VOLUME 8, ISSUE 2 FEBRUARY 2012
Lead Me to the Cross! Join us for a journey through the Book of Matthew beginning on Ash Wednesday, February 22. We will look at six pieces of the cross during Lent: pain, comfort, shame, holy, forsaken and hope. A reading schedule of Matthew will be distributed for each day during Lent, and if you have email access, you may receive our daily Lenten devotions prepared by Vicar Michael Heiden. If you have not submitted your email address to the office, please do so by emailing Bethlehem@bethluth.net. Our traditional Lenten suppers will be served prior to the Wednesday evening services at 5:45pm in the school cafeteria/gym. Cost is $4/adults; $2/children; and $14/family. Various LifeGroups will sponsor each supper, and the proceeds will be used to support Youth Missions and Habitat for Humanity
Lent Reading Plan Page 2 “table”, KidzClub Page 3 Lutheran Chorale Page 4 MOPS Breakfast
Page 4
Music News
Page 5
LifeGroups
Page 6
Giving Tree
Page 6
LifeLight
Page 7
LWML
Page 8
Prime Timers
Page 8
Bobcat Boogie
Page 9
Pictorial Directory Page 10 Feb. Calendar
Page 11
Coffee News
Page 12
A People’s Bible Commentary and Matthew DVD will be available in the church and chapel narthex beginning on February 12 at a suggested donation of $10. These commentaries and video will enhance your reading during Lent. Lenten services will be held on Wednesday mornings at 10am in the chapel led by Pastor John Petersen and Vicar Michael Heiden, and at 7pm in the main sanctuary. Services should normally last about 45 minutes in length, with the exception of Ash Wednesday due to communion. We look forward to this journey with you.
Ash Wednesday: February 22, 2012 10:00am (chapel) 7:00pm (church) 5:45pm (cafeteria) Lenten Suppers
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VOLUME 8, ISSUE 2
Lent 2012 Daily Devotion Plan DATE
READING IN MATTHEW
STARTING PAGE IN COMMENTARY
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 Thursday, February 23, 2012 Friday, February 24, 2012 Saturday, February 25, 2012 Sunday, February 26, 2012 Monday, February 27, 2012 Tuesday, February 28, 2012 Wednesday, February 29, 2012 Thursday, March 01, 2012 Friday, March 02, 2012 Saturday, March 03, 2012 Sunday, March 04, 2012 Monday, March 05, 2012 Tuesday, March 06, 2012 Wednesday, March 07, 2012 Thursday, March 08, 2012 Friday, March 09, 2012 Saturday, March 10, 2012 Sunday, March 11, 2012 Monday, March 12, 2012 Tuesday, March 13, 2012 Wednesday, March 14, 2012 Thursday, March 15, 2012 Friday, March 16, 2012 Saturday, March 17, 2012 Sunday, March 18, 2012 Monday, March 19, 2012 Tuesday, March 20, 2012 Wednesday, March 21, 2012 Thursday, March 22, 2012 Friday, March 23, 2012 Saturday, March 24, 2012 Sunday, March 25, 2012 Monday, March 26, 2012 Tuesday, March 27, 2012 Wednesday, March 28, 2012 Thursday, March 29, 2012 Friday, March 30, 2012 Saturday, March 31, 2012 Sunday, April 01, 2012 Monday, April 02, 2012 Tuesday, April 03, 2012 Wednesday, April 04, 2012 Thursday, April 05, 2012 Friday, April 06, 2012 Saturday, April 07, 2012
1:1 - 1:17 1:18 - 1:25 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 4:1 - 4:11 4:12 - 4:25 5:1 - 5:20 5:21 - 5:48 6:1 - 6:15 6:16 - 6:34 7:1 - 7:12 7:13 - 7:29 Chapter 8 9:1 - 9:13 9:14 - 9:38 10:1 - 10:11 10:12 - 10:42 Chapter 11 12:1 - 12:21 12:22 - 12:50 13:1 - 13:30 13:31 - 13:58 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 19:1 - 19:12 19:13 - 19:30 Chapter 20 21:1 - 21:17 21:18 - 21:46 Chapter 22 23:1 - 23:22 23:23 - 23:39 24:1 - 24:14 24:15 - 24:51 25:1 - 25:30 25:31 - 25:46 26:1 - 26:25 26:26 - 26:46 26:47 - 26:75 27:1 - 27:26 27:27 - 27:44 27:45 - 27:61 Chapter 28
8 19 23 34 45 55 61 73 85 94 102 109 117 128 134 142 150 160 172 180 188 199 210 220 232 244 255 267 275 282 291 299 309 322 329 337 345 356 365 371 382 392 404 413 418 434
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F U L L Y AL I V E
Come to the ―table‖
By Pastor Tim Ahlman
God is multiplying the harvest at “the table” exponentially. Our weekly attendance went from 90 to 150 through 2011. The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are too few. As I’ve said before, “the table” is a ministry that seeks to tear down walls that too often exist in God’s church (racial, socioeconomic, etc.). “the table” is a place where all can collectively confess their brokenness and need for restoration found through faith in Jesus. For those who have experienced Jesus’ restoration you are now called to bring it to others in word and deed. “the table” is currently looking to expand our impact for God’s kingdom. Here are just a few ministries that we’d love to connect you with: Jobs for Life – give of your time as a mentor to partner with the un-employed and underemployed in our community. Jobs for Life is a Christ-based program that seeks to encourage and train those looking for gainful employment. Contact Doug McKay for more information (djmckay6001@comcast.net).
