Our Church

We believe in God, which ought not to surprise you or anyone else.  What you want to know is what we believe about God.  We believe in the Holy Trinity, in the One God in Three Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who for love’s sake creates us, redeems us, and sanctifies us.  He has not let sin separate us from him, nor does he withdraw his love from us when we sin.  Rather, he has throughout human history overcome the separation sin creates between us, and done so most completely in the sending of his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, to atone for our sins on the cross. 
 
All of this is simply fancy language for saying that God does not turn away from us when we neglect him or disappoint him.  He is ready always to forgive for Jesus’ sake, and to give us new life.  He is there for us even when we think him absent, when we are burdened by the sins of others, grieve the deaths of loved ones, look to our own death, or suffer some other personal tragedy or disaster.  Through his Holy Spirit, he will give us strength for our present day troubles and hope for the future.
 
We believe that Jesus, the Second Person of the Trinity, was made man.  Yes, we believe that God became one of us, taking on human flesh and with that flesh our limitations, including mortality.  Sinless, he bore our sin on the cross, that he might redeem humanity from sin and rescue us from death.  He won for us freedom from sin and the gift of everlasting life.  We can do nothing to earn this gift for ourselves.  We “receive forgiveness of sin and become righteous before God by grace, for Christ’s sake, through faith when we believe that Christ suffered for us and that for his sake our sin is forgiven and righteousness and eternal life are given to us.”  (Augsburg Confession, Article 4)  The power of death has been destroyed, and we are freed from fear of it.  The life of a follower or disciple of Christ is a daily struggle to live in the light of that death defying grace, conforming our mind to the mind of Christ Jesus, witnessing in word and deed to that saving grace, and caring for those in need.  
 
We believe that the Holy Spirit calls, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Church of Christ on earth, including us who are his disciples at St. Jacob’s Lutheran Church.  We believe that the Holy Spirit is a part of us from baptism on, uniting us to our Savior Jesus Christ and through him to one another.  In his life we have life, and with that life comes joy, peace, and a profound gratitude for his love and blessing. 
 
 We believe that God is revealed to us best and most clearly in the Bible, His Living Word.  We see God the Father’s hand in creation, but we see Him and His work to restore the relationship between Himself and a fallen humanity best in the pages of the Scriptures. Here we see with great honesty the true state of the world and of humanity.  The Bible helps us see our part in the brokenness of the world, and calls us to repent of our sin.  We receive the word of forgiveness through its pages, and the promise of the resurrection from the dead.  We are encouraged to stay loyal to the faith that is our heritage, and to be as forgiving, loving and generous to our neighbors as God is forgiving, loving and generous to us.  Our beliefs and our practices as Christians are “normed” by the Bible, that is, it is the first and last place to which we go to discern the mind of Jesus Christ.  
 
We believe that in the Sacrament of Baptism we are made children of the Father with Jesus Christ, a member of the body of Christ the Church.  Further, we believe that, united with Jesus Christ by baptism into his death, we are likewise united with him in his resurrection.  We look to the day when Christ returns, and the work begun in his crucifixion and resurrection is complete.  Until that day, we are family who are the Church, and like families everywhere, we love, encourage, and support one another to run the race that is faith. 
 
We believe that the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper works forgiveness of sin, and strengthens us for the daily life of faith.  In this holy meal, we celebrate our union with Jesus Christ and through him with the whole of his body, including our beloved dead.  And we give thanks for the grace he pours into us through his body and blood.
 
We believe that as the Church, it is our duty and our joy to witness to the saving love of the Father given us through Jesus Christ his Son, and to celebrate the work of the Holy Spirit in us, through us, and with us.  We are not just friends to one another, but beloved siblings in Christ, and we joyously share his gifts with one another and with the world.  That includes the proclamation of Jesus Christ as the Light of God come into the world, and the visible aid we give to those who suffer need.