Personal Invitation
Why Lutheran?
I have invited you to visit the Lutheran Church with me. I do so because of the joy which has come to me in the knowledge and service of God. I want to share that joy with you. There is nothing like it in all the world. Without it you cannot be really happy either in this life of in the life which is to come.
Perhaps you think that I’m a Lutheran just because I happened to be born of Lutheran parents and that I want to win everyone else to my way of thinking. You may even suppose that I want to gain members for the church just to increase its size. Nothing could be farther from the truth. My only object is to share the faith, the peace, the security, and the hope I have found.
I am a member of the Lutheran Church because of what I shall call its three dimensions: its depth, its breadth, and its height.
Depth
The outstanding feature of the Lutherans, I think, is the depth of their faith. Like Jesus, who could reach down to the lowest depths of a sinner to rescue him, the Lutherans proclaim a Gospel of free grace for all. No one ever falls too low to find forgiveness and peace with God in Christ, who “was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities” (Is. 53:5). Lutherans believe that “the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). Lutherans, founded on the Bible, get to the bottom of our trouble, man’s selfishness, and find great joy in Christ, in whom we become new creatures.
There is depth in their education policy too. No one can become a Christian by wishing. We must know the truth about God, about ourselves, about the purpose of life, and about our salvation. Children in the Lutheran church are thoroughly instructed in Sunday School and in twelve hundred elementary schools maintained by congregations. Adults who wish to become members go through a course of instruction to prepare them for the high and holy privilege of membership in the church, which is Christ’s body. Lutherans are not satisfied with anything less than the most thorough Christian education they can give.
Breadth
The Lutheran Church is a broad church too. It is as broad as Christ allows. It does not put many restrictions on their members which even the Bible does not demand. The Lutheran Church does not attempt to regulate the lives of its members. It seeks to have Christ “dwell in their hearts by faith” (Eph. 3:17) and to let Him rule.
The Lutheran Church is not a liberal church in the sense that its members may believe anything they want to. It follows its Lord and Master, who said: “Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matt. 7:13, 14). But all things which the Bible does not command or forbid, it allows Christian liberty, believing that “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” (2 Cor. 3:17)
The Lutheran Church is broad in the scope of its work too, endeavoring to reach all men with the Word of God. Its radio program, “The Lutheran Hour”, goes around the world every week in 40 languages to people of 120 different nations. Its missionaries are at work in many foreign countries. Its social workers labor among the poor, the sick, and the needy to give them courage and help.
Height
If you have never attended a Lutheran church before, you may experience “a new high” in worship when you visit there. Lutherans have taken the best forms of worship which have come down through the ages from many nations and incorporated them in a dignified order of worship. The service is not subjective or man centered. It is performed in the consciousness of God’s presence, in humble reverence and with sincere attention to His message.
The service may require some explanation and may seem a little strange at first, but it will “grow on you” instead of your growing tired of it. Every Sunday you will find something there which lifts your soul to heaven. You will return to your house with a feeling of having been in the presence of God, of having “worshipped the Lord in the beauty of holiness” (Ps. 96:9), with a new source of strength for the battle of life.
As Saint Paul once expressed the hope that his readers would know the depth, the breadth, and the height of the love of God, so I wish for you that you may find these three dimensions of God’s love in the depth, breadth, and height of our church.
Won’t you visit it with me at your earliest opportunity?
Membership at Trinity Lutheran Church is done by transfer from another Missouri Synod Lutheran Church, affirmation of Faith after attending classes with Pastor, and by confirmation. Please speak with the church office or any church elder when you are ready to make this decision.