Lutherans in the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) are Christians who believe Jesus
Christ is their Lord and Savior. The simplest way to express who we are at St.
Paul Lutheran Church is this:
We are Jesus
people. Similar to the first Christians who agreed on one very simple
creed….Jesus is Lord!
We are a
community of Word and Sacrament. What does this mean? (We ask that a lot as
Lutheran Christians!) Well….. we share a common faith with other Christians who
affirm the Bible as sacred Scripture and accept the ancient creeds as accurate
summaries of our faith. God’s Holy Spirit is active in scripture, both in its
understanding and proclamation (Word); through the living waters of Holy
Baptism (Sacrament); and truly present in the meal, Holy Communion
(Sacrament).
As Lutheran
Christians, we believe that salvation is by God’s grace through faith alone.
God
We believe in the
Triune God - God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. We acknowledge
one God in these three expressions. We believe that God the Father is the
Creator of all that exists, and that God continues to be active in the lives of
people today. God is passionate about God’s creation, loves it deeply, and
desires that our lives be filled with love and joy.
Jesus
Christ
We believe that
while God has revealed God’s self in many ways throughout history, God is most
fully known in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ, born of a virgin, is fully God and
fully human. The most important event in Christian history is the death and
resurrection of Jesus. On the cross God is there, hidden in weakness,
vulnerability and suffering. In the cross we learn that we do not need to find
God by being good or holy. Instead God finds us in our darkness, pain,
emptiness and weakness.
By God’s grace we
learn to see the cross as God reaching out to us. And in Jesus’ resurrection,
we see God’s power to liberate us from sin and death. By our faith in Jesus’
sacrifice, our sin is forgiven and we are made right with God, freed to be all
that God created us to be.
The
Bible
We believe that
the Bible is the living Word of God. It is the primary means by which God’s
Spirit enters our lives, calling us to repentance and faith. When we hear God’s
Word, God breaks into our lives shattering old ways and creating new life, new
values and new commitment.
Baptism
We believe that
God has chosen to work through the water of baptism. When water and God’s Word
come together and touch the life of a child or adult, we are born again,
incorporated into Christ, into his body, the Church. By grace, we receive God’s
forgiveness through baptism, and are given the gift of God’s Holy Spirit.
In baptism,
especially infant baptism, we affirm that God chooses us - we do not choose
God. Our baptism reminds us that our status with God never depends upon how we
feel, whether we have the "right" religious experience, or our
success or failures. Baptism reminds us that God loves us as we are, but
refuses to leave us that way.
Holy
Communion
We believe that
God reaches out to us through the celebration of the Lord’s Supper, Holy
Communion. By eating the bread and wine by faith, we give flesh to the Christ
who continues to work in us and in the world. In Holy Communion we are reminded
of Christ’s loving sacrifice, reminded that God is with us daily in ordinary
experience, and reminded that a great feast of victory awaits the faithful when
Christ comes again.
