A glimpse of heaven for the days ahead!

Word from the Center
Written By Dr. Gregory Seltz

Welcome to “Word from The Center” MONDAY, a devotional word from the Center of our faith, Jesus Christ, with reflections on His Word. I’m Gregory Seltz. Today’s passage is Mark 9:2-9, where the Bible says,   

[2] After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. [3] His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. [4] And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus. [5] Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” [6] (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.) [7] Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” [8] Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus. [9] As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

I’m becoming more and more convinced that all of our modern technologies are actually making us more ignorant, rather than more informed; they also make us more prone to be isolated, rather than connected with each other. Because of our sinful rebelliousness against the moral truths of God, human beings also seem to be more clueless than ever about how to live their lives in this world meaningfully and joyfully. That’s true even amidst all the advances of science and technology. As I get older, I see this more clearly than ever. Evil truly does exist in the world and evil exists in every human heart. Unfortunately, there is no easy religious, secular, or scientific fix for this DEADLY virus. The great scientist Albert Einstein said, “It is easier to denature plutonium than to denature the evil spirit of man.” [1]

We need a solution to the problems and evils of this world. We also need a fix for the evil which resides within our own hearts. The payment coming due for all of these things seems beyond comprehension. That’s true. But what happens when the answer, the all-encompassing solution, is so overwhelming that we can’t bear it and so extensive that we can’t fathom it? I think that is how the disciples were feeling on the day Jesus took them up on a mountain to pray. I think that they were becoming overwhelmed by the kind of salvation that they needed. (After all, Peter would have no suffering for his messiah; see Mark 8:32.) And I think they were beginning to be overwhelmed by the salvation that Jesus was going to provide which was part of the reason for their fear and awe.

So a preliminary glimpse of the glorified Jesus is provided for them before the overwhelming days of suffering to come. On a mountain that day, Jesus was transfigured, literally metamorphisized. That means HIS appearance changed drastically as His divinity literally and brilliantly shone through. Why? Well, these disciples, and believers in Jesus since, would need to be reminded again and again of who Jesus is. Who is this one who would suffer and die for them? They would need to know this in order to be strengthened by faith in Him for the events that were soon to follow and for the lives they would live by faith in Him for others.

You see, as believers in Christ, we believe and trust in a Savior who is not dead but alive. And, though we face trials, struggles, suffering, and even death this side of heaven, ours is a living faith in a living Savior who will have the victorious, last say over all those things in the end. As the Apostle Paul reminds us in 1st Corinthians 15:17 and 19-20,

And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins….If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

Be comforted with these truths when you are afraid. And realize that the fear that overcame the disciples that day would eventually be overcome, not by their efforts, but because of the resurrection reality of Christ’s living presence with them. As Christians, when you read His Word, when you receive His name in Baptism, when you receive His body and His blood in/with/under the bread and wine in His supper, you have that resurrection reality at work in your life too. Thank God we all get a glimpse of heaven from this incredible event which is an ongoing reminder of the fact of Jesus’ resurrection, as well as His resurrection promise for you. That vision will provide strength for the days ahead, whatever they may hold.

PRAYER: Dear Lord Jesus, amidst the teaching of the need for You to suffer and die, thank You for this glimpse of Your glorious appearance as God. Thanks also for letting us see the confusion and fear of the disciples so that we can realize that our struggles and fears can be overcome by Your death and resurrection, as the now risen, radiant, reigning, and returning Son of God. AMEN.

[1] Albert Einstein, Clinical Toxicology, 50(7), pp. 537–538.

See Also
Maintaining Our Republic
Maintaining Our Republic

Indiana Lt. Governor Micah Beckwith has been under fire for calling attention to the ideology of Islam. It's perplexing to see the Left defending Islam and a little disappointing not seeing more folks defending him, especially when we have so much evidence as to the problem. Sharia Law is a most dangerous thing, and it now predominates in many places in the Western world. Islam advances through intimidation. What's darkly humorous is that Islam actually teaches and puts into practice the very things that the Left falsely accuses evangelicals of promoting.

THE HOLY SPIRIT EVEN PRAYS FOR YOU!
THE HOLY SPIRIT EVEN PRAYS FOR YOU!

Today’s verses are Romans 8:26-27, where the Bible says,

26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

Why Nuclear Family Month Was Controversial
Why Nuclear Family Month Was Controversial

Nuclear Family Month? That was controversial? Maybe we could extend it out to grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins nearby. But it's hardly a religious thing. In a world of artificial sweeteners, toxic preservatives, and questionable additives, the nuclear family is the most natural thing in the world. To be sure, many families are broken. And we work together to heal, to make the best of things. If you had to ask what the whole nuclear family thing is all about, it's simply that a kid deserves a mom and dad. And if we want to get even simpler, it generally means that it's a good thing when Dad lives at home with his wife and children.

