DIVINE SERVICE
JOIN US AS GOD SERVES US IN CHRIST THROUGH WORD & SACRAMENT
EACH SUNDAY AT 10AM FOLLOWED BY ADULT & CHILDREN'S EDUCATION
7635 Third Street Road | Louisville, Kentucky 40214
WORSHIP
WORD & SACRAMENT PROCLAIMING CHRIST CRUCIFIED
PREACHING FORENSIC JUSTIFICATION WITH CHRIST'S RIGHTEOUSNESS CREDITED TO US
Justification is a two-fold declaration of God that we are both “Not Guilty” and also “Perfectly Worthy” on account of Christ’s substitutionary death and meritorious life.
God not only sees you just as He sees Christ, but you are personally united with Christ and His merit imputed through Word & Sacrament. In the Holy Eucharist you receive His body, blood, and benefits.
COME WORSHIP WITH US
Sunday Worship begins at 10:00 a.m.
Sunday School and Adult Bible Class begin at 11:45 a.m.
A traditional service following the Historic Liturgy each Sunday.
God serves us in the Divine Service through the Divine Liturgy.
Celebrate the Holy Eucharist every Sunday and commune alongside the Invisible Church.
[Closed Communion with Common Cup offered.]
Pass through the Waters of Chaos & Salvation with the Baptismal Font at the Sanctuary's Entrance.
Respond with the Great Litany and Chant Psalms.
Sing Biblical Canticles and the Ancient, Great Reformation, and Transcendent Modern Hymns.
Be "fed with your ears" [Luther] by Law & Gospel Preaching proclaiming Christ's Person & Work in Forensic Justification.
Rest in the renewing of your mind as Scripture interprets Scripture through Christ in His unfolding story.
Hear like ancient believers as Christ, the Word, explains all that Moses, the Prophets & all the Scriptures say concerning Him.
Receive the Body, Blood & Benefits of Christ as He personally unites us with Himself and His imputed merit.
Worship with the Invisible Church, alongside Adam & Eve, Abraham & Sarah, Peter & Paul, Luther & glorified loved ones.
Participate in the Cosmic Drama as Sacred Time & Space meet.
Rest in the recreation of the new heavens & earth intruding into our world as Heaven meets Earth.
"IN THE MIDST OF DEATH, WE ARE SURROUNDED BY LIFE" - Martin Luther
“You Have Come to Mount Zion and to the City of the Living God, the Heavenly Jerusalem, and to Innumerable Angels in Festal Gathering, and to the Assembly of the Firstborn Who Are Enrolled in Heaven, and to God, the Judge of All, and to the Spirits of the Righteous Made Perfect, and to Jesus, the Mediator of a New Covenant, and to the Sprinkled Blood that Speaks a Better Word than the Blood of Abel.” - HEBREWS 12
JUSTIFICATION
"THE TEACHING ON WHICH THE CHURCH STANDS" - Luther
Justification is a two-fold declaration of God that we are both “not guilty” and also “perfectly worthy” on account of Christ’s substitutionary death and meritorious life.Justification is the most important teaching, the doctrine “on which the church stands or falls” (Martin Luther). “Christ died for your sins,” but that’s only half the story. The other side of the coin is that He lived the perfect life in your place, every moment of everyday day, in every thought, word and deed.
God credits you with Christ’s passive obedience on the cross and His active obedience from keeping the law throughout His life. Think of it like this. You earn an F on your report card, but Christ earns an A. God credits your F to Christ, and He pays the price on the cross. But God also credits Christ’s A to you, and you receive His reward.
You receive a righteousness that is not your own, an ‘alien’ righteous, the righteousness of Christ. Christ and His righteousness really and truly become yours. God not only sees you just as He sees Christ, but you are personally united with Christ and His merit imputed through Word & Sacrament. In communion you receive His body, blood, and benefits.
HOLY COMMUNION
QUESTION: Does Faith Lutheran Church believe that the bread and wine in communion are actually Jesus' body and blood or rather a symbolic meal meant to convey real spiritual gifts?
ANSWER: To put it as simply as possible, we believe that the bread and wine are the actual body and blood of Christ. That being said, we do not deny their powerfully symbolic image calling us back to more layers of meaning in scripture. In other words, “do we believe that communion is real or symbolic?” “Yes!”
