Ichabod, The Glory Has Departed

Sunday, June 21, 2026

Norma Boeckler Fashioned This for Father's Day

Father's Day came through with Bethany the older girl,

Erin Joy on the lower right.

Father's Day, 2026 - 9 AM Central

From Concordia Choir

Beautiful Savior linked here.

The Concordia Choir (Moorhead, MN) -

Beautiful Savior F.Melius Christiansen

Bethany Lutheran Church

Pastor Gregory Jackson

The Hymn # 476 Ten Thousand Times Ten Thousand

The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16

Introit

Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts:

of Him and through Him and to Him are all things.

Psalm. O Lord, our Lord:

how excellent is Thy name in all the earth!

The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19

Collect

Almighty and everlasting God, who hast given unto us, Thy servants, grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity and in the power of the Divine Majesty to worship the Unity, we beseech Thee that Thou wouldst lump us steadfast in this faith and evermore defend us from all adversities; who liveth, etc.

The Epistle and Gradual

Gradual

Blessed art Thou, O Lord, who beholdest the deep;

and who dwellest between the cherubim.

V. Blessed art Thou, O Lord, in the firmament of heaven:

and greatly to be praised forever. Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

V. Blessed art Thou, O Lord God of our fathers:

and greatly to be praised and glorified forever. Hallelujah!

The Gospel

Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Athanasian Creed p. 53
The Hymn # 246 Holy, Holy, Holy

We Praise Thy Name

The Hymn #250 Holy God We Praise Thy Name

The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn #657 Beautiful Savior - Another Version

Prayers and Announcements

Diagnosis and treatment - Sarah Buck, Pastor Jim Shrader and Chris, Kermit Way, Lito Cruz; those with emotional and metabolic distress.
Father's Day is June 21, 2026.

KJV Romans 11:33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! 34 For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? 35 Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? 36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

KJV John 3:1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: 2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. 3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? 5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. 9 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? 10 Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? 11 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. 12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? 13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

For God So Loved the World

KJV John 3:1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:

Two leaders, Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea (Mark 15:43-45), risked their lives in dealing with the convicted person, Jesus.

(Mark 14:46 And he bought fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulchre which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulchre. 47 And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses beheld where he was laid.

They were both high in the ranks and therefore the most vulnerable. This episode might be called a prequel, Jesus knowing all about Nicodemus, who was soon to understand genuine faith in the Savior.

2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.

Coming to Jesus in the pitch black night was good proof that Nicodemus was cautious, fearful. A knock on the door would give me goosebumps, but Jesus already knew this. Nicodemus honored Jesus as one of God's teachers and a miracle worker besides. However, he was timid in approaching the Son of God, as many are today. That is really the theme of this passage - being tentative, shy, and anxious.

3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Jesus countered with a black and white statement, a yes or no. Verily twice was emphatic, there is no maybe with seeing/experiencing the Kingdom of God. Testing Jesus is a way of Nicodemus displaying his tentative trust in the Savior. Our lives are filled with that much and more. Fears in our lives and faith in God are a battle, and many fall over onto the side on fears, which is natural. This is a battle between fear and faith.

4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?

The emphasis from Jesus is so strong that Nicodemus, highly educated, falls into absurdity. That shows us how easily someone falls down the fear slide, sometimes to the bottom. What we want is absolute insurance and a few back-ups as well. The dial for us has to move over to certainty to take comfort in what we expect.

5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

This is the turning point of the passage. "Never take counsel of your fears," as the saying goes. This is clearly stated in John 16:9 - the Spirit condemns those who do not believe in Jesus. The Spirit (also known as the Word) does not condemn except for not believing in the Savior. It is very convenient to be condemning all the time, when one statement alone condemns those who do not trust the Good Shepherd, which is beautifully described in Luke 15. The lamb is lost and alone, bleating away, and the Savior lifts it up, takes it home, and rejoices with all his friends - he was lost but now is found, -

Luke 15:5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. [Not - How many times have I told you?] 7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

9 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be?

This is a real person and he represents all of mankind. This is the point where the Savior emphasizes with great detail.

10 Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? 11 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. 12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? 13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

There is the option of the Law, which only makes the burden greater. Or - the option of faith, which is an ongoing blessing and enlightening Spirit. We can stink-eye the neighbor or relative, or unleash friendship, help, joy and cheer.

The Gospel of John repeatedly teaches us the Little Gospel - 3:16 - and expresses it in many ways. I had the burden of hearing about the Great Depression because my parents' adult life started with that era. As one comic said, "It must have been Great because they never stopped telling us about it." But the complaint was true, even though we moaned about the stories. The more I grew into adulthood, the more I appreciated the automatic responses of perfectionism, working hard, helping a neighbor, etc.

And also, I realized how much older people knew and responded.

Saturday, June 20, 2026

The Flag

The Book Divine

Garfield Elementary School was just like that in the 1950s.

And still stand proud with my h

and over my heart when I hear the National Anthe

Americana Wire

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Every single morning started exactly the same way.

The bell would ring.

We would stand up straight by our wooden desks.

We placed our right hands firmly over our hearts.

We looked at Old Glory hanging in the corner.

Then, we sang with everything we had.

The classroom was filled with young voices united in one song.

Nobody told us to feel guilty about our heritage.

We were taught to honor the sacrifices of those who came before us.

Patriotism was not a political statement.

It was a shared heartbeat.

Look at picture.

It reminds us of a time when unity started in childhood.

We truly loved our country.

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Friday, June 19, 2026

The Apostles Creed

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Thursday, June 18, 2026

Your Daily Psalm 91 - Good To Read All of It

Wednesday, June 17, 2026

What Better Place To Read And Relax!

What Better Place To Read And Relax?

Bible cost is low, easy to maintain, and universal.

I am favoring the King James Version for two book sizes. One is small and easy to take everywhere. The other is quite large and easy to enjoy with larger print size, eye relief, and margins.

Another option is using only the large New Testament for Bible studies.

A Bible lit by the lamp is a good way to start the morning and also to turn off the light for the last emphasis of the Scriptures. Some people are going to say that Bible reading is too much, morning and evening. They will find themselves more energetic from reading first of the day and also relaxing with the last.

"Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee." KJV Psalm 143:8

Also, one reading used later will improve insights and re-learn references from way back. Friends, relatives, and clergy will notice. International Law affects us every day.