Why I am a Lutheran
I am Joseph Murphy, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Parker. I have been married to my wife Judy since 1988 and we have seven children. I attended Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana, completing a Master of Divinity degree in 1994, and a Master of Sacred Theology degree in 2001. I was ordained into the office of the Holy Ministry in 1996 and served as pastor of two congregations in Illinois before accepting a call to serve at Grace in Parker. I am also blessed to serve as a chaplain to 1400 members of the Air National Guard for the 140th Wing at Buckley AFB. The chaplaincy work gives me an opportunity to work with many young people, something I have enjoyed since my first congregation at Southern Illinois University Lutheran Student Center.
Sometimes I am asked how an Irishman wound up a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church! To make a long story short, I was born in Chicago in 1963 and raised in the Roman Catholic Church. I thank the Lord for revealing to me His grace in the Lutheran Church, yet I am also thankful for the good things I received in the Roman Catholic Church. There God called me by name and made me a member of His body, the Church, through Holy Baptism. There I received the gift and grace of Holy Communion, the true body and the blood of Christ. I attended Illinois State University and graduated in 1988. It was there I met my wife Judy and through her the Lord led me to the Lutheran Church. In the Lutheran Church (Missouri Synod) I heard the Gospel clearly proclaimed and taught. I am saved entirely by the grace of God, not by my efforts or a decision on my part. St Paul writes: "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." (Ephesians 2:9) What a relief to know the grace and mercy of God in Christ! We are set free by the Gospel to serve our Lord out of gratitiude. In Christ, we no longer wonder or worry whether we have been good enough to enter heaven. We have not, but Christ has! He took our sins upon himself and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.
The Lutheran church is a liturgical and sacramental church. We are both catholic and evangelical. Our teachings were not new in the 16th century when the Lutheran Church came into being. They are in harmony with both the Scriptures and the early Christian Church. We cherish the historical continuity of both doctrine and worship practices within our church. The first time I visited my wife's Lutheran Church, I was struck by the beauty of the service and the quality of the hymns. Her church used a pipe organ and they sang hymns that ranged from third to the twentieth century. By contrast, I had grown up with a guitar mass in which most people listened to the music but did not sing. The music was pleasant and well performed but decidedly light in it's theological content. How much can one learn from "Kum-ba-Yah"? In the Lutheran Church, all are participants in the service. The best hymns from all the ages powerfully proclaim the Gospel of what Christ has done, teach the faith, and comfort us as we sing them. The liturgy of the church is not something we make up new every Sunday. It is from Holy Scripture. We join the saints of all ages in singing God's Word to us. How refreshing it is to belong to something "bigger" than ourselves and our own little point in time! One of the things that attracted me to the Lutheran Church is that Lutheran worship does not cater to the latest pop culture and fads. I did not want my children to grow up thinking that the Church had nothing better to offer than the shallow and flawed theology of popular contemporary Christian music. Why go to church for the same thing you can hear on the radio?
Today at Grace we use hymns and music both ancient and new. Our music includes the best of both traditional and modern hymns and we are intentional about training young instrumentalists to be future church musicians by giving them opportunities to play in the services. Hymns at Grace are Christ centered rather than focused on a song writer's personal experience. Some thought Grace would need to have a "praise band" to bring in young families, but this has not been the case. Many young families have joined Grace because we don't have a praise band! They are looking for something more than the pop music of their parents dressed up with Christian lyrics. The music of the Church is far too rich and deep to be limited to pop tunes of the late 20th century.
Lutherans believe that when we gather for services, God Himself is serving us through His Word and Sacraments. Our Lord said, " The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath." (Mark 2:27) Services of Word and Sacraments are God's gift to us, not something we do for God. What this means is that unlike Roman Catholicism and other Protestants, Lutherans believe that the primary action of worship is from God to us. This is in contrast to those who think of worship primarily as something people offer God in order to please or appease Him. Lutherans joyfully gather for God's service to them. Our worship is reverent because we believe that we are in the presence of the Holy Trinity. In the service we look forward to receiving the forgiveness of our sins, being strengthened by His Word, and being fed with the Holy Supper of Christ's body and blood. It is a foretaste of the eternal feast to come.
I am excited to serve as Pastor for the members of Grace Lutheran in Parker. The Lutheran Church proclaims the Gospel to all people. Our services are all about what Christ has done for us and continues to do through His Word and Spirit. Why am I a Lutheran? I am a Lutheran only by the grace of God! That is where God chose to more fully reveal Himself, His grace, and His salvation to me. I invite you to come and experience Grace for yourself. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or comments about our church, website, or the differences between the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod and other denominations. Thanks for visiting and may the Lord bless you with the abundance of His grace.
Pastor Joseph Murphy
familyofseven88@yahoo.com |
