Dearly Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

We miss you and, as one of our members said, we miss gathering together as a church! But God has brought us through many trials and troubles in the past and He will bring us through this to a glorious day of celebrating and worshiping together again. As we go through this, we are reminded in Hebrews, chapter 4, of the blessings we have
in Christ Jesus:
“Since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let
us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot SYMPATHIZE WITH OUR WEAKNESSES, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore Let Us Draw
Near With Confidence To The Throne Of Grace, so that we may receive mercy and FIND GRACE TO HELP
IN TIME OF NEED.”
Mary and I, along with Bethel’s prayer team and other members, continue to pray for all of you, asking God to supply all of your needs even as He guards and protects you and your health. The question arises, “What if I get this disease, does that mean that God is angry with me and has not protected me because of something I have done?”
NO! ABSOLUTELY NOT! Since the fall of Adam and Eve, sin and sickness have ravaged this world and brought sickness and death to all, both Christian and non-Christian. As Christians, we are in this world and so suffer the consequences of living in this world. But we are not OF this world. We belong to a different kingdom -- God’s Kingdom. With that being the case, God allows this world to impact our lives and when it does, He promises to be
with us and to comfort us by His Spirit. Eventually, all of us will die because of the sin in this world, but not because God is angry with us. We are called to remember that our days are numbered by God and we are not going to die before our time. So, take comfort in God’s Precious Promises and look to Jesus’ suffering on the cross to see and remember His great love for you.
With the help of Jeff Campbell, Joe Skogen and Randy Richter, I have been able to video every Sunday service since the Covid-19 shut-down and make them available both on Bethel’s website and on YouTube.
Finally, Sisters and Brothers in Christ, Grace to you and Peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. AMEN!

In His love,
Pastor Phil

P.S. -- Online worship services are also available through the websites of St. John’s, Orange, as well as St. Paul’s, Orange. The Lutheran Hour is also available on the radio.
 

P.P.S. -- For song alternatives to singing “Happy Birthday” twice as we continue to wash, wash, wash our hands, click the button below. We can Praise God while we wash!