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,
I was recently sent the following reflection by Oscar Travino.
People reveal themselves in earthquakes.
Not in toasts. Not at elegant dinners.
Not when everything runs smoothly and life smells like vanilla.
People reveal themselves when something collapses.
When a diagnosis arrives. When the job is gone. When your father dies.
When you have no strength left. When you are a little less.
A little more fragile. A little more real.
That’s when you discover who stays.
Who listens without trying to fix you.
Who is not afraid of your darkness.
Who doesn’t let go of your hand while everything around you trembles.
Who knows how to be there without making noise.
The rest is living room company. Presence for social events.
Stories of “text me anytime,” and then they never do.
In moments of crisis, life removes the filter.
And finally, you see who is there.
Who was only there for convenience.
And who, instead, is home. Always.
Even when you are the one falling apart.
In last Sunday’s Gospel lesson Jesus rebukes Peter by telling him that he was setting his mind not on divine things but on earthly things. Jesus then instructs his disciples, telling them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” Do you know anyone who is hurting or suffering from a loss? Are you aware of anyone with a disturbing health issue or a relationship crisis? Does someone need your focus and your presence? Through the reflection above and Jesus’ instruction, you should know what to do.In the Lord's Service
Rev. Paul H. Knudsen
Pastor Paul's September Message
Bethlehem Lutheran Church ® | 4th & Ovington Avenues, Brooklyn NY 11209 | 718.748.9502
A member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)
