Just west of the “up north” corridor of I-75 at exit 190, rises Bethlehem Lutheran Church in the heart of rural Michigan where fertile fields unfurl like green tapestries. Rooted in this land for over 121 years, the bell tower of our small country church stands tall, calling all to experience the enduring power of Christ through the faith that has been passed down through generations. Within the walls of the sanctuary, as light streams through the stained glass, time seems to bend. The ancient rhythms of the ageless liturgy of the Church echo through the centuries. Whispers of the Psalms along with the melodies and harmonies of the Hymns of the Faith mingle with the rustle of wind through cornstalks. Here, the universal Church of God gathers to hear her Lord speak as she expresses herself in our unique local context granting a haven for those seeking solace and hope in the timeless truths of the historic Christian faith.
Bethlehem Lutheran Church embraces the wisdom of the past while acknowledging our responsibility in the present. We recognize that the ancient well of faith offers sustenance to thirsty souls, without respect to their origins. So, to those visiting, we extend a warm hand of welcome. We ask, simply, that you contact our pastor for a moment’s conversation if you desire to partake of Christ’s body and blood with us in the Lord’s Supper. This is not a barrier, but a bridge -– ensuring that the legacy of our forefathers nourishes not just those who bear their names, but every heart seeking refuge in the embrace of Christ.
In this rural Michigan sanctuary, where time seems to meld past and present, Bethlehem Lutheran Church upholds and continues the traditions of the Church handed down from past as it writes its unique chapter in the story of the universal Church – one hymn, one prayer, one open heart at a time.
** Equal opportunity provider.
The most basic teachings of the Christian Faith can be summarized under six headings:
He says thus (Exodus 20:5f): I the Lord, thy God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me, and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love Me and keep My commandments.
In other words, God threatens to punish all that transgress these commandments. Therefore we should dread His wrath and not act contrary to these commandments. But He promises grace and every blessing to all that keep these commandments. Therefore we should also love and trust in Him, and gladly do [zealously and diligently order our whole life] according to His commandments.
I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; He descended into hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit; one holy Christian Church, the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen.
I believe that God has made me and all creatures; that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my limbs, my reason, and all my senses, and still preserves them; in addition thereto, clothing and shoes, meat and drink, house and homestead, wife and children, fields, cattle, and all my goods; that He provides me richly and daily with all that I need to support this body and life, protects me from all danger, and guards me and preserves me from all evil; and all this out of pure, fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me; for all which I owe it to Him to thank, praise, serve, and obey Him.
I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, is my Lord, who has redeemed me, a lost and condemned creature, purchased and won [delivered] me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil, not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death, in order that I may be [wholly] His own, and live under Him in His kingdom, and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, even as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity.
I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith; even as He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian Church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith; in which Christian Church He forgives daily and richly all sins to me and all believers, and at the last day will raise up me and all the dead, and will give to me and to all believers in Christ everlasting life.
Our Father who art in heaven. Hallowed be Thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.
God tenderly urges us to believe that He is our true Father, and that we are His true children, so that we may ask Him confidently with all assurance, as dear children ask their dear father. Therefore, we pray as His Son, Jesus, has taught us to pray and entrust ourselves to His care. Because God, Himself, has commanded us to pray thus, we give our hearty, “AMEN!” because we can be certain that these petitions are acceptable to our Father in heaven. We trust that they are heard because He has attached His promise that He will hear us. “Amen, Amen; that is, Yea, yea, it shall be so.”
Baptism is not simple water only, but it is the water comprehended in God’s command and connected with God’s Word. Christ, our Lord, says in the last chapter of Matthew : “Go ye into all the world and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”
Baptism works forgiveness of sins, delivers from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe this, as the words and promises of God declare.(Mark 16:16, Jesus said, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that does not believe shall be condemned.”)
It is not the water that does these things (nor is it the pastor or the person baptizing), but it is the Word of God which is in and with the water, and faith, which trusts such word of God in the water. For without the word of God the water is simple water and no baptism. But with the word of God it is a baptism, that is, a gracious water of life and a washing of regeneration in the Holy Spirit, as St. Paul says in Titus, chapter three, “By the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, which He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ, our Savior, that, being justified by His grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. This is a faithful saying.”
Baptism signifies that, by daily contrition and repentance, the old Adam in us should be drowned and die with all sins and evil lusts, and, again, a new man daily come forth and arise; who shall live before God in righteousness and purity forever. To this point, St. Paul teaches in Romans, chapter 6, that we are buried with Christ by Baptism into death, that, like as He was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
Confession embraces two parts: the one is, that we confess our sins; the other, that we receive absolution, or forgiveness, from the confessor, as if from God Himself, and in no wise doubt, but firmly believe, that our sins are thereby forgiven before God in heaven, because we have Jesus’ promise given to His Church on the night of His resurrection, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”
The Sacrament of the Altar is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, under the bread and wine, for us Christians to eat and to drink, instituted by Christ Himself. The holy Evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and St. Paul, write, “Our Lord Jesus Christ, the same night in which He was betrayed, took bread: and when He had given thanks, He broke it, and gave it to His disciples, and said, ‘Take, eat; this is My body, which is given for you. This do in remembrance of Me.’ After the same manner also He took the cup, after supper, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, ‘Take, of it, all of you. This cup is the New Testament in My blood, which is shed for you for the remission of sins. This do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of Me.’
In this sacrament, forgiveness of sins, life and salvation are given to us as Jesus says, “Given, and shed for you, for the remission of sins.” Where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation.
It is not the eating and drinking, that confers these great blessings, but the words of Christ, namely, “Given, and shed for you, for the remission of sins.” Alongside the bodily eating and drinking, these words are the chief thing in the Sacrament; and the one who believes these words has what they say and express, namely, the forgiveness of sins.
Fasting and bodily preparation is a fine and helpful outward training, but the one who is truly worthy and well prepared has faith in these words, “[This is …] Given, and shed for you, for the remission of sins.” The one who does not believe these words, or doubts, is unworthy and unfit; for the words For you require altogether believing hearts.
Bethlehem Lutheran Church is a member congregation of the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod and upholds the confessional standard of the Evangelical Lutheran Faith. More information about our beliefs and teachings can be found in the Book of Concord which expresses the Christian Faith that we believe, teach and confess.