Dear Friends, “Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the Lord your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it: 2 That thou mightest fear the Lord thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged. 3 Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with

Dear Friends, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. … 13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. 14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” Galatians 5:1, 13-14 Two hundred and fifty years ago this past July, representatives from th

Dear Friends, One of the courses that we are offering this Fall is on the Acts of the Apostles. This book of the Bible is always inspiring and its emphasis on the mission of the church in its earliest days is a necessary study on how we are to continue to approach the world even in our own time. Although the book is titled as it is, it might just as well have been titled The Continuing Work of Jesus the Christ. It’s actually volume 2 of the Gospel of Luke and reflects th

Dear Friends, Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: Teach a just man, and he will increase in learning. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: And the knowledge of the holy is understanding. Proverbs 9:9-10 Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge: But he that hateth reproof is brutish. Proverbs 12:1 In May, Loren Bergstedt, one of the most faithful and honorable men who has served on the board of this seminary went to be for eterni

Dear Friends, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: 10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.” I Peter 2:9-10 During the celebration of the Easter season, we not only celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, but our own resurrecti

Dear Friends, The Meaning of the Ascension The day of The Ascension of Our Lord is on May 14, 2026. Sadly, it is often overlooked and virtually forgotten because it is a midweek celebration. It is a very significant event in the New Testament as recorded in Mark 16:19 and expounded upon in the book of Hebrews. So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God. (Mk. 16:19 KJV) But Christ being come an high priest of g

“ Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by Him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: 23 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: 24 Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that He should be holden of it.” Acts 2:22-24 As we move f

Dear Friends, Like so many things we encounter in daily life (days of the week for example), the month of March is named for a pagan god. The original name of the month was Martius and was dedicated to the Roman god of war, Mars. It was from early times the first month of the 10-month year and was understood as the time when the winter weather abated and the time for campaigning in war would begin. After 153 BC it became the third of 12 months which started with 2 winter mont

Dear Friends, “Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples; 36And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God! 37And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. 38 Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou? 39 He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where He dwelt, and abode with Hi

Dear Friends, 14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. 15 John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. 16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. 17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.1 In October of 2025 I ha

Dear Friends, “But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. 14And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.” Luke 1:13-14 “And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. 31And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.” Luke 1:30-31 “And the angel said

Dear Friends, If April showers bring May flowers, what do May flowers bring? Pilgrims. I remember the day my brother came home from elementary school and told me this little joke. It would have been about 1960 at a time when people put out their cornucopias, paper pilgrims and turkeys. There were always the standard stories of the pilgrims’ arrival in 1620 and the first thanksgiving. Through the years I have learned that these events have been exaggerated, embellished and som

Dear Friends, “And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; 13 Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. 14And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. 15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of wh

Dear Friends, Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. 2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: 3 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; 4 Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; 5 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's. (Ps. 103:1-5 KJV) During my convalescence from my recent back prob

PDF Version: Dear Friends, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! 2 It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments; 3As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.” Psalm 133 Earlier this summer, we were richly blessed at the ALCA convention

Dear Friends, 25 O Lord, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; Thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth. For thou hast made of a city an heap; of a defenced city a ruin: a palace of strangers to be no city; it shall never be built. Therefore shall the strong people glorify thee, the city of the terrible nations shall fear thee. For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a

Dear Friends, “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. Psalm 1:1-3 Graduation. This is the time of year tha

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Dear Friends, “Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. 39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: 40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The three days. Matthew 12:38-40 This

Dear Friends, “In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea, With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me.”-Julia Ward Howe The Battle Hymn of the Republic The first Sunday of this month is The Transfiguration of Our Lord. This is a day that celebrates the divinity of the Lord Jesus being revealed in stark display to Peter, James and John and to every reader/hearer of this sacred text. The God incarnate was momentarily unveiled to appear as He truly ap