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February 2021
Dear Friends,
“And it came to pass about an eight days after these sayings, He took Peter and
John and James, and went up into a mountain to pray. 29 And as He prayed, the
fashion of His countenance was altered, and His raiment was white and
glistering. 30 And, behold, there talked with Him two men, which were Moses and
Elias: 31 Who appeared in glory, and spake of His decease which He should
accomplish at Jerusalem. 32 But Peter and they that were with Him were heavy
with sleep: and when they were awake, they saw His glory, and the two men that
stood with Him. 33 And it came to pass, as they departed from Him, Peter said
unto Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three
tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias: not knowing
what he said. 34 While He thus spake, there came a cloud, and overshadowed them:
and they feared as they entered into the cloud. 35 And there came a voice out of
the cloud, saying, This is My beloved Son: hear Him. 36 And when the voice was
past, Jesus was found alone. And they kept it close, and told no man in those
days any of those things which they had seen.”
Luke 9:28-36
As the season of Epiphany draws to a close, the church historically celebrates
the festival of the Transfiguration of Jesus Christ. Since the season of
Epiphany is focused on how God makes His Son Jesus known to the world, it is
fitting that we would be directed to the Transfiguration story.
As Jesus is praying on the mountain, the disciples witness a dramatic change in
His appearance. Not only does the clothing of Jesus appear dazzling white, but
as Matthew records, “…His face did shine like the sun.” Amazingly, Jesus is
talking with Moses and Elijah, two of the great heroes of the Old Testament.
Peter is so stunned by what He sees, that he impulsively tells Jesus that they
can build three tabernacles, one for each of these great prophets: Moses, Elijah
and Christ, Himself. Peter, James and John become terrified when a cloud came
and overshadowed them. The voice of God, the Father now makes the startling
announcement “This is My beloved Son: hear Him.” As the disciples lift up their
eyes, they only see Jesus. Moses and Elijah are gone. What does this all mean?
Of first significance is that the disciples have been given a glimpse of the
glory of Christ in His transfigured appearance. Second is the presence of Moses
and Elijah. Moses as the deliverer of the law, and Elijah as the representative
of the great prophets of God. Their disappearance means that Jesus is now the
One to whom we should listen as the greatest of the prophets. Christ has come to
fulfill the law and the prophets. Most importantly, is the declaration of God
the Father. Jesus is not merely a great prophet, but His Son; the Messiah who
would come to save His people from their sins by way of the Cross. This is
precisely what Moses, Elijah and Jesus were talking about on the mountain. Moses
and Elijah “…appeared in glory, and spake of His decease which He should
accomplish at Jerusalem.” The great prophets are speaking about the single
greatest event in human history; the death and Resurrection of the Son of God,
Jesus Christ.
The message of God the Father is just as much for us. God not only declares
Jesus to be His Son, but that we should also listen to Him. “In Christ alone,
our hope is found”, as the song writer has said. May God grant us ears to hear
and hearts to believe the beautiful message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. God
bless you!
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Chuck Bylkas
DONATIONS RECEIVED...
In memory of Elmer Yliniemi
From Raymond & Marlene Hilman
Jay & Kristine Weidner
Janis Saari
Kirk & Carol Otto
In memory of Nancy Helmes
From Alvar Helmes
In memory of Vieno Stalo
From Donna Gustafson Flaherty
In memory of Pete Sandretto Sr.
From Donna Gustafson Flaherty
In memory of Kirk & Milly Otto
From Kirk & Carol Otto
In memory of Uuno & Sanni Onermaa
From Arvo & Ritva Onermaa
In memory of Dr. Albert Saari
From Janis Saari
In memory of Donald Bielinksi
From Janis Saari
In memory of Walter Hendrickson
From Verna A. Hendrickson
THANK YOU for supporting the Inter-Lutheran Seminary by making your Amazon
purchases through AmazonSmile on behalf of seminary. $356.63 was donated to the
seminary during 2020. Have you ever have used Amazon.com to do your shopping?
Now AmazonSmile offers the same products, same prices and same service and will
also donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to
Inter-Lutheran Theological Seminary whenever you shop on AmazonSmile. Simply log
use in by using this link….
http://smile.amazon.com/ch/41-0918317
which will bring you directly to smile.amazon.com in support of our
organization.
