Trinity Lutheran Church

A Prayer of the Church for This National Day of Prayer

pastorhering — Thu, 03 May 2012 21:34:05 +0000

Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done–among us, the Baptized who bear Thy name and abide in Thy presence in the nation of Thy Church that is the only nation and kingdom truly under Thee and bearing Thy name–on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread out of Thy bountiful goodness, by which Thou hast placed us in these beloved United Sates of America and under national, state, and local leaders–whether they be faithful or unfaithful to Thy Word–whose authority derives only from Thy graciousness to us for the purpose of defending us from our enemies and protecting the most vulnerable amongst us from even ourselves.

Forgive us our trespasses by which we look to earthly princes for that which Thou hast promised to provide through our daily exercise of the work Thou hast called and given us to do with and for our neighbors; as we forgive those who seek to have earthly princes impose their pious desires and good intentions upon us.

Lead us not into the temptation of such well-dressed evil, and deliver us from it and its author.

For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory as we Thy dear Baptized bear Christ’s cross of suffering, death, and burial under the principalities of this fallen and cursed world on the way to the resurrection of our flesh; to live with Thee and Thy dear Son, Jesus Christ, and Thy Holy Spirit, Who reign ever one God; forever and ever–today, tomorrow, and every tomorrow which Thou hast promised we will always have before us because Thou art the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

All of this Thou hast promised and sealed for us in Thy Christ’s “It is finished” of Cross and Font.

Let Us Pray–”Not THESE Children, LORD”

pastorhering — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 22:10:05 +0000

Dear Trinity Lutheran Church
Would you please pray?
We [at the Pregnancy Care Center of Ogden, Utah have 4 women scheduled for appointments on Monday who are all considering abortion.
• Pray for them to come to their appointments
• Pray for the counselors: Amy, Jessica & Tyann

Thank You-
Tyann, Marie, Alisha, and Tammy

Do you know someone who needs to talk with us about abortion, pregnancy, sexuality, or abstinence?
Have them contact us at the Pregnancy Care Center of Ogden:
text “Option” to 95495 or www.IthinkImightBePregnant.com,
help@ogdenpcc.org or 801-621-4357 (24/7)

Benefit Concert for Alexa

pastorhering — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 17:18:47 +0000

BENEFIT CONCERT FOR ALEXA HERING

SPONSORED BY TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9
7:00-10:00 P.M.
@ THE ED KENLEY AMPHITHEATER
LAYTON COMMONS PARK
465 NORTH WASATCH DRIVE
NO ADMISSION FEE
DONATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED AT THE CONCERT
or RECEIVED VIA THE PAYPAL BUTTON BELOW

Click here to read more about Alexa’s battle with cancer at the blog, Bumpa’s Little Sweetie.

For questions or additional information, contact Pastor Hering (Bumpa) at 801-544-5770.

Preschool Open House

pastorhering — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 18:52:12 +0000

Check out our facilities and meet our preschool director and teacher, Mrs. Hering, this weekend.

Trinity Lutheran Preschool will hold an open house on Friday, 24 June from 5-8pm and Saturday, 25 June from 9am-noon.

We currently have openings for the 4 year-old class, which meets Mon./Wed./Fri from 9 a.m. – noon. This class is for children who will be 4 by September 1.

We also have openings for our 3 year-old class, which meets Tues./Thurs from 9 a.m. – noon. This class is for children who will be 3 by September 1.

All students must be pottie trained.

For information call the church office at 801.544.5770 and ask for Mrs. Hering. Or you can email her from this site.

Historical Images of Evangelical Lutheran Worship

Norm Fisher — Fri, 20 May 2011 00:03:07 +0000

I think you will really enjoy the German book “Historical Images of Evangelical Lutheran Worship” found at this link.

Or, try it at this link.

