The Book of Joel - A Call to Repentance and Hope
April 13, 2026

Joel 2:12 and the call to repentance: finding hope, restoration, and God’s grace in the Book of Joel

"Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning." – Joel 2:12


The Book of Joel is a short but powerful message that calls the people of Israel to repentance and offers a vision of hope. Joel’s prophecy begins with a description of a devastating locust plague that has ravaged the land, symbolizing the destruction that will come if the people do not turn back to God. In the midst of this crisis, Joel calls the people to return to God with genuine hearts, fasting, weeping, and mourning for their sin.

Joel 2:12 highlights the urgency of repentance: “Yet even now, return to me with all your heart.” This plea for wholehearted repentance shows that, even in the face of judgment, God’s invitation for restoration remains open. No matter how far the people have wandered, God is always ready to forgive and restore them when they truly turn back to God.


Along with a call to repentance, Joel also speaks of a promise of restoration. God assures the people that if they return with sincere hearts, God will restore what has been lost, bringing blessings and abundance. This is a powerful reminder that God’s grace is always greater than our failures, and that God’s desire is to heal and restore us, not to condemn us.


For us today, Joel’s message challenges us to examine our hearts and lives. Are there areas where we have strayed from God? Are we willing to return to God with all our hearts? The promise of restoration remains for us as well, as we turn to God in repentance and trust in God’s faithful love.

365: The History of the Church Section 1 Part 1

By Unknown • June 16, 2026

365: The History of the Church Section 1

By Unknown • June 15, 2026
This devotional series explores key moments in church history, divided into thematic and historical sections with several parts. It is a long and winding story that began on Pentecost and continues to be written by us and by the Holy Spirit today. SECTION 1 – The Church of the Holy Spirit The church began with breath.  A violent wind filled an upper room and scattered ordinary people into the world with extraordinary news. From that first Pentecost morning, the Spirit has been the church’s constant companion, guiding, correcting, and surprising us through twenty centuries of imperfect faithfulness. The devotions in this section explore pivotal moments when the Spirit moved through imperfect people to shape the church’s story. From Paul’s dramatic conversion to the Council of Jerusalem’s radical inclusion, we see the same God who breathed life into the first disciples still breathing life into us today. We are part of this continuing story; inheritors of a wind that refuses to be contained. Nate Preisinger Bethany Lutheran Church Sent with SubsplashUnsubscribe from all emails

365: Third Sunday after Pentecost

By Unknown • June 14, 2026
Click to watch video Today is the Third Sunday after PentecostWe 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 Pastors Gary and Nate on the Feast Day of Peter and Paul last year.Peter the humble fisherman. Paul the privileged Roman citizen. Two wildly different origin stories, yet both were rescued, transformed, and called by God to lead the early Church. Pastors Nate Preisinger and Gary Sandberg reflect on the shared feast day of Saints Peter and Paul and what their lives teach us about grace, redemption, and purpose. Through shame and denial, pride and persecution, God rescued Peter and Paul, not just for their own sake, but for the sake of the Gospel. And that same story of rescue continues today. In baptism, in forgiveness, in community, we are rescued too. 365 Daily Devotional Bethany Lutheran Church Sent with SubsplashUnsubscribe from all emails
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