Celebrate Recovery – Celebrate Recovery is often classified as a “Christian AA” program. It is so much more than that! It is a program that calls us to collectively assess our brokenness and addictive tendencies, finding wholeness through Jesus Christ. Contact me for more information on how you could help (tahlman@bethluth.net). ―the table‖ servants – This group provides spiritual and relational care to those who weekly come to “the table.” They hear stories, pray, and assess the needs of the vulnerable in our community. Contact Vicar Michael Heiden to be a part of this dynamic ministry (mheiden@bethluth.net). Please join one of these ministries to witness what God is doing for the extension of His kingdom through “the table.”
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―So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three, but the greatest of these is love.‖ I Cor 13:13 By Marva Tonniges We at KidzClub (Sunday School) have the blessing of sharing with children the love of Jesus every Sunday morning from 9:15 – 10:15am. Catch the excitement! Registration is always open for ages 3 years through 6th grade. God’s love is an everyday VALENTINE for us all!
Voters Meeting — February 21, 2012 7:00pm — Parish Activity Center
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MOPS Pancake Breakfast February 12 — 9am-12noon School Gymnasium The Mothers of Preschoolers (“MOPS”) will be hosting a pancake breakfast on Sunday, February 12 from 9am12noon in the school gymnasium. This will be our largest fundraiser of the year, so please join us for food, fellowship and support a worthwhile organization! We would love a few helpers. If you are interested, please contact Elizabeth at 303.548.7289.
FULLY ALIVE
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Worship Comes from the Heart By Marilyn Havekost
OK, I’m just going to be honest with you. There are times when I get home from Sunday morning worship and realize that I’ve just gone through the motions. Mentally checked off each step in the bulletin until the benediction. I really hate it when that happens. I’ve come to believe that it’s one of Satan’s most powerful tools against us Christians who pledge to meet together on Sunday mornings to worship Jesus. That’s the last place Satan wants us to be, so he works hard to sabotage our efforts. John 4:23-24 says, “The hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” This month my thoughts are around worshiping in spirit. It seems the word “spirit” has several meanings, according to Vine’s Dictionary of Biblical Words, but the one that has the most biblical support is “the sentient element of man, that by which he perceives, reflects, feels, desires.” In essence, it is the inner us. We could clearly liken it to the biblical understanding of heart. It’s a different word, but the same meaning. To worship in spirit, then, means to engage the inner self. True worship means not just going through the motions but responding to God with
an honest heart. You are probably familiar with the Christian tradition of people making the sign of the cross. Do you know the original meaning of the action? The symbolism is actually pretty powerful. Someone making the sign of the cross is saying, “I love the Lord with my whole mend” (touching the forehead). “I love the Lord with my whole heart” (touching the chest). “I love the Lord with my whole being” (side to side). What a life-filled action! Of course, even this can become a ritual with no meaning unless the inner self is engaged in the process. Honest, biblical worship must engage more than our mouths and hands. It must come from the inner us, the heart, the spirit. It’s not a matter of saying the right words and performing the correct physical actions. Those are well and good, but they must be connected to that heart of worship. Perhaps a good prayer for each of us, before worship begins, is that our whole heart would be engaged in the process. Pray for strength to engage your spirit for the next hour and truly worship Him in spirit. See you in worship on Sunday morning!
