A forever freedom that holds, that lasts!

Word from the Center
Written By Dr. Gregory Seltz

One of the issues plaguing our country today is the pressure of tribal “identity politics” which pulls apart the fragile unity of the American experiment of liberty. Identity politics emphasizes that which divides us, rather than that which unites us. Now you might be a person who thinks that such a political strategy is one whose time has come. I’m not one of those. Why? Because the power grab that comes along with emphasizing our differences naively asserts that the coalescing of power in the hands of a few sinful people is no big deal. Furthermore, the view that the government can care for people better than they can care for themselves is to me a recipe for the unraveling of our society, not the solidifying of it. If there is any genius in the American experiment, it is the fact that our Founders created a government that limited federal power in order to set individual, self-disciplined, religiously-motivated citizens free. Such an endeavor was rooted in these two fundamental principles about humanity: 1) the common dignity of all people rooted in their being created by God, and 2) the common depravity and brokenness of all people because of sin. The depravity of man caused them to fear power in the hands of the few because of the tendency to use it to do what is in one’s own selfish interests, rather than for the good of others. Yet their view of the dignity of all people also created a polity that has provided freedom to people from virtually every corner of the globe. That’s a freedom worth celebrating, and worth protecting.

But our text for today reminds us that even the best we have to offer is nothing compared to the freedom that God makes possible for us through the person and work of Jesus Christ. Our best efforts at establishing an “enduring freedom” are fleeting because of sin and the spiritual bondage that lies within us, not merely in our systems or organizations. The one relationship that can “right our lives” is our relationship with God who is Himself the essence of freedom, love, righteousness, and peace. John paints a picture for us of what freedom in Him is, one that is earned, delivered, and sustained by Christ alone. The freedom that comes by faith in Him is the only freedom that really lasts.

So be thankful for the temporal freedoms that you have, especially in this election year. But even more so, “get the picture” of what really matters for your life, for your family and your friends, namely, a freedom that can never be taken away. See the culminating vision of John in which every tribe and nation are gathered around the throne of God, truly unified by faith in the salvation that belongs to God and to the Lamb, Jesus (Revelation 7:9-10). Only God Himself can ultimately unify what we seem to divide and destroy so easily.

So this election year vote for the platform that has the government doing what it is supposed to do for the good of all, and not doing more than that. Vote for the platform that protects the church, her ministries and her schools, and also protects the free citizens of the United States to live virtuous, self-governing lives motivated by their faith. But always remember that whatever might happen to the American experiment, there is a greater and more enduring freedom. It’s the freedom that comes from the person and work of Jesus Christ who overcame sin, death, and the devil on the cross of Calvary so that all might receive eternal life as a gift, and eternal freedom as His pledge. It’s the only freedom that holds forever, and it lasts no matter what happens in this world.

What a privilege we have today, the privilege of voting to undergird the blessings of the founding of a country that took human dignity seriously for the sake of freedom, the freedom to do what is right. But even more vital to our lives, both now and forever, is the Bible’s message of enduring freedom, one that took our fallen human nature so seriously that God sent Jesus, the Lamb, to be sacrificed for us and for our salvation. Thank God we have the temporal freedom to proclaim God’s ultimate freedom that was earned on the cross in order that others might also be saved, now and forever!

PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, give us all wisdom and courage to put our earthly freedoms to work for the sharing of Your eternal salvation, a gift that comes by grace through faith. Give us all thankful hearts for the blessings of both! AMEN.

See Also
November Prayer Partner Thursday
November Prayer Partner Thursday

Prayer Partner Thursday provides a month-long prayer emphasis in one of the four Lutheran Center for Religious Liberty areas of emphasis: Religious Liberty, Sanctity of Life, Educational Freedom, and Marriage as an Institution (family).

WHAT MATTERS IS “WORTH LIVING AND DYING FOR!”
WHAT MATTERS IS “WORTH LIVING AND DYING FOR!”

