A Message from our Pastor

Dear Saints of First Lutheran,

“It’s the most wonder-full time of the year!” I’m not talking about Christmas (again). No, for believers in Jesus and all He has done for us and our salvation and for all people, Lent, the season of Christ’s passion, death, burial, resurrection, and more is a wondrous, wonderful time of the year, because we journey with Him to the Cross of Calvary, where He paid the price for our sins and to the Open Tomb where He rose again to life, so that we, too, believing in Him, will live! Lent is when we walk with Him, and watch and listen, as He takes on our sins, and guilt, and death, (not to mention the devil, our enemy), and Jesus wins and awards His victory to us, through our Holy Baptism!

In our Midweek Lenten and Holy Week services this year, beginning on Ash Wednesday (February 18) let’s consider the words of Ephesians 3:17-21: So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith-that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

We’ll journey through the history and text of the hymn “O Love, How Deep” (LSB 544) to experience the depth, breadth, and height of God’s love for us, His creation. “For us” encompasses how God is beyond our comprehension yet took on the most accessible form to walk with us. Throughout the “passion” season and into Easter we’ll meditate on this historical hymn to see how God’s love for each of us is steady, deep, and endless!

Rev. Dr. Todd A. Peperkorn, an LCMS pastor wrote that “Some hymns tell a story, others teach, and still others create pictures in our minds of the great works of God. Some hymns do all three, weaving together a tapestry that is beautiful yet simple, wondrous yet easy to understand. ‘O Love, How Deep’ is that kind of hymn.”

I hope you will plan to join us for our Midweek (and, of course, Sunday) services of worship throughout this “most wonderful time of the year” for the broad, long, high, and deep blessings God has planned to impart to us through His powerful Word and Sacraments!

Reveling in God’s great love for us in Christ,

If you are looking for a church home, we encourage you to consider First Lutheran! We love to share the Good News of our Savior and the help that God’s Word gives to our everyday lives! Our congregation consists of people like you from every part of our nation. People seeking a sense of belonging and an opportunity for worship, growth and fellowship. May you find grace and blessing in the time we spend together. We would love to tell you more about our congregation.

First Lutheran School provides a Christian education that nurtures the spiritual, intellectual, and personal growth of each child. The school provides another means for First Lutheran Church to bring the Word and love of God in Christ Jesus to more families.

Special thanks to those in the Armed Forces! We welcome our military and others far from home. We pray for you.