St. Stephen's Lutheran Church, Church History

Against a blue/gray October sky a young Augustinian monk and Biblical scholar nailed Ninty-Five Theses on the door of the Wittenberg castle church in northern Germany. It was the 31st of October, 1517. The next day was All Saints Day where the castle church would be filled with the citizens of Wittenberg to remember those of the faith who had died the previous year. It was common to nail notices on the church door because it was the place where people coming to church could read public announces. The posting of the Ninty-Five Theses was an invitation to debate, in medieval scholastic form, each of the Theses. What started out as a debate on a new university campus would turn into one of the most significant religious and cultural movements of Western Civilization. The Reformation grew from the small university town of Wittenberg throughout Europe and the world within a generation. Lutheranism is the largest of the Protestant bodies in Western Christianity.

It traces its historical origin to the work of Martin Luther. He did not, however, intend to found a new Church; nor was he pleased that the movement that emerged from his work as a reformer in the 16th Century was identified with his name. Before his death in 1546, there were Lutheran Churches not only in various part of Germany but in Scandinavia and in Eastern Europe. Although these countries still account statistically for the largest part of its membership, Lutheranism has spread throughout most of the world.

Beginning already in the 17th Century, Lutherans immigrated to North America and gained converts there once they had settled. Thus by the 1990's the U.S. has over 15 million people who identify themselves as Lutheran. Of those 15 million, 8 million are on Lutheran church rolls. In Latin America, Canada, Australia, the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Africa, Asia, and the islands of the sea, the combination of various immigrations and several missionary societies planted the Christian Church and the Lutheran name.

The international character of Lutheranism and its adaptation to many different cultures are symbolized by its variations in church organization. There is no Protestant congregationalism more extreme that of some Lutheran groups, especially in the United States. At the same time, under the terms of apostolic succession, the Church of Sweden may be more nearly valid than that of any except Eastern Orthodox communions. Lutherans themselves are characterized by considerable indifference to questions of church organization and structure. They believe that these questions are neither constitutive of the life of the church nor, in and of themselves, an adequate basis for separation from other Christians. For the first generations of Lutheranism, even the Pope of Rome was not such a ground. This indifference to church organization and structure is combined with a great regard for the office of ministry. Sociology and theology join in various Lutheran traditions to make the pastor a figure of authority and respect.

Lutheran worship is liturgical but as varied as Lutheran organization. The "High Mass" of the Church of Sweden is contrasted by the folk worship of Lutheran pietism in Norway and Denmark. The most distinctive feature of Lutheran worship is it hymnody. The Lutheran chorale, which owes its origins to Luther himself and reached its height in the 17th century, epitomizes both the continuity with its Roman Catholic past and its Protestant fervor for faith and life. Yet, it is neither in its church organization nor in its liturgy (worship), but in its theology that Lutheranism defines itself most clearly.

What do Lutherans believe?

A Lutheran is a Christian who trusts in Jesus Christ has his/her Lord and Savior. The Lutheran Church is part of the Christian Church and is a means through which the Holy Spirit works to help Christians grow in God's Grace. It is : a Confessional Church in that it acknowledges that Jesus is Lord and that the Bible is the written Word of God revealing God's will; a Visible Church where Christians gather together to hear God's Word proclaimed as the message of salvation by grace alone; an Ecumenical Church that works for the unity of ALL Christians; an Invisible Church made up of all those people together who are saved by faith through grace in Christ the Savior. The Lutheran Church affirms the historic Apostolic Faith.

Lutherans believe: that the Bible is the revealed written Word of God which leads us to Christ and reveals God's will; that God is one God in three persons, Father (creator), Son (redeemer) and Holy Spirit (sanctifier); that Man and Woman were created by God in holiness, but sinned (rebelled because they didn't trust God's Word to them). We cannot by our own powers come back to God; that the Savior Jesus Christ is God in human flesh who died to save the word from sin; that a person can be justified (saved) not through their own merit but only by the grace of God through faith (trusting in Jesus' merit for me); that Repentance is the means whereby one turns away from sin and asks and receives Jesus Christ's forgiveness and guidance; that the Church are those who sincerely acknowledge and believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior, where the Gospel is preached and the sacraments are administered according to the Gospel; that Baptism is a sacrament (a means of God's grace for us) whereby God establishes new life in a person and remakes that person in God's spirit; that the Lord's Supper (Holy Communion) is also a sacrament where the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ are truly present in the elements of bread and wine given for the forgiveness of sins; that the Creeds (Apostle, Nicene, and Athanasian) are statements of faith, not additions to the Bible. They summarize the Bible's teachings; that Religion and Science are not in conflict. Religion talks about the "who," the creator; science talks about the "how;" that Christian Unity with fellow Christians is rooted in Jesus Christ as God and Savior; that God's Law demands perfection of heart, thought, word and deed.

