Bethlehem Lutheran Church

Bethlehem Lutheran Church Sunday morning services are at 8:00 & 10:45 am. The 8:00 service is live streamed to Facebook. Fellowship Sunday is twice a year with 1 service at 9:30 am.

Our mission comes from Matt 28:19-20:
"We seek to save the lost and strengthen the saved."

06/02/2026

The verse for today, 6/2, is Revelation 6:2
"And I looked, and behold, a white horse! And its rider had a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering, and to conquer."

This verse introduces the first of the four (in)famous "four horsemen of the apocalypse," tyranny. Authority itself isn’t a bad thing, but it can be abused when people in power step beyond their legitimate authority or use their power to exalt themselves and oppress others. Tyrannical abuse of power is portrayed by Revelation as one of the great scourges on the earth, but this is not a hard-to-imagine depiction of the future. It’s an all too obvious representation of the present suffering we see in everything from authoritarian dictatorships to abusive spouses or parents or a majority that cares little for the interests of those they can outvote. As if this alone weren't enough, the three horsemen in the following verses represent the grim realities of war, famine, and death that also haunt the earth. Who can save us from all this suffering?

We see the answer in Revelation 19, where another rider shows up. This rider is also on a white horse, but He is called "faithful and true." He Righteously judges and wages war, and His weapon is the Word of God. He is crowned with many crowns because His authority is not only righteous, it is also vastly greater. Thus He is able to overthrow all powers of oppression and rescue His people.
However earthly authority may set itself up, Jesus is ultimately the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He will bring justice and righteousness, and has already given us His holy Word to spread the peace and security that comes by faith in His Word as we await His promised return.

06/01/2026

The verse for today, 6/1, is Ephesians 6:1
“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.”

God’s command to children highlights God’s love and concern for children in a powerful way. Although we may typically look at something more Gospel focused, like Jesus blessing of the children, we know that God’s law is also an expression of His love. Here, by addressing a command to children, God also shows His love for children by the mere fact of His interaction with them.

God cares about children enough to address them directly. Children are not sidelined and marginalized as “future people” who will not enter God’s plan or notice until they reach some imaginary “age of accountability.” God speaks directly to children because He wants to have a relationship with them already as children. That’s because they already need a relationship with God since they are already actually accountable for their behavior.

God shows His love to children by involving them in His plan and giving them an important job in His kingdom, yet one that is within their power. He recognizes their role in life as significant and gives them a relationship with Him as His servants that is just as significant as any grownup’s without forcing on them grownup responsibilities for which they are not ready.

This love encourages us to let the little children come to Jesus and not marginalize their relationship with God or God’s ability to relate to them. It also encourages us to love our children in the same way. Finally, it’s a blessing to see God as a loving heavenly father since we are really all children in His sight.

05/31/2026

Divine Service: May 31-2026

Good morning brothers and sisters in Christ! We pray God’s word will enrich and encourage you this day.

Let us know you’re here with a "Good Morning" comment and virtually “greet” your brothers and sisters.

An order of service is available in the Document Library of our website at https://www.bethlehem-raymore.org/connect/document-library

05/30/2026

The verse for today, 5/30, is Luke 5:30
"And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at His disciples, saying, 'Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?'"

The verses immediately following tell us Jesus' answer, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance."

The holier-than-thou Pharisees were too self-righteous to associate with the riffraff, and they couldn't even understand why Jesus would do so. Tax collectors in that context weren't just annoying because they took a cut of your income, they were traitors to the Jewish people who cooperated with the Roman invaders like profiteering turncoats. Didn't Jesus know that good people weren't supposed to associate with those kind of people?

Actually, those were exactly the kind of people Jesus came to associate with, and He called His disciples to do the same. Our society still has those who will ask "why do you hang out with Those Kind of People?" We are called though to not distinguish between kinds of people, but to see the common need all people have for the love of God.

Set yourself a challenge today to reach out to someone around you that some people might consider one of "those people," to get to know them, and to show God's love to them. After all, that’s what Jesus did for you!

05/29/2026

The verse for today, 5/29, is Acts 5:29
"Peter and the other apostles replied: 'We must obey God rather than men!'"

The Pharisees and Chief Priests were pretty unhappy when they found that killing Jesus hadn't silenced Him at all. After Pentecost, His disciples continued proclaiming Him as the Messiah. It became necessary therefore to try to silence the disciples as well.

When Peter and the other disciples were warned to cease and desist preaching about Jesus, they could've easily imagined what the consequences might be if they didn't. The Sanhedrin hadn't scrupled at killing Jesus and they certainly wouldn't have had a problem with giving the disciples a similar treatment.

When the disciples had been faced with a similar (though actually lesser) threat of violence before, on the night when Jesus was crucified, they had given way to fear. But now, strengthened by the gift of the Holy Spirit, they boldly defied the powers that be. They knew they served a higher power.

Today, we have that same Holy Spirit to lead us and encourage us when the going gets tough. We don't have to be intimidated by peer pressure or even the abuse of power because we know that He who is in us is greater than he who is in the world. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, we can follow the example of Peter and the other apostles by boldly testifying to Jesus and the power of His resurrection!

