.” Or perhaps it’s just a quiet time when it hits us—just how good God has been to us. As we reflect on that, we want to have a good dose of humility, knowing that we don’t deserve any of these good things. But at the same time, we have a good dose of hopefulness, knowing just how kind and faithful our God is. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1637734864168-1KJCMOENWHFEN7J32RQF/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - King of the Courageous. Psalm 27. Pastor Mark Henke (retired). Bethany, Appleton, WI Christ the King: King of the Courageous The last Sunday of the Christian church year is called Christ the King Sunday. This is the day we celebrate that Jesus came down from heaven, accomplished all that the Father asked him to do, and returned to the Father’s side to rule all things for the good of his church. But sometimes when we think of Jesus ruling over all things, we lose sight of what that means for us personally. Today we want to get a little more specific—and consider how Jesus, our King, is also our source of courage. There are a lot of things in this life that give us reason to worry. But as our King, Jesus comes alongside each of us and gives us the courage to face everything in this life as his own people. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1636929662368-RTGIW9DTYRAJFKQZ40HZ/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Rise and Shine. Daniel 12:1-3. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI Saints Triumphant: Rise and Shine On Saints Triumphant Sunday, we celebrate the victory that God has given to those who have died in faith—the eternal victory of life with him in heaven. We certainly look forward to receiving that reward of faith someday when God calls us home, too. But today we’ll also consider how knowing what God has in mind for us in eternity shapes the way that we live as his people right now. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1636846612969-O2ZAE8TQEYFQQ3390QSV/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Surely the Day Is Coming. Malachi 4:1-2. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI Last Judgment: Surely the Day Is Coming There are a lot of things about Judgment Day that can be frightening or disconcerting, even to us as God’s people. But we want to walk away with one primary truth—God’s promise that everyone who believes in his Son Jesus shall not perish but have everlasting life. That’s the judgment that we’re looking forward to on the Last Day. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1635895368489-IKZCVJPDJASHPG0I0X5Q/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Bethany Sermon 10 31 21 Reformation 2021 Reformation 2021 - God Isn’t Finished with Reformation Today we celebrate the Lutheran Reformation of the church. We give thanks to God for that treasure of the gospel that he restored and passed on to us through the reformers. But we’re also going to hear that God’s work of reformation by no means began or ended with Martin Luther. The need for reformation is something that continues as long as the world continues. And since God has entrusted the gospel to us, we know that we have the opportunity for reformation as well. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1635521190079-PB7AMTAJPMAH0GTMPW7K/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - He Has Done Everything Well (Week 7). 2 Cor. 9:7-12, 19-23. Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 7: Ambition Ambition can be good or bad. What are we ambitious for? We see people ambitious to do a lot of things in our world, but what they’re ambitious for are not always such good things. But when Jesus captures our hearts as his people, he also captures our ambition—and harnesses it for service to him and for the building up of his kingdom. Godly, true ambition—that’s what Jesus wants to teach us today. Because he has done everything well. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1634776813865-EII1A681T4VEBC4J7PTD/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - He Has Done Everything Well (Week 6). Mark 10:17-27. Pastor Mark Henke, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 6: Wealth The gift of wealth, perhaps more than any other, can become a snare to our salvation. We either treasure too much what we have, or covet too much what we don’t have. Jesus shows us that this is not so much a wealth issue, but a First Commandment issue. It’s a failure to love God above all things. But God’s love for us is so great that even this sin is overcome by his grace in Jesus. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1634082407645-TP83WXH25MQJLCR2BOY6/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - He Has Done Everything Well (Week 5). Genesis 2:18-24. (Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI) Week 5: Marriage We live in a world where the institution of marriage is under attack from many fronts. What God once included under the pronouncement “very good” is now viewed by so many as not so good at all. Who hasn’t been impacted in one way or another by a broken marriage? The world has plenty of ammunition to use in its attacks on this institution—and their arguments against it can sound compelling. But this relationship between husband and wife, which God established in the very beginning and which is patterned after Jesus’ relationship with us, is just as good now as it was then. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1633352831814-I0MKJ9SV37D8WJL9PQNU/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - He Has Done Everything Well (Week 4). Philippians 1:12-18a (Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI) Week 4: Envy Envy is not just an issue that is dealt with in the secular realm, but in the sacred realm too. The gifts of God to his Church are so rich and varied that the devil uses that very generosity to stir up jealousy and envy. Jesus instead wants us to rejoice that the many gifts God gives serve to further the goal of his kingdom—that Christ is preached. Today, Jesus comes to us through his Word in the example of the Apostle Paul, and helps us when we are tempted to be envious, and when we are hurt by the envy of others. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1632630684190-6ROQ6M0CRDRU7CUCLCD1/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - He Has Done Everything Well (Week 3). Mark 9:30-37. (Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI) Week 3: Greatness With Jesus’ words about his impending passion still hanging in the air, his disciples can talk only about which of them is the greatest. Didn’t they get it? Do we? In our world, there are so many different ways we measure greatness. But most of them are simply not in line with God’s Word. What does greatness mean to us, and what should it mean to us as God’s people? Today, Jesus tells us and shows us the path to true greatness in his Kingdom. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1632146566064-ZVTTAH1ELWE35O6Z6W2Q/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - He Has Done Everything Well (Week 2). Isaiah 50:4-10. Pastor Mark Henke, Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 2: Suffering Does suffering shock us or surprise us? Jesus (and Peter too) says it shouldn’t. He endured it, so will we. This is life under the cross, life lived in his footsteps. But Jesus has the word to sustain the weary, those who are worn out by the suffering that is part and parcel of a believer’s life in a sinful world. Jesus has done everything well, even when it comes to suffering—both in his perfect suffering for our sake, and in what he teaches us through our own suffering. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1631486743430-HEIRH0LFHNZBFWCWV8SB/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - He Has Done Everything Well. Mark 7:31-37. (Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI) Week 1: Needs “He has done everything well.” We hear that phrase in our gospel reading as we see Jesus address the special needs of a certain man with the special care that only he can provide. And we see Jesus do that for us, too—not only in situations where we’re dealing with health issues or worries or fears, but with so many situations in our lives. Jesus comes to us with his wisdom and his love, and he takes what’s difficult for us and makes it better. He takes what’s confusing and makes it clear. Because he has done everything well. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1630883877984-IMQ1ZDOKEPI3AEIVNIMC/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Wisdom Is Sweet to Your Soul - Live It. Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-9. (Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany) Week 3: Wisdom Is Sweet to Your Soul - Live It As we wrap up our series on the wisdom that comes from above, we focus on putting that wisdom into practice in our lives. We’ll consider the words of James, that we should not merely listen to the Word, but do what it says. God’s blessings as you consider with us what it means to live the wisdom of God every day. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1630274534834-HCIR1AAGUS1956DRTVSA/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Wisdom Is Sweet to Your Soul - Value It. Hebrews 11:24-28. (Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI) Week 2: Wisdom Is Sweet to Your Soul - Value It Last week we talked about where we find true wisdom—this wisdom is Jesus himself and the saving work he did for us, and we find it in God’s Word. Today we consider how and why we value that wisdom. We’ll look at the example of Moses, who made a conscious decision to value the wisdom from above over all the other things the world had to offer him as a prince of Egypt. We pray that God would give us that same kind of faith to value the wisdom that comes from above. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1629667384934-07TFB3RGAEXV3Z7RQE6V/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Wisdom Is Sweet to Your Soul - Find It. Proverbs 9:1-6. (Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI) Week 1: Wisdom Is Sweet to Your Soul - Find It What is wisdom, and where do we find it? The Proverbs tell us, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Proverbs 9:10). And St. Paul summarized wisdom when he wrote, “In Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3). So, the wisdom that will capture our hearts and minds over the next few weeks is, simply put, Jesus himself. He is the centerpiece of God’s gracious plan of salvation for us—the wisdom that is revealed to us in his Word. Today our encouragement is simple: this wisdom, summed up in Jesus himself, is sweet to your soul. Find it, value it, and live it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1629317167497-XUMJB2DQ19NV3BLX6WZV/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Encouragement. 1 Thessalonians 5:9-15. Pastor Mark Henke (retired), Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 2: Encouragement Last week we considered how we should look for help in the cross when facing discouragement. In part two of our sermon series, we’re taking a look at help for embracing encouragement. Sometimes we’re not very good at being encouragers—or at receiving and asking for encouragement. The Scriptures tell us over and over to encourage one another. But how often do we take up that challenge—that command—from our Savior? Encouragement is one way God blesses us and allows us to be a blessing to others. Today we’ll wrestle with the challenge of following through on being encouragers to one another. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1628393179879-XQO3WPIGZ52Q67GIQGJW/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Discouragement. Psalm 40:1-3. Pastor Mark Henke (retired), Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 1: Discouragement In this two-week sermon series, we’re looking at discouragement and encouragement. These are things that we often don’t do very well with. Handling discouragement and not letting it pull us down can be difficult for God’s people—especially when we may hear that, as Christians, we should be happy all the time. And then we find ourselves buried in the muck. Today we will consider how God would have us view and respond to the discouragement that is part of all of our lives. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1627851778559-1YDP3R2AA3C5RWPCZXOZ/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - God Is Generous. 2 Corinthians 9:8-11. (Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI) God Is Generous As we look ahead to putting together our ministry plan at Bethany, we have an opportunity to consider God’s generosity to us—and what’s really behind that generosity. God has a plan. A plan that, by being generous to his people, we might then be generous to others. A plan that empowers us to spread his life-saving gospel message to those who don’t yet know it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1627262556684-K0RHVNISB0ZEFONLF6CJ/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Speak, O Savior (Week 8). Mark 6:30-34. (Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI) Week 8: “Come With Me by Yourselves to a Quiet Place and Get Some Rest.” As we wrap up our sermon series on powerful statements from Jesus, Jesus invites his disciples—both then and now—to come away with him to a quiet place and get some rest. Of course, rest is something that we all need in life. But it’s not just rest for our bodies that we need, but rest for our souls as well. So today, we look at the way that God uses those quiet times that we spend with him, not only to care for us, but also to help us care for those around us. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1626924932353-4L886E14EGSX918MV7ZQ/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Speak, O Savior (Week 7). Mark 6:7-13. (Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI) Week 7: “Take Nothing for the Journey Except a Staff.” Jesus said these words as he was sending his disciples out on a mission trip of their own. He told them to leave everything behind except their shoes and their walking staff … and it might seem like they wouldn’t be very well equipped for the work that God was giving them to do. Maybe we feel that way sometimes too—in our personal lives or in our congregation, do we have what we need to carry out the task that God has given us? Today we’ll see that between the Lord’s care and the Lord’s Word, we have everything we need to do the work he has in mind for us. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1626041721072-BX9396NO2YS2JGLT17WS/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Speak, O Savior (Week 6). Mark 6:1-6. (Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI) Week 6: “A Prophet Is Not Without Honor Except in His Own Town.” Today we hear a statement that Jesus made when he was back in his hometown of Nazareth, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town.” This statement not only gives us an opportunity to consider how we honor Jesus when he comes to us through his Word. It also shows us some of the obstacles we may face as we seek to share his Word—when we stand in that place as prophet and speak God’s Word to those who need to hear it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1625441815310-S8W7FMMMZA8DEKKGZC11/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Speak, O Savior (Week 5). Mark 5:21-24a, 35-43. (Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI) Week 5: “The Child Is Not Dead but Asleep.” As we continue our series, we look at another powerful statement of Jesus from the gospel of Mark, this time set in the context of Jesus raising Jairus’s daughter from the dead. Jesus comes to the crowded house, full of people mourning the death of this little girl, and he says, “The child is not dead, but asleep.” And in making this statement, Jesus shows us that he has power over death—power that he exercised not just on one occasion for one individual, but power that he promises to all of his people. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1624918959687-3QA4LL9A2YTGJ095C3WW/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Speak, O Savior (Week 4). Mark 4:35-41. (Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI) Week 4: “Why Are You So Afraid?” Today’s words of the Savior for our consideration are set in the context of Jesus calming the storm on the Sea of Galilee. In this account, Jesus looks at his disciples and asks them, “Why are you so afraid?” If we thought about it for a minute, we could come up with a lot of different ways that we could answer that question. But what we want to consider today is another question—is this a fear problem, or is it a faith problem? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1624388213456-3JIQD8BDCW6KBCXK53EG/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Speak, O Savior (Week 3). Mark 4:26-34. (Bethany, Appleton, WI) Week 3: “The Kingdom of God Is Like a Mustard Seed.” Continuing our series on the words of our Savior, today we focus on the words of Jesus that the Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed. God’s kingdom starts with what may seem like small, even unimportant, things. But as God grows his kingdom, those seemingly small things grow into something huge. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1623717071336-A17HS1S5VQMV1VRC3NWG/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Speak, O Savior (Week 2). Mark 3:20-35. (Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI) Week 2: “Whoever Does God’s Will Is My Brother and Sister and Mother.” Today the statement of Jesus we’ll focus on is this: “Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.” So we will consider what it means to be accepted into God’s family and what the blessings of that really are. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1623702259064-SQ7GOVDB7JHZGP7W3DHR/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Speak, O Savior (Week 1). Mark 2:23-38. (Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI) Week 1: “The Sabbath Was Made for Man, Not Man for the Sabbath.” As we begin a new sermon series, we will be looking at a single, powerful statement by our Savior Jesus that speaks to our lives of following him. Today, we focus on the Third Commandment, “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy,” as we consider this powerful statement from Jesus: “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1622393213999-5DDTV7VX6KOC4SUUJK2H/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Trinity Sunday. Isaiah 6:1-8. (Pastor Aaron Dolan, Fox Valley Lutheran High School) Holy Trinity Sunday Today we celebrate Holy Trinity Sunday, the day of the year that we focus on the doctrine that God is one God, yet He is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It’s something that we hear every time we gather together, “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” But it’s good for us sometimes to stop and think about what that really means—how profound the doctrine of the Trinity is, what it tells us about who our God is, and what it means for our lives and our relationship with Him. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1621862342997-0M7N2I84XBQJ9819D591/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Pentecost. Psalm 51:10-12. (Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI) Pentecost Today we celebrate the festival of Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit. But rather than focusing on those powerful things that we see on the day of Pentecost—the sound of the rushing wind, the tongues of fire, the speaking in different languages—we want to focus on the quiet but powerful work that the Holy Spirit does in people’s hearts, day after day. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1621216259142-CGFGIYOBOYR6XMOZ71A6/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Ascension/Confirmation Sunday. Ephesians 1:15-23. (Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI) Ascension / Confirmation Sunday As we welcome two young members of our congregation in Confirmation, we also celebrate the Ascension of our Lord. When we think about our Lord’s Ascension, we see in that event the tremendous care and protection that Jesus provides to his people from his position at God’s right hand—both to each of us individually, and to his Church as a whole. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1620908552520-4H9HHMOAW9H0C7XQM7W9/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - God Gathers His Church, Week 5. Acts 11:19-26. (Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI) Week 5: God Gathers His Church with a Unifying Message The message of Jesus with which God gathers his church has the power to bring diverse people together. We see that example in the early church as Jews and Gentiles were gathered together with one common faith. And we see it among ourselves still today—and rejoice that we have the unity we do, even in a world where so many are divided. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1620005577756-EHX2AH2BJVSKQTQG2EAU/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - God Gathers His Church, Week 4. Acts 8:26-40. (Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI) Week 4: God Gathers His Church with an Enlightening Message As we continue to look at how God gathers his church through the good news about Jesus, today we see how that message enlightens his people. In the well-known hymn Amazing Grace, we sing, “I was blind but now I see.” Through the message of salvation through Jesus, God puts the lights on in his people’s hearts. And it’s also through that message that God keeps the lights on in his people’s hearts. Through his enlightening message, God strengthens and grows our faith so that we might share that message with others as well. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1619398759526-DQ3RSJ7XI5RO2OK0Y5VW/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - God Gathers His Church, Week 3. Acts 4:23-33. Pastor Mark Henke (retired), Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 3: God Gathers His Church with an Empowering Message In the gospel, Jesus tells us that he is the Good Shepherd. His sheep hear his voice, and they follow him. As we consider how God gathers and grows his church, we see how Jesus, the Good Shepherd, uses his voice to empower his sheep. It’s through the voice of Jesus—his empowering message of life and forgiveness—that we receive the strength we could never have on our own to live as his flock to his praise and glory. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1618805508797-X3PE9GXI366AE6R57KIB/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - God Gathers His Church, Week 2. Acts 4:8-12. (Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI) Week 2: God Gathers His Church with an Exclusive Message God’s Word clearly tells us that the only way to salvation is through Jesus—“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12). God gathers His Church with an exclusive message. And since it is such an exclusive message, that reminds us as God’s people just how very important it is to share that message with others. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1618517740014-CKVWQG0F7MPWJWQV5758/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - God Gathers His Church, Week 1. Acts 3:12-20. (Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI) Week 1: God Gathers His Church with a Refreshing Message God in his wisdom decided to bring people into his family of believers through his Word. As we begin to look at the different aspects of God’s saving message, we’ll consider how God’s Word enlightens our hearts, empowers our lives as God’s people, and unifies us in faith. Today, we see how that message refreshes us. We’ll hear an account from the book of Acts, soon after the Ascension of Jesus into heaven. As the sin of putting the Son of God to death was still very fresh in the hearts and minds of the people of Israel, Peter came to them with a message of sins forgiven. A message that lifts that weight of sin from the guilty heart. A message of true refreshment. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1617834336178-WZ54HTRZMKVLOOM4QAW3/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Easter. Mark16:1-8. (Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI) Easter 2021 A theme that needs no introduction. He is risen. He is risen indeed! Today we celebrate the joy that is ours in the resurrection of Jesus, not only in this life but in the life to come. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1617454378455-YCVUU62CJXCP0G6H6K7R/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Good Friday. John 13:3, 1b, 1c. Pastor Mark Henke (retired), Bethany, Appleton, WI Good Friday | Holy Week 2021 He knew. There are a lot of facets of Good Friday that stand out in our hearts and minds. The physical suffering—how Jesus was beaten, whipped, and had nails driven through his hands and feet. The emotional torture—his own people, the soldiers, the criminals on the crosses next to him jeering and taunting. The thought that so few—a handful of women, one disciple—were courageous enough to watch as Jesus suffered and died. But about 24 hours before his suffering, the Scriptures tell us something unique. Jesus knew. This was not an accident. Jesus knew full well what he had to do on the cross. And still he went through with it, because he also knew that it was the only way to love us to the fullest extent. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1617385210589-KRKGP1LHAPVBJ0AHYVES/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Maundy Thursday. 1 Corinthians 11:23-29. (Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI) Maundy Thursday | Holy Week 2021 “Do this in remembrance of me.” We hear these words every time we celebrate the Lord’s Supper. Tonight we slow down to take a close look at what the Apostle Paul teaches us about the Lord’s Supper in 1 Corinthians 11. For all of us who partake of this meal on a regular basis, Jesus wants us to remember and rejoice in all of the blessings he gives us in the Lord’s Supper. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1616968070805-IWAF716QIK4TCK75F0R2/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - The Language of Lent, Week 5. Philippians 2:5-11. (Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI) Week 5: Humility In our final week of the sermon series, The Language of Lent, we look at the word “humility”—not only by watching Jesus as he enters Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, humbly riding on a donkey, but also by hearing how the Apostle Paul describes our humble yet exalted Savior, and presents him as the example for our lives as God’s people. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1616968322813-RLPHB2IJQSRFZ7OBH7OX/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - The Language of Lent, Week 4. Jeremiah 31:31-34. Pastor Mark Henke (retired), Bethany, Appleton, WI Week 4: Covenant “Covenant” may not be a word you use in everyday conversation. But there’s a good chance you’ve made covenants—if you stood before the altar and got married, that’s a covenant … if you brought a baby to be baptized, your pastor asked you to make a covenant to raise that child in the one true faith. But the covenant we’re looking at today is far greater—a new covenant of grace that God makes with us, which he cemented in the cross. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1615764389204-DLIBX4MSKE5IXAWSLT1N/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - The Language of Lent, Week 3. Numbers 21:4-9. (Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI) Week 3: Grace Grace. It’s a word we use all the time in church. But sometimes, perhaps, our view of grace is too narrow—perhaps we forget to see grace as something that extends throughout our entire lives as God’s people. For us, grace is a daily reality. From the time God brings us to faith in him, until the time that he walks us into heaven, we live and we stand in that grace. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1615159896491-R8XDOQ2HMX30YH5ZIYH2/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - The Language of Lent, Week 2. Exodus 20:1-17. (Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI) Week 2: Obedience The word we’re looking at today is “obedience.” When we hear that word, we often think about obligation and demands. Following the rules. But for the Christian, when we hear the word obedience, the first thing we want to have come to our hearts and minds is God’s love for us in Jesus. Because that’s what truly drives, inspires and enables our obedience in every aspect of our lives. