Praise the Lord, all nations! Extol the Lord, all peoples! For great is God’s steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord! (Psalm 117:1-2)
Lutheran worship can take many forms, but at its core is the emphasis on God’s primacy: we respond to God’s love, we do not earn it through our words or deeds. Sunday worship at Bethel varies with the church seasons: commonly we will use the same basic form for Advent, for example, with a change coming at Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, etc. In this way our Sunday gatherings become an extension of the greater church and its timeless rhythms.
Sunday readings generally follow the Narrative Lectionary, a 4-year rotation of readings intended to take the worshiper through the stories of faith from Creation to the Early Church. Additional information about the Narrative Lectionary and the process that went into its creation can be found at: workingpreacher.org
There is always room for new forms of worship at Bethel: from intensive healing prayer to labyrinths, from contemporary praise bands to pipe organ festivals–all of these have played a role in Bethel’s worship life over the years. If something speaks to your heart, but you haven’t experienced it here, speak up and see what happens: the Spirit of God can move through any of us.