Today’s reading is 2 Timothy 4:7, where St. Paul writes,

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

_______ Nationalism
_______ Nationalism

How should we fill in the blank? Traditionally Christian nations have a spotty record, but compared to what? A Hindu nation, where people are divided according to castes? A Muslim nation, where women are treated like property? A Communist nation that leads to wholesale slaughter? The Spanish Conquistador might be faulted, but consider the world of the Aztecs, the mass human sacrifice.

 

Then shall it be a secular nation? Is our nation somehow worse for having "In God we trust" on our money," for saying "under God" in the pledge? But is there a neutrality to strive for? Vacuums are soon filled, and we end up with cultural Marxism in which children are given puberty blockers, then hormones, leading almost inevitably to mutilating surgery. We end up with the destruction of the family. But this secularism is not neutral, to each his own. In some states, a parent can lose his child if they do not affirm their children's gender delusion, a delusion often encouraged by the secular state.

November 2025 Bulletin Blurbs
November 2025 Bulletin Blurbs

The dates identifying the LCRL bulletin blurbs are only suggestions. Please feel free to use any and all of the bulletin blurbs as your ministry needs allow.

November Bulletin Insert
November Bulletin Insert

The Bulletin Insert is designed to be printed and cut in half to fit conveniently inside a Sunday worship bulletin. Each month an insert will offer insight, encouragement, and information from the LCRL on the topics of Religious Liberty, Life, Marriage, or Education.

HANG IN THERE WITH GOD BECAUSE HE HANGS IN THERE WITH YOU!
HANG IN THERE WITH GOD BECAUSE HE HANGS IN THERE WITH YOU!

Today’s reading is Luke 18:1-8 which says,    

And [Jesus] told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. 2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. 3 And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ 4 For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” 6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. 7 And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? 8 I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

The Widows and the Fatherless: End “Gay Marriage”
The Widows and the Fatherless: End “Gay Marriage”

Psalm 68:5 reminds us that God acts as a father to the fatherless. In the great hymn "Praise the Almighty, My Soul, Adore Him," we sing, "He helps his children in distress, the widows and the fatherless." Do we still care about such things? As a society? In America, one in four children live in a home without dad. 40 percent of children are born to unwed mothers. That's what happens when marriage is redefined to suit adult desires. Some don't know their dads, others live in broken homes. Divorce leads mostly to kids with mom, dad gone.  

WHEN LIFE IS BEYOND OUR CONTROL, THANK GOD THERE’S A SAVIOR!
WHEN LIFE IS BEYOND OUR CONTROL, THANK GOD THERE’S A SAVIOR!

Today’s reading is Luke 17:11-19 which recounts this event:     

11 On the way to Jerusalem [Jesus] was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance 13 and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” 14 When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; 16 and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”

Wake Up! Paganism Isn’t New, but It Is Rising
Wake Up! Paganism Isn’t New, but It Is Rising

We’ve heard it said lately that what we’re seeing in our culture is sin — and that’s true. But let’s not stop there. What we’re seeing is not simply a lack of virtue in a particular political party or a few mentally ill individuals making poor moral choices. What we are witnessing is a culture-wide descent into paganism—the same kind of paganism the prophets condemned in the Old Testament. And mark this: it is not new. Instead, it is ancient and dark. And it is very definable.

The prophets—men like Amos, Micah, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah — weren’t confused about the character of the nations around them. They saw it plainly.

GOOD COUNSEL OR BAD COUNSEL? IT MATTERS!
GOOD COUNSEL OR BAD COUNSEL? IT MATTERS!

Today’s reading is Luke 17:1-4 which challenges us with these words: 

And [Jesus] said to his disciples, “Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! 2 It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin. 3 Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, 4 and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”

Charlie Kirk’s Assassination: A Two Kingdom Call to Action
Charlie Kirk’s Assassination: A Two Kingdom Call to Action

As I’ve shared online, for the last few days I’ve been laboring to write a response to the political assassination of Charlie Kirk, trying to put words together that express a proper response to the shock and horror of the evil violence perpetrated against a Christian believer who understood the limitations of politics and the beautiful salvation message that only God could accomplish in Jesus. A person who was willing to dialogue and debate all comers in the hope of demonstrating the truth of what he said and believed. He was proud of the foundational principles of individual liberty, religious freedom, limited government, educational freedom/choice, and the importance of faith, family, freedom to live self-governed lives . . . and for that he was executed. That should truly shock us all to our core.