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Gloria Deo Choir
All God’s Ringers
Gloria Deo rehearses on Wednesday nights at 7pm in the music room. We work hard on music each week and manage to share some good laughter in the process. All voices are welcome and encouraged to attend. We’re particularly in need of a couple of tenors at this time.
All God’s Ringers is our handbell choir. We rehearse on Wednesdays at 6pm in the balcony. If you read music, even a little, it really helps, but we have several ringers who have persevered and learned the process very well. Think about joining us! Contact me for more information.
VOLUME 8, ISSUE 2
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LifeGroups: the Body of Christ in Action
By Pastor Tim Ahlman
Pastor Langewisch’s sermon on January 15th was phenomenal! Please listen to it online if you missed it (www.bethlehemfullyalive.com). His sermon focused on true Christian freedom, not “freedumb.” Too often we use the freedom won for us through faith in the crucified and risen Christ as justification for an un-godly lifestyle. Pastor Langewisch called us to look at our hands, eyes and entire body and reflect how our bodies are Christ’s! Our bodies and our life are not our own – we’ve been purchased and freed from our sin through the shed blood of Jesus. This radically shifts the way we live and love others. We’ve now been freed to live humbly, selflessly and sacrificially in community with others! This is where LifeGroups intersect with our life as Christ’s body. Unless you are in intentional and deep relationship with the body of Christ (outside of your Sunday or Thursday worship experience), you are not witnessing and partaking in the wider work of the body of Christ. Therefore, I wholeheartedly encourage you to join a winter LifeGroup around a common interest (Prayer Shawl Ministry, etc.), or Bible study (Leadership God’s Way, etc.) or service (Metro CareRing, etc.). Please peruse our new LifeGroup catalog and partake in the wider work of the body of Christ. Praise God – you’ve been freed to follow Jesus in community with others through LifeGroups at Bethlehem! ===========================================================================================================
Giving Tree Thanks You!
By Suke Gnagy
Once again the members and friends of Bethlehem provided around 350 gifts for Christmas. Thank you for your generous and giving spirit. The Human Care Life Group would also like to thank the following for the varied and different ways they helped. Jamie Swan, Natalie Meyer, Bonnie Torgerson, Beth Whaley, Vera Feistel, Denny Breidert & the 8 th graders, Roland & Marlene Dreier, Everett & Kim Musselman, Sherry Glaubitz, Patty Gilbertson, Elyse Cattau, Greg & Bunny Fischer, Molly Gaide, Marty & Dale Wagner, Jeff Havekost, Michelle Fischer, church receptionists, and Scott & Suke Gnagy. If you know someone who could use this kind of assistance, please give their name to the church office.
FULLY ALIVE
Fully Alive Bethlehem Lutheran Church & School 2100 N. Wadsworth Blvd. Lakewood, CO 80214 Church office: 303-238-7676 School office: 303-233-0401 Visit us online at www.bethlehemfullyalive.com E-mail Bethlehem@bethluth.net KLTT 670 Radio Broadcast 11:00 AM Sundays David J. Langewisch, Pastor T i m Ah l m a n , P a s t o r John Petersen, Pastor of Visitation & Older Adult Ministry Michael Heiden, Vicar (Student Pastor) Michelle Fischer, Principal Sandy Wendelin, Director of Discipleship and Earl y Learning Center Administrator M a r i l yn H a ve k o s t , Director of Music Ministry Scott Bubke, Director of Operations P a u l B e a s l e y, D i r e c t o r o f Information Technology Adam Winterhof, Director, Student Life Ministry S u k e G n a g y, P r e s c h o o l D i r e c t o r K a r l a H a l l a c y, M e l i s s a M e u z e l a a r & Timi Schuessler Cornerstone Counseling, 303-238-7676, ext. 315
Fully Alive is published monthly for the members and friends of Bethlehem Lutheran. It focuses on news within the congregation and activities in the church each month. Articles may be submitted to the church office by the 15th of each month for the next month’s issue.
