TODAY'S VERSE

Isaiah 1:16-17  "Oh, wash yourselves! Be clean! Let Me no longer see you doing all these wicked things; quit your evil ways. Learn to do good, to be fair, & to help the poor, the fatherless, & widows." The Living Bible

THE CENTRAL CHRISTIAN BELIEF

"The central Christian belief is that Christ's death has somehow put us right with God & given us a fresh start." C.S. Lewis, Men's Devotional Bible

TIMES OF DESPAIR . . . TIMES OF HAPPINESS

" . . . it is a misconception to think that faith should always make us happy, or that if we are unhappy, there must be something wrong with our faith. Sensitive Christians are not always satisfied with their lives in this fallen world. Spiritual giants such as Luther & Walther struggled with depression & were sometimes on the verge of despair. But their faith in Christ helped them bear their crosses & kept them focused on the joy that He promises in the world to come. The times of happiness we do have here--being with people we love, experiences of beauty & joy, moments of satisfaction, feeling close to God--provide glimpses of that eternal happiness that awaits us in heaven." Gene Veith, The Lutheran Witness, May 2021

TODAY'S HYMN FOR THE NATION

God Bless Our Native Land, LW #497

God bless our native land; Firm may it ever stand Through storm & night. When the wild tempests rave, Ruler of wind & wave, Do Thou our country save By Thy great might.

So shall our prayers arise To God above the skies, On Whom we wait. Thou who are ever nigh, Guarding with watchful eye, To Thee aloud we cry:  God save the state!