Worship at Bethlehem in 2012
In the greater Grand Rapids area, 2012 has been declared the “Year of Interfaith Understanding.”
Bethlehem is engaging in this faith-based community wide initiative to learn and grow, both in
understanding and respect of other religions. As such, we will draw upon appropriate resources of other
traditions for inclusion in our worship throughout the year. Our hope is that by using these selections,
we will grow in appreciation for the richness of diversity we hold in our common humanity. These
resources may also invite us to see God in new ways and deepen our understanding and appreciation for
our own Christian faith.
On Sunday, January 8, the Baptism of our Lord, we follow Christ into the river with the native people of
the Hopi Tribe. “There is a river flowing now very fast” sheds light on a world where change is happening
as swiftly as the fast moving river, where sometimes it feels we are barely able keep our heads above
the water, where many of us are frantically grasping for the shore. What might we experience if instead
we move through the current in celebration, focusing on the sacredness of our situation, gaining
strength from our community and the promise that Christ is always present with us in the holy waters of
change and transformation?
During the season of Epiphany (from January 15-February 12) where we will focus on ‘Unity in
Community,’ our worship begins with a retelling of the mystic Jewish Kabbalistic creation story Tikkun
Olam, or “the repair of the world.” Note how this story places our community at the heart of an epic,
unfolding story—and with each small act of kindness, with each effort to see the divine spark in another,
with each heartfelt prayer, the Divine can see and act through us as we participate in the momentous
work of restoring the fragments in our world.
Stayed Tune:
Transfiguration of our Lord (February 19)
Ash Wednesday (February 22)
Lent (February 26-March 25)
Lent Vespers
Passion/Palm Sunday (April 1)
Maundy Thursday (April 5)
Good Friday (April 6)
Easter Day (April 
Season of Easter (April 15-May 20)
Day of Pentecost (May 27)
Holy Trinity (June 3)
Season of Pentecost (June 10-Novermber 18)
Reformation Sunday (October 28)
All Saints Sunday (November 4)
Interfaith Thanksgiving Service (November 12)
Christ the King (November 25)
Bethlehem Church welcomes