Water is the essential for life. Without it, we die. Everything that lives on this planet requires water for its survival. Nothing-new there, right? What I find fascinating is that God uses water and water imagery throughout the Bible to remind us of a spiritual truth. Without God (spiritual water) we are spiritually dead. We…
Do you know what makes everyone uncomfortable? Sin. No one wants to talk about that. Let me take that back. We like to talk about the sins of others. We just don’t want to talk about our own. Right? Are you still reading? Good. Those who are easily offended have moved on! Let’s get down…
According to my count “hell” or “hades” is mentioned 21 times in the New Testament. The Apostles’ Creed also states that “Christ descended into hell” or at least it used to say that. The newer translation says, “he descended into the dead.” We Lutheran’s don’t like to talk about hell. It is like the elephant…
Here’s a fun topic… sin! OK maybe not, but it is interesting. At least for a pastor it is an interesting topic. What exactly is sin? I suppose you could conduct a survey and get answers from people to define sin. However, it is not our description of sin that matters. What matters is how…
I can’t remember when I was taught these symbols < > in grade school. Was it 2nd grade or 3rd grade, honestly I cannot remember? I do remember the concept! For example: 3<8 (three is “less than” eight) or 5>2 (five is “greater than” two). It is funny to think that I probably have…
Back in 2010, our previous Presiding Bishop of the ELCA wrote the following article below. It reads as if it was written yesterday. All you have to change is the word “election campaign” to “primary season”. Unfortunately, we are still in the same mode of “gotcha politics” today. I am posting this as a reminder…
Starting on Sunday, I will begin preaching on Bethel’s core values. I am hoping you will either come to church and hear about what we value or listen in via podcast or download. These two sentences may cause you to yawn or even second guess coming to church but I want to tell you that…
I hope you take the time to watch the video above. This comes from our Presiding Bishop of the ELCA; Elizabeth Eaton. This video will be shown at the synod assemblies across the United States, however I believe this is too good not to share with you! Bishop Eaton is reflecting on the future of…
Last Sunday, I talked about “spiritual light.” You can listen to the sermon here: https://benbergren.com/sermon-lighting-the-way/ . Having only a limited amount of time on Sunday morning, I can only go so far before someone in the sound booth turns off my microphone. I know you are thankful that there are “checks and balances” at Bethel…
A Day in the Life of Your Pastor… Today was the day. Bethel Lutheran School students and staff duct taped me to the “ball wall” on the playground. No, I wasn’t ambushed or held hostage. (However some students asked if I was going to be there all night.) I actually agreed to this. This was…
