faithlutheranbv.org

Tag: Christian

  • Ash Wednesday

    Ash Wednesday

    Imposition of Ashes

    P:    Dear brothers and sisters of our Lord Jesus Christ, on this day the Church begins a holy season of prayerful and penitential reflection. Our attention is especially directed to the holy sufferings and death of our Lord Jesus Christ.

    From ancient times the season of Lent has been kept as a time of special devotion, self-denial, and humble repentance born of a faithful heart that dwells confidently on His Word and draws from it life and hope.

    Let us pray that our dear Father in heaven, for the sake of His beloved Son and in the power of His Holy Spirit, might richly bless this Lententide for us so that we may come to Easter with glad hearts and keep the feast in sincerity and truth.

    Silence for reflection

    P:    O God, You desire not the death of sinners, but rather that they turn from their wickedness and live. We implore You to have compassion on the frailty of our mortal nature, for we acknowledge that we are dust and to dust we shall return. Mercifully pardon our sins that we may obtain the promises You have laid up for those who are repentant; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

    C:   Amen.

    Those wishing to receive ashes may come forward. As the ashes are imposed on the forehead of each person in the sign of the cross, the pastor says, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

    Join us tonight for Ash Wednesday Service in Person at 7:00 PM Mountain Time or on Youtube:

    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIVWN5ENdkniZJQQ_rDYbvQ

  • What Must I Do?

    What Must I Do?

    Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” (Acts 16:30-31)

    What must I do to be saved? That is the seminal question in Jesus’ Kingdom, The Church. There are many who will tell you what you must do. There are many who will lay before you a path of works. You will hear that good works must be done in the Kingdom of Heaven. I agree. Good works will be done. But good works do not save you. Paul writes, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8). Paul also writes, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10). 

    So we have two elements that God’s word tells us will be done. We will be saved by faith, and we will do good works. The order that these are done is important. It sets the groundwork for Christianity. Must you do good works in order to be saved, or do you do good works because you are saved? 

    The answer from the Bible is that first we are saved. We are saved by our faith. We believe. Believing is not our work, but God’s. It is God that calls us. It is God that makes us believe. This is not our work, so that we are not convinced that we are saved by our own righteousness. “Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins” (Ecclesiastes 7:20). We are not saved by our own righteousness, but by Jesus’ righteousness. Jesus lived a perfect life, we can’t. Jesus died sinless, we can’t. Jesus was raised from the dead, and only as a part of Him are we called righteous. 

    How are we made a part of Him? “Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him” (1 Peter 3:21-22). We were called to our Lord in Baptism. “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4). In our Baptism we died with Jesus and were buried with Him. He was raised and we are raised. 

    Since we are raised, we live life differently. Someone who knows the price of His salvation does not live the same as before. Since we are saved we live differently. Good works do not save us, but the Holy Spirit dwelling in us leads us to do good works for our neighbor. We are changed, new people, saved! We do those things that are good because we are saved. What must I do to be saved, believe. What will I do since I am saved? Good things for all those around me.

  • A Grand Reopening

    A Grand Reopening

    What a joyous occasion! We have once again been given permission to meet together at church! June 7th at 10:00 AM will be our first chance to celebrate Divine Service together as a Christian family in many weeks! I look forward to seeing many faces once again, but feel that I should remind those of you at high risk from respiratory disease that you might want to stay home. We promise that we won’t leave you out of life at Faith. We will still be broadcasting our service on the internet. We will still offer communion by appointment as we have been throughout this crisis. If you need anything at all we will be here for you! 

    For those of you who can come to corporate service, things will be a little different. We will have to continue to observe social distancing, and the wearing of face masks to keep each other safe. We won’t be passing the offering plates, instead they will be placed in the back of the church so that you can drop your offering in them as you enter or exit the church. Seating will be different. Ushers will direct you to a spot that might not be “your pew.” They don’t want to make anyone uncomfortable. They will be looking to keep people a safe distance from each other while maximizing the space we have in the sanctuary. There will be no passing of the peace. Handshaking will be replaced with a wave. Communion will be different for the same reason, to keep you safe. We will have a separate entrance and exit for many. Ushers will once again direct you where to go, and when to go for your safety. This is all from a desire to keep each of God’s children at Faith safe and well.

    Some things will not change, nor should they ever. God’s Word will be preached in all its fullness. We will hear our Savior’s voice in the Gospel. The font will be present reminding us all that we are baptized children of God. Holy Communion will be observed, because we need the strength of the Holy Spirit and the forgiveness of Jesus our Lord. Our family will celebrate coming together in person and online. We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses to God’s faithfulness, God is good. I look forward to seeing all of you! Whether at home or in the church! 

  • Sunday March 29th, The Fifth Sunday in Lent

    Sunday March 29th, The Fifth Sunday in Lent

    Here is a link to Service for The Fifth Sunday in Lent. Hope you are all keeping safe and remembering that God is with you. Go in peace!

    https://us.bbcollab.com/recording/25110d37157e49c48d71a5d0cb900d50