e-mail to: bethlehem@bethluth.net
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Narcissists Need Not Apply By Annette Gunther
If you are planning to become an apostle of Christ and want to spread the news about His great love for mankind, there are some things you need to know. First of all, it’s not about you. Any influence or persuasion you may have can only come from the Holy Spirit. No matter how eloquent your speech, or how funny and entertaining you are, the message only comes through you via God. I’m reminded of an episode of Everybody Loves Raymond where Debra, Raymond’s wife, makes an observation about Raymond where she says “… those of us orbiting around you…” She was referring to Raymond’s apparently self-absorbed personality. We all know someone like that. As a matter of fact, even the apostles at one point argued with each other about who among them was the greatest. It’s obvious that an egotistical attitude has no place in evangelism. Second, we need to remember that there are now approximately 7 billion people on the earth. There’s obviously no way that one person could witness to everyone. That’s why there are so many churches, pastors and missionaries. However, if we truly love our fellow man we, too, can share the Gospel through our actions and words. A confident (not cocky) attitude also helps. Knowing the Bible and where to look for answers is a definite advantage. This is where Bethlehem’s largest LifeGroup, LifeLight, comes into play. Being in the Word and studying with other likeminded believers gives us the knowledge we need to attempt to respond to unbelievers’ objections and questions. The Holy Spirit, of course, will give us the right words at the right time. On January 19th LifeLight began the study of the book, Song of Solomon, which can be summed up as a portrait of God’s (the Bridegroom’s) love for his people (the Bride or Church). If we realize how much we are loved by God, there is no way that we can keep that good news to ourselves, unless we are totally self-centered, unfeeling or we are afraid we won’t know what to say. Find out more about studying the Bible at www.lifelight-bethluth.net. Registration for the third series on the study of Ephesians and 1&2 Thessalonians begins on January 22, and the study begins on February 9. Join us!
VOLUME 8, ISSUE 2
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LWML Mission Grants By Janet Krogh
Based on Luke 21:1-4, please continue to use your LWML mite box for regular contributions of "mites" -- offerings above and beyond the support given to congregations and the LCMS. Remember, even these lowly mites are truly blessed by God and amount to millions of dollars that implement the LWML program. Two more of the Mission grants being funded by LWML mites right here in our Rocky Mountain District are: * Opening an Outreach Center in Ft. Collins, CO - Lutheran Blind Mission -- $5,000. This grant will provide funds to help create a mission station based at a congregation to reach out to isolated blind people to demonstrate God's love and to provide training for the new center director. Paid as of Dec. 31, 2011 - $3,000 * Trinity/HOPE - $5,000. This grant would help provide funds for one Lutheran School in Haiti to feed an average of 100 students a daily noon meal so the children can learn more effectively as well as be fed with the Word of God. Paid as of Dec. 31, 2011 - all $5,000! ============================================================================================================
Prime Timer’s Activities for February Saturday, February 4
Bunco at 1pm in the PAC
Tuesday, February 7
Bible study at 10am in the PAC
Saturday, February 11
SOAR Seminar in the PAC from 9-3pm
Sunday, February 19
Potluck at 12:30pm in the PAC
Tuesday, February 21
Bible study at 10am in the PAC
Wednesday, February 22
Ash Wednesday service with communion at 10am in the Chapel
By Pastor Petersen
HANDICAP ACCESS FUND APPEAL The Prime Timers Planning Committee would like to once again encourage everyone to consider the Handicap Access Fund when giving to memorialize or honor someone. With The Next Door Project in full swing, it appears that some revision of the building program will need to be done. The Prime Timers Committee has always championed the need for more accessibility for those with special needs. The Committee wants to make certain that any revision of building plans would still include adequate elevator and restroom facilities. The Fund currently has a balance of over $3,100. With additional contributions, it would go a long way to insure that handicap facilities will be included in the new building plan.
FULLY ALIVE
R E G I S T E R N O W
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VOLUME 8, ISSUE 2
Can you name these faces?
* New pictorial directory coming January, 2013 Pictures scheduled for September-October Watch for upcoming news!
FULLY ALIVE
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Non-Profit Org. U. S. POSTAGE PAID WHEATRIDGE, CO PERMIT NO. 68
February Specials: *Very Cherry Latte/Steamer *White or Chocolate Raspberry Mocha Latte/Steamer
Did You Know? Acidity, Acidy, Acid Usually, the pleasant tartness of a fine coffee. Acidity, along with flavor, aroma, and body, is one of the principal categories used by professional tasters in cupping, or sensory evaluation of coffee. When not used to describe cup characteristics, the term acidity may refer to pH, or literal acidity, or to certain constituents present in coffee that ostensibly produce indigestion or nervousness in some individuals.