From the Pastor

Twelve Days for Christmas, and Epiphany’s in

It’s a bit challenging to be countercultural at this time of year. Advent and Christmas for the church are times that combine yearning, contemplation, and then praise for God turning the world around at Christ’s coming.  Much of the world is more into football games, parties, and hedonism, which may arguably also have a place….

The Christmas feasting begins December 24 and continues for the twelve days of Christmastide. There are feasts following Christmas: December 26: Stephen, Deacon and Martyr; December 27, John the Evangelist; December 28 The Holy Innocents, Martyrs. These days, with their biblical images, and the ancient practice of joining them to Christmas celebrating are worth remembering. One name for these people to keep coming with Christ’s birth is in Latin comites Christi, the companions of Christ.

One Sunday, January 1, we will mark another feast within the 12 days: The Name of Jesus, remembering when Mary and Joseph marked the 8th day of Jesus’ birth with his circumcision and gave him the name promoted by the angel Gabriel to Mary, Jesus (which in Greek means the one who saves, and is related to the Hebrew name Joshua, meaning the same).

Epiphany, January 6, culminates the Christmas Season with the story of the magi in Matthew.  In recent years, Bethesda has been transferring January 6’s celebration to the nearest Sunday, but this year we are favoring another perhaps more important feast on January 8: The Baptism of our Lord, which has connections to the Eastern Church’s celebration.  And just to make matters fun, note that Orthodox Christmas is on January 7!

If you’d like to be more in tune with the rhythms of the church year in your daily spiritual practice, you may pick up Bread for the Day 2023, which has bible readings, prayers, and devotions for each day of the year. There are limited copies in the narthex, and when all have been taken, we can also order more.

Meanwhile, you get no argument from me if you keep wishing your loved ones and the rest of us Merry Christmas through January 8th.

Grateful for these twelve days and you.
Pastor Tim Keyl

Save the Dates
Bethesda at Calumet – January 13-16
Annual Congregational Meeting – Sunday, February 19, 2023, after worship

Worship Livestream

We stream Sunday worship services live on Bethesda’s YouTube Channel. We will also stream our Christmas Eve service beginning at 3:45 pm on Saturday.

Click here to access this Sunday's bulletin.

Bible Study on Zoom

Bethesda's Bible Study will be taking a break for the holidays and returning on Wednesday, January 4 at 8:00 am to continue discussing NT Wright's Acts.

We are covering two chapters in a "rolling" method. If we finish discussing chapter 12, we will continue to chapter 13. These correspond to chapters 12 & 13 in the Book of Acts in the Bible. Please read the selections before the meeting.

When? Every other Wednesday at 8:00 am (beginning on January 4)

Where? On Zoom, click here to join (or join by telephone: 203-432-9666; Meeting ID: 961 0888 6279)

Dinner Church resumes on Zoom Wednesday, January 4 at 6:00 pm

Zoom in from your kitchen or dinner table for conversation, prayer, and reflection. We will be reading the upcoming Sunday morning Bible texts as our scripture. Look for the texts each week in the enews.

First Reading: Isaiah 42:1-9

Psalm: Psalm 29

Second Reading: Acts 10:34-43

Gospel: Matthew 3:13-17

Click here to join on Zoom

Upcoming Learning Hour Schedule

January 1 – No learning hour

January 8 – Learning hour for all ages; forum led by Jeff Hazewinkel (more info below)

January 15 – No learning hour (due to Bethesda’s Winter Retreat at Calumet)

January 22 – Learning hour returns

January 8 forum

The Sunday, January 8 forum will be led by new member Jeff Hazewinkel, who will speak about his project enhancing Bethesda’s IT systems as part of his formation as a deacon with the Lutheran Diaconal Association at Valparaiso University. The forum meets in the Parish House Living Room at 11 am.

Annual Meeting Scheduled for February 19
Bethesda’s Annual Congregational Meeting is scheduled for Sunday, February 19, 2023. The meeting will be held in the Campanius Room following the worship service. The agenda for this meeting will include reports of ministry in 2022, adoption of the 2023 budget, and elections for new members of Council and the Nominating Committee. As always, there will be a potluck meal and lots of coffee to keep everyone sustained through the meeting.

