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

Dear Friends, “And it came to pass about an eight days after these sayings, He took Peter and John and James, and went up into a mountain to pray. 29 And as He prayed, the fashion of His countenance was altered, and His raiment was white and glistering. 30 And, behold, there talked with Him two men, which were Moses and Elias: 31 Who appeared in glory, and spake of His decease which He should accomplish at Jerusalem. 32 But Peter and they that were with Him were heavy with sl

Dear Friends, Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. 4 And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him. 5 And the apostles said unto the Lord, Increase our faith. 6 And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in