July 22-July 28 E-News
  • Recent Issues
    • July 22-July 28 E-News
    • May 26-June1 E-News
    • May 19-25 E-News
    • May 12-18 E-News
    • May 5-11 E-News
    • April 28 - May 4 E-News
    • April 14-20 E-News
    • April 7-13 E-News
    • March 31-April 6 E-News
    • March 17-23 E-News
  • Subscribe
  • Visit Website

*Ding* The Weekly Chime!

Bethany Lutheran Church
July 22-July 28 E-News
Listening upon the Shore

Listening upon the Shore

- Tuesday, July 22, 2025

Mark 4:1-9

 1 Again he began to teach beside the sea. Such a very large crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat on the sea and sat there, while the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. 2 He began to teach them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: 3 “Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seed fell on a path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and it sprang up quickly, since it had no depth of soil. 6 And when the sun rose, it was scorched, and since it had no root it withered away. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. 8 Other seed fell into good soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.” 9 And he said, “If you have ears to hear, then hear!”

 

There is a practice called Dwelling in the Word where one spends time hearing a couple of different voices read a text and then answer for themselves some questions:

What captures your imagination in this passage?

What questions does this passage raise for you?

What do you think God might be saying to you (us) through this passage?

This is a practice that Council has been joining me in, sometimes looking at the same passage for a year at a time! Last week, during my continuing education retreat, we spent time in the above text from Mark 4 a couple of different times. 

During one of the listenings, I was most intrigued by the word 'listen.' That's it. That is the only thing I could focus on during the dwelling, but that is part of the beauty of dwelling. Wherever we get stuck or wander in a text is where we can follow the Spirit's guidance on what the text may be trying to speak to us. I want to give you an example of what this dwelling might look like internally so you may feel more comfortable in doing such a practice for yourself. So, join me in my ponderings on 'listen':

At least in the English translation, the parable that Jesus shares with the crowd both begins and ends with the word listen. Jesus doesn't do this with every parable, so there must be something special about listening in this parable that we don't find in the same way elsewhere. What, then, are we to listen to? Nobody is speaking in this parable. In fact, the only true actor that we have is the sower, but even from the sower, we don't get a word. I then began to ponder what it might be, then, to listen to that which does not speak. What are the seeds that are thrown upon the bad soil saying? Are they crying out for help that they might be transplanted to good soil? Does the very earth cry out that it may be turned and be made good? And what might this all say to us as people of God?

The next step in dwelling is to share with a "relatively friendly looking stranger." When I shared my ponderings with this 'stranger' (at this point, none of us were really strangers), he pointed out to me that the better translation into English for the word 'listen' might actually be 'Listen and do.' This, of course, blew everything up in a whole new way for me. While one could be passive in what the sower is doing, perhaps we are called to be more than passive in what is going on around us. Perhaps we are to notice the struggles of those when they are not in a position where they might be able to grow? 

I didn't come away with an answer by the end of the dwelling, I'm not sure I'll ever come away with one perfect answer to any of life's questions. But by the end of this practice, I did feel more connected to a new piece of scripture and spent time with God. And that, dear friends, is never time wasted.

For more infomation visit:

http://bethanylutheran166.tithelysetup.com/blog/listening-upon-the-shore

Read More
Invitation to Peace

Invitation to Peace

Sunday, July 20, 2025

Introduction

Perhaps the church, at its best, is “all ears.” God urges the faithful, again and again, to “listen up!”—to heed the word that gives life. So it was with Abraham and Sarah, Mary and Martha, and the early church at Colossae. So it is today as we join the assembly to hear the word of God, the word of life.

Luke 10:38-42

38 Now as [Jesus and his disciples] went on their way, he entered a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him. 39 She had a sister named Mary, who sat at Jesus’s feet and listened to what he was saying. 40 But Martha was distracted by her many tasks, so she came to him and asked, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her, then, to help me.” 41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things, 42 but few things are needed—indeed only one. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”

For more infomation visit:

http://bethanylutheran166.tithelysetup.com/media/2025-07-20-invitation-to-peace

Listen Now

Worship Volunteer Schedule

If you are not able to be there, please work to find a replacement. If you need a list with phone numbers - please email Pastor Joseph.

For more infomation visit:

https://bethanylutheran166.tithelysetup.com/ministries/worship-and-music/pages/worship-volunteers

Worship Volunteers

Programming Survey for 2025-2026

If you haven't done so already, please take time to fill out the brief survey regarding programming for the fall! 
 
https://bethanylutheranchurch.breezechms.com/form/1141c5
Bethany Women Gearing up for the Bi-Annual Convention and Gathering!

Bethany Women Gearing up for the Bi-Annual Convention and Gathering!

It's time to register for the Bi-Annual Convention and Gathering hosted in Mazomanie!

The event is on Saturday, October 4. We'd love to see a good group go and represent Bethany at this event. There will be workshops, vendors, and many other women from ELCA churches to connect or reconnect with. 

More information and registration can be found at: https://scsw-elca.org/welca/2025gathering/

Alene also has physical copies for those wishing to register by mail. Those can be found on the table in the Narthex.

For any questions, please reach out to Alene Olson!

For more infomation visit:

http://bethanylutheran166.tithelysetup.com/news/bethany-women-gearing-up-for-the-bi-annual-convention-and-gathering

Read More
Equal Exchange Coffee and Tea

Equal Exchange Coffee and Tea

Synod News

Synod News

SAVE THE DATE - SCSW Fall Conference

 

Mark your calendars for the SCSW Fall Conference September 14, 15, and 16! We will gather under the theme, "The Grace Between Us" at Bethel Lutheran Church, Madison.

 

The keynote speaker will be Dr. Kristin Du Mez, Professor of History at Calvin University and author of Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation. In addition to the keynote presentations, the conference will include worship, workshops, and time for fellowship and conversation.

 

September 14 - Evening Event - Open to Everyone!

September 15 - Day-long Event - Open to rostered and lay leaders in the SCSW

September 16 - Morning Event - Open to rostered leaders in the SCSW

 

More details, a full schedule, and registration information will be available soon!

For more infomation visit:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdCHaxsO-0BPCsoRXiyM8HkVttSYT8M8Iiz6LS06SFh_7GddA/viewform

Register Noew

Week at a Glance

Monday

Office Hours: 9AM-12PM

Tuesday

Office Hours: 9AM-12PM

Commemoration of Mary Magdalene, Apostle

Wednesday

Office Hours: 9AM-12PM

Commemoration of Sweden, renewer of the church, died 1373

Thursday

Office Hours: 9AM-12PM

Friday

Office Closed

Commemoration of James, Apostle

Saturday

Office Closed

Commemoration of Visit of Mary to Elizabeth

Sunday - Seventh Sunday after Pentecost

Worship: 9AM

Follow us on Facebook

Facebook Logo
620 Broadway
Wisconsin Dells, WI
US 53965-0501

608-254-4501

office@dellsbethanychurch.org