St. John's Waltz

St. John's believes that:

• The One True God has revealed Himself in three persons: the Father Almighty, His Only Son - Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit - Who proceeds from the Father and the Son. The deity of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is one - equal in glory, coequal in majesty.
• The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the sole atonement for the sins of all creation.
• One is saved from sin, Satan, and death by the grace of God the Father, through faith in Jesus, which is given by the Holy Spirit alone.
• Faith in Jesus Christ is a work of God given through both being baptized into His Name and through hearing the proclamation of His Word.
• The Church is the community of saints in which the Gospel is purely taught and the Sacraments are rightly administered. The Church strives to walk together until our Lord returns. The simplest summary of our faith is contained in Dr. Luther's Small Catechism.
• We subscribe that these teachings are clearest as contained in the Book of Concord.

God's Word and Sacrament:

As a confessional congregation of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod, we believe that we cannot be justified before God by our own powers, merits, or works. We are justified as a gift on account of Christ by grace through faith in Him alone. We are adopted and received into God's family by either hearing the proclamation of this gospel or being baptized into His name. With Martin Luther and the church fathers, we believe that God deals with us by means of His external Word and sacrament.

Holy Baptism:

Holy Baptism is a miracle where a sinner is moved from death to life. It is simply the moment when a spiritually dead infant, child, adolescent, or adult is brought to life, delivered from sin, Satan, and death, and is delivered into the Reign and Rule of the Father.  All of this is done by God the Father, who connects the individual to His Son Jesus Christ under the mystery of and by means of the Holy Spirit. It is the greatest of comforts to know that Baptism is solely God's work and in it He chooses you.

Holy Absolution:

Absolution is God's forgiveness. God truly provides His Church the power to proclaim this forgiveness to the world. Through the pastor's proclamation of Jesus, a sinner truly becomes a saint. Through a parent's forgiveness in Jesus' name, a child truly is forgiven as by God Himself. Absolution is dispensed by the entire Church to anyone who feels condemned by their sin. It has been given above and beyond the other sacraments and has been instituted precisely so that we can use and practice it every hour, keeping it with us at all times. Absolution is the mutual conversation and consolation of Christian brothers and sisters.

Holy Communion:

The Lord's Supper is a miracle where the very Body and Blood of Jesus are present: in this meal, with the bread and wine, under the mystery of the Holy Spirit. The Lord's Supper gives forgiveness, strengthens faith, and is a foretaste of the feast to come on the Last Day. The Christian should participate in the Lord's Supper as often as they are able, which is why we make it available every Divine Service (the only exception being mid-week Lenten Services, where we fast from the Lord's Supper to catechize ourselves on the Lord's Supper). That being said, if you are not a member of St. John's we would encourage you to talk to an elder or pastor before you participate in this sacred meal. We admit those who believe in the real presence of Christ, have discerned and repented of their sin, and are members in good standing of a sister congregation of the LC-MS.