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1614554256374-L5NI598F6LR96AUPBG6E/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Where Are the Workers? Matthew 9:35-38. (Pastor Evan Chartrand, Luther Prep School, Watertown, WI) Where Are the Workers? Guest preacher Pastor Evan Chartrand of Luther Preparatory School (LPS) in Watertown, WI, shares a message about the gospel ministry, under the theme ""Where Are the Workers."" Jesus said, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.” His meaning is clear—there are many who need to hear the saving gospel, yet so few to share that Word. So Jesus encourages us to pray for workers to enter the harvest field—pastors, teachers and witnesses to share the good news of forgiveness, life and salvation through Jesus with all who have not heard the message. But where do those workers come from? How does God supply them for the good of his kingdom? And what role does each of us play in bringing in that harvest of salvation? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1613966632789-UE9J5QC3J4OVDQCGL6RM/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - The Language of Lent, Week 1. Genesis 22:1-18. (Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI) Week 1: Temptation We’re beginning a new sermon series called The Language of Lent, where we’ll be considering certain words that capture the essence of the season—words like humility, suffering, or today’s theme, temptation. And so we look at not only the temptations that were present for Abraham when God commanded him to sacrifice his only son, Isaac—temptations that we also face every day—but we also consider how Jesus, tempted in the desert and throughout his life on earth, was not just an example for us of how to fend off temptation. He was there fighting the battle for us. Where we fail, Jesus succeeded, and his perfect track record in the face of temptation is credited to our account through faith in him. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1613310850183-A8JWU2HCOB3B01P7CI1C/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Jesus Is, Week 6. Mark 9:2-9. (Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI) Week 6: Jesus Is the Savior We Need Over the last several weeks, we’ve looked at a number of different ways that we can finish the sentence, “Jesus is.…” Today we look at the ultimate way to finish that sentence, “Jesus is the Savior we need.” As we consider the glorious scene on the Mount of Transfiguration where Jesus’s divine glory came shining through for a time, and as we think about his willingness to leave that glory behind to carry out the work of our salvation, it becomes clear that Jesus is indeed that Savior we needed. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1612706661798-2CO1K66RNPEBPYQFRQOC/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Jesus Is, Week 5. Mark 1:29-39. (Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI) Week 5: Jesus Is the One Who Heals and Helps What a comfort it is to know that our Lord has the power to heal, no matter what illness or affliction we face. But even more than that, we have his promise to help in all situations—to be with us and bless us, and use things for our good—no matter what. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1612129748140-9CR6RFKZ7Y9KPHSR4DXF/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Jesus Is, Week 4. Mark 1:21-28. (Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI) Week 4: Jesus Is the One Who Has Authority What a tremendous comfort it is that when we hear Jesus speak his promises in his Word, he does it with ultimate authority. When he goes to work to fend off our enemies, he does it with a Word that cannot be challenged. As his people, we go about our lives here on earth safely and confidently—because we know that we are protected by our Savior, the one who has true authority. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1611528002176-9JR9KETHBABQBGAOC1KN/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Jesus Is, Week 3. Mark 1:14-20. (Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI) Week 3: Jesus Is the Only One Worth Following The question we’re asking today is, “Why do we follow Jesus?” We’ll see the example of Elisha leaving his previous way of life behind to follow the call God had given him through Elijah. We’ll see the example of some of the first disciples—Peter and Andrew, James and John—leaving behind their life and career as fishermen to follow Jesus as his disciples. And here we are, continuing to follow Jesus in his Word and in regular worship. Why do we do it? The truth we’ll consider in this message is that Jesus truly is the only one worth following. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1610927724474-NM42P8JT1R2X5DD0MREY/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Jesus Is, Week 2. John 1:43-51. (Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI) Week 2: Jesus Is the Stairway to Heaven No, not the song. In this week’s message, we’ll be thinking about the incredible dream Jacob had in the wilderness, where he saw a stairway that led down from heaven to earth. And we’ll see how Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of that dream—that Jesus is the stairway that connects his people to God on high. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1610341131788-UJ8QK2D3GB62BWZMSRL9/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Jesus Is, Week 1. Mark 1:4-11. (Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI) Week 1: Jesus Is God’s Beloved Son As we start our sermon series, "Jesus Is," there are so many ways we might end that sentence. But in this series we look at a number of gospel accounts and let God finish that sentence for us, in amazing ways. For our first message, we consider the Baptism of Jesus, and remember the words that the Father spoke on that day, “This is my Son whom I love. With him I am well pleased.” We consider what it means that Jesus is God’s beloved Son, and what that means for us as well. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1610025358204-JOC2O3N55ZUGOHE8VK5F/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Be At Home With Jesus. Luke 2:41-52. (Pastor David Wenzel, Fox Valley Lutheran High School) Be At Home With Jesus In a rare account from his youth, we have a unique opportunity to see Jesus’s dual nature on full display—how Jesus was obedient to his parents here on earth, while remaining perfectly obedient to his Father in heaven. In this account of 12-year-old Jesus staying behind in his Father’s house, we learn exactly where we can still find him. And we learn exactly who he really is. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1609121659288-HZ8560H65MQWI9DL6H47/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - There's a Bigger Heart At Work. Genesis 50:15-21. (Jeremiah Wallander, Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary) There’s a Bigger Heart At Work In the story of Joseph—sold by his brothers into slavery, imprisoned in Egypt, raised to second in command to oversee preparations and administration of food during a time of famine—we see more than just a coincidence of being in the right place at the right time. We see God's plan unfolding before us. A plan that shows us God's own heart. Through Joseph, we see a reflection of God's heart of forgiveness in how he treated his brothers. We see God's rescue for his people in a time of need. And we see God's preservation of the line of the Savior to bring that same forgiveness to everyone in the world. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1608951384278-9RH00WIY0SPKIL5EQONZ/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Christmas Day. Hebrews 1:1-3. (Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI) Christmas Day: God’s Greatest Word With a word, God created the heavens and the earth. With a word he promised salvation. With words of hope God spoke through the prophets, giving glimpse after glimpse at the redemption he had planned for us. And when the time had fully come, God spoke his greatest Word—the Word made flesh, God’s own Son born a human child. Born to save his people from their sins. ""In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son."" (Hebrews 1:1-2) In the Scriptures, we have God’s Word of grace spoken to us directly and revealed to us entirely. His plan of salvation, laid out before us in the life, actions and words of Jesus himself. Today we celebrate the birth of Jesus, and see in him God’s Greatest Word. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1608944919571-9Y73XKVVD1162OE2U5C4/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Christmas Eve. Luke 2:10-14. (Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI) Christmas Eve: The Rescue Plan Put into Action We’ve heard the threat—the destruction that sin brings, and the cause of our need for deliverance. We saw God’s early warning, given throughout history through his Word and Prophets. God showed us a preview of the rescue he has planned for us, and implored us to make final preparations for his perfect plan to come to fruition. Now we see God put his perfect rescue plan put into full effect—we see God send his Son Jesus into the world as the child of Mary. Born into our midst. Laid in a manger. The perfect answer to the ultimate problem. Our Savior and our substitute. We see God’s perfect rescue plan, executed perfectly. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1608516467748-NJQNF4ES6L5RL34TJ322/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Proceed with Caution and Confidence Week 4. Luke 1:26-38. (Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI) Week 4: Final Preparation As we get ready for the Lord’s coming, we look at the final preparations that God wants us to have in place as he puts his rescue plan into full effect. We all have lists around this time of year—children making lists of everything they hope to receive, adults taking inventory of everything to be done before their Christmas celebrations. But God tells us to slide those lists off the table and focus simply on this: that we would be ready to receive in faith the gift that he brings at Christmas. That should be our final preparation. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1607895881558-L8AV5Y98CEYM8S71B4ZB/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Proceed with Caution and Confidence Week 3. Isaiah 61:1-3, 10-11. (Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI) Week 3: A Preview of the Rescue Proceed with caution! The rescue God promised and provided at Christmas is not always the thing for which people are looking and hoping at Christmas. Sadly, at this time of the year, many have their hearts and hopes set on things far less precious than the rescue God sent in his Son. But God doesn’t want us to settle for anything less than the very best. So, through the Prophet Isaiah, God provides us with a beautiful preview of the rescue and salvation that Jesus brings. We can proceed with confidence knowing that the gift of salvation that God presents to us in the manger is the one we need most and is far more valuable than anything else for which we could hope. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1607295286036-ZZC72YBJXKX0IYZWSGZU/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Proceed with Caution and Confidence Week 2. Mark 1:1-8. (Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI) Week 2: Early Warning We heard last week that Jesus is coming—coming to bring destruction to those who are unprepared and deliverance to those who are watching and waiting in faith. So, we must be ready. And God wants us and all people to be ready! And so, he sounds the alarm. Like the severe weather alert that scrolls across the bottom of our TV or pops up on our phone. Like the ear-splitting siren that blares at the approaching tornado. This week we’ll consider and rejoice in the Early Warning that God provides to people of every generation. The Old Testament prophets and prophecy. John the Baptist—that voice crying out in the wilderness. The New Testament Scriptures and the messengers who share them with us. God provides all sorts of Early Warning because he doesn’t want anyone to miss the first or second coming of his Son. The question, however, is this: Are we listening? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1606744079997-O5015UWG9MJFY93TNJDF/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Proceed with Caution and Confidence Week 1. Genesis 6:5-22 (selected verses). Pastor Mark Henke Week 1: The Threat Our first message in the series focuses on the story of Noah, the flood, and God's dramatic rescue of Noah and his family. Perhaps your first recollection is of God's "rainbow promise" following the flood that brings a welcome sense of security to your life. But the truth is that right now, we, too, are living in a world that is destined for destruction. At the end of all things, all who have not focused their faith and life on Jesus will be caught in God's threatened destruction of our world as we know it. But just as that ark sheltered Noah from the pounding waves, cold wind, and driving rain, so at the cross, God put into effect His rescue plan for us, by allowing Jesus to take the pounding we deserve for our sins, safely sheltering us from the consequences of our shame and guilt. No one loves you more than Jesus—how important it is to proceed in life with caution and confidence—set apart by grace as His people of faith. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1606355434830-PIKT002824ILHDEWEAJM/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Faithful through the End Week 4. Matthew 27:27-31. (Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI) Week 4: The Faithful King As we come to the end of the church year and the season of End Times, we celebrate Christ the King Sunday. There are many pictures in the Bible of Jesus as our King. And the picture of Christ our King that’s the most difficult for us to really look at closely—seeing our King suffer at the hands of the Roman authorities—is also the most precious to us. Because that’s where we see that everything Jesus has done and everything he endured was for us and for our salvation. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1605477218163-09YT4R6KO7WQ22016U95/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Faithful through the End Week 3. Matthew 25:1-13. (Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI) Week 3: Faithful While We Watch Jesus encourages all of us to keep our eye on the ball—to be prepared for his return at all times. Like the wise wedding attendants, the time to be vigilant is now. And the same Jesus who calls on us to be watchful and ready is the one who makes us ready through his Word of grace—so we can welcome him when he returns, and join him in the eternal celebration of heaven. