- Sacramental Focus:
Unlike many non-denominational churches that view communion as a symbolic act, Lutherans believe in the real presence of Christ in the bread and wine. It is an act of recognizing the sacred in the simplicity of the gifts of bread and wine (or juice).
As your pastor, I have a very open view of who is welcome at the table (everyone) and who is not (nobody). After all, it is Jesus who is the host, and he invited, welcomed, and received all kinds of people, including believers, nonbelievers, sinners, and saints, even the one who ultimately betrayed him.
It is also common for the sacramental focus of Lutherans to include the idea that all life is sacred, and needs to be honored and loved, the earth and all that is in it. We are interconnected and bound to one another by Christ’s love through the Holy Spirit.
Lutherans have two focal sacraments in worship, Communion and Baptism. These have been determined by being commanded by Jesus and are instituted through nature, using water, grain, and fruit of the vine.
“The trees act not as individuals, but somehow as a collective. Exactly how they do this, we don’t yet know. But what we see is the power of unity. What happens to one happens to us all. We can starve together or feast together.”
― Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants
Be like a tree and feel the power of unity!
With Love,
+Pastor Teri
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