ON THE COVER:
For Such a Time as This...
by Pastor Ben Cieslik
"For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord,
plans for your welfare and not for harm,
to give you a future with hope."
Some Bible verses lend themselves so well to inspirational
posters or framed counted cross-stitch patterns mounted on the living room
wall. This one, from the twenty-ninth chapter of Jeremiah, is one of those
verses. There can be something reassuring about this promise that God is
always at work trying to create the best possible outcome in the face of really
trying circumstances. But as is true with all of scripture, this verse doesn’t just
exist in isolation. There’s a context, and that context deepens and enriches
our understanding of this particular promise. As Jeremiah writes these words,
the people are in exile, in Babylon. It’s a challenging time for God’s people,
in a foreign land, and they’re surrounded by people who have destroyed and
conquered them. And God says to them,
Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into
exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat
what they produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons,
and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply
there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into
exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.
While the people are given this beautiful promise, they are also told to take
care of one another, and to care for this foreign city. They’re called to invest
themselves in a place that they never wanted to be and engage with those they
want nothing to do with. They are told that their lives and their well being are
inextricably intertwined with people whom they least expected.
As a congregation we have found ourselves in a situation we never would have
picked, at a time in which much in the world seems tenuous at best, and we
have to find new ways to speak God’s word of hope and promise to a world that’s
hungry for it.
Please know that Mary and I are honored and humbled to be considered as
leaders for this congregation at such a time as this. We are ready and willing
to serve if it is the will of God as discerned by this congregation. We will lead
confident in God’s abiding presence and secure in the promise that God’s
promised future is one filled with hope. The days ahead will require new
partnerships and new approaches, but together we will move forward confident
that our welfare and our future are secure in God’s care.
There are so many
stories that we are
told each and every
day. Some are true
and some are false,
but sometimes it's
hard to tell one from the other. We
don't have all the answers, but we think
there are some important clues that can
help us figure things out together.
September 17: Sundays Are Great for
Sleeping In
Exodus 32:1-14
September 24: Where There's a Will,
There's a Way
Exodus 3:1-17
October 1:
I Fought the Law, and
the Law Won
Exodus 34:1-11
October 8:
If One is Good, More
Is Better
Exodus 14:5-16, 27-30
Romans 6:1-5
October 15:
You Are What You Eat
Exodus 16:1-5, 22-32
1 Corinthians 11:23-26
October 22:
Everybody's Working for
the Weekend
Deuteronomy 6:4-9
October 29:
Life is Earned, Not
Given
Genesis 21:9-21
Romans 3:21-30
Save the Date! series ends Sept. 10:
September 3: Readiness is Next to
Godliness
Matthew 25:1-13
On August 22, the Council voted unanimously to endorse the call committee
recommendation to call Pastors Mary Pechauer and Ben Cieslik as Co-Senior Pastors
of Bethlehem Lutheran Church Twin Cities. A special congregational meeting and
vote has been called for Sunday, September 17, immediately following all services at
both campuses.
Before the meeting there will be forums with Mary and Ben at each campus to give
you a chance to share your questions and comments and hear more about their vision
for Bethlehem. The Minnetonka forum will be Wednesday, September 6, 7:30 pm, just
after the bonfire. The Minneapolis forum will be Sunday, September 10, 11:45 am.
2
September 10: CELEBRATE!
John 2:1-11
Next CONNECT deadline:
September 11, 2017
[email protected]
CONNECT newsletter online
bethlehem-church.org