First Year Confirmation
Parents! A new First Year Confirmation class will begin in September. This class is for any child going into the 6th or 7th grade. The format for the course is study and memorization of Luther’s Small Catechism. Each student will receive a copy of…
Society and culture do not rule a confessional Lutheran church. We believe, in fact, that the church should reform the culture so that it conforms to Christ. What does this mean regarding the LGBTQ community? What does this mean regarding Abortion? What does this mean regarding Euthanasia? What does this mean regarding race and skin color? Much indeed!
Confessional Lutherans follow the ancient liturgies of the church. Should you come by and visit, you will notice a very clear order and pattern in our service. You will notice that the pastor wears special clothing (no he doesn’t wear a dress and a scarf; it’s called an Alb and a Stole). The sanctuary is adorned with colors and symbols, with crosses and candles. You’ll probably notice that the pastor chants. You’ll notice that the congregation is heavily involved in the service through responses, chanting, singing, reciting creeds, standing and sitting (sometimes kneeling). But what you’ll notice most of all, hopefully, is that nearly everything we say is the Scripture. We sing the Scripture, we speak the Scripture, we read the Scripture publicly, and the sermons are from the Scripture. Jesus is EVERYWHERE in our liturgy and our practice, and this is no minor thing. Lutherans believe that church and worship is “all about Jesus,” and we are very intentional about this.
There’s a lot of talk and speculation about the “End Times” and the “New Millennium”. Famous authors and preachers spend hours talking about the signs and wonders and making predictions about the Last Day. To date, thousands of predictions have been made. To date, none of those predictions have panned out.
Sometimes when we think of “conversion” or becoming a Christian, we think of making decisions, altar calls, promises and commitments on the part of the one being converted. But Lutherans believe as the Scripture teaches, that man cannot come to God, cannot find God through reason or strength, that man is hostile to God from conception, and totally incapable of making himself a Christian or doing the works necessary to appease God.
Yes, it is true. We are poor, miserable sinners. And since this is true, it is also true and necessary that we confess our sins. Our Lord instructs us to confess our sins of thought, word and deed, both sins we know we commit, and the sins we don’t; both sins we intentionally commit and sins unintentional.
In the Lord’s Supper, our Lord delivers to us the true body and blood of the sacrifice at the cross, where He paid for the sin of the whole world. In truth, we do not attempt to explain how this works, that is, how the true body and blood are present in the bread and wine of the Supper. But we simply go to the Scripture where, on the night our Lord was betrayed, He took bread and when He had given thanks He broke it and gave it to them and said, “take and eat, this is my body given for you. This do in remembrance of me.” In the same way also He took the cup after supper, and when He had given thanks He gave it to them and said, “This cup is the new testament in my blood, shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. This do as often as you drink it in remembrance of me.”
Baptism is not just plain water, but it is the water included in God’s command and combined with God’s Word. In other words, water, by itself, is just water. But when God combines His Word to it, powerful things happen! In the Scripture, God promises that all who believe and are baptized are saved (Mark 16), and that we are born again by water and the Spirit (John 3). He instructs us regarding how we make disciples: baptizing and teaching (Matthew 28:19ff). He promises the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit in Baptism (Acts 2:38ff). In Holy Baptism, our old self dies and the new self, wrapped in Christ, comes alive (Romans 6).