One of the Higher Things mottos that I’ve adopted into regular usage is “Dare to be Lutheran!” It was conference theme back in 2005. Back then I picked up a t-shirt with the logo and motto on it. I wear it often. I make no bones about it. I love being a Lutheran. You shouldn’t be surprised by this. It’s not the first time I’ve said it.

I love the heritage of being Lutheran. I am proud that Fritsches (and other Wendish people from Germany) came to the USA in the 1850’s to settle in Texas. They left for similar reasons that the Saxon Lutherans left to settle in Missouri. The Prussian Union of 1817, the forced union of Lutheran and Calvinist churches, meant that Lutherans would have to compromise their doctrine. The old Lutherans desired at all cost that their faith (the content of their faith!) not be compromised, that Christ (crucified and risen for you!) remain at the heart and center of it.

In 1584 my ancestors, under the leadership of Rev. Johann Killian, left Germany, setting sail for Texas. Like their Saxon counterparts, they encountered obstacles. They were exposed to an outbreak of cholera in Liverpool. Soon after leaving port there they were quarantined until the disease ran its course. Then they continued on to Galveston, Texas. There they passed quarantine and made their way to the Texas Hill Country settling in Serbin, Texas.

Heritage is one thing, but most importantly, I love the “confession” of being Lutheran. That’s really what it comes down to for me. My love for the heritage really has at its heart the confession of faith that we Lutherans believe. I love that our Lutheran forefathers were willing to give up the comforts of home for a perilous overseas journey to a new land, all because they weren’t willing to give up one ounce of Jesus Christ in what they believed, taught and confessed. Could we do the same?

Yes, pride can be dangerous. Pride can be sinful. It can exude arrogance. Such pride should be confessed and repented of. Have I been guilty of such pride at times? Yes, I have. I’m not only a poor, miserable sinner. I am the chief of sinners! That’s an important facet of what it means to “Dare to be Lutheran.” The Holy Spirit moves you to confess that truth about yourself so that you recognize, also by the Spirit’s power, that Christ is your only hope. That really gets us to the heart of the matter, which was also the heart of the Reformation.

In many respects, in pop-American Christianity the Reformation has been reversed. Their theology hearkens back to Rome. It’s a ladder theology where we draw closer to God through our own will, emotions or intellect. We ascend the ladder toward God by what we do. My brothers and sisters, that stands in complete opposition to God’s free grace in Christ, for which our Lutheran forefathers spilled their blood to confess.

To ascend to God sets us up for arrogance, drawing closer to Him through our feelings, emotions, commitments, etc. It sets us up to compare ourselves. Who has done more? Who is closer to God? Which church is better? Well, my church is more active than yours? It’s more friendly? It has more programs. We’re changing lives. It’s all moralistic and performance-driven, and more often than not, actually leaves Christ behind. It runs back to the disciples arguing over who is the greatest.

What does it really mean to “Dare to be Lutheran”? Here’s how we’ve answered it at Higher Things: “It means to dare to be Christ-centered, putting the person and work of Jesus Christ for the justification of the sinner at the center of what we believe, teach, confess, and sing!” That’s ultimately where I am coming from, dear saints of Zion! And that’s what I strive for ultimately as I labor in the Lord among you, with you and for you. I pray that Christ is at the heart of my preaching, teaching, worship-leading, and as I minister to the sick, the shut-in, the dying and all people young and old.

It’s all about Jesus, not whether or not I measure up, but what and who I am in Him and in Him alone. So go ahead, just as our forefathers in the faith did, dare to be Lutheran! Are we Lutherans perfect? Yes, BUT ONLY IN CHRIST AND IN HIM ALONE! That’s why I dare to be Lutheran and encourage you to the same! It’s ok to be proud of 165 years of daring to be Lutheran in Staunton!!!

In Christ,

Pastor Fritsche