THIS WORD WILL HOLD - TRUST IT!
THIS WORD WILL HOLD - TRUST IT!

Today’s verses are Isaiah 55:10-12, where the LORD says,

10 As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, 11 so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

12 You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.

The Moment God Has Spoken
The Moment God Has Spoken

To call life, marriage, family, manhood, womanhood, religious liberty, and natural law “adiaphora” is to drain that word entirely of its meaning. Adiaphora are matters neither commanded nor forbidden by God. In other words, God did not say you must drive a car. Therefore, how you choose to travel to work is adiaphora.

 BRING YOUR WEARINESS TO CHRIST! 
 BRING YOUR WEARINESS TO CHRIST! 

Today’s verses are Matthew 11:28-30, where Jesus says,

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Living Freed, Virtuous, and Moral
Living Freed, Virtuous, and Moral

On July 4th, we are reminded that our temporal liberties are always in service to something bigger. We are reminded that it is a worthy thing to celebrate and even to fight for “the protections and responsibilities of religious liberty;” it is a worthy thing to fight for “equal protection under the law.” But all of those blessings are not enough. For God didn’t create and redeem this world merely so that we might live freely among its sinfulness and brokenness. God didn’t engage the world through the person and work of Jesus merely to make a sinful world a little bit better place. He ushered in a new and eternal kingdom amidst the temporal kingdoms of the world so that all might receive His everlasting kingdom by grace through faith and then live in service to others, both now and forever. Wow!

July 2026 Prayer Partner Thursday
July 2026 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).

JESUS – THE KINGPIN OF ENDURING LIFE!
JESUS – THE KINGPIN OF ENDURING LIFE!

Today’s verses are Matthew 10:34-39, where Jesus says,

Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36 And a person's enemies will be those of his own household. 37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

Marriage Provides Children with Balance
Marriage Provides Children with Balance

Surrogacy is on the rise, even accepted and practiced by those who should know better. Father, forgive them; they know not what they do. But we can all learn, can all admit that we have been going in the wrong direction. And so it is with surrogacy, which involves wombs for rent, a practice largely employed by the wealthy, involving women whose bodies are exploited, and whose psyches are often damaged permanently. So also the child: conceived, born, and raised in a state of purposeful disorientation.

 

We might say that the Obergefell mindset put surrogacy into hyperdrive. Gay married men tend to be financially well off, among the highest earners, at least as an overall average. But then they want children. The problem, at least as they might see it, remains that a child comes only from the union of one man and one woman. So, surrogacy is the answer. The questions then become, “Where do you get the eggs to go with the sperm? And whose womb will bear the child?”

BULLETIN BLURBS JULY 2026
BULLETIN BLURBS JULY 2026

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.

WHY LIFE MATTERS!
WHY LIFE MATTERS!

Today’s verses are Matthew 10:28-33, where Jesus says,

28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. 32 So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, 33 but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.

Päivi Räsänen and the Trials of Christ
Päivi Räsänen and the Trials of Christ

What Päivi Räsänen . . . has gone through is more than almost all of us could endure, and she has done it with faithfulness and good cheer. Her crime? Speaking the truth about God's good creation, male and female. And she has spoken because she loves our heavenly Father and knows Jesus, the Bridegroom, as her Lord.

 

The trials have been farcical. Judges have shown themselves injudicious, and the press has egged them on. On what charges? If this doesn't stick, try something else. Everything she has said is dissected, misrepresented. Of what is she guilty? That matters not nearly as much as the fact that she must be found guilty, because she says things that are true, things that the secular elites would rather not hear. She has challenged their dogma. So it has always been. Say that Jesus is an insurrectionist, if we can make the charge stick. Say that Jesus is an enemy of Caesar, even if it ends up meaning that those who are said to be the leaders of Israel cry out, “We have no king but Caesar.”

July 2026 Bulletin Insert
July 2026 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.

THE EARTH IS HIS! AND SO ARE YOU!
THE EARTH IS HIS! AND SO ARE YOU!

Today’s verses are Exodus 19:3b-6, where the Bible says,

The LORD called to [Moses] out of the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel: 4 ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; 6 and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”

Genius and Courage
Genius and Courage

Late in 1821, Rev. Frederick Schaeffer presided over the cornerstone laying of a new building for the Evangelical Lutheran Church of St. Matthew* in New York City. Afterward, he sent his homily to James Madison, the “Father of the U.S. Constitution,” and chief author of the Bill of Rights.

Pastor Schaeffer’s address was rather strongly Lutheran, in spite of the general weakness of American Lutheranism prior to 1840. Madison replied:

Montpellier, Dec. 3rd ,1821

      Revd Sir,–I have received, with your letter of November 19th, the copy of your address at the ceremonial of laying the corner-stone of St Matthew’s Church in New York.

IN CHRIST….NEVER ALONE!
IN CHRIST….NEVER ALONE!

