Bethany 365 Daily Devotionals

Click to watch video Today is Holy Trinity Sunday We encourage you to join in for worship at Bethany this weekend either in person or through our livestream.   For an additional devotional reflection, we invite you to watch this reflection from Pastor Gary on this Sunday last year. What does it mean to truly understand all the truth Jesus promised — and how do we live it out today? In this heartfelt sermon from Bethany Lutheran Church in Cherry Hills Village, CO, Pastor Gary reflects on Jesus’ words about the Holy Spirit, the completeness of the Trinity, and Paul’s powerful reminder that hope grows when we share the glory of God. Discover how God’s love sustains us through suffering, builds us through endurance and character, and calls us to carry His glory into the lives of others. This message is a powerful reminder that we don’t need to bear everything alone — the Spirit lives and breat...

The Book of Zephaniah – A Call to Seek God "The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty One who saves. God will take great delight in you; in love, God will no longer rebuke you but will rejoice over you with singing." – Zephaniah 3:17 The Book of Zephaniah is a powerful message of both judgment and hope. The prophet Zephaniah speaks to the people of Judah during a time of spiritual corruption and complacency. He warns that the "Day of the Lord" is coming, a day when God's justice will be revealed. This day will bring consequences for those who have turned away from God's ways, but it will also bring renewal for those who seek God with humility and faith. Despite its strong warnings, Zephaniah’s message is not just about destruction. It is ultimately about restoration. In Zephaniah 3:17, we are given a beautiful image of God’s love. This verse reminds...

This 18 part series explores the main moments in the Bible. This is a long story that takes place over thousands of years.  It’s the story of all the ways that God has been trying to rescue and bless and love God’s people since the beginning of time.  It’s the story that has been passed down and shared with billions of people.  It’s a story that was written for everyone to hear, and at the same time it’s a story written specifically just for you. This chapter of the story is about Forgetfulness and the Prophet's Warnings. Unfortunately, the Great Nation of Israel soon became splintered and divided.  Under King Solomon the Kingdom expanded greatly, but with that expansion and power also came a loss of commitment to the commandments of God.  The people began to think that they no longer needed God; they had become so powerful, so privileged, so great that they forgot about the God w...

This 18 part series explores the main moments in the Bible. This is a long story that takes place over thousands of years.  It’s the story of all the ways that God has been trying to rescue and bless and love God’s people since the beginning of time.  It’s the story that has been passed down and shared with billions of people.  It’s a story that was written for everyone to hear, and at the same time it’s a story written specifically just for you. This chapter of the story is about the Great Nation. Eventually, God guided the Israelites to the Promised Land.  The space that God had told the Israelites about many, many years ago.   There was so much joy amongst the people - it was as if a fairy tale were coming true.  Those that entered the Promised Land could remember hearing their parents and their parent’s parents, and their parent’s parent’s parents speak wistfully about th...

This 18 part series explores the main moments in the Bible. This is a long story that takes place over thousands of years.  It’s the story of all the ways that God has been trying to rescue and bless and love God’s people since the beginning of time.  It’s the story that has been passed down and shared with billions of people.  It’s a story that was written for everyone to hear, and at the same time it’s a story written specifically just for you. This chapter of the story is about the Ten Commandments. God’s Chosen people were now free, but they needed to learn how to be God’s people for the world.  For 40 years they wandered in the wilderness and God guided them, God provided for them.   Every morning manna would appear on the ground, bread from heaven that sustained the Israelites on their journey.  It was always easy to trust and follow God, but this time of wandering help...

This 18 part series explores the main moments in the Bible. This is a long story that takes place over thousands of years.  It’s the story of all the ways that God has been trying to rescue and bless and love God’s people since the beginning of time.  It’s the story that has been passed down and shared with billions of people.  It’s a story that was written for everyone to hear, and at the same time it’s a story written specifically just for you. This chapter of the story is called Led to Freedom. God kept the promise to Abraham and Sarah.  They had a son named Isaac who had two sons named Jacob and Esau and Jacob had 12 sons which would become the 12 tribes of the great nation of Israel; God’s chosen people.   But before they could become a great nation, the Israelites experienced over 400 hard years of oppression as slaves in Egypt.  They worked every day in the hot desert ...

Pentecost Pentecost begins with a bang.   Or rather, with a mighty rush of wind and ecstatic voices of proclamation.   The Day of Pentecost tells us the story of God’s Holy Spirit moving in the world in a powerful way.   But that initial launch of the Christian Church on Pentecost gives way to weeks and weeks of the mundane.   The liturgical season of Pentecost is the longest in the church calendar.   Spanning six months of time, the season of Pentecost can begin to feel a bit routine and boring, especially after all the excitement of that initial Pentecost day. But I wonder if this is part of the season’s wisdom.   Our life of faith will not always be ecstatic, Holy Spirit moments.   There will also be times of the routine and mundane.   In our world today where we are always expecting a new way to be entertained or inspired, Pentecost invi...

Click to watch video Today is Pentecost Sunday We encourage you to join in for worship at Bethany this weekend either in person or through our livestream.   For an additional devotional reflection, we invite you to watch this reflection from Pastor Nate on this Sunday last year. What if faith isn’t about having all the answers? What if we don't need proof to know that God is present? In this powerful Pentecost sermon, Pastor Nate reflects on a childhood game of driveway basketball and a “Prove It” rule that resonates far beyond the court. From high school insecurities to the deep human desire for certainty, this message explores the tension between proof and trust — and how the Gospel invites us to release control and live by faith. Drawing on John 14 and the story of Philip's request to "show us the Father," this sermon reminds us that God doesn’t demand we prove ourselves. ...

The Book of Habakkuk Trusting in God's Plan "Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior." – Habakkuk 3:17-18 The Book of Habakkuk is a short prophetic book with a powerful message about faith, trust, and God's justice. Habakkuk, a prophet, begins the book with a series of complaints to God. He questions why God allows evil to prosper and why injustice seems to prevail, especially among God’s people. Habakkuk’s struggle is relatable, as many of us have asked similar questions in times of suffering or uncertainty. In the course of the book, God responds to Habakkuk, revealing that the wicked will eventually be judged and that...