October Prayer Partner Thursday
October Prayer Partner Thursday

Prayer Partner Thursday provides a month-long prayer emphasis in one of the four Lutheran Center for Religious Liberty areas of emphasis: Religious Liberty, Sanctity of Life, Educational Freedom, and Marriage as an Institution (family).

HERE'S WHERE TO PUT YOUR TRUST!
HERE'S WHERE TO PUT YOUR TRUST!

Today’s reading is Psalm 146:1-6 and 10, which proclaims:     

Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul! 2 I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. 3 Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. 4 When his breath departs, he returns to the earth;

on that very day his plans perish. 5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,

whose hope is in the LORD his God, 6 who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever;….. 10 The LORD will reign forever, your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the LORD!

The Secret to a Joyous Marriage
The Secret to a Joyous Marriage

After finishing college at Seward, my wife Kathy and I served as lay missionaries in a remote Cree Indian village in Ontario, Canada. One day we decided we’d go for a snowmobile ride. I pulled the machine in front of our little shack. I glanced behind me to see Kathy hopping aboard, and I took off. I headed down the skidoo trail on the frozen lake on a bright clear, frigid day, chatting happily with my dear wife (or so I thought). I had made it nearly a half-mile before I realized that no one was talking back. Suddenly I did a hard double take and turned to see the empty seat right behind me. Looking back at the distant village, she was nowhere to be seen. Turns out I had taken off just as she straddled the seat, but before she’d sat down. . . . We laughed about it then, and still do to this very day.

WHEN IT MATTERS - NO DIVIDED ALLEGIANCES!
WHEN IT MATTERS - NO DIVIDED ALLEGIANCES!

Today’s reading is Luke 16:10-13 where Jesus says,    

10 “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. 11 If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful in that which is another's, who will give you that which is your own? 13 No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

Raising Children in an Age of Nothing
Raising Children in an Age of Nothing

It’s not a happy thing to read that so many of our countrymen are “nones,” belonging to no church and adhering to no way of paying homage to God. How do we raise children in a no-land, where their deepest beliefs will be met with what’s sometimes more discouraging than enmity, with the shrug of indifference and incomprehension?

I think we must bear in mind the character of this nothing. It is not deep — it cannot conceivably be deep — but it is broad, like a vast slick of muddy water and wreckage after a flood, shallow as a few inches in most places, but lapping at every post and foundation in sight.

October 2025 Bulletin Blurbs
October 2025 Bulletin Blurbs

The dates identifying the LCRL bulletin blurbs are only suggestions. Please feel free to use any and all of the bulletin blurbs as your ministry needs allow.

October Bulletin Insert
October Bulletin Insert

The Bulletin Insert is designed to be printed and cut in half to fit conveniently inside a Sunday worship bulletin. Each month an insert will offer insight, encouragement, and information from the LCRL on the topics of Religious Liberty, Life, Marriage, or Education.

September Prayer Partner Thursday
September Prayer Partner Thursday

Prayer Partner Thursday provides a month-long prayer emphasis in one of the four Lutheran Center for Religious Liberty areas of emphasis: Religious Liberty, Sanctity of Life, Educational Freedom, and Marriage as an Institution (family).

LOST AND FOUND – IT STILL REALLY MATTERS!
LOST AND FOUND – IT STILL REALLY MATTERS!

Today’s reading is Luke 15:8-10 where Jesus says,    

“What woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? 9 And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ 10 Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

The LCMS and Euthanasia
The LCMS and Euthanasia

At the 1995 synodical convention, the Synod delegates adopted resolution 6-02 titled "To Speak Out against Legalization of Assisted Suicide" (euthanasia) which reads as follows:

Whereas, The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod affirms the sanctity of human life and recognizes the reality of human suffering; and

Whereas, Any attempt to legalize assisted suicide is an affront to the Lord, who gives life, and opens the door for abuse and future legislation that would deny the freedom of many; and

SALT AND LIGHT – OUR ULTIMATE LABOR!
SALT AND LIGHT – OUR ULTIMATE LABOR!

