Nothing can overpower the persevering blessing of christmas

Word from the Center
Written By Dr. Gregory Seltz

A blessed Christmas to all of you “for today (many years ago) in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger” (Luke 2:11-12). The life, death and resurrection of Jesus came as a blessing to the world even though the world didn’t deserve it and, even worse, was unreceptive to receiving Him as the gift that He was for them (see John 1:10-13).

Increasingly, the world in which we live today seems very unreceptive to that same Gospel, a message that has been such a blessing to the world for more than two millennia. Instead of receiving the Good News of Jesus like Mary and Joseph, the wise men, or the shepherds, the world in which we live is violently suspicious of the message of the Messiah like Herod in Matthew 2. In a speech last month, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito warned our nation, saying,

In certain quarters, religious liberty has fast become a disfavored right,” Alito said. “For many today, religious liberty is not a cherished freedom. It’s often just an excuse for bigotry and it can’t be tolerated even when there’s no evidence that anybody has been harmed.[1]

Later in the speech citing COVID 19 and state overreach, he was even more concerned when he said,

The resulting (state) restrictions “blatantly discriminated against houses of worship,” Alito said Thursday, adding that he believed religious liberty is in danger of becoming a “second-class right.”[2]

How did the cherished right of religious liberty and religious assembly become anathema in the culture in which we live? That discussion is for another paper. What remains vital today is first, our awareness of the fact that religious liberty, especially the liberty to believe and teach the whole counsel of God faithfully according to the Bible, that right is under direct assault. Much like Herod’s overt violence against the Christ child that first Christmas (See again Matt. 2:13-18), there are many today who would joyfully welcome the silencing of the Christmas message and the Church that is dedicated to proclaiming that message for all to hear. Like Joseph who gallantly protected Jesus and Mary that first Christmas, we as believers should also put to use our God-given freedoms to fight for our right to be the Church in this culture for the sake of the culture and the mission of the Church. But, even more importantly than that, the MAIN MESSAGE FOR THIS DAY, no matter what is happening in our world, is this: There is no Herod, no Caesar, no Pharaoh, no tyrant, no dictator, nor even a duly elected president, or elected official that can stop the persevering power and blessing of the message of Christmas of coming for you, for me, for all.

Today’s the day to rejoice in the fact that God’s love keeps coming no matter the time, no matter the place. God’s love for you comes no matter the struggles in your life or in your family. God’s love, mercy, and forgiveness keeps coming no matter the foolishness or the bravado of the culture in which we live. Today’s a day to rejoice with those first shepherds on Christmas day. Today’s the day to remember my favorite Bible verse from Rom. 8:31-38.

What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?....

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Merry Christmas! And may the certainty of God’s love for you in Jesus Christ give you strength, comfort, and confidence this day to face whatever comes tomorrow. For, nothing can overpower the persevering power and blessing of Christmas in Christ for you!

The Rev. Dr. Gregory Seltz serves as executive director of the Lutheran Center for Religious Liberty.

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[2]

See Also
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
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 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.

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Today’s verses are 1st Peter 2:13-17, where the Bible says,   

13 Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, 14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. 17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.

Here’s What’s Coming to America and the West Unless . . .
Here’s What’s Coming to America and the West Unless . . .

By the time a society realizes it has created what I like to call “secular blasphemy laws,” it is usually too late to admit that’s what they are.

They won’t be identified that way, of course. They will arrive dressed in the language of “dignity,” “inclusion,” and “harm prevention.” They will be framed as modest legal guardrails against “dangerous speech.” But functionally, they will do what blasphemy laws have always done: punish issues of conscience, punish people for expressing beliefs that contradict the reigning moral orthodoxy of the ruling elite.

And that statement is not hypothetical. There is already a test case that is happening right now in a modern, democratic, European nation.

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Today’s verse is John 10:10, where Jesus says,   

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

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Pro-Life and Pro-Death Penalty: Can Both Be True for the Christian?

‍Forty-seven people were executed in 2025, the highest number of executions in the United States since 2009. Four have been executed in 2026 as of March 1, and 18 more are scheduled for this year.
The death penalty is a deeply controversial issue. A 2024 poll by Gallup reported that 53% of Americans were in favor of the death penalty. 43% opposed it, and the remaining 4% had no opinion. These numbers have fluctuated significantly over the past 50 years.
As a 20-year-old student at a public university, I had never given capital punishment much thought until my school’s newspaper published an article about the high number of executions last year. I realized I didn’t know exactly where I stood on the death penalty. So, as a lifelong Lutheran, I naturally turned to the LCMS’ frequently asked questions webpagefor an answer.
According to the FAQ, the LCMS’ official position is that “capital punishment is in accord with the Holy Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions." It points to several verses in Scripture that support its position.

