"Disciples of Christ sent to love and serve the Lord"

This is our Mission.

"Disciples of Christ..."

We are familiar with the story of the rich young man (Matt. 19:16-29) asking Jesus what good deed he should do to have eternal life. The young man at least from a Jewish standpoint had a leg up for he faithfully observed the commandments. However, Jesus told him, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you possess, give to the poor; you will have a treasure in heaven; and come and follow me." In other words, "become a disciple."
When the young man heard what Jesus had to say, he went away sad because he could not let go of his possessions.
Then, Jesus taught His disciples saying, "Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for my name’s sake will receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life"

The story implies that to be a disciple of Christ, one must unconditionally turn the focus of one's life from seeking worldly riches to faithfully follow God. The conditions of discipleship that Jesus requires are radical. There is no middle ground when it comes to choosing between seeking worldly gratifications and serving God.

At Christ Lutheran Church some of us, but perhaps none of us is yet able to raise to the level of rigorous discipleship standards that Jesus outlined in the story of the rich young man. The price to pay is very steep and, let's face it, we like the comfort provided by our worldly possessions. However, on our journey towards Jesus, we, the members of Christ Lutheran Church are looking to reach His standards and we do experience the joy of sharing what we have with those who don't. Just as Jesus said, we find that "It is more blessed to give than to receive." (Acts 20:35)

" ... sent to love and serve the Lord"

In the Book of Deuteronomy, God requires of His People Israel to "love Him and serve Him with all heart and soul." (Deut. 10:12)
The same call is addressed to us when every Sunday, our assembly is dismissed and we are sent into mission.

"Go forth into the world to serve God with gladness;
be of good courage; hold fast to that which is good;
render to no one evil for evil;
strengthen the fainthearted; support the weak; help the afflicted;
honor all people;
love and serve God,
rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit."

(Evangelical Lutheran Worship, October 2006)

At Christ Lutheran Church, we do not love and serve in a vacuum by extracting ourselves from our world, but we believe that we love and serve the Lord when:
- We share our food and drink with those who are hungry and thirsty.
- We share what we have with those who have little or nothing.
- We visit the sicks and the prisoners.
- We make friends with lonely people and the stranger.
- We forgive one another and make peace.
As we perform those deeds, we remember what Jesus said in the Gospel: "Truly, I say to you, what you did to one of the least of my brethren, you did it to me." (Mt 25:40)