Note: the following pastoral letter was included in our latest church directory.

Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord!

        Did you know that those words are a greeting from the New Testament? That’s how St. Paul greets Pastor Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:2. Many of the New Testament letters begin with a similar greeting. Just as St. Paul prayed that Timothy would abundantly receive God’s grace, mercy, and peace, I pray the same for you!

        I also thank God that our congregation has grown in the past year – and with it, so has our pictorial directory. This resource has become a helpful way for members and guests at St. Matthew to get to know one another, learn names, and get in touch.

        This year, as we print an updated pictorial directory for 2024, I’d like to suggest another use of this directory – as a prayer guide. This directory includes some long-term members, new arrivals, and frequent guests. Some of the entries are of people you may have known for decades. Others you may have just met. But one thing we all have in common is that we all need Christ our Savior, and we need one another, the body of Christ, which is His Church.

        “Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it” (1 Corinthians 12:27). Those words are just as true of the Christian Church today as they were in the first century. Together, we are the body of Christ whom the Holy Spirit has called and gathered. And each of us is a key member of the body. We need one another, and our neighbors and community also need our loving service and witness to the Gospel.

        When you're using this directory, please pause and pray for those who are included in it. Pray for the individuals, marriages, families, and all the households who are part of the body of Christ at St. Matthew Lutheran Church. Pray for those whose needs are known – such as the ill or the grieving. Pray also for those who needs are unknown, remembering that we all have our own burdens and challenges.

        A Bible word study reveals at least 375 direct references to prayer in Scripture (not including other terms for prayer). God’s Word shows us what a priority prayer is meant to be in our life in Christ! Let the following words inspire you toward faithfulness in prayer for Christ's people:

        “I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which He has called you.” And "be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might … praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplications for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel.” (Ephesians 1:16-18a; 6:10, 17-19)

        Let’s keep each other in prayer this year.

              In Christ,

                   Pastor Kory Janneke

What is the Augsburg Confession and why does it matter?

Sunday, September 29, 2024

We recently had a three-week Bible study about how God's Word helps us to make sense of and approach suffering. In the Lutheran Christian tradition, the cross of Christ is crucial as we grapple with suffering and evil in our lives and in this world. At the cross, Jesus Christ endured ultimate suffering, not only on a physical level but spiritually as well. Christ suffered the punishment for our sins and was (temporarily) forsaken by God the Father. He underwent all this for us so that we can be spared from God’s righteous wrath in hell and, instead, be united with our Lord forever!

The preaching and teaching of this Gospel of Christ was what set apart the early Lutheran reformers during the 1520s and thereafter. Martin Luther and his fellow reformers (in both the church and the state), were willing to lay down their lives, if necessary, rather than giving up or compromising the precious Gospel message, that our sins are fully forgiven, by God’s grace, through faith in Jesus Christ.

In 1517, Luther sparked what became known as the “Reformation” with the publication of his Ninety-Five Theses. His theses were primarily written against the sale of indulgences to fund the Vatican. What began with one man speaking out quickly became a society-shaking movement throughout Europe, and the world has never been the same!

Thirteen years later, representatives of the Lutheran Reformation were summoned to an imperial meeting (called a “Diet” at that time) in the southern German city of Augsburg. There, the Lutherans (known first as “Evangelicals” or “Protestants”) would have the opportunity to discuss their faith and reforms before Charles V., the “Holy Roman Emperor” who ruled over much of central Europe. Martin Luther himself was unable to travel to Augsburg because he was branded an outlaw in the Empire some years before. 

The lead representative of the Lutherans at Augsburg was Luther’s closest colleague, Philip Melanchthon. After arriving in the city and hearing many of the false attacks that were circulating against the Lutherans, Melanchthon quickly composed an updated confession of faith to read before Charles on June 25, 1530. Melanchthon’s tone in this confession was very respectful and conciliatory, while still firmly stating the Lutheran position on salvation, Holy Communion, the role of good works in our Christian lives, and other critical teachings. This document, known as the Augsburg Confession (AC), deliberately sought to show that the early Lutherans stood firmly in the “catholic” (universal) Christian faith, extending back to the early Church, while also distinguishing some Lutheran beliefs and practices from those of other reforming groups (the forebears of modern-day Baptist, Calvinist, and Reformed churches). 

