Nestled between a Casey’s gas station and the Dutch Inn Hotel, about a five minute drive from campus, sits Faith Lutheran Church. It is a place of worship appearing not too different from the other churches here in Orange City. The only noticeable feature is a a large metal cross in front of the entrance. However, this building is the sole outpost of Lutheranism in Orange City, offering a golden opportunity for Northwestern (NW) students to encounter a unique branch of the body of Christ.
There are three standout features that a student would encounter if they were to attend Faith Lutheran Church, all of which are blended seamlessly: liturgical worship, scriptural focus and sacramental emphasis. Before the service begins, the pastor proceeds into the sanctuary, being led in by a choir boy or girl holding a large golden cross, both of whom are wearing pure white robes. The pastor then starts the service by invoking the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. After making the week’s announcements to the congregation, he leads the attendants in a series of prayers, creeds and hymns. The prayers are all participatory, the pastor leading and the congregation responding, reciting the Apostles and Nicene Creeds, which are the cornerstones of ancient Christian theology. The hymns are accompanied by a skilled organist, bringing a dramatic ambience to the music. At the bottom of each page in the hymnal, the hymn’s author publication are written. Some hymns date back to the 1800s, the 1700s and some back to the 6th century. If you visit Faith Lutheran Church, you will participate in worship that goes back to some of the earliest days of the Christian faith.
Throughout the Divine Service at Faith Lutheran, the liturgy is interwoven with readings from the Bible. At the beginning of the service, the pastor invokes “the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit,” as Jesus did in Matthew 28:19. Afterwards, we recite 1 John 1:8-9, where we are reminded both of our sinfulness and God’s faithfulness. When dismissed at the end, we read from Luke 2, where Simeon departs this world with God’s blessing after seeing the infant Christ. Furthermore, there are Psalms read throughout the service which are read responsively, much like they would have been practiced in ancient Israel. At the middle point of the service, the pastor reads three scriptural passages to the congregation. These readings are from the Old Testament, the Epistles and the Gospels respectively, all of which carry a common theme. The pastor then gives a ten-to-fifteen-minute sermon based on the Biblical passages. If you were to visit Faith Lutheran Church, you will experience a very Biblically-centered church service.
Within Lutheran theology, we believe that the forgiveness of sins was achieved for all the world by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and we receive this forgiveness through the sacraments that our Lord instituted: baptism, communion and absolution. At Faith Lutheran Church, you will be able to experience the power of the sacraments. Towards the beginning of the service, the entire congregation reads a corporate confession, laying their sins before the Lord. Afterwards, the pastor faces the congregation and says, “As a called and ordained minister of Jesus Christ and by His authority, I forgive you of your sins.” We do this because we believe that our Lord gave His Church the “keys of the Kingdom”, and the ability to forgive sins on His behalf. At the end of the service, members of the Lutheran Church participate in Holy Communion, where we eat and drink the true body and blood of Jesus Christ, where we again receive the forgiveness of sins. We believe that on the Last Supper, our Lord ordained that His followers should partake in bread and wine often, through which we receive Christ, and abide in Him and Him in us. If you were to visit Faith Lutheran Church, you will witness the power of Christ’s Sacraments.
Faith Lutheran Church is simultaneously rich in ancient tradition and committed to preaching the Cross for the forgiveness of sins, showcasing that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is both eternal and timeless, and that our Lord is the same yesterday, today and forever.