Today’s reading is Luke 14:34-35 where Jesus says,    

“Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? 35 It is of no use either for the soil or for the manure pile. It is thrown away. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

Things Worth Fighting For
Things Worth Fighting For

America is a gift. Rights are God given, based on the inherent dignity of man. The horrible theory of evolution undermines this truth. We are likewise told that rights are granted by earthly governments. But the created order is such that man bears the image of God, even fallen. This truth is seen already in an ultrasound. In a sense, these rights are negative. I do not have a right to take your property, but then, you have no right to take mine. A man may not be imprisoned except for compelling reasons. The family comes before the state, and therefore children belong not to the state, but to the father and mother. The right to bear arms is simply an extension of the truth that I have a right to defend my family and my home. No one is obligated to listen to me, but I have a right to free speech. No one is obligated to give me stuff, but I have the liberty to earn it.

MORE THAN MORALISM!
MORE THAN MORALISM!

Today’s reading is Luke 14:7-11 which says,    

7 Now [Jesus] told a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they chose the places of honor, saying to them, 8 “When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him, 9 and he who invited you both will come and say to you, ‘Give your place to this person,’ and then you will begin with shame to take the lowest place. 10 But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. 11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Our Founding Fathers
Our Founding Fathers

Our Founding Fathers are indeed the fathers of all Americans. DEI taught us to despise them, to concentrate on their faults, to think of ourselves as somehow more enlightened. Critical theory is all about destruction, about seeing through something so that you can no longer see the thing itself. DEI is the philosophy of the scoff and sneer.

But as Americans, we do well to think on the God of providence and to celebrate this day with thanksgiving. Now, mind you, I honor all peoples as they sing their anthems, giving thanks for their own special heritage. But our heritage is a cornucopia, a legacy that we are called to live up to.

IT’S NOT WHO YOU KNOW, BUT WHETHER HE KNOWS YOU!
IT’S NOT WHO YOU KNOW, BUT WHETHER HE KNOWS YOU!

Today’s reading is Luke 13:23-27 and 30 which says,

23 Someone asked [Jesus], “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?” He said to them, 24 “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25 Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’ 27 “But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ 26 “Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ 27 “But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!’…30 Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last.”

The Magdeburg Confession
The Magdeburg Confession

475 years ago, Magdeburg, Germany, was under siege by her own emperor, Charles V. It was the last Lutheran city remaining in Germany only four years after the death of Martin Luther. At issue was the preaching of the Gospel and the administration of the Sacraments. The highest authority in the land was demanding that the city churches re-institute Roman worship practices.

The city officers faced a difficult choice. Should they abandon the scriptural doctrine and practice restored by the Lutheran Reformation? Or should they take up arms against the God-ordained temporal authority? The pastors and theologians of the city penned the Magdeburg Confession to instruct the city councilmen of their God-given duty.

September 2025 Bulletin Blurbs
September 2025 Bulletin Blurbs

The dates identifying the LCRL bulletin blurbs are only suggestions. Please feel free to use any and all of the bulletin blurbs as your ministry needs allow.

September Bulletin Insert
September Bulletin Insert

The Bulletin Insert is designed to be printed and cut in half to fit conveniently inside a Sunday worship bulletin. Each month an insert will offer insight, encouragement, and information from the LCRL on the topics of Religious Liberty, Life, Marriage, or Education.

GOOD DIVISION? IT DEPENDS!
GOOD DIVISION? IT DEPENDS!

Today’s reading is Luke 12:49-51, where Jesus says,   

49 “I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50 But I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed! 51 Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division.

Dr. Gregory Seltz
Previous

Vote - principles, platforms, with a healthy skepticism!
Next

If you want justice