Our
Pastor
The
Lord be with you!
You may hear that a lot in the church service when
you visit Highland Park Lutheran Church, and that is because we mean it! Our
congregation exists for the sole purpose of bringing you and God together
through Jesus Christ. We call what happens here on Sundays a
“Service” because Jesus is serving us with His Word and His
Sacraments. The Service is filled with His Word,
and the preaching and teaching is simple,
straightforward, and solidly grounded on His Word as well.
Through His
Word, Holy Baptism, and the Lord’s Supper, he assures us that we are not
alone, but that He is with us. And even more, He has done what we have failed
to do; he has reconciled us to God through His life, death, and
resurrection.
In this time of uncertainty and ever-changing values, He
gives us the certainty and never-changing truth of the grace and presence of
God. That truth is constant in that :
1. We are all sinners.
2. God is
Just and must punish sin.
3. God is also Merciful . . . and so allowed His
Son to take our punishment for us.
4. God is Gracious to forgive our sins
and offer life in their place for Jesus’ sake.
That starts off as
“bad news” but ends with the wonderful “good news” of the
Gospel. We gather like a family around the dinner table every
Sunday, recalling and retelling that wonderful good news
to each other, praising the One who made it all possible. That’s what you
do when a hero saves your life . . . and you never tire of the telling nor of
giving thanks to your hero. And the wonderful thing is that our hero never
tires of saving work! Jesus has promised to always be there for us, to keep us
safe, forgiven, and with Him no matter what. And He keeps that promise as He is
the host at each of these family meals, offering His mercy, grace, and life to
us as the main course.
We would love to get to know you. We want you to
know that this is a place where people care about you. You are always welcome
here, and we hope you will feel welcome to join us as we sit at the feet of our
hero, our Lord and Savior Jesus as He serves us, and teaches us how to serve
others.
Your servant in Christ,
Pastor Nick Wirtz
“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to
give his life as a ransom for many.”
. . . Mark
10:45