Whoever disobeys God is a sinner; that Sin is the failure to trust God's Word and to trust God with one's life. This lack of trust is expressed in living a life turned from God towards oneself. This turning away from is evidenced in thought, word and deed; that the Gospel is the Good News that God was in Jesus Christ reconciling the world to himself. That whosoever believes on the name of Jesus shall be saved. It is the simple message of God's unconditional love for us; that faith is trusting in Jesus Christ alone for your life and in nothing else; that conversion is spiritual rebirth and is a product of the Holy Spirit coming into one's life; that sanctification is a work of the Holy Spirit, setting the Christian apart for the Christian life of grace and service; that prayer is a Christian's communication with God; that the spirit of evil has many names in the Bible and is the enemy of God and of the Church; that death does not sever a believer's relationship with God, rather it is the door to eternal life; that religious education for the young is the responsibility of the home and the church. Through study a Christian grows in grace.

Lutherans adhere to the three (3) ancient Creeds of Christianity:

The Apostles' Creed, while not written by the apostles, is the oldest summary of the Christian faith. It summarizes the basic principles of the Bible. It is used in worship and Christian education;
The Nicene Creed is a statement about God. That God is Triune, three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, yet one God. It also tells about God's works in the world;
The Athanasian Creed summarizes the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. It emphasizes that importance of Christ, who is true God and true human in one person.

Lutherans also testify to God's truth through their own Confessions

The Augsburg Confession stresses the doctrine of SALVATION by GRACE through faith in Jesus Christ as the center of the Christian message and the importance of the Bible and Christian doctrine in Christianity. It also testifies against the abuses of the medieval church which Luther sought to correct;
Apology of the Augsburg Confession gives an explanation of the Augsburg Confession and a defense against enemies who would destroy the church;
Smalcald Articles is considered Martin Luther's "last will and testament." It states the doctrine of the Trinity and Deity of Christ. It also emphasizes the central doctrine of Christianity: "we are saved only through faith in Christ;"
Formula of Concord was written to unify the church, which had been disorganized for 30 years - officially approves all the earlier Lutheran confessions;
Luther's Small and Large Catechisms seek to explain God's Law, the Gospel, Lord's Prayer, Baptism, the Lord's Supper. The Confessions are accurate interpretations of the Word of God written to correct church errors.

HOW DO LUTHERANS WORSHIP?

The Bible is the basis of Lutheran Worship. Generally, Lutheran services retain the traditional form of liturgical worship. A Lutheran sanctuary has an altar with candles and cross. The Pastor wears vestments and the worship service is filled with scripture readings, hymns, psalms and hymns of praise. Sins are regularly confessed and the Lord's Supper celebrated. Each congregation has the freedom in the details of its worship.

In Lutheran worship is stress is placed on the preaching of God's Word. The sermon reminds us of God's truth and God's will for his people and the world. Lutheran's believe that attending church services regularly helps strengthen one's faith in community.

The Two Sacraments Lutherans Celebrate

Sacraments are means of grace whereby God gives us grace. Baptism is the means whereby God's makes us his people. It is the sacrament of initiation. In Holy Baptism the baptized is incorporated into the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In Baptism the baptized dies to the power of sin and is reborn into the life of Jesus Christ. In Baptism a new believer is born again. The Lord's Supper is Christ's true body and blood given and shed for us. It is a Christian's direct encounter with God. Christ's body and blood are truly present and received "in, with and under" bread and wine. Christ again comes among us to forgive our sins and help us to live truly Christian lives. The Sacraments nurture the Christian in their Christian Life.

What is Confirmation?

CONFIRMATION affirms and strengthens baptismal promises. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we knowlingly choose to be disciples of Jesus and confirmed members of His church. Confirmation is for all ages but mostly is celebrated during the Jr. High years of children. It is either two or three years and culminates in the Rite of Confirmation where the confirmand "confirms," "affirms" his/her baptism (their faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior) and announces it publically.

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