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1605013009488-2296DGMNXW3D3XXKP0NG/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Faithful through the End Week 2. Matthew 25:31-46. (Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI) Week 2: Faithful to the Lord As we look ahead to Judgment Day, it’s something that could make us fearful. But as God’s people, we know that the Last Day isn’t something we have to be afraid of. For all of us who know our Savior by faith, Judgment Day is something we can look forward to with joy and confidence. Because we know that our best day is still to come. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1604328498502-BIWLN3A2VACUU1O6CIBV/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Faithful through the End Week 1. Daniel 6:10-12, 16-23. (Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI) Week 1: Faithful to the Word God’s given us his eternal Word. That Word which is Christ possesses the power to drive back darkness, reverse death, and make life. Yet in the face of opposition it’s so easy for us to hide the Word, to think that we need to equivocate or hold it with shame. As we look at Daniel who was faithful to the Word in the face of lions and consider the example of Martin Luther who clung to the Word in the face of princes and the papacy, may we find encouragement to stay faithful to the Word as well. For both those men, their faithfulness lay only in the work God was doing in their hearts through that Word. The Word to which we cling is the Word that empowers us to cling. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1603720313535-LADLHBZWP9JOHBUK5NIW/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Jesus Wants to Be Your Constant Companion. Deut. 11:1-7, 16-21. (Pastor Aaron Dolan, Appleton, WI) Jesus Wants to Be Your Constant Companion Guest preacher Pastor Aaron Dolan from Fox Valley Lutheran High School shares a message about God's will for Christian education, under the theme “Jesus Wants to Be Your Constant Companion.” There are things we keep with us all the time—our phones, a ring, a set of keys. But what God wants us to keep with us at all times, no matter what we’re doing, is his promise of salvation that he has kept for us in Jesus. It’s the promise he reveals in his Word and commands us to teach to the next generation. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1603563601233-THSGK4QURAYIC5YTVF46/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Better Than Fair Week 4. 2 Corinthians 6:1-13. (Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI) Week 4: Ministry We think about ministry in different ways, but simply put, it’s God’s care for his people—a care that none of us deserves, but that God brings to us in his grace. In an example from the Apostle Paul, we see the purpose God has in giving us that care. All so that, by all means possible, we might know God’s love for us in Jesus—to make us his own forever, and to have us live as his people right now. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1602460866993-N6YMFLA4A314RLJNEID6/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Better Than Fair Week 3. Matthew 21:28-32. (Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI) Week 3: Judgment What would a fair judgment be for us in God’s eyes? The prophet Ezekiel made it clear: “The one who sins is the one who will die.” The apostle Paul backed him up: “The wages of sin is death.” Based on our sinful record, the only fair judgment from God would be nothing but death. Yet by God’s grace, through the work that Jesus did on our behalf, we as God’s children can expect to have a judgment that is better than fair. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1601919497699-NTR6K1UFQ9Q8ATFBP2YI/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Better Than Fair Week 2. Jonah 4:5-11. (Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI) Week 2: Mercy Mercy. It’s forgiveness, love and compassion—whether the receiver deserves it or not. For us, mercy can be easier or more difficult, depending on our own perception of whether someone really “deserves” mercy. Through God’s prophet Jonah, we learn an important lesson about God’s mercy, not only toward us but toward all people. That it doesn’t depend on us—who we are, what we’ve done or how we feel. God’s mercy depends entirely on what’s in the heart of our God—a heart filled with undeserved love for all sinners. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1601352395476-0L3UGOKOWTIVSRCSTW27/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Better Than Fair Week 1. Matthew 18:21-35. (Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI) Week 1: Forgiveness If you’re keeping track, it’s not forgiveness. And if you’re thinking you’ve already forgiven them enough, then it’s not forgiveness. Forgiveness comes from grace which means that it’s always undeserved. The first time, the seventh time, the thousandth time. Each time, forgiveness is as undeserved as the time before. And if we ever thought it wasn’t, then it really wasn’t forgiveness. Sound tough? It’s impossible. Yet God’s done it to us, and when through faith we receive his love, we’re able to forgive with his love. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1600745425140-79TTRG09YDYDY9BZ3X1F/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Jesus Is for Children. Mark 10:13-16. (Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1600088231826-232OAVDW33K6MB1YYAPE/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Living Sacrifices. Romans 12:1-8. (Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1599615945460-INKM9JWQ9DMRF875V9DB/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Sealed and Safe. Revelation 7:1-8. (Pastor Zach Gebert, Bethany, Appleton, WI) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1598834321945-AUXO0A13QUS8HEYD7A5F/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Entitlement & Expectation Week 2. Exodus 16:1-15. (Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1598320112277-KDRWGUIU5RIBA73Z7E5M/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Entitlement & Expectation Week 1. Exodus 16:1-15. (Pastor Zach Gebert, Bethany, Appleton, WI) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1597800767309-SA6AX99IDIC0CIJ70TJ9/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - God Delivers Week 3. Genesis 41:41-49. (Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI) Just as miraculous as the Feeding of the 5000 was God’s ascendency of Joseph to the position of ruler in Egypt. God moved national politics and global economies (not to mention the life of Joseph himself) to provide for the day to day physical needs of his people, Israel. We who trust in Jesus are Israel today, and in the same way, God provides for us through natural means and his movement in the world and nature. May we praise him for what we so often take for granted, and learn to live with a heart of trust even if the shelves at the grocery store become a little bare. Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon on August 15, 2020 at the Family Worship Gathering of Bethany Lutheran Church’s Lynndale campus in Appleton, WI. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1597068509843-HM1300Z6851UXT2BIYOD/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - God Delivers Week 2. 1 Timothy 6:17-21. (Pastor Zach Gebert, Bethany, Appleton, WI) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1596462921217-4UWXL3TDON7GMY8TG9JF/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - God Delivers Week 1. Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43. (Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI) There are a lot of ways you can classify humans on earth, but in the end, only one classification means anything: “Children of the Kingdom” or “Children of the Devil.” On earth, we live together and often can’t tell one from the other. But on the last day, God’s omniscient judgment will determine between both and destroy those who aren’t of his Kingdom. The scary thing is though, there are maybe some days when we’re not even sure which classification we fall into. Yet we have confidence in knowing that God’s determination is made through the blood of Jesus, and through faith that determination stands on us--on our good days and our bad. Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon on August 1, 2020 at the Family Worship Gathering of Bethany Lutheran Church’s Lynndale campus in Appleton, WI. Learn more at www.bethanyappleton.org https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1595858950247-E6YLDGMBRY3K50KQ57KL/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - It's Time (Pastor Mark's retirement sermon). 1 Thess 5.16-24. (Pastor Mark Henke) It’s time to be constant, careful, and confident as we live in God’s love and share God’s love. Pastor Mark Henke preached this sermon on July 18, 2020 at the Family Worship Gathering of Bethany Lutheran Church’s Lynndale campus in Appleton, WI. Learn more at www.bethanyappleton.org https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1595260380337-N4N7CJJDZZBO4LREY3SC/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Called, Week 7 - Called to rest. Joshua 23.1-11. (Pastor Zach Gebert, Bethany, Appleton, WI) As Joshua gives his retirement speech, he directs Israel’s attention to all the blessings God has given them. Now as they get to enjoy this Promised Land, Joshua encourages them not to become lax in their following of God, but to still stay with him. As they continue listening to God, he’ll continue providing them rest in the land he’s promised. The enemies we have rest from are our spiritual enemies of sin, death, and the devil. From these enemies also, God has given us rest through Jesus. As we call on him in faith, Jesus continues to give rest for our souls in his forgiveness. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1594653074519-ZRWNPS0ZN4L44T6G5GJC/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Called, Week 6 - Called to Love God First. Matthew 10:34-42. (Mark Henke, Bethany, Appleton, WI) Jesus’ words in Matthew 10 make us uncomfortable. No one wants division, especially not within their family. (At least God doesn’t command us to kill our family when they oppose him, as he did the Israelite families in Exodus 32!) Yet Jesus’ application of the First Commandment rings true. If anything, even family tries to capture our love before God, then it stands in opposition to our calling as God’s people. Yet those who receive your love as love for God receive not only the blessing of your love, but the double blessing of partnership in God’s Kingdom work. Pastor Mark Henke preached this sermon on July 11, 2020 at the Family Worship Gathering of Bethany Lutheran Church’s Lynndale campus in Appleton, WI. Learn more at www.bethanyappleton.org https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1585583662171-53QIOM58KTAK1COYBF06/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Ship of the Church - Week 5: Discipleship. 3 John 3-4. (Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI) The ship was an ancient Christian symbol. It is the Church tossed on the sea of disbelief, worldliness, and persecution but finally reaching safe harbor with its cargo of human souls. In The Ship of the Church, we study how God works through his church and keeps it safe during a time when the message of Christ is spoken against. In Week 5, God shows us what it means to not only believe in him but grow in him as we look at discipleship. Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon on March 28, 2020 at the Family Worship Gathering of Bethany Lutheran Church’s Lynndale campus in Appleton, WI. Learn more at www.bethanyappleton.org https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1594058785611-Y03KD9CGH1XDHRP4OTER/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Called, Week 5 - Called to Conflict. Acts 23.1-11. (Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1593531359644-H57VLPJQAOK2P4E0OV6V/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Called, Week 4 - Called with Authority. Numbers 27.15-23. (Zach Gebert, Bethany, Appleton, WI) Moses commissions Joshua to be the next leader of Israel. And to empower him in his job of shepherding them, God has Moses give to Joshua “some of your authority.” Authority that had been given in the first place to Moses by God. The gospel for Pentecost 4 parallels this account as Jesus gives authority to his disciples to bring back the lost of Israel. As we follow God’s calling, we go with Jesus’ authority and power, for we go with the power of the gospel. Pastor Zach Gebert preached this sermon on June 27, 2020 at the Family Worship Gathering of Bethany Lutheran Church’s Lynndale campus in Appleton, WI. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1592842572948-C3VSYJ7ED6ZCMNV5ZKH5/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Called, Week 3 - Called as Sinners. 1 Timothy 1:12-17. (Pastor Mark Henke, Bethany, Appleton, WI) God calls and empowers Paul, the “greatest of sinners,” for ministry. He does this to make a point: he is patient and full of grace. Rather than us feeling like we need to make ourselves worthy of God’s call, thank God for his grace in calling us in our sin. And make part of your witness the specific ways that his grace fills your weakness. Pastor Mark Henke preached this sermon on June 20, 2020 at the Family Worship Gathering of Bethany Lutheran Church’s Lynndale campus in Appleton, WI. Learn more at www.bethanyappleton.org https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1592254775707-6JKMTRML03VHTOLM1H47/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Called, Week 2 - Called to Speak the Word. 1 Kings 22.10-28. (Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1591649795203-CMZC4B4G469PHNA67SSD/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Called, Week 1 - By the Triune God. Matthew 28.16-20. (Pastor Zach Gebert, Bethany, Appleton, WI) Speaking on behalf of the Trinity, Jesus commissions his disciples to make more disciples by bringing them into fellowship with the Triune God. We, 21st century believers, are the fruit of their work, and also recipients of that commission. Pastor Zach Gebert preached this sermon on June 6, 2020 at the Family Worship Gathering of Bethany Lutheran Church’s Lynndale campus in Appleton, WI. Learn more at www.bethanyappleton.org https://static1.squarespace.com/static/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/5d26047e381e720001955489/5d2604b9cf3cca0001109622/1757563433510/ Sermon Library https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1591023312939-NPK88JP3V6L8R5G80OSU/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Pentecost - The Truth-Teller Comes. John 14. (Pastor Mark Henke, Bethany, Appleton, WI) In a world where “truth” is a tool for politics and social manipulation, God cuts through the noise and gives us a real truth. And to make sure that we know that truth, he gives us a constant teller of that truth, the Holy Spirit. Pastor Mark Henke preached this sermon on May 30, 2020 at the Family Worship Gathering of Bethany Lutheran Church’s Lynndale campus in Appleton, WI. Learn more at www.bethanyappleton.org https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1590500021254-2FTIRY5156UNYL8CPM4F/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - From the Empty Grave, Wk 6 - Resolution from Glory. 