ADDITIONAL THANKS to those who made contributions through the Thrivent Choice
Program. The seminary received $2,368 in calendar year 2020.
For more information about Choice Dollars, visit http://www.Thrivent.com/thriventchoice
or call 800-847-4836 or contact your local Thrivent Financial representative.
WELCOME....
We would like to welcome Scott Seppala, our new full-time student this Spring
semester. Scott was born and raised in Rindge, New Hampshire and moved his
family to the Upper Peninsula to attend the seminary. His wife Illa and children
Ella (11), Ephraim (9), Alden (8), Alex (6), Evan (4), Owen (3) and Orion (19
mo.) live in Houghton, Michigan.
Scott is a former business owner and partner of a small construction business
called Tripod Construction that specialized in roofing and siding. In the past
he has served as a lay minister, taught Sunday school, volunteered in prison
ministry, and led a youth Bible Study.
He has a strong desire to study Theology and become more acquainted with the
Christian Doctrine, thereby better equipped to teach and preach the Word of God
effectively. Please keep Scott and his family in your prayers.
DEACONESS PROGRAM
We are also excited to announce that Lois Matson, our online student from Battle
Ground, Washington is in her last semester of the Deaconess Program. She has
been a part-time student since 2017 and will be graduating this spring. Please
remember Lois and her family in your prayers as well.
Currently all our classes on online via Zoom. If you would like more information
on any of our programs or classes, please visit www.ilseminary.org or email
cilseminary@ilseminary.com.
ATTENTION: SUPPORTERS
THERE ARE OTHER WAYS TO SUPPORT THE SEMINARY.
Have you ever have used Amazon.com to do your shopping? Now AmazonSmile offers
the same products, same prices and same service and will also donate 0.5% of the
price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to Inter-Lutheran Theological
Seminary whenever you shop on AmazonSmile.
Simply log use in by using this link….
http://smile.amazon.com/ch/41-0918317
which will bring you directly to smile.amazon.com in support of our
organization.
The Thrivent Choice® program offers a way members can recommend where Thrivent
Financial distributes some of its charitable outreach funds. As a benefit
member, your ownership of Thrivent Financial products and services help make
this support possible.
Remember….If you are an eligible member 16 and older you can recommend how to
distribute Thrivent Financial charitable grant funds thought Choice Dollars®.
Member eligibility and the Choice Dollars designated are based on:
• Holding a Thrivent Financial volunteer leadership position; or
• Having $750 or more in annual premiums of qualifying
insurance products; or
• Having $20,000 or more in contract value of qualifying products.
For more information about Choice Dollars, visit http://www.Thrivent.com/thriventchoice
or call 800-847-4836 or contact your local Thrivent Financial representative.
INFAITH COMMUNITY FOUNDATION:
Several years ago, the Seminary board of directors established the
Inter-Lutheran Seminary Endowment Fund. Funds contributed to the endowment are
not used for current day to day operations. Only the annual earnings of the
endowment will be used for the seminary’s needs thereby ensuring the continued
existence of this funding source. This is the preferred method used by many
non-profit entities, especially ongoing religiously focused organizations such
as seminaries.
While this is an excellent strategy, it has proven a challenge for us to
actually meet the minimum funding requirements. Until now, the fund has existed
but remained unfunded. By the Lord’s grace we have been blessed with a large
contribution to fund the Inter-Lutheran Seminary Endowment Fund. We would love
to build on this generous contribution to grow our endowment into a major source
of ongoing seminary support.
Although the seminary still needs the financial ongoing regular contributions of
our supporters, please consider the endowment fund for your planned giving
needs. The seminary has chosen the InFaith Community Endowment Fund (the renamed
Lutheran Brotherhood Foundation) to administer our endowment fund. They will
provide experienced legal advice to help guide you with any contribution
questions done through estate planning in addition to lump sum contributions,
IRAs, property and securities. For more additional information, please contact
Kirk Otto, Jr. at (715) 294-4343 or Cheryl Hendrickson at (906)482-3337.
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Hancock, MI 49930
administrator@ilseminary.org
Phone: 906-482-3337
FAX: 906-482-0694