05/28/2026

The verse for today, 5/28, is Mark 5:28
"For she said, 'If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.'"

The woman in this story had been suffering from an ongoing medical condition for 12 years. All the doctors she saw only made matters worse rather than better, but she knew that Jesus could heal her without even trying. There was just one catch.

The woman's condition made her ritually impure, so she wasn't supposed to go around touching people. Maybe that's why she thought she had to sneak up on Jesus and "steal a healing" rather than just asking Him to make her well. Or she might have just known she was a sinner and felt unworthy to ask for that reason.

Jesus' power to heal was actually even greater than she knew, though. His perfect purity purified and healed her, and not even just physically. When Jesus felt the power go from Him, He turned to her and said her faith had SAVED her. His healing power cured her heart and soul from sin and its guilt, in addition to the smaller matter of healing her body.

The woman's example is a great reminder that we can draw near to God with the full assurance of faith, knowing that His power and grace is sufficient to truly heal, not just the symptoms but right down the core problem of sin. He is able to do more for us than we can even imagine, and He eagerly urges us to seek His help in our times of need. No matter how difficult the situation, no matter how unworthy you may feel, never hesitate to bring it to Jesus!

05/27/2026

The verse for today, 5/27, is Daniel 5:27
"Tekel: You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting."

This passage from Scripture is one of those that has become so widely used that it has branched out into secular usage as well. You'll sometimes hear someone whose effort has been deemed insufficient being described as "weighed in the scales and found wanting."

Perhaps even more common is the phrase "the writing on the wall," which provides the context for this phrase. In the middle of the Babylonian king's party, a figure of a hand appeared in the air and wrote a message of judgment on the wall, stating the accusation in today’s verse along with the verdict that the kingdom would therefore be conquered and divided by foreign armies.

This powerful, miraculous message clearly showed God's power and authority over all nations. In the midst of Babylon's power, God could simply announce that He had decided to overthrow their kingdom and give it to the Medes and the Persians, and it happened just as He said it would.

That’s actually a message for us too, but for us it is one of wonderful encouragement. We can take great comfort that our God really is King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. He holds all things in His hand, and nothing can harm us with Him watching over us because He has written our names in the Book of Life.

05/26/2026

The verse for today, 5/26, is Ephesians 5:26
"...to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water in the Word..."

Obviously today’s verse needs some context, but it's so worth it. This verse is talking about Jesus' perfect, pure, and passionate love for the church, and it points to baptism as Jesus' expression of His love, rooted in His sacrifice in the cross.

Christ's sacrifice, mentioned in the previous verse, is concretely connected to its expression in baptism, and baptism to His crucifixion, as inseparable actions. In baptism, Jesus literally pours out His love as with the pouring of water and the Word He washes away the guilt and stain of sin to make us pleasing and acceptable in God's sight.

It's His love alone that makes us lovable, all our appeal comes from what He has done for us. He is so generous and lavish in his love, though, that we are made more than just lovable, we are completely perfect in His sight. This perfect love is the basis for how we love one another. We love because God first loved us, and His love teaches us what true love is.

This section of Ephesians specifically applies the example of Christ's perfect love to how husbands should love their wives. As husbands and wives reflect Christ's perfect love for the church, they also find the fullest experience of love for each other.

05/25/2026

The verse for today, 5/25, is 1 Thessalonians 5:25
"Brothers and sisters, pray for us."

Paul, Silas, and Timothy concluded their letter to the church in Thessaloniki with this earnest request for prayer, and for good reason. As missionaries for the Gospel of Jesus they faced many hardships. They were almost constantly on the road, with all the dangers and sacrifices that means, besides the equally constant threat of violence from both pagans and Jews, who resisted their message.

Today's missionaries still have a difficult calling as they undergo tremendous stress and strain to do the work of the church. Although the missionaries are the ones on the front lines, it really is the work of the whole church too. We all have a part to play by supporting the proclamation of the Gospel. We do that by supporting our missionaries both financially and through constant prayer.

Today’s short but powerful verse demonstrates the importance of prayer especially. One of the best ways we can support our missionaries is by consistently keeping them in our prayers, that God would protect them from every physical and spiritual danger, provide for their needs, keep them from feeling overwhelmed or discouraged, and open doors for the Gospel so that those who hear the Word may come to faith and eternal life. If you don't already, take some time in your daily devotions to pray for our missionaries, at home and abroad.

05/24/2026

The Day of Pentecost: May 24, 2026

Good morning brothers and sisters in Christ! We pray God’s word will enrich and encourage you this day.

Let us know you’re here with a "Good Morning" comment and virtually “greet” your brothers and sisters.

An order of service is available in the Document Library of our website at https://www.bethlehem-raymore.org/connect/document-library

Address

310 Johnston Pkwy
Raymore, MO
64083

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30am - 4pm
Tuesday 9am - 4pm
Wednesday 9am - 4pm
Thursday 8:30am - 4pm
Friday 9am - 4pm
Sunday 8am - 12pm

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