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“The Church in Exile is an Easter Church”

This year we mark a Holy Week which I’m sure none of us was expecting.  There is no “sugar coating” this.  For Christians the most important sequence of days in the church year will be experienced in a way that is unthinkable.  Because of events outside of our control we are unable to gather for the services of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter morning.

Perhaps we can consider the church in the context of the Israelites who were sent into the Babylonian captivity, for them a time of exile when they were forced to give up land and temple.  We are like that, a people who have been knocked off the tracks.  But the church in exile is still the Body of Christ.  God has not left us alone.  His Word still comes to us, our Baptismal faith still grasps hold of His promises, in repentance we call upon Him in prayer.  So as we enter into Holy Week, remember that “the church in exile is still an Easter church.”  Our in-person celebration of the Resurrection of Our Lord must for now wait, but we will gather again when our Lord bids us.  That day we will gather in the name of the Triune God who saves us, and like every Sunday, that day will bring us the gifts Christ won for us on the cross and the victory over death we have in His Resurrection.

Our Holy Week materials and Youtube videos are available at the above links: Maundy Thursday at 7:00p, Good Friday at 3:00p, and the Resurrection of Our Lord at 10:00a.  Details will be posted at least 24 hours in advance on the website. The peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all this Holy Week.

All Services and Bible studies suspended until further notice

Christ Lutheran Church is a place where God gives His gifts to His people.  We follow the traditional liturgies of the Christian church and strive for the clear preaching of God’s Word, focusing on the forgiveness of our sins for the sake of Christ Jesus.  We draw attention to the spoken and sung Word rather than projected pixels and emotional anthems, and  we partake of the true Body and Blood of Christ in Holy Communion every week.

We Believe

…in the Triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Ghost;

… that all people are in bondage to sin, death, and the devil, and are unable to make themselves right with God;

… that Jesus Christ is true God and true Man; that He lived a perfect life for us, shed His blood for us on the cross to pay for our sins, and that He rose from the grave on the third day;

… that the Holy Spirit delivers Christ’s forgiveness, life, and salvation to us through the Preaching of the Gospel, Holy Baptism, Holy Absolution, and the Lord’s Supper.

… that in order everyone may obtain saving faith, Jesus instituted the Office of the Holy Ministry to continue His forgiving presence in His gifts of Preaching and the Sacraments;

… that Jesus will come again on the Last Day to judge the living and the dead and to give eternal life to all who believe in Him;

… that the Bible is the inspired Word of God and that the Book of Concord (the Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church) and the three ecumenical creeds are a correct exposition of the Word of God.

Worship

Worship is like having one foot in heaven with the other here on earth.  What brings heaven into our earthly worship is not dependent on the elaborateness of the service or the sincerity of our devotion.  Rather, it is because of the One who is present in our worship that we experience heaven on earth.  If worship is “heaven on earth,” then it stands to reason that what we do and say in worship should in some sense give us a foretaste of that great feast to come.

The worship service at Christ Lutheran is liturgical, which means that our worship service is an action, something is happening.  Who is doing this action?  The real actor in the liturgy in our Lord Jesus Christ, who brings the gifts of Word and Sacrament to His people.  It is Christ who speaks and acts through the church for the salvation and sanctification of His people.  Created and moved by the Holy Spirit, the church then responds with praise and thanksgiving.  It is God who initiates and motivate the church’s worship, which is the liturgy.

Click here for an overview of the parts of the liturgy we use at Christ Lutheran Church.

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Holy Week Devotions

Short devotions based on the Order of Daily Prayer in the Lutheran Service Book will be posted daily on the Church YouTube channel for Monday through Wednesday of Holy Week, focusing on the appointed Psalm for each day. You can follow along with the downloadable sheet posted below. Christ Lutheran Church YouTube Channel Click here.

Contact Pastor Radford

Pastor Radford is usually in the office Tuesday through Thursday during the morning, or is available by appointment.  He would be happy to speak with you.

The pastor is always available for individual  Confession and Absolution, please contact the church office.