Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
What a privilege it is to serve as the pastor for Trinity Lutheran Church & School. At Trinity, we regularly gather to receive our Lord’s gifts, namely the forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and salvation. These gifts were won for us on the cross of Calvary, when our Lord and Savior took our sins to the cross and exchanged them for His righteousness. These gifts come to us each week in His Word and Sacraments.
In our Baptism we are adopted as sons and daughters of God. We are washed clean, baptized into Christ’s death so that we are raised with Him to new life. In the Lord’s Supper these words, “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins,” show us that in the Sacrament forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation are given us through these words. For where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation.
At Trinity we confess:
- the Scriptures as the inspired, inerrant Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16–17)
- that the Scriptures testify to the utter sinfulness of all mankind (Romans 3:23)
- that the Scriptures also testify to the forgiveness won by Christ and given by His grace to those who receive Him (Romans 3:24)
- the Scriptures point us to the Word of God in spoken (preaching, Absolution (Luke 10:16; John 20:21–23) and visible form (Baptism, Lord’s Supper [Titus 3:5; Matthew 26:26–29]) to receive this grace and forgiveness
- finally, that the correct explanation of the Scriptures is found in the 1580 Book of Concord.
God doesn’t need our good works, but our neighbors do. That’s why at Trinity we serve others through our support of the Greater Wausau Christian Services (nursing home/prison outreach), Hagar House (house for single mothers), Mission India (training local missionaries in India), and the North Wisconsin District (mission and ministry in the district, Camp Luther support) as ways of sharing God’s love and grace with others.
The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Rev. James Mayland, Pastor