Bethlehem Lutheran Church
The Heart of Bay Ridge
Sunday Service 10:30am
4th & Ovington Avenues
Brooklyn NY 11209
718.748.9502
Dear Members and Friends,
We had a total of 15 Bible enthusiasts come together on the last two Wednesday evenings to study God’s Word. Our first two Bible Studies involved a study of Jesus’ parables. We read 13 parables and we discussed their meaning and how their messages related to our lives today. We did our best to peel back the layers to Jesus’ stories to fully understand what Jesus was trying to communicate to his followers.
Since our Bible Study group consisted of 15, and our Beth Star print newsletter is distributed to 140 people, I thought I would expand the audience from 15 to 140 to the entire community. These are the scripture passages we read together.
- Luke 15:11-32 – The Prodigal Son & his Older Brother
- Matthew 20:1-16 – The Laborers in the Vineyard
- Luke 8:4-15 – The Sower
- Matthew 25:14-30 – The Talents
- Matthew 18:23-35 – The Unforgiving Servant
- Luke 12:13-21 – The Rich Fool
- Luke 10:25-37 – The Good Samaritan
- Luke 18:9-14 – The Pharisee & the Tax Collector
- Matthew 13:24-30 & 36-43 – The Weeds
- Luke 18:1-8 – The Widow & the Unjust Judge
- Matthew 21:33-46 – The Wicked Tenants
- Luke 14:15-24 – The Great Dinner
- Matthew 21:28-32 – The Two Sons
If you take the time to read the above passages, maybe you will discover that God cares more about sacrificial love, than about being fair. Maybe you need to try and let the negativity in your life go. Maybe you need to hold fast to God’s word, resist the temptations of the world that want to choke you and produce a harvest with your life. Maybe you need to use your talents for the glory of God. Maybe you need to learn what is important in life and bring yourself to forgive. Maybe you need to stop being so self-righteous and realize that God wants you to act in kindness to those in need. Maybe you need to accept the reality of good and evil in the world and leave the judging up to God. Maybe you need to be mindful that Jesus constantly spoke against the religious elite of his day and you need to look in a mirror and approve of what you see. Maybe you need to say “yes” to serving our master, rather than making excuses.
God’s Word cuts to the heart and enriches the soul.
In the Lord's Service
Rev. Paul H. Knudsen
Pastor Paul's June Message
Bethlehem Lutheran Church ® | 4th & Ovington Avenues, Brooklyn NY 11209 | 718.748.9502
A member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)