2 Cor 4:13-18. (Zach Gebert, Bethany, Appleton) How much of our lives do we spend trying to find resolution to all the stuff that’s wrong in them? Or trying to find an explanation or a way to cope with the reality that maybe there isn’t resolution? Whether we find resolution on earth or not is, to some degree at least, irrelevant. For there’s an “eternal weight of glory that is far beyond any comparison” that is in store for every one of God’s people. Pastor Zach Gebert preached this sermon on May 23, 2020 at the Family Worship Gathering of Bethany Lutheran Church’s Lynndale campus in Appleton, WI. Learn more at www.bethanyappleton.org https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1589816078124-SOMRZ9XRJGI1JYSCMW1I/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - From the Empty Grave, Week 5: Love From God. 1 Jn 3:11-18. (Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI) When we grasp through faith the love that God has shown us in Jesus, it kindles a new love in us, a love that is alive and that reflects the selflessness of God’s. Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon on May 16, 2020 at the Family Worship Gathering of Bethany Lutheran Church’s Lynndale campus in Appleton, WI. Learn more at www.bethanyappleton.org https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1575314605459-SSFNBV6R04UF44AS6H0X/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Waiting: Week 1 - With Vigilance. Matthew 24:36-44 No one knows when. It’s coming, that’s certain. That's fact. But when? It’ll be just like the first time Noah’s neighbors felt a drop of rain and were thoroughly confused never having seen rain before. Or if you were talking to a buddy at work and suddenly he disappeared. When you consider what’s at stake when he returns, vigilance is demanded. If you’re not ready, that’s on you. But we have all we need to be ready. Pastor Zach Gebert preached this sermon on November 30, 2019 at the Family Worship Gathering of Bethany Lutheran Church’s Lynndale campus in Appleton, WI. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1589202711651-K9I0LG8ZLXQ959Z7WQ27/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - From the Empty Grave, Week 4 - The Way Home. 1 Pt 2:4-10. (Pastor Mark Henke, Bethany, Appleton, WI) Home is the place we’re meant to be. It’s where we’re safe, where the things we love are, where everything is okay. So many people search for home in different things. So often their search is a continual stumbling over the one thing that brings them home, the one thing they reject--Jesus. But when we find in Jesus a way home, we realize that no matter how far from home we might be, we are God's royal and chosen and prized family. And our rooms in heaven are waiting. Pastor Mark Henke preached this sermon on May 9, 2020 at the Family Worship Gathering of Bethany Lutheran Church’s Lynndale campus in Appleton, WI. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1588468522882-G6IAEJRL6U8YZEX8YCXL/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - From the Empty Grave 3 - Safety in the Good Shepherd. 1 Sam 17:34-37. (Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton) On Good Shepherd Sunday, we normally go to the metaphors that Jesus used directly to show how he protects and guides his people. But 1 Samuel 17:34-37 gives us a grittier take on how God protects his people. The shepherd kills the lion to protect the sheep. God kills the defiant Philistine to protect his sheep. And wherever we, God’s sheep, go, the LORD is with us and will deliver us until he brings us hope through the ultimate deliverance of the Good Shepherd Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon on May 2, 2020 at the Family Worship Gathering of Bethany Lutheran Church’s Lynndale campus in Appleton, WI. Learn more at www.bethanyappleton.org https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1587998607692-APINVKXH070ZJG9WHDEW/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - From the Empty Grave, Week 2 - Hope Through Faith. Lk 24:13-35. (Zach Gebert, Bethany, Appleton, WI) Two hopeless men drag their feet as they return home. They’d learned the prophecies, they’d heard Jesus’ teachings, yet they’d hung their prospects on what they could see. And what they saw was their Savior dead. Jesus rebuilds hope for them. He takes them back to that which gives faith--the Word. And through the Word, he cultivates faith. By the time Jesus leaves them, their faith has the ability to make the connection to see that the reality is something that, though impossible, is true. And faith transcends their human limitations to accept that Jesus is alive, and in that, to find hope again. The hopeless situations we face don’t find their answer in a solution that we can see with our eyes. Rather, we find hope for life in God’s Word. There he extends our perspective to see how alive our hope is every day. Pastor Zach Gebert preached this sermon on April 25, 2020 at the Family Worship Gathering of Bethany Lutheran Church’s Lynndale campus in Appleton, WI. Learn more at www.bethanyappleton.org https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1587392727430-QZ95CTNGH3KOIPCU7Z3U/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - From the Empty Grave, Week 1 - Peace from Proof. Acts 10. (Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI) God appointed his disciples to proclaim peace. Peace comes when we have assurance that Jesus is truly alive, because when he’s alive, the prophecies are true, God’s plan is true, and we have forgiveness. + assurance of the resurrection = + peace. God provided the maximum peace by literally showing the resurrected Jesus to his people and allowing their eyewitness testimony to come to us. Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon on April 18, 2020 at the Family Worship Gathering of Bethany Lutheran Church’s Lynndale campus in Appleton, WI. Learn more at www.bethanyappleton.org https://static1.squarespace.com/static/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/5d26047e381e720001955489/5d79120c0201a53ac15da778/1757563433510/ Sermon Library - We're In This Together 1: As a Family. Philippians 2:1-5 Volunteer at a place to which you have no obligation and you can say you’ve really done an over and above job of helping them out. But you wouldn’t ever pat your back after mowing the lawn or unloading the dishwasher at your own house. That’s a responsibility that you have as a member of the family. And that’s what we are at Bethany--a family. God has brought us together from all our varied backgrounds to be one. He’s united us around one message and given us one spirit. We love our family not for selfish gain, but because it’s who we are. Pastor Mark Henke preached this sermon on September 7, 2019 at the Saturday Family Worship Gathering of Bethany Lutheran Church’s Lynndale campus in Appleton, WI. Learn more at www.bethanyappleton.org https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1586794058026-G411OK40R73QSDJ4JGW6/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Easter 2020: RISEN! 1 Corinthians 15:20 (Pastor Mark Henke - Bethany, Appleton WI) Pastor Mark preaches Bethany's Easter 2020 sermon. So much darkness and fear surround us every day. But Jesus' bodily resurrection demonstrates his power to remove fear and pierce the darkness as he conquers death and wins life. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1586205209193-QJYES2BU1F4FV5X89Z9R/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Palm Sunday - The King Rebuilds. Zechariah 9.9-10. (Pastor Zach Gebert, Bethany, Appleton, WI) 500 years before the Palm branches and Hosannas, God promised to a broken city that her king would come. That promise gave Jerusalem hope as she rebuilt. Now, 2000 years after the King came on Palm Sunday, his coming rebuilds everything that sin has torn down. Pastor Zach Gebert preached this sermon on April 4, 2020 at the Family Worship Gathering of Bethany Lutheran Church’s Lynndale campus in Appleton, WI. Learn more at www.bethanyappleton.org https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1585594128657-KH83GOMC25VAYYF4KN9B/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Ship of the Church - Week 5: Discipleship. 3 John 3-4. (Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI) The ship was an ancient Christian symbol. It is the Church tossed on the sea of disbelief, worldliness, and persecution but finally reaching safe harbor with its cargo of human souls. In The Ship of the Church, we study how God works through his church and keeps it safe during a time when the message of Christ is spoken against. In Week 5, God shows us what it means to not only believe in him but grow in him as we look at discipleship. Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon on March 28, 2020 at the Family Worship Gathering of Bethany Lutheran Church’s Lynndale campus in Appleton, WI. Learn more at www.bethanyappleton.org https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1584981345224-WNU5YGO1OM89XMPKS4DX/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - The Warrior Savior, Week 4: Defiant. Ephesians 6:12. Pastor Zach Gebert. Bethany Lutheran Church (Parkway Campus), Appleton, WI. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1575314721693-BFPLLA0EW7F4AI9RFLME/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Waiting: Week 1 - With Vigilance. Matthew 24:36-44 No one knows when. It’s coming, that’s certain. That's fact. But when? It’ll be just like the first time Noah’s neighbors felt a drop of rain and were thoroughly confused never having seen rain before. Or if you were talking to a buddy at work and suddenly he disappeared. When you consider what’s at stake when he returns, vigilance is demanded. If you’re not ready, that’s on you. But we have all we need to be ready. Pastor Zach Gebert preached this sermon on November 30, 2019 at the Family Worship Gathering of Bethany Lutheran Church’s Lynndale campus in Appleton, WI. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1584971238620-XDHDWQNNOXQ25L4QA37I/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Ship of the Church - Week 4: Fellowship. Acts 2. (Pastor Mark Henke, Bethany, Appleton, WI) The ship was an ancient Christian symbol. It is the Church tossed on the sea of disbelief, worldliness, and persecution but finally reaching safe harbor with its cargo of human souls. In The Ship of the Church, we study how God works through his church and keeps it safe during a time when the message of Christ is spoken against. In Week 4, we’ll see how God creates a fellowship among people who can be so different, yet gives them unity around the one thing that matters. Pastor Mark Henke preached this sermon on March 21, 2020 at the Family Worship Gathering of Bethany Lutheran Church’s Lynndale campus in Appleton, WI. Learn more at www.bethanyappleton.org https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1584385591659-USKDBQFZ7WQEAA2677UK/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Ship of the Church - Week 3: Membership. Romans 12:3-16 (Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI) The ship was an ancient Christian symbol. It is the Church tossed on the sea of disbelief, worldliness, and persecution but finally reaching safe harbor with its cargo of human souls. In The Ship of the Church, we study how God works through his church and keeps it safe during a time when the message of Christ is spoken against. Week 3 discusses the blessings and responsibilities of membership in a local church that God gives his people. Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon on March 14, 2020 at the Family Worship Gathering of Bethany Lutheran Church’s Lynndale campus in Appleton, WI. Learn more at www.bethanyappleton.org https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1583761152058-TTO97TURSFK0M3SJIEVE/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Ship of the Church - Week 2: Leadership. Hebrews 13:7,17 (Pastor Zach Gebert, Bethany, Appleton, WI) The ship was an ancient Christian symbol. It is the Church tossed on the sea of disbelief, worldliness, and persecution but finally reaching safe harbor with its cargo of human souls. In The Ship of the Church, we study how God works through his church and keeps it safe during a time when the message of Christ is spoken against. In week 2, we examine how God blesses his church through the spiritual leaders he gives us. Pastor Zach Gebert preached this sermon on March 7, 2020 at the Family Worship Gathering of Bethany Lutheran Church’s Lynndale campus in Appleton, WI. Learn more at www.bethanyappleton.org https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1583083580564-QVUQPX5N9VNXUG7LG2G8/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Ship of the Church - Week 1: Headship. Colossians 1:17-20 (Pastor Mark Henke, Bethany, Appleton, WI) The ship was an ancient Christian symbol. It is the Church tossed on the sea of disbelief, worldliness, and persecution but finally reaching safe harbor with its cargo of human souls. In The Ship of the Church, we study how God works through his church and keeps it safe during a time when the message of Christ is spoken against. Pastor Mark Henke preached this sermon on February 29, 2020 at the Family Worship Gathering of Bethany Lutheran Church’s Lynndale campus in Appleton, WI. Learn more at www.bethanyappleton.org https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1581960644880-TD9YRXRR9C7RO8VED6HC/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Masters - Week 3: The Spirit or Temptation. Mt 5:21-37 (Pastor Zach Gebert, Bethany, Appleton, WI) Anger, spite, pride, lust. In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus takes head-on four temptations that can so easily become the controlling force in a person’s decisions. But if these temptations are so strong, how can a person ever control them? Only the Spirit who sanctifies us can master our desires Pastor Zach Gebert preached this sermon on February 15, 2020 at the Family Worship Gathering of Bethany Lutheran Church’s Lynndale campus in Appleton, WI. Learn more at www.bethanyappleton.org https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1581354001008-3TOU5E5NBNU8448LU566/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Masters - Week 2: God or Culture. Joshua 24:14-24 (Pastor Mark Henke, Bethany, Appleton, WI) Joshua, the unrehearsed leader of God’s people, leads his refugee nation in the best way he knows how. He doesn’t bark, he doesn't threaten, he simply lives his life honorably, and offers it as an example: “choose for yourselves today whomever you will serve—whether the gods that your fathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household—we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15). To follow Joshua’s lead was to defy the master of culture. The culture of their upbringing with household gods and syncretism, the culture of their parents and grandparents, and the culture of this new land deeply rooted in pagan worship. Culture was a dominating master which felt entitled to their hearts. Yet God's people spoke their commitment to the Lord. Our culture has perhaps fewer crafted images of gods, but no fewer idols. Beyond the idols that sneak into our hearts, what other parts of our culture get in the way of commitment to God? Pastor Mark Henke preached this sermon on February 8, 2020 at the Family Worship Gathering of Bethany Lutheran Church’s Lynndale campus in Appleton, WI. Learn more at www.bethanyappleton.org https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1580744454614-ZNNU7BXUIZEJ9AXH8TE4/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Masters - Week 1: Faith or Fear. Daniel 3:13-27 (Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI) In a gripping story where their lives are on the line, three men must choose their master. But they know that even more than their lives are on the line. As they stare down fear, they follow faith, even as they are in their hearts sealing their earthly demise. But the master they follow is gracious and powerful, and answers their faith with a turn no one could have seen coming. When fear is so real that it seems like there’s only one option, there is always another. God’s love and power is stronger than any fear, and his strength is the core of our faith. knowing him: Perfect love from God to his people and an eternity of glory with him. Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon on February 1, 2020 at the Family Worship Gathering of Bethany Lutheran Church’s Lynndale campus in Appleton, WI. Learn more at www.bethanyappleton.org https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1580166052963-8JWMG1KNJ0LUTWRD77KS/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Jesus Revealed - Week 3: Jesus, the Light. 1 John 2:3-11. (Pastor Zach Gebert, Bethany Appleton, WI) John cuts right to the heart of fraudulent assumptions of Jesus. “The one who says, ‘I know him’ but does not keep his commands is a liar.” People can spin Jesus to fit their agendas as much as they want, but if they don’t live what Jesus says, then they’re exposing themselves. And what does it look like to live by Jesus’ commands? You love. Love is the heart of everything Jesus says. Love is the light that breaks the darkness. Because the truth is, as tolerant and loving as the world may claim to be, if it “does good” without Jesus, it’s just blanketing the world in one more layer of darkness. The light that cuts through the darkness is the love that gives freedom from guilt and the punishment of sin. It’s love that doesn’t just justify sin away but deals with it. The love of Jesus breaks the darkness and shines us to eternal life with God. And when we live in love, we push back the darkness as the heavenly light of the gospel shines in us. In the love that he himself embodies as he is the vehicle of God’s love, we find the true story of Jesus and the true importance of knowing him: Perfect love from God to his people and an eternity of glory with him. Pastor Zach Gebert preached this sermon on January 25, 2020 at the Family Worship Gathering of Bethany Lutheran Church’s Lynndale campus in Appleton, WI. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1579547652332-ED1NPNMXGHL8Y2LBPZ51/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Jesus Revealed - Week 2: Jesus, the Lamb. John 1:29-41. (Pastor Mark Henke, Bethany, Appleton, WI) If Jesus was someone who just took advantage of the times and people for his own popularity, “lamb” would certainly not have been an accurate title of him. But when John wants to introduce Jesus to his followers, that’s exactly what he calls him, “the Lamb of God.” Jesus didn't come to win fame and stoke his ego. He came to give up everything for a purpose that didn’t serve himself. He came to sacrifice himself for the very people who rejected him. What do you expect when you follow Jesus? To find a leader who will vindicate you in the eyes of people on earth? A leader who will add prestige and success to you because of your association with him? Or do we expect to find what he said we’ll find: forgiveness. Forgiveness is a blessing that seems far more mundane than prosperity, but it is a blessing that is eternal and that results in an eternity of riches at God’s side. Pastor Mark Henke preached this sermon on January 18, 2020 at the Family Worship Gathering of Bethany Lutheran Church’s Lynndale campus in Appleton, WI. Learn more at www.bethanyappleton.org https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1578932686853-FGE8DCS601X6IWP3DLP1/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Jesus Revealed - Week 1: Jesus, the Christ. Isaiah 42:1-7. (Pastor Pat Brown, Bethany, Appleton, WI) History books would have us think that Jesus was just a Judean man, perhaps exceptional in charisma and eloquence, but in all other aspects, normal. That his ambitions, his personality, along with the social and political conditions in ~30AD Judea mixed together, yielding the movement that became Christianity. However, God makes clear just how intentional, planned, and altogether unordinary Jesus was. At his baptism, God publicly declared who Jesus was and formally set him apart for his work. God in Isaiah 42 expands on what he says there at the Jordan, “This is my Son whom I love. I am well pleased with him.” Enjoy all the beautiful phrases God uses in Isaiah 42 to speak of the comfort and love inherent in Jesus’ work. Work that Jesus did in perfect obedience to his Father. Find peace in knowing that Jesus has been set apart from the beginning to do the specific work of bringing peace to his people. Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon on January 11, 2020 at the Family Worship Gathering of Bethany Lutheran Church’s Lynndale campus in Appleton, WI. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1578331836688-MF5ARHNDCJKADT9PGMIY/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - God's Mysterious Will. Ephesians 1:4-13. (Pastor Zach Gebert - Bethany, Appleton, WI) “God’s Will” is a phrase we throw around often as a validation, justification, excuse, or just affirmation of our lives. But what does “God’s will” actually mean? And how is it relevant to me? Far more than just a pithy saying, God’s will has the power to give freedom. Pastor Zach Gebert preached this sermon on January 4, 2020 at the Family Worship Gathering of Bethany Lutheran Church’s Lynndale campus in Appleton, WI. Learn more at www.bethanyappleton.org https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1577827730439-XJ0PQAFS27NP5G8WNLOO/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Listen. Believe. Obey. Matthew 2:13-18. (Pastor Mark Henke, Bethany, Appleton WI) We take a look at a silent hero of the Christmas story, Jesus’ foster father, Joseph. Though Scripture records no words or Joseph, we see him listen, believe, and obey as God works through Joseph’s faith to protect his Messiah. Pastor Mark Henke preached this sermon on December 28, 2019 at the Family Worship Gathering of Bethany Lutheran Church’s Lynndale campus in Appleton, WI. Learn more at www.bethanyappleton.org https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1577118994840-Q0F59QMW4QM56M3ADS4C/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Waiting: Week 4 - With a Promise. Romans 1:1-7 God has made a promise and left signs throughout history that point to that promise. Every prophecy Jesus fulfilled historically and theologically so that we know he is the one whom God has promised. Let the signs he fulfilled strengthen our faith that he’s the One and give us assurance for the days to come. Let his unique nature as God and man give us confidence that his redemptive work has completely accomplished what God set out to do. In the God-man Jesus, our waiting is over. We now wait for the fulfillment of our redemption with the confidence that comes from God’s promises kept and the ones he’ll keep. Pastor Zach Gebert preached this sermon on December 21, 2019 at the Family Worship Gathering of Bethany Lutheran Church’s Lynndale campus in Appleton, WI. Learn more at www.bethanyappleton.org https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1576444612469-BMBNYO5ADAYU5VH0OYHA/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Waiting: Week 3 - With Patience. James 5:7-11 In the moment of suffering, all we see is suffering. In many cases, it’s impossible to see anything but suffering. This is the human experience on earth. Yet faith sees what our eyes and experience can’t. Job trusted and praised God in the middle of suffering where he saw no end. A farmer waits patiently for harvest even when it seems like growth is slow. In suffering, we are patient when we know that God will fulfill what he’s promised. Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon on December 14, 2019 at the Family Worship Gathering of Bethany Lutheran Church’s Lynndale campus in Appleton, WI. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1575836146522-Z6NYM7ZXT1VV0J3NFTET/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Waiting: Week 2 - With Repentance. Daniel 4:19-37 God’s call to repentance is serious and has a threat behind it. Repent before it’s too late! But for all humans on earth, if your ears are hearing the call, it isn’t too late. The restoration God gives is whole and leaves no trace of shame. Pastor Mark Henke preached this sermon on December 7, 2019 at the Family Worship Gathering of Bethany Lutheran Church’s Lynndale campus in Appleton, WI. Learn more at www.bethanyappleton.org https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1575314721707-CDERVBD8ZTB6N7N98MXJ/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Waiting: Week 1 - With Vigilance. Matthew 24:36-44 No one knows when. It’s coming, that’s certain. That's fact. But when? It’ll be just like the first time Noah’s neighbors felt a drop of rain and were thoroughly confused never having seen rain before. Or if you were talking to a buddy at work and suddenly he disappeared. When you consider what’s at stake when he returns, vigilance is demanded. If you’re not ready, that’s on you. But we have all we need to be ready. Pastor Zach Gebert preached this sermon on November 30, 2019 at the Family Worship Gathering of Bethany Lutheran Church’s Lynndale campus in Appleton, WI. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1574740905142-1SWE4FLBBYVU8ANW9FQA/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Welcome Home, Week 5: To A Glorious Kingdom. Luke 23:35-43 A King and His Kingdom—concepts that normally don’t fit our day-to-day experience of reality, except they do. When we recognize the King who protects us, the Kingdom in which we live, and the Kingdom that waits for us, everything falls into perspective. Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon on November 23, 2019 at the Worship Gathering of Bethany Lutheran Church’s Parkway campus in Appleton, WI. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/5d26047e381e720001955489/5dd306b276d4226b2a6ce9bb/1757563433510/ Sermon Library - Welcome Home, Week 4: To An Everlasting Family. Isaiah 65:17-25 Sometimes the journey is more important than the destination, but not when it comes to heaven. Our experience of life changes dramatically we can walk this journey of earth with our hearts fixed squarely on our eternal home of heaven. Pastor Mark Henke preached this sermon on November 16, 2019 at the Worship Gathering of Bethany Lutheran Church’s Parkway campus in Appleton, WI. Learn more at www.bethanyappleton.orgSometimes the journey is more important than the destination, but not when it comes to heaven. Our experience of life changes dramatically we can walk this journey of earth with our hearts fixed squarely on our eternal home of heaven. Pastor Mark Henke preached this sermon on November 16, 2019 at the Worship Gathering of Bethany Lutheran Church’s Parkway campus in Appleton, WI. Learn more at www.bethanyappleton.org https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1573670791932-2D7W0ZGCLLB1UN4JZ2R7/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Welcome Home, Week 3: Where You Are Perfectly Safe. 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10 Home is a safe space. But not even home can keep you safe from everything. Today Jesus shows us how wherever we go, we have a safe place in his gospel. Pastor Zach Gebert preached this sermon on November 9, 2019 at the Worship Gathering of Bethany Lutheran Church’s Parkway campus in Appleton, WI. Learn more at www.bethanyappleton.org https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1572891426717-0W6D43D2POVV0M03IWDR/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Welcome Home, Week 2: Where You Are Free to Be Yourself. John 8:31-36 Jesus shows us our true identity, his children. And in the freedom we have at the cross, we can be who we are in any situation. Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon on November 2, 2019 at the Worship Gathering of Bethany Lutheran Church’s Parkway campus in Appleton, WI. Learn more at www.bethanyappleton.org https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1572292221568-52JVQNWSKWFN6VMJUFDK/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Welcome Home, Week 1: Where the Lost Find Love. Luke 15:1-10 Church isn’t a museum for the perfect. It’s a refuge for the lost. We’ve all be there, sometimes we still are. We have a God who seeks the lost and gives them home. He draws us together and to him here at Bethany. Pastor Mark Henke preached this sermon on October 27, 2019 at the Worship Gathering of Bethany Lutheran Church’s Parkway campus in Appleton, WI. Learn more at www.bethanyappleton.org https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1571757893516-9PQWIW2NTAZ1BJ7RVQC4/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - From Above / Here Below, Week 4: Meaning. Luke 16:19-31 The pattern of the “here below” is work to build your castle. 40-50-60-70 hours a week are worth it if you have an empire to show from it. However, if we look to earthly things for meaning, we’ll never find it. Things here below are transient. However, when we live as beggars, receiving what God gives from above, we find meaning that lasts for eternity. Pastor Zach Gebert preached this sermon on October 19, 2019 at the Saturday Family Worship Gathering of Bethany Lutheran Church’s Lynndale campus in Appleton, WI. Learn more at www.bethanyappleton.org https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1571151048676-BYLIXK7IYA7FH1MON5GB/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - From Above / Here Below, Week 3: Value. 1 Timothy 6:6-16 A perspective from below says that the value of life is indicated by the value of your valuables. Your house(s), your car(s), your toy(s), your spouse(s). But Paul makes clear to Timothy that the value of our valuables is much less valuable than we assume. None of it lasts, and in fact, the pursuit of these things often makes life run out much more quickly than we intend. So instead, fill your life with things that have true and lasting value: “righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness.” Find value in the possession of the greatest gift God’s given you: faith that results in eternal life. Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon on October 12, 2019 at the Saturday Family Worship Gathering of Bethany Lutheran Church’s Lynndale campus in Appleton, WI. Learn more at www.bethanyappleton.org https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1570464655016-IQR879RZO0ALOXUPVRZS/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - From Above / Here Below, Week 2: Love. Hosea 3:1-5 It sounds like a romance movie gone wrong: the love(less) saga of Hosea and Gomer. A man gives up his right to requited love to play an object lesson for God. Yet in Hosea’s cringeworthy repeated choice to love his prostitute wife, we catch a glimpse of love’s true beauty: grace. We may get hung up in life on the people who deserve our love or don’t, on the love we feel we should be able to expect from others, and on our feelings when we don’t receive the love we think we deserve, but the bigger lesson in Hosea’s story isn’t that we should love the unfaithful (although that’s a lesson), but that God has loved the unfaithful. God has loved you, prostitute wife of your Savior. Let the grace of God you’ve received frame your choices to love others. Pastor Mark Henke preached this sermon on October 5, 2019 at the Saturday Family Worship Gathering of Bethany Lutheran Church’s Lynndale campus in Appleton, WI. Learn more at www.bethanyappleton.org https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1569781631361-OPSYTVDPGGTAEMO0HF29/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - From Above / Here Below, Week 1: Plans. Genesis 12:1-8 Sometimes our plans pan out. Sometimes they don’t. But God’s promises always prevail. When we see our plans through the lens of God’s promise, how can this perspective from above coach how we deal with frustrations, roadblocks, and even successes to our plans? Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon on September 28, 2019 at the Saturday Family Worship Gathering of Bethany Lutheran Church’s Lynndale campus in Appleton, WI. Learn more at www.bethanyappleton.org https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1569255593708-Z1PP2FTLW2N7F3MM03KQ/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - We're In This Together 3: With Love. Acts 2:24-47 What makes church a valuable part of your life? It’s easy to focus on the externals and programs, but there’s a deeper and stronger reason to fall in love with your church. We look at the first Christian church in Acts 2 to find a new value proposition for the weekly gathering—a reason to fall in love. Pastor Zach Gebert preached this sermon on September 21, 2019 at the Saturday Family Worship Gathering of Bethany Lutheran Church’s Lynndale campus in Appleton, WI. Learn more at www.bethanyappleton.org https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1568775274482-QL10N0AQX5R89I8CYYB7/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - We're In This Together 2: As Individuals. 1 Corinthians 12:12-20 God has made us perfectly unique for his perfect purposes. Embrace who he’s made you and celebrate each other! Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon on September 14, 2019 at the Saturday Family Worship Gathering of Bethany Lutheran Church’s Lynndale campus in Appleton, WI. Learn more at www.bethanyappleton.org https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1568215564888-RU9AC9BSJGS4QJNRWJKS/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - We're In This Together 1: As a Family. Philippians 2:1-5 Volunteer at a place to which you have no obligation and you can say you’ve really done an over and above job of helping them out. But you wouldn’t ever pat your back after mowing the lawn or unloading the dishwasher at your own house. That’s a responsibility that you have as a member of the family. And that’s what we are at Bethany--a family. God has brought us together from all our varied backgrounds to be one. He’s united us around one message and given us one spirit. We love our family not for selfish gain, but because it’s who we are. Pastor Mark Henke preached this sermon on September 7, 2019 at the Saturday Family Worship Gathering of Bethany Lutheran Church’s Lynndale campus in Appleton, WI. Learn more at www.bethanyappleton.org https://static1.squarespace.com/static/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/5d26047e381e720001955489/5d6ed70e262b000001ad8253/1757563433510/ Sermon Library - Wake Up! Revelation 3:1-6 Jesus challenges us to not just look busy but be productive in God’s Kingdom. Pastor Zach Gebert preached this sermon on August 31, 2019 at the Saturday Family Worship Gathering of Bethany Lutheran Church’s Lynndale campus in Appleton, WI. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1566852308304-J7TVA8ESPU35DMBDIJDI/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Meaningless No More, Ecclesiastes 1:2, 2:18-26 Apart from Christ, everything under the sun is meaningless. But through faith in Jesus, our work, our wealth, our life is Meaningless No More. Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon on August 24, 2019 at the Saturday Family Worship Gathering of Bethany Lutheran Church’s Lynndale campus in Appleton, WI. Learn more at www.bethanyappleton.org https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1566243583081-RVHEL8AZJAFZD2HY1U2L/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Our Tidy Obsession Week 7: A Tidy God, Ephesians 2:1-10 Human nature wants our relationship with God to be something we can negotiate, but it’s completely out of our control. It all hinges on a choice God makes—a choice of grace. Pastor Mark Henke preached this sermon on August 17, 2019 at the Saturday Family Worship Gathering of Bethany Lutheran Church’s Lynndale campus in Appleton, WI. Learn more at www.bethanyappleton.org https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1565809480547-22MNB2LAUJEZJXRS9IPE/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Our Tidy Obsession Week 6: A Tidy Relationship, 1 John 4:7-12 Anyone who approaches a relationship looking for tidiness is in for a surprise. Relationships don't work if the goal is for arguments to be won and sealed up, for everything to be balanced and symmetrical. Relationships work through beautiful messy honesty and forgiveness. Relationships work through unconditional not-keeping-track selflessness. Tidiness has no place in a relationship. This love that makes them work is foreign to our catalogs of relationship tools, but one that we know intimately, for it’s the love that Christ put in our hearts when he redeemed our hearts. Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon on August 11, 2019 at the Sunday morning worship service at Bethany Lutheran Church’s Parkway campus in Appleton, WI. Learn more at www.bethanyappleton.org https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1565225371914-17U5L90PYRG9DS8W3G4X/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Our Tidy Obsession Week 5: A Tidy Job, 2 Corinthians 5:15-21 A job. Your classes. Your family life. It’s easy to compartmentalize life. But for a Christian, everything we do is under one calling: to speak God’s message of reconciliation. Pastor Zach Gebert preached this sermon on August 4, 2019 at the Sunday morning worship service at Bethany Lutheran Church’s Parkway campus in Appleton, WI. Learn more at www.bethanyappleton.org https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1564431801489-83WZ8VLLQC1FWAH55VBV/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Meeter of Needs Week 2: Be Living As a Meeter of Needs, Philippians 4:14-20 Our trust in and love for the Giver of every good and perfect gift moves us to live as “meeters of need” in our families, in our churches, and in our world. When God’s people live in awareness and appreciation of the unfailing supply of their own needs, especially their gift of salvation, they become more sensitive to the opportunities God gives them to generously meet the spiritual and physical needs of others. Pastor Mark Henke preached this sermon on July 27 at the Saturday Family Worship Gathering of Bethany Lutheran Church’s Lynndale campus in Appleton, WI. Learn more at www.bethanyappleton.org https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1563820882723-EHT5LM1CF4GYPNQNLYAI/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Meeter of Needs Week 1: Believing in the Meeter of Needs, 1 Kings 8:56-61 At its very core, stewardship involves trust and love. Trust in the promises made to us by the “Meeter of Needs” himself. Trust that his providential care will never waver because it is not based upon our worthiness or gratitude, but rather on his love for his creation. Our trust in a love that moves God to supply our daily needs is a powerful testimony to the world that he alone is God and there is no other. There is no one else worthy of such trust. Pastor Zach Gebert preached this sermon on July 20, 2019 at the Saturday Family Worship Gathering of Bethany Lutheran Church’s Lynndale campus in Appleton, WI. Learn more at www.bethanyappleton.org https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1562773001844-MENJCTQ39HFIGBC8622E/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Our Tidy Obsession Week 3: A Tidy Family, Colossians 3:12-21 At some point in the last 50 years, we decided that a successful family was more important than a healthy family. That whatever relationships were (or weren’t) like within the family, whatever the mental and emotional health of moms and dads and children, if the kids had the grades or the points, parents would pat themselves on the back for doing a good job. So, we dress up in matching clothes to convince our extended family and friends every Christmas that we are indeed really that put-together. Or maybe it's to convince ourselves. To try to feel at least for a while that we’re a healthy family, when the reality is strained relationships, out of control schedules, people with big holes for affirmation, and a complete back seat to the most important contributor to both a family’s health and the wholeness of each family member: the gospel of unconditional acceptance and love. Pastor Mark Henke preached this sermon on July 6, 2019 at the Saturday Family Worship Gathering of Bethany Lutheran Church’s Lynndale campus in Appleton, WI. Learn more at www.bethanyappleton.org https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1563216132981-3RO8UM05R4CQ5JDR0LH5/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Our Tidy Obsession Week 4: A Tidy Faith, Matthew 16:24-27 What if the person we’re trying to convince of our “goodness” isn’t just others, but ourselves? What if we’re using our churchiness as affirmation of our relationship to God rather than looking to faith? Perhaps the accessories of church that we put on and take off are getting in the way of what Jesus asks of us. He asks us not to take on an hour a week, an activity or meeting a month, but to take up our cross and follow him. Faith is life and the cross is sacrifice. Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon on July 13, 2019 at the Saturday Family Worship Gathering of Bethany Lutheran Church’s Lynndale campus in Appleton, WI. Learn more at www.bethanyappleton.org https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1562772931800-E8OMK6MID78Z6T2582YV/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Our Tidy Obsession Week 2: A Tidy Church. Hebrews 10:19-25 As primp our tidy life, we keep church in an attractive bin somewhere in our lives. We pull it out for an hour on the weekend, and then tuck it back away on the way home. We dip into it for a monthly team meeting, and then just as quickly step out of it. But that isn't what church is. Church is a body. A body of those whom God has called out of darkness to gather together around Word and sacrament, to grow together, to serve the Kingdom together. The church gathers to celebrate and encourage each other in the salvation and identity God’s given us through Jesus. Doing this together require more of a commitment than attending church like it’s some sort of performance. It’s a community, even a family. And as such, we who are part of this family all share a common commitment to this family--and all the mess that may come with it. Pastor Zach Gebert preached this sermon on June 29, 2019 at the Saturday Family Worship Gathering of Bethany Lutheran Church’s Lynndale campus in Appleton, WI. Learn more at www.bethanyappleton.org https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1562772665812-7X46KMB162KXJPUHOPD6/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Our Tidy Obsession Week 1: A Tidy Self. Matthew 23:25-28 We live in a world where success is assessed not on how well you live your life but on how well you can Instagram your life. It’s a world where looking put together and happy can get you farther than actually being put together and happy. Though the media is new, the problem isn’t. Two thousand years ago, Jesus criticized the Pharisees for that very thing--looking pristine on the outside, but being garbage on the inside. Why is it so hard to drop the tidy exterior? What’s the cost of showing ourselves to be less than perfect? There’s a struggle involved with honestly admitting our weakness and feelings, but only when we admit our sin are we able to find restoration in Jesus’ forgiveness. And being whole is way more important than being tidy. Pastor Mark Henke preached this sermon on June 22, 2019 at the Saturday Family Worship Gathering of Bethany Lutheran Church’s Lynndale campus in Appleton, WI. Learn more at www.bethanyappleton.org https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1562774401908-RB783ZTGLD9CP78WMWPU/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Trinity: I Will Bless Them. Numbers 6:22-27 The one true God reveals himself as three distinct persons in one God. In Numbers 6:22-27, God uses this unique revelation of his essence to bless. In this sermon for a service celebrating God’s revelation of himself as triune, Pastor Brown shows us how each person of the Trinity—Father, Son, and Spirit—works together to bless God’s people according to their unique nature. Pastor Pat Brown preached this sermon on June 15, 2019 at the Saturday Family Worship Gathering of Bethany Lutheran Church’s Lynndale campus in Appleton, WI. Learn more at www.bethanyappleton.org https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1562773655586-CBRML7O5R3LGQSTXZXYF/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Our Tidy Obsession - Summer 2019 Series Preview Living minimally is no longer just a niche lifestyle. As books on decluttering your life top bestseller charts and tidiness trends on Netflix, it's clear that our society craves tidiness. So what’s driving our tidy obsession? Is it simply that we enjoy having a clean house, or is there something deeper? Something… darker? Perhaps we as a society are feeling so helpless with all the things we can’t control in our lives, perhaps we’re becoming so aware of what a mess the different areas of our lives are, that we’re trying to cover the messes in our lives with immaculate closets and tupperware drawers. If we can’t control our lives, then we can at least control how our lives look. This summer, it’s time to throw off appearances. Our sermon series, Our Tidy Obsession, is going deconstruct some of the areas of our lives that we’ve worked so hard to tidy up and find the messes that we’re covering underneath. And then as we take inventory of our mess, we’ll find in the gospel of grace in Jesus not just organization of our mess, but resolution to our mess. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1566852270657-0S04A5TFGTL173VK9LC6/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library - Meaningless No More, Ecclesiastes 1:2, 2:18-26 https://www.bethanyappleton.org/spring-2024-newsletter daily 0.75 2024-02-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1621882807858-S4GLZC2M7DDF8BBPY5KI/page01.jpg Spring 2024 Newsletter https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1621882807858-S4GLZC2M7DDF8BBPY5KI/page01.jpg Spring 2024 Newsletter https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1709221076159-8RHNU0HSN0DMDGCR5OLM/Fall+2021+The+Village+Voice.png Spring 2024 Newsletter https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1709221093771-CPH47PK9RO4CNVWAVNUN/2Fall+2022+The+Village+Voice.png Spring 2024 Newsletter https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1709221113172-137QG5AKX4GEMB3WWZMB/Fall+2021+The+Village+Voice2.png Spring 2024 Newsletter https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1709221130445-WJFOJTSL4ZSPAEQ24QDU/Fall+2021+The+Village+Voice3.png Spring 2024 Newsletter https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1709221153431-P4OXORY25MMJ8ZYZDXK5/Fall+2021+The+Village+Voice4.png Spring 2024 Newsletter https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1709221169107-YF67JC9TCEU22TQK5W6T/Fall+2021+The+Village+Voice5.png Spring 2024 Newsletter https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1709221186959-60IPTD1LTE3W207N7IMV/Fall+2021+The+Village+Voice6.png Spring 2024 Newsletter https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1709221204102-OOXBK1LXK2NFTXBULNA1/s8.png Spring 2024 Newsletter https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1709221223393-DSNTKORR1OSLR5V9CH9P/Fall+2021+The+Village+Voice8.png Spring 2024 Newsletter https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1709221238061-93MZ56B8EUADU43SPXG6/Winter+2021+The+Village+Voice9.png Spring 2024 Newsletter https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1709221253845-3D135CNRYIBHS40A8EQL/12Fall+2022+The+Village+Voice.png Spring 2024 Newsletter https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1709221267328-JEP0C9D0SYEQLPHWWOYA/12.png Spring 2024 Newsletter https://www.bethanyappleton.org/midweek-lent-2023 daily 0.75 2023-04-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1678334475664-NYSKDDGN6MVWHJPYMUDU/image-asset.jpeg Midweek Lent 2023 - Bethany Lutheran Church (Appleton, WI) | Full Worship Service | March 1, 2023 Week 1: His Final Steps Led to His Father’s House Preacher: Pastor David Pries, Eternal Love (Appleton, WI) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1678334475664-NYSKDDGN6MVWHJPYMUDU/image-asset.jpeg Midweek Lent 2023 - Bethany Lutheran Church (Appleton, WI) | Full Worship Service | March 1, 2023 Week 1: His Final Steps Led to His Father’s House Preacher: Pastor David Pries, Eternal Love (Appleton, WI) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1678334456056-8ZY2TE9864V5JEZD2EYT/image-asset.octet-stream Midweek Lent 2023 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1678411961044-F28D9OK4VSQ2RLDVG7L3/image-asset.jpeg Midweek Lent 2023 - Bethany Lutheran Church (Appleton, WI) | Full Worship Service | March 8, 2023 Week 2: His Final Steps Led to a Dinner Celebration Preacher: Pastor Dave Backus, Eternal Love (Appleton, WI) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1680109990609-FJ3HO5CCQSGE32Y5637G/image-asset.jpeg Midweek Lent 2023 - Bethany Lutheran Church (Appleton, WI) | Full Worship Service | March 15, 2023 Week 3: His Final Steps Led to His Enemies Preacher: Pastor Dave Olson, St. Matthew (Appleton, WI) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1680226343198-6JHTSETKBJJ8YSPQ5JBP/image-asset.jpeg Midweek Lent 2023 - Bethany Lutheran Church (Appleton, WI) | Full Worship Service | March 22, 2023 Week 4: His Final Steps Led to Some Greeks Preacher: Pastor Dan Johnston https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1680493931300-SR5JGAZQ05BUSZ2HL3XZ/image-asset.jpeg Midweek Lent 2023 - Bethany Lutheran Church (Appleton, WI) | Full Worship Service | March 29, 2023 Week 5: His Final Steps Led to a Fig Tree Preacher: Pastor Jon Kuske, St. Matthew (Appleton, WI) https://www.bethanyappleton.org/sermon-library-2024 daily 0.75 2024-01-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1705847142985-W4X2C37LWNDY8QGGRHUQ/image-asset.octet-stream Sermon Library 2024 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1705847142985-W4X2C37LWNDY8QGGRHUQ/image-asset.octet-stream Sermon Library 2024 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1705974055441-JGLPEJSDRD86XIVIS2ZL/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library 2024 - Joining Jesus in Restoration. Pastor Dan Johnston, Bethany, Appleton, WI Joining Jesus in Restoration Today, we see Jesus revealing his glory, might and majesty—revealing himself as the Son of God through his miracles. Joining Jesus as he displays his power through miracles of healing, we also understand that Jesus has come to bring a much more thorough healing to all of us. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1705866822895-M8K7CYX46AKJXWOOJ075/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library 2024 - Joining Jesus at the Fig Tree. Pastor Dennis Belter, Bethany, Appleton, WI Joining Jesus at the Fig Tree Today, we see Jesus reveal his glory at the fig tree, calling some of his first disciples to follow him and to see where he would lead them. As we join Jesus at the fig tree, we also see where Jesus leads us—to faith, life and salvation. He turns our doubts to belief and leads us to call others, as we are compelled to say with the disciples, “Come and see.” https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1705847150244-TJ1J5RVQW7SH3FJPECP8/image-asset.jpeg Sermon Library 2024 - Joining Jesus at the River. Pastor Dan Johnston, Bethany, Appleton, WI Joining Jesus at the River Today, we join Jesus as he comes to be baptized by John at the Jordan River. Here, Jesus steps out of obscurity and into public view—and reveals himself to be someone worth the attention of the people and worthy of glory. When Jesus appears, he not only reveals himself to be God’s own Son. He also invites us to join him in discipleship, to follow him—even into glory of our own. https://www.bethanyappleton.org/bargain-garden-1 daily 0.75 2017-03-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1489687809541-FTGYIITTKSE4UA54MEHI/the+ave+%28blue+small%29.png Hope Center https://www.bethanyappleton.org/president-profile daily 0.75 2024-06-24 https://www.bethanyappleton.org/elder-lead-profile daily 0.75 2024-07-08 https://www.bethanyappleton.org/service-team-lead-profile daily 0.75 2022-11-10 https://www.bethanyappleton.org/worship-team-lead-profile-1 daily 0.75 2024-07-08 https://www.bethanyappleton.org/krenke-profile daily 0.75 2024-02-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1708614093618-SFYJQPULG3HABYETN5W0/Krenke.jpeg Krenke Profile https://www.bethanyappleton.org/worship-team-lead-profile daily 0.75 2022-11-10 https://www.bethanyappleton.org/sharing-team-lead-profile daily 0.75 2024-02-29 https://www.bethanyappleton.org/wels-united daily 0.75 2017-05-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1489682258173-YDT780B9F6VP7VG09IHD/WELS+United.jpg WELS United https://www.bethanyappleton.org/fvl-schools daily 0.75 2017-03-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1489687809541-FTGYIITTKSE4UA54MEHI/the+ave+%28blue+small%29.png FVL Schools https://www.bethanyappleton.org/fvl daily 0.75 2017-03-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1489682258173-YDT780B9F6VP7VG09IHD/WELS+United.jpg FVL https://www.bethanyappleton.org/new-cover-page-1 daily 0.75 2017-09-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1489680251294-A0KK2XRYF47QVQPTJIM7/3.png WELS https://www.bethanyappleton.org/bargain-garden daily 0.75 2017-03-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1489687809541-FTGYIITTKSE4UA54MEHI/the+ave+%28blue+small%29.png Bargain Garden https://www.bethanyappleton.org/time-of-grace daily 0.75 2017-09-26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1506466407815-CVBL46F3WFIK3FWMXQIM/YToG-Full-Color.png Time of Grace https://www.bethanyappleton.org/treasurer-profile daily 0.75 2022-11-10 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1602695867619-JHTRRTQC04BFOZREMX4U/FB_IMG_1602694973259.jpg Treasurer Profile https://www.bethanyappleton.org/vice-president-profile daily 0.75 2024-02-27 https://www.bethanyappleton.org/our-church daily 0.75 2017-05-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1488834144893-5C5FARU36X2BL5TVQO7M/Our+Partners.jpg Our Partners https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1495489040120-2IN959VYXQB4M053KLWY/3.jpg Our Partners https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1495489079500-2B71KB4NT93YTH0I4AFA/6.jpg Our Partners 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Worship https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1603721329180-K5Y8ZKVD3NCFGCKPKVZA/IMG_6430.jpg Our Worship https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1603721703473-7YOZ27MTQNCA2IZS3HUF/jefferson-santos-fCEJGBzAkrU-unsplash.jpg Our Worship https://www.bethanyappleton.org/our-mission daily 0.75 2015-09-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1431101266543-SQJ6G773XK8WFD0IFQJK/20150508_103215.jpg Our Mission https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1431097872100-CPYSAYL5YFTMD0NDMZPR/image-asset.jpeg Our Mission https://www.bethanyappleton.org/welcome daily 1.0 2026-04-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1439341684734-VP8T0F49NQ21K6G8LKMG/Parkway+Campus+%282%29.JPG Welcome https://www.bethanyappleton.org/marriage-counseling daily 0.75 2024-02-16 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https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1627139385250-BVR6LQW8OTK5Y7NUDRAI/aaron-burden-09AhDCedXF8-unsplash.jpeg Our Message https://www.bethanyappleton.org/youth-ministry daily 0.75 2023-01-08 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1484834419969-UTVWDUNZYM4RQEQEGKG6/sahbl2upxco-ashton-bingham.jpg Youth Ministry https://www.bethanyappleton.org/biblestudy daily 0.75 2025-09-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1442517285348-ZJGF0BXSTASI0QGOEX17/lightstock_169269_medium_zach_.jpg Bible Study https://www.bethanyappleton.org/family-counseling daily 0.75 2020-09-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1442868013706-2ZNYU1FZAQY51S49WHJG/null+%282%29.png Family Counseling https://www.bethanyappleton.org/marriage-seminar daily 0.75 2015-09-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1442866348356-R60WVWDAGF7RH2CVT5QS/photo-1430799800631-b8de6ce1fad5.jpg Marriage Seminar https://www.bethanyappleton.org/parenting-class daily 0.75 2018-03-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1442868648984-D9IRUDTC8T31JA4N1ZIE/null+%284%29.png Parenting Class https://www.bethanyappleton.org/sign-up daily 0.75 2025-09-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1442548232242-QJ6V9JEMZBM5S79GZOZ4/Untitled+design+%281%29.png Sign Up https://www.bethanyappleton.org/confirmation daily 0.75 2024-04-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1624746212618-UC15VPMA0C4W785JWCU8/IMG_0115.jpg Confirmation https://www.bethanyappleton.org/d101 daily 0.75 2025-09-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54c69ceae4b062b0cea912e9/1442930216088-A5EJY1U3GK8TULGJ8UZF/null+%287%29.png Discipleship.101 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