Trinity Lutheran Church

I was recently sitting in an airport and listening to a conversation in the seats behind me between two ladies discussing their respective churches.  They were singing the praises of their congregations, talking about soup kitchens, food drives, praise bands and informative sermon series on various aspects of “how to live life.”  Not once in their conversation did I hear the name of Jesus. I did not hear anything about forgiveness of sins and I certainly did not hear about the Lord’s body and blood in the Holy Sacrament.  These women could have been discussing any social service agency or civic club and said most of the same things: good works, good music and informative lectures.  I was sad for them.  They were obviously Christians, but they were living on PB&J when the Lord offers them filet mignon.

If someone were to ask me about what is good about my church, I would say this.  I attend a church that is 108 years old and you can tell.  You can’t tell because the plaster is cracked or the carpet is worn.  You can tell because it sits on so solid a foundation.  Trinity is founded on God’s Word and His Holy Sacraments.  Sure, we have fun church-dinners, and participate in service projects like making mittens and scarves for those without proper winter attire or sewing quilts for people who have undergone some kind of disaster. But all of that stuff is just the way we act out the faith that God has created in us.  God chose to give us faith. US! People who deserve nothing, He chose to create faith in us and then feed it so that for 108 years, that faith has been growing generation to generation.  Trinity is different from many other congregations in the same way a person who has been faithful in reading her Bible and receiving the Sacraments is different from an adolescent who just began to understand what faith is and what it can do.  Faith is old at Trinity and it flows through the halls giving them life and vigor that you just do not sense in regular buildings or even in many churches.  

It is a joy to be the pastor of Trinity.  Rather than feeling like a quarterback whose entire defensive line is made up of middle school cheerleaders (a feeling to which many pastors can resonate), I feel like the captain of a warship that has come through many battles victorious and has a tried-and-true crew. I have officers who know who we serve and desire to know Him as well as I do. I have Chiefs who know the ship inside and out and will make every sacrifice necessary to see that she is at full readiness at all times.  I have a crew who not only strives to remain strong themselves but works tirelessly to strengthen those around them and their own families, and this they have done sometimes for three or more generations on the same ship. Trinity is a fortress, not a fortress against the world but a fortress for the world. She is a fortress seeking to protect all who are led astray, to seek and find those who are lost, and to strengthen everyone for greater service.

I understand how St. Paul felt when he wrote to the Ephesians.  In a world that always seemed to be going to Hell in a handbasket, the Church in Ephesus was a beautiful example of what God could do with a few faithful people. Likewise, in the same kind of world in which we still live, Trinity is a shining example of what God can do with His people when they are faithful to His Word and Sacraments.