QUESTION: How do I know that I am worthy to participate in communion?
ANSWER: “That person is truly worthy and well prepared who has faith in these words: “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.” (Martin Luther, The Small Catechism)
QUESTION: Who would you consider to be not worthy of partaking in communion?
ANSWER: “Anyone who does not believe these words or doubts them is unworthy and unprepared, for the words “for you” require all hearts to believe.” (Martin Luther, The Small Catechism)
QUESTION: Who am I communing with at the altar?
ANSWER: When participating in “communion” (implying “community” rather than something individually experienced with Christ only) you are celebrating the marriage feast of the Lamb (Jesus) as his holy bride purchased by and made spotless in his blood. So, first and foremost, it means that you are directly communing with Jesus Christ in the consummation of the cosmic marital covenant. Also, the bride of Christ is the whole of the catholic (universal) Church. This means that you are communing with the people to your right and your left. But, it also means that you are communing with all believers throughout time and space (Adam & eve, Abraham & Sarah, St. Peter & St. Paul, Martin Luther & the reformers, believing family across the world, and also family members who now rest in Christ and are glorified).
The following questions and answers are meant to explain what having faith in “these words” means (the words of institution spoken by Christ and taught by St. Paul in his first letter to the church in Corinth).
QUESTION: Why does this church body adhere to closed communion? In other words, why can't everyone, regardless of membership to the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, eat and drink the body and blood of Christ from this altar?
ANSWER: As we state in our liturgy, the eating and drinking in communion, according to scripture, is more than just the reception of God's good gifts and benefits in Christ. It is also the common confession of the faith and the doctrines we hold to be true. “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26). Proclaiming his “death” implies confessing everything it means and accomplished, specifically in this Sacrament. For someone with a different confession than ours to partake in communion from this altar, is for us to allow them to commune with the very real presence of Christ in his body and blood, and at the same time engage in lies (intentional or not). For without examination, there's no telling if they believe what is confessed at our altar. Because we wish to protect the un-catechized from this dangerous error, we lovingly ask that they receive instruction and examination from the pastor before communing with the saints in the presence of angels, archangels, and all the company of heaven.
QUESTION: Is communing with the wrong confession or understanding dangerous for a believer?
ANSWER: While the exact nature of the repercussions are not revealed to us, we have been given clear warnings to protect people from such an error. “But in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse... For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.” (1 Corinthians 11: 17, 26-29)ABOUT
FAITHFUL TO THE SCRIPTURES SUBSCRIBING TO THE LUTHERAN CONFESSIONS
FAITH LUTHERAN CHURCH | 7635 Third Street Road | Louisville, KY 40214
JOHN STEBBINS | PASTOR
Born February 27, 1987 to Brian & Linda Stebbins, John was raised in Holyoke, Massachusetts.
John studied film making at Keene State College focusing on story telling including plot, characters, place, images, dialog, and production.
After graduating and working in the film industry, he worked for a few years with his father as a benefits counselor in the Supplemental Insurance business, where he gained experience in working with people.
John realized that the problems in the world today are symptoms of the real problem, which is our turning away from our Heavenly Father and the solution which is God reconciling the world to Himself through Christ.
Having received the call, John entered Concordia Seminary in Fort Wayne, graduated in 2016, and was installed into the Office of Holy Ministry at Faith Lutheran Church, Louisville, Kentucky.
John and Raija were married in 2017 and have four children, Isabella, J.J., Rayna, & Ezra.
Faith Lutheran Altar
Church Sanctuary
Altar flanked by Ancient Icons:
Christ the Divine Architect &
Christ Crushing the Gates of Hell
Declared Righteous
On Account of Christ Alone:
By Grace Alone,
Through Faith Alone,
From the Word AloneFaith Lutheran Baptismal Font
Baptismal Font flanked by
Luther & Cranach Bible Images:
Advent of the Messiah &
The Keys Binding Satan
CHURCH CALENDAR
LOCATION
7635 Third Street Road | Louisville, Kentucky 40214
Wheelchair Accessible
CONTACT
Phone
Faith Lutheran Church
502-367-8513
Fax
Faith Lutheran Church
502-368-2463
Address
Faith Lutheran Church
7635 Third Street Road
Louisville, KY 40214
502-367-8513
FaithLCMSLou@
Wheelchair Accessible
© 2024