‍ ‍In Romans 13, the apostle Paul stated that every person is subject to the governing authorities because all authority is given by God.

May 2026 Bulletin Insert
May 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.

May 2026 Bulletin Blurbs
May 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.

HOLY HEARTBURN!
HOLY HEARTBURN!

Today’s verses are Luke 24:29b-35, where the Bible tells of these events after Jesus had walked to Emmaus with two of His followers on the evening of His resurrection:    

So, [Jesus] went in to stay with them. 30 When He had reclined at the table with them, He took the bread and blessed it, and breaking it, He began giving it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him; and He vanished from their sight. 32 They said to one another, “Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?” 33 And they got up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found gathered together the eleven and those who were with them, 34 saying, “The Lord has really risen and has appeared to Simon.” 35 They began to relate their experiences on the road and how He was recognized by them in the breaking of the bread.

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Salt of the Earth

Pepper is the spice of life, adds life to the party, but salt makes everything better. Salt makes chocolate more chocolatey, butter more buttery, makes the perfect crust for the perfect steak. Taste your soup, and find it bland? Salt's absence is often the problem. Salt preserves and cleanses, melts the ice on a winter road. So valuable is salt that we get from it our English word for “salary.” And when a fellow can be counted on, we call him the salt of the earth. He's the guy who can be counted on, the kind of fellow who turns a town into a hometown that people love. Salt is marvelously a mineral, showing that God loves man, had us in mind from the very beginning.

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SOME QUESTIONS NEED A RISEN SAVIOR’S ANSWER!

Today’s verse is John 20:19-31, where the Bible says,  

“Jesus said to him(thomas), “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

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Equality vs. Egalite

The Declaration of Independence speaks of us all being created equal. Such a notion is biblical, in as much as every human being has dignity, is created in the image of God. This truth is underlined by God's word to Noah: “Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed; For in the image of God He made man." Such an assertion of equality does not mean that we do not have roles to play. The father is the head of the family, and children are to honor father and mother. To the husband is given headship, along with the responsibility to sacrifice himself for his wife and to protect and provide for his family. To woman is given another glory. For good reason, the bride is adorned in white and rightly receives attention.

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CHRIST’S RESURRECTION MATTERS TO YOU, TODAY AND FOREVER!

Today’s verses are Colossians 3:1-4, where the Bible says,  

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

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Jesus vs. Caesar

“Savior.” “Lord.” “Son of God.” If you asked someone in the ancient world who these titles referred to, they might tell you “Jesus.” But depending on who you were talking to, they might also tell you “Caesar.” Modern readers of the Bible often miss the fact that some of the language the New Testament uses to talk about Jesus was also commonly used to talk about the Roman Emperor, who was not just a political leader, but someone whom people worshipped and even offered sacrifices to.

April 2026 Prayer Partner Thursday
April 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).

THROW YOUR PALMS DOWN FOR THIS, FOR HIM!
THROW YOUR PALMS DOWN FOR THIS, FOR HIM!

Today’s verses are Philippians 2:5-11, where the Bible says,   

Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Faith in Politics
Faith in Politics

I post a lot on Christianity, a lot on Lutheranism, but also politics, and what it means to us as Christians. But when it comes to liberal and conservative, these are not two sides to one coin. It cannot be dismissed as CNN vs. Fox. I love God first and recognize that the family matters. Politics matter because our neighbor matters and because we care about the things needful, including the sanctity of life and the free exercise of religion.

 

But on the other side, it's different. I have a lot of liberal friends who post about liberal issues all the time, much of it to do with what they perceive as justice. But Christ hardly comes into view. In some ways, there was a lot more talk about Christ loving the immigrant or the homeless person, and that was used as an argument for bigger government. But among younger people, Christ hardly comes into view. Liberal Christianity was a kind of step on the way, but hardly holds the minds or inspires the hearts. And so it goes that a liberal Christian often finds her enemy is the conservative Christian, the one who cares about the Virgin Birth and Christ as the one redeemer, the only begotten Son of God.

ULTIMATE CONCERNS MATTER MOST, SO WHAT’S YOURS?
ULTIMATE CONCERNS MATTER MOST, SO WHAT’S YOURS?

Today’s verses are John 11:47-50. After Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11:43-44), the Bible tells us this is what happened next:    

Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin. “What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many signs. 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation.” 49 Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, “You know nothing at all!  50 You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.”

Dr. Gregory Seltz
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