1805-2005
St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, Lancaster, Ohio
Over the past weekend, I had the privilege of attending a very special celebration. St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, my home congregation, celebrated its 200th Anniversary of ministry. It is the oldest Lutheran congregation in the state of Ohio. Though I grew up in the congregation, I’d not really grasped the significance of this fact.
I’m beginning to appreciate it now.
Many parts of the weekend were significant, not the least being the opportunity to see and spend time with people who had been so instrumental in the growth of my faith. Even just being in the building was stirring. St. Peter’s has a distinctive sanctuary with beautiful stained glass, statues of Christ and the four apostles behind the altar, and an incredible pipe organ. All were awe-inspiring, and as they mingled with the smell of the wood, they took me back to the time when faith became real for me.
And as I said, there were the people – those instruments of God who
In some ways, St. Peter’s reminds me of the ELCA. Through the course of its history, there were a number of divisions which ultimately led to the birth of at least three other congregations in Lancaster.
Indeed, I remember a division or two even as I grew up, though none were so significant as to result in a new congregation.
The first such division was whether church services should be done in German or English (this split led to ‘First English Lutheran Church’
in Lancaster). Subsequent battles appear to have centered on questions of orthodoxy, that is, rightly teaching the gospel. It seems there have always been factions striving for theology that is more conservative or more ‘liberal’, ultimately divisions between those who wanted to be more responsive to the culture and those who wanted to remain separate.
And yet…today they celebrate two hundred years of proclaiming the gospel of Christ in Lancaster, Ohio. Such an accomplishment is
inspiring: truly a work of God’s grace. It also gives one pause: in spite of our best efforts and most divisive fights, God’s Word is still proclaimed. I love St. Peter’s, her people and history, but I believe this celebration says more about God than any of us. It says that God is faithful. We may stray, turning against one another, lifting up one issue as being ‘of the utmost importance’ – but in truth, only one thing is significant.
The only significant thing: God’s love and life given us in Jesus, and those two commandments which he lifted up:
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind
and love your neighbor as yourself.
In Christ,
Pastor Julianne