The AC is the foundational statement of what it means to believe and practice the Lutheran Christian faith. Since 1530, when the AC was delivered before the Emperor, Lutherans have continued to subscribe to its doctrine. Additionally, Lutheran pastors and other professional church workers in The Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod vow to confess the Christian faith as expressed in the AC (together with the other writings in the Lutheran Confessions) because they are a true exhibition of Scripture. (I took that vow on July 22, 2012 at my ordination.)

Unfortunately, many Lutherans today are unfamiliar with the AC and its simple summary of the Christian faith. That’s why I’d like to invite you to our new Sunday Bible study at 9:00am each week in the church sanctuary. Participants will receive a copy of the Reader’s Edition of the Augsburg Confession which includes helpful notes to explain and introduce the articles of faith. Together, we’ll be looking at most of the AC, while also discussing its continued significance for our life of faith in Christ and as members of His Body, the Church. Come and learn why many early Lutherans were willing to suffer and die, rather than giving up the Good News of Jesus Christ!

Grace & Peace,

Pastor Kory Janneke

Pastor Kory's Page for Sun, August 25, 2024

I recently wrote about some recommendations for Bibles and other Christian books for your growth in Christ. This time, I’d like to share some online, radio, and podcast resources for you to explore. Links are included for you. I hope that you will check out some of these resources – and please also let me know if there are other apps, websites, podcasts, and the like which you’ve found helpful!

Facebook and Instagram – Let's start close to home: St. Matthew has both a Facebook page and Instagram profile. Please follow us on social media and engage with our posts. Liking, commenting, and sharing helps St. Matthew’s content to reach more people!

LCMS – Visit our Synod’s website at lcms.org to explore a wide variety of information about doctrine, synodical programs and missions and much more. The LCMS also has an app for your smartphone.

Lutheran Hour Ministries – The “Connected by LHM” app includes excellent, free daily devotions and weekly sermons from the Speakers of the Lutheran Hour. You can also sign up at lhm.org to receive their devotions in by email.

Bible Hub – This is both a website and a smartphone app and includes many easy-to-use Bible study tools. You can compare different Bible translations and listen to free audio Bibles. (I’ve recently begun using their audio Bibles to accompany my daily devotions.)

YouTube – This platform is of course filled with both much edifying content and much questionable content. However, there are plenty of reliable Lutheran videos. You might look up Pastor Bryan Wolfmueller (an LCMS pastor from Austin, TX) and explore his many videos. Dr. Jordan B. Cooper is another well-known Lutheran on YouTube. He is the President of the American Lutheran Theological Seminary. While intended more for youth and families, Higher Things, Inc. includes Lutheran content which Lutherans of any age could benefit from.

Radio – The LCMS operates the oldest continuously operating Christian radio station in the world: KFUO. (Ruth Reese worked for KFUO many years ago.) You can listen to KFUO at kfuo.org or on their app. A separate radio ministry, Lutheran Public Radio, has several popular programs, including Issues Etc., an interview-based program on theology and current events, and The Word of the Lord Endures Forever, a daily 15-minute Bible study). LPR also plays 24-7 sacred music. Check out LPR on their app or at lutheranpublicradio.org.

Podcasts – Both KFUO and Lutheran Public Radio’s programing are available on podcast providers. Additionally, you might listen to some of the many podcasts produced by 1517. While 1517 is not exclusively a ministry of the LCMS, many of its content producers are LCMS members. In addition to podcasts, 1517.org includes free academy courses, articles, and more. Another podcast, produced by Concordia Seminary St. Louis, features seminary staff and faculty discussing a wide range of issues. It’s called “Tangible: Theology Learned and Lived.”

Bonus Podcast – I also enjoy listening to “Core Christianity”, a Q&A program with Presbyterian Pastor, Adriel Sanchez. While I can’t endorse all his theological positions, I think that Pastor Sanchez does a great job of answering Bible questions on the fly.

Bonus Website – yaag.org, which stands for “Year At A Glance”, includes a full list of all weekly Scripture readings for our services. It also includes links to read the Scripture lessons online.

I hope that you might find something beneficial on this list. Need help locating or downloading any of these resources? Just let me know. God bless your reading, watching, and listening!

Grace & Peace,

Pastor Kory Janneke