Today’s verses are Matthew 28:18-20, where Jesus says,

18 “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

You Are Not Pond Scum
You Are Not Pond Scum

‍ ‍

Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys recently filed a lawsuit  “on behalf of two Michigan pro-life organizations that are challenging a state law that forces them to recruit and hire individuals who oppose their fundamental beliefs and mission.” Learn more about the case and why it matters here.

June 2026 Prayer Partner Thursday
June 2026 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).

CREATED IN GOD’S IMAGE – THE FOUNDATION OF ENDURING FREEDOM!
CREATED IN GOD’S IMAGE – THE FOUNDATION OF ENDURING FREEDOM!

Today’s reading is Genesis chapter one, verses 1 and 26-31, where the Bible says,

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth…26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth” …. 30….And it was so. 31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Päivi Räsänen and Christian Suffering
Päivi Räsänen and Christian Suffering

So I see, here and there, Christians speaking about persecution and how we should expect it, how we should not be surprised or thrown off our game. But really, that is for the persecuted to say, not for the onlooker. Peter may be beaten and rejoice that he has been counted worthy to suffer for the name of Christ, but that is for him to say. The question for us is whether we will stand by the one persecuted, whether we will take up their cause, whether we are willing also to have our names and reputations dragged through the dirt.

 

Paivi is indeed a cheerful warrior. She has kept a smile on her face, even as she has run through the gauntlet. But think of it. She has spent twenty years being dragged in by the police, being forced to sit accused in a courtroom. I think more locally, to faithful Barronelle Stutzman the flower designer, to Jack Phillips the cake decorator, or Indiana's John Kluge. They had precious few friends along the way and a lot more people who would say, "Prayers ascend," or opine on Christian suffering. But suffering is always ok if it is someone else who is facing trouble for a belief that we should be speaking and living out in our own lives.

June 2026 Bulletin Blurbs
June 2026 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.

June 2026 Bulletin Insert
June 2026 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.

ONLY LIVING WATER CAN SATISFY THIS THIRST!
ONLY LIVING WATER CAN SATISFY THIS THIRST!

 Today’s verse is John 7:37 which says,

On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.”

Christ on Trial
Christ on Trial

Always on trial. Can't believe he said that. Who is he to tell me? St. Paul was long ago thrown under the bus. Critical scholars try to turn Jesus into something He's not. An old friend, claiming to be Christian, rails at, I kid you not, the virgin birth. Something about men controlling women's bodies. Some charges are just lies, turning Christ into a revolutionary, one who seeks to topple Caesar or destroy the temple. Claims of resurrection are strong, but usually avoided as inconvenient.

 Religious leaders put Christ on trial for getting in their way, stealing their thunder, threatening their grip on the purse strings of the parishioners. But the mob we will always have with us. Crucify Him, crucify Him! But why? Because of His claim to be Lord. If Jesus is Lord, then I am not. I have to do what He says. Harrumph! So I embrace rainbow pride, though it was the Lord who put the rainbow up in the sky in the first place. Who wants a mansion in the sky when I can make a lot of money now? So one leaves his family? The heart wants what the heart wants. But He dies for your sins. Who are you to tell me I am a sinner? I don't need your saving.

May 2026 Prayer Partner Thursday
May 2026 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).

JESUS PRAYS FOR YOU? THAT’S INCREDIBLE!
JESUS PRAYS FOR YOU? THAT’S INCREDIBLE!

 Today’s verses are John 17:7-11 and 20-21, where Jesus prays these words to his and our heavenly Father:   

7 “Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. 8 For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. 9 I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. 11 And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one…….20 I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”

What Really Matters: Restoring a Legacy of Faith, Freedom, and Family
What Really Matters: Restoring a Legacy of Faith, Freedom, and Family

My new book, What Really Matters: Restoring a Legacy of Faith, Freedom, and Family, is a collection of columns I have written over the past several years calling on Americans to return to these core values that will bring about cultural and political renewal.

So many of our current problems have come about because of our abandonment of the values of faith, family, and freedom, but we still have hope, even during the darkest times, if we remain faithful as Christians and citizens to be salt and light in our culture. That is why I wrote these columns and compiled them together with assistance from my friend Craig Osten, in this book.

WITH HOPE IN CHRIST, YOU ARE READY FOR WHATEVER COMES!
WITH HOPE IN CHRIST, YOU ARE READY FOR WHATEVER COMES!

Today’s verses are 1 Peter 3:13-16, where the Bible says,   

Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? 14 But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.” 15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

Pastors and Politics
Pastors and Politics

My inbox regularly scolds me that pastors should keep their noses out of “politics.” For some of my fans, this weekly column only raises their eyebrows. For others, it ceaselessly raises their ire.

I’m usually too busy giving my opinion to bother with self-justifications. But there is something so foundational that it should be discussed from time to time. Sadly, although it grounds everything that we say and do, it is almost forgotten.

Dr. Gregory Seltz
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