This book is dedicated with love to my mentor and friend The Reverend Stanley Sandberg - He has loved the church and served Christ with grace and wisdom.

In the early sixties I sat in the pews of Emanuel Lutheran Church in Hartford, Connecticut, Sunday after Sunday listening to its pastor, the Reverend Stanley Sandberg, preach with skill and conviction. His words opened doors of faith to me which I had never before encountered. I began to take notes on the sermons. I learned marvelous hymns; and I can still hear Pastor Sandberg dismissing us, after the recessional hymn, with a benediction from Jude. Those experiences were the beginning of my journey toward ordination. Over the years, Stanley has continued to support and encourage me, gently nudging my understandings with his knowledge and his dry humor. It is to him that this book is affectionately dedicated.