Bethlehem Lutheran Church
The Heart of Bay Ridge
Sunday Service 10:30am
4th & Ovington Avenues
Brooklyn NY 11209
718.748.9502
Bethlehem Lutheran Church ® | 4th & Ovington Avenues, Brooklyn NY 11209 | 718.748.9502
A member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)
Pastor Paul's Easter Message
Dear Members and Friends,
I continue to be concerned that the Good News of Jesus Christ is being watered down by the current climate in our churches. Our Healing Center is officially a Social Ministry Organization of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The Healing Center has a vital mission to serve and heal those who have suffered abuse. This is incredible godly work and it is wonderful that we have embraced this ministry. I want to make an essential distinction, however. God’s church in this world needs to embrace and support Social Ministry Organizations, but God’s church must never become a Social Ministry Organization. If all the church does is social ministry, the church will cease to exist. The church, the body of Christ, needs to evangelize. We need to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ. At Bethlehem, this month, we proclaim it all. The Passion of Christ, the crucifixion, and the resurrection, cut to the heart of our faith. Without them, we have no reason, no purpose and no mission.During Holy Week, we are reminded without a shadow of a doubt, that forgiveness is not free. Holy Week begins Sunday, March 24th. On Passion Sunday/Palm Sunday we solemnly realize that Christ’s passion is about to begin and we also rejoice with the crowds as we remember Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Both emotions exist together. Palms will be distributed to all who gather.On Thursday, March 28th, we gather together to share a Passover Seder at 5:00 p.m. It will be great to see Cantor Mindy Jacobsen again, as she leads us in song at the Seder meal. Come for food and fellowship and listen to the story of deliverance. Immediately following our Seder, we go up to the sanctuary for our Maundy Thursday worship service at 7:00 p.m. Our choir will present the Passion narrative. On Good Friday, March 29th at 7:00 p.m., we worship our God of sacrificial love, who paid the ultimate price for us on the cross of Calvary.We transition from death to life on Easter morning. The news of the empty tomb brought hope and excitement to Jesus’ first followers. It continues to be the most celebratory worship experience for Christians across the world. The day starts with breakfast in our Parish Room between 8:45 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. We rejoice together at 10:30 a.m. when we gather to celebrate the Good News of our Lord’s resurrection. Special music and our beautiful sanctuary adorned with Spring flowers reinforce the message of new life. Jesus Christ is risen!We sincerely hope you can join us and experience the remembrances of Holy Week and the joy of Easter morning. These holy days truly define us as Christians. This is the Good News. This is why we exist.In the Lord’s Service,
Rev. Paul H. Knudsen