Ordination of Claire Repsholdt
All are invited to attend the ordination of Claire Repsholdt on January 28, 2023 at 11:00 am at The Interchurch Center (61 Claremont Ave, New York City). A reception will follow. The color of the day is red.
Blessings for Pastor Claire!

DESK Warming Center

During last week's cold weather emergency, DESK's Drop-in & Resource Center at 266 State Street was open around the clock as an emergency warming center for those with no place else to go for 96 hours straight. Learn more about this effort and find out how you can help here.

Thank you to all of the Bethesda members who staffed the Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen on Monday and Tuesday, December 26 and 27!

Poinsettias for the taking
Following worship on Sunday, January 1 and 8, feel free to take a poinsettia plant home with you or to give away.

Bread for the Day 2023 Daily Readings and Prayers
Bethesda has copies of Bread for the Day: Daily Readings and Prayers for each day in 2023 available in the narthex. Please take a copy home with you. If we run out, we can order more.

Bethesda to Calumet!
It's almost time to go to Camp Calumet, the ELCA retreat center in New Hampshire! 33+ Bethesda folks will head north on MLK weekend, January 13-16. Our time there will be spent playing in the snow, board games and puzzles by the fire, hiking, eating good food, laughing and lots of great conversation.

Year-End Donations to Bethesda

Consider donating to Bethesda among other charitable gifts by the end of the year. Thank you!

Couches available!

We are working on cleaning up the Campanius Room! There are two love seats and two three-seater couches available for anyone who could use them, one of each in dark green and black. Please contact Leah Snavely at [email protected] by Saturday, December 31 if you are interested in taking one or more of them. Otherwise, they will be donated in January to Habitat for Humanity.

Donations for Sally Azar
Sally Azar will be ordained as the first Palestinian Lutheran Pastor in our companion synod the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL) on Sunday, January 22. Pastor Tim and Pastor Kari Keyl will be in attendance. Again, besides our prayers, we are receiving donations for the gift of clergy apparel by Sunday, January 17. Designate your gifts for “Sally Azar” in the memo.
Thank you!

WANTED - YOUR PHOTOS and VIDEOS!

Fantastic photos and videos of Bethesda events parked on your phone? We'd love to share them on Bethesda's social media and website!

Please upload media to this Google Drive folder.

If you do not have a Google profile or cannot access the folder for any reason, feel free to email your photos to John at [email protected].

Upcoming Commemorations

Johann Konrad Wilhelm Loehe, renewer of the church, died 1872

Monday, January 2, 2023

Loehe was a pastor in nineteenth-century Germany. Loehe's chief concern was that a congregation find its life in the holy communion, and from that source evangelism and social ministries would flow. He sent pastors to North America, Australia, New Guinea, Brazil, and Ukraine.

Prayer Requests

For healing and strength: Pastor Ruth Drews; John Ferreira, nephew of Chris Couture; Mary Ricketts, friend of Chris Wigren; Kathryn and Karolyn Lee, aunts of Chris Lee; George Arndt, father of Lynn Arezzini; Michelle Lee, friend of Christina Castañeda; Mark Barnett, nephew of Becky Lerud; Marie Gray; Sonja Krummrey; Maureen Anderson; Natalie Denardis, granddaughter of Gail Denardis; Shirley Farm; Anne and Lee Keck; Kay Leone; Molly Dinneen; Karen (Starbranch) Blitch, daughter of Chuck Starbranch.

For those serving in the military.

For our partners in the Gospel: the congregations and schools of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land (ELCJHL) and LuMin Campus Ministry; for Bethesda House and Yale Divinity School students.

For Bethesda New Haven: that God continues to guide us into the future with ministries of witness, service, hospitality, and care while building up our community in all its diversity.

For those in candidacy for rostered leadership in the ELCA: Natalie Benson, Calli Micale, and Vicar Gabrielle Brown.