How would you answer that question? Is “being Lutheran” a matter of:
· drinking lots of coffee
· sitting in the back during worship
· being part of a particular ethnic group
· worshipping in a distinct manner
· resisting change
Let’s start with the name itself. We are named after a German monk, not Martin Luther King. Martin Luther took a stand against non-Biblical tradition and through study of the Scriptures brought the Gospel and justification by grace through faith to light once again. That is the Lutheran “center of gravity.”
Let us also understand that Lutheran = Christian.
Ultimately, being a Lutheran Church is NOT a matter of:
· what we drink
· where we sit
· our ethnicity
· how we are structured as a congregation, district or synod
It is a matter of what we believe (our confession of faith).
That confession of faith is spelled out for us in the Holy Bible and the Lutheran Confessions contained in the Book of Concord.
A Lutheran Church is a Lutheran Church because it has pledged to remain faithful to Holy Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions and her pastor has done the same.
Do we know what our Lutheran Confessions say? Does it matter to us?
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