It takes a while to download, but it is well worth the wait. The artwork is truly breathtaking as per below from the pastor from whom I received it. It makes you think that perhaps they knew and believed something about the Gottesdienst, i.e. Divine (Worship) Service of the historic liturgy, that has been largely lost in this day of contemporary Christiainity even in our Missouri Synod.

I pray that we can recover this reverence and awe for the true bodily presence of our Lord according to His good and gracious promise in the Word and Sacrament of His Church.

Thanks to the Rev. David Jay Webber, Pastor at Redeemer Lutheran Church, Scottsdale, AZ for passing along this wonderful resource. Here are his comments about the document.

” I previously knew of this (German) book, and also knew that a PDF version of it was in existence. But I just found the whole PDF version online, as a free download. I have looked through it, and now can barely catch my breath.

To avoid too much shock to our post-Enlightenment religious constitutions, it would probably be best for us to view this book and its 16th- and 17th-century works of art while recordings of sacred choral music by Schuetz or Praetorius are playing in the background.”

The Passion and Confession of Church Music

pastorhering — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 00:52:25 +0000

Martin Luther considered music to be second only to God’s Word amongst the treasures in the world. He writes: “Beautiful music is the art of the prophets that can calm the agitations of the soul; it is one of the most magnificent and delightful presents God has given us.”

Now in my thirteenth year as pastor of God’s people at Trinity Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod in Layton, Utah (http://www.trinitylayton.org/), it has been my experience here and observation of fellow Lutheran pastors hither and yon that there is no issue that is as near and dear to the people–or as troublesome to the relationship between under-shepherd and flock–as that of church music and hymnody.

It all boils down to whether the music of our liturgy and hymnody is going to flow from the passion that sings about our faith based upon feeling of our hearts, or from our confession that sings The Faith once delivered to us by the Holy Spirit through the prophets and apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ.

As sinners, both the layman and the pastor are pietists and enthusiasts at heart. That is, our deepest desire is to express for ourselves, show each other, and prove to God how much we love Him. In the case of the pastor that desire is complicated and magnified by the desire to please our people and be admired by them—not to mention the fear of rejection and the possibility of losing members and even the salary by which we are supplied our daily bread and support our families.
So the worshipper’s inclination is to desire and demand music that gives us the opportunity to do the former.

But recalling Luther’s regard for the Word of God as the highest treasure, which itself proclaims “faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ [Romans 10:17],” as much as Luther himself loved music, I am certain he would be adamant that the music of our liturgy and hymnody must always be in harmony with and take second seat to the right proclamation of the Word no matter if even an angel from heaven were to demand otherwise or take offense. As Luther has also written, “Accursed be the love and harmony for the preservation of which men endanger the Word of God.”

Lest you think I am merely being contrarian and picking at nits in this matter of church music, you will have to argue with C.F.W. Walther on this one as well.

When another Lutheran pastor asked him whether it was advisable to introduce the singing of Methodist songs in a Lutheran Sunday School, this founding father and first President of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod replied in part:
No, this is not advisable, rather very incorrect and pernicious.
1. Our church is so rich in hymns that you could justifiably state that if one were to introduce Methodist hymns in a Lutheran school this would be like carrying coals to Newcastle. The singing of such hymns would make the rich Lutheran Church into a beggar which is forced to beg from a miserable sect. . . .
2. A preacher of our church also has the holy duty to give souls entrusted to his care pure spiritual food, indeed, the very best which he can possibly obtain. . . . If the preacher claims, that he allows only “correct” hymns to be sung, this does not excuse him. For, first of all, the true Lutheran spirit is found in none of them; second, our hymns are more powerful, more substantive, and more prosaic; third, those hymns which deal with the Holy Sacraments are completely in error; fourth, when these little sectarian hymnbooks come into the hands of our children, they openly read and sing false hymns. . . . . *

If he wrote this about what was being sung by Sunday School children from the Methodist hymnody of a century and a half ago, in which we find such favorites as “Rock of Ages” and “Nearer, My God, to Thee,” what would he have to say about including a song written by Twila Paris in our Lutheran Service Book, employing the monastic music of Taizé, or using the latest pop Christian hits in the Divine Service?

Perhaps this little illustration will help you understand what could be so troublesome and injurious about our use of the hymnic and liturgical music of other Christian church bodies.

About a month ago, we were having a new used organ installed here at Trinity. We have a little storefront church in a strip mall next to the Gold’s Gym in Layton, UT, with the usual double glass door entrance. While the man was busy installing and testing the instrument I walked out of my office and noticed a sparrow perched on the sidewalk about three feet away from the door. He couldn’t have been more than three inches tall. Since his tiny little body was facing east, he had his head cocked so he could look into the building. I stood right there at the door for a couple of minutes staring at him. He didn’t seem aware of, let alone threatened by my presence.

At first I thought he might be injured, or too cold to fly, or some such. So I opened the door and stepped out and he still didn’t flinch or even blink. I stepped within an inch of his little beak before he actually moved and flew up to the rafters above.

My conclusion? I am virtually certain the poor little birdie was captivated by the musical notes he was hearing as the installer tested the high notes to the point of being hypnotized.

I think there is a lesson for us in this about church music. Just like the little sparrow, music is a powerful force for us as Luther has noted (inadvertent pun) in the positive sense. But if we are so hypnotized by the music that we become blissfully unaware of the text (i.e. message) or context (i.e. schismatic origin) of the music, our faith can become as vulnerable as the little birdie I could easily have booted into oblivion as it was transfixed before me that cold, winter day.

Perhaps, Luther and Walther perceived the possibility and probability of just such a vulnerability and risk to the unsuspecting flocks of God’s people when they insisted that our confession of God’s Word remain pure and unadulterated even and especially when it is accompanied by the power of music.

Lord give us faithful pastors and laymen to uphold them in resisting the passion of our sinful hearts and maintaining the right confession of The Faith in the liturgy and hymnody of our Church Music in the LC-MS.

* Walther’s letter of response can be found in it’s entirety at http://www.angelfire.com/ny4/djw/lutherantheology.walthermethodist.html

A Complimentary Lesson from AVG

pastorhering — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 21:29:19 +0000

“complimentary”: 2. given free as a courtesy or favor [Mirriam-Webster's complimentary online dictionary]

Given the Lutheran appreciation of (if not obsession with) things that are free, and the fact that most of my internet friends and readers are Lutheran, I suspect that I am not alone in having suffered a computer meltdown due to a well-meaning, yet aberrant and incapacitating AVG update last night.

This debacle goes to show you that just because something is free does not mean it is ultimately beneficial or without cost to somebody.

In my case, the only cost to me was some recreational, read “Bejeweled Blitz,” computer time last night and an hour’s trip to Prime Systems computer shop this morning. However the cost to the proprietors of Prime Systems, and thousands of reputable computer shops like them, is great in that they are cleaning up the mess AVG created for their customers on their dime—not to mention the lost income and additional labor costs for countless other proprietors who do their own tech support and rely on AVG to keep their computers open for business. Kudos to Prime Systems and their ilk!

That nothing–and I do mean nothing–is actually free or ultimately without cost in this world is even and most especially true when it comes to our salvation in Christ. Though priceless and not available for our purchase, our salvation came at a cost. Truth be told it came at the greatest of costs—the holy, precious blood, and the innocent suffering and death of the only begotten Son of God, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Thanks be to God, He does not pass that cost to us, but graciously offers it to us through the work of the Holy Spirit in His holy Christian church by the preaching of the Gospel along with the waters of Baptism, the proclamation of Absolution, and the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ in Holy Communion. In this way we receive the complimentary service of our Lord that not only cleans up the mess we sinners have made of our lives, but gives us eternal life with Him in the kingdom of heaven.

Your servant of the Word,
Pastor Hering

Rocky Mountain District 2008 Worship Conference

pastorhering — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 20:29:04 +0000

In 2008 the Rocky Mountain District hosted a theological conference on Lutheran Worship. The conference included three presentations and a concluding panel discussion involving the three presenters.

It will take an investment of about 3 hours of your time, but I think it will be time well spent in helping us understand what we are dealing with in regard to issues of worship and the errors that have become entrenched in our synod in the area of worship.

The Rev. Dr. Timothy Maschke, Concordia University Wisconsin—“The Theology of Worship” [Time 43.09]
The Rev. Chris Esget, Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church of Alexandria, VA—“Traditional Lutheran Worship” [Time 50.52]
Mr. John Jordening, Concordia University Irvine—“Contemporary Lutheran Worship” [Time 49.38]
Panel Discussion on Worship [Time 33.31]

Lord, bless our worship life and fellowship in Christ.

In der Liebe Christi,
Rev. Kurt Hering, Pastor
Trinity Lutheran Church
Layton, Utah

All Saints Day Sermon

Norm Fisher — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 10:13:28 +0000

Testing Audio Sermons:

Click here to open WMP, or right-click to save file

Lutheran Reformation at Trinity Lutheran Church

pastorhering — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 21:46:32 +0000

October 22, 2009

Dear People of Trinity & Friends,

The Lutheran Reformation marks a renewal in the Church of emphasis on God’s Word and Sacraments as means of grace by which the Holy Spirit forgive our sins, creates and sustains faith in Christ, and gives us eternal life with God the Father now and forever.

All Saints’ Day in the Lutheran Church is not only a commemoration and celebration of the lives of those officially bearing the title and who have died in the faith. It is a feast celebrating the sainthood of every baptized believer in Christ and member of His holy Christian Church past. Present, and future.

In this year of our Lord, 2009, Reformation Sunday, October 25, and All Saints’ Day, November 1 mark significant events in the life of Trinity Lutheran Church of Layton, Utah in addition to their designation as feast days in the life of all Lutheran Christians. How appropriate it is that Trinity Lutheran Church of Layton, Utah would be reforming, in a sense, as an assembly of saints at a new location in this eventful time of the church calendar.

This coming Sunday, October 25, in addition to celebrating the Reformation, the people of Trinity will be holding their final worship service at the property on Golden Avenue. And a week later on All Saints’ Day, Sunday, November 1 they will hold the first Divine Service in the new sanctuary at their new location on Fort Lane Boulevard.

Missouri Synod Lutherans first gathered for worship in Layton at the City Hall, and a little later at Community Hall in what is now Layton Commons Park, back in 1945 because of the difficulty gas rationing posed to travel to the nearest established congregation-St. Paul, Ogden. From this humble beginning, Trinity Lutheran Church was incorporated on All Saints Day, 1948 under the pastoral leadership of Rev. Harold Brauer with charter members Arthur Krueger, Victor and Lillian Frank, Conrad and Clara Loe, William and Nellie Loe, Walter Sommer, Dale and Arlene Phililips, and Fritz and Ellen Aarfor.

The people of Trinity purchased land on Golden Ave., across the street from the current location, in 1954 and dedicated a converted army barracks as its original worship facility in March of 1955. The members of Trinity completed construction of the current building at 385 W. Golden Ave. and began worship there in November of 1964.

As the families and membership of Trinity grew through the 1970s and 80s, the congregation found themselves in need of more space. They expanded the facilities in 1971 to meet their worship, and business and social meeting needs . Then in 1988 added an education wing to accommodate a growing Sunday School and desire to open a Lutheran elementary school.

Trinity Lutheran Preschool opened for students of the congregation and local community in the fall of 1980, and added Kindergarten classes in 1993.

Today, the people of Trinity Lutheran Church find themselves in a struggle to maintain their distinctive, Lutheran, Law and Gospel teaching and practice of the Christian faith. In a world of uncertainty and ambiguity, Trinity Lutheran Church exists to bring the Good News of salvation