Serve All People Following The Example Of Jesus

We promise to serve all people, following the example of Jesus

We are liberated by God’s grace from the fear that God might reject us. Lutherans respond to this experience of love by doing good works. We serve those in need, not to gain favour with God, but because those in need need our help. That necessarily shines a light on those aspects of our communities that are less perfect than others. This light of truth makes our community engagement a political activity. The Lutheran church is one of the groups in the public sphere that seek to influence the future of our country and that advocate for change.

We ask you to serve your local communities and give special attention to those who are different than you.

Rev. Olaf Baumann, sermon series Discipleship Goals, Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Port Angeles WA, 10/30/2016.

The Sermon Series: Discipleship Goals

We often get asked: What exactly does it mean to be a Lutheran Christian in this day and age?

We didn’t have a ready answer to this question. In the past year the pastors and the council have thought about what it could look like to be Disciples of Christ. After many discussions we have developed discipleship goals. We intend to put these goals in our lives and use them as guiding principles as we strive to live Christian lives. We invite you to join us in this journey.

The Discipleship Goals

We have based these goals on the promises we make during confirmation;

to live among God’s faithful people,
to hear the word of God and share in the Lord’s Supper,
to proclaim the good news of Christ through word and deed,
to serve all people, following the example of Jesus,
and to strive for justice and peace.”

These promises are the dry bones we will use to hold up our discipleship goals and with the help of the Holy Spirit we will put meat on these promises and fill them with life.

Saved by Grace

We are saved by God’s grace alone. Lutherans believe that no one can earn salvation, because as humans we are sinners and saints at the same time. Humans are capable of great feats of compassion and love, but at the same time they cannot escape their fallen nature to be selfish egomaniacs. The human life is a struggle that takes place in the tension between those poles, holiness and sinfulness. Lutherans embrace the duality of good and evil the human condition and the idiosyncrasies it produces.

Discipleship goals do not change human nature, but they are a spiritual tool that give us  guidance in our call to proclaim and live out the gospel of God’s love grace and love to all those who need to hear that God loves them.

Revs. Kristin Luana & Olaf Baumann, Sermon Series Discipleship Goals, Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Port Angeles WA, 9/25/2016.