As Lutherans, we believe that we have been saved by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. In the Bible we read, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— not the result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2: 8 – 9)
We understand that the teachings of Jesus are summed up in the Greatest Commandment: Jesus said, “’You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ (Matthew 22: 37 – 39)
As Lutherans we are more focused on love than on judgment. We know that life is complicated and understand that we are all broken people -- we count on God’s forgiveness and we love each other by offering welcome to everyone and supporting each other spiritually in our walk of faith.
We believe that God wants us to live full and grateful lives. Jesus tells us that he wants us to live life abundantly. We concentrate on the gifts that God has given us and try to respond to those gifts with grateful and giving hearts.
We also believe that Jesus gave us solid guidance about how to love our neighbor in the story Jesus told in Matthew 25 about the last days. In that story Jesus tells us that we love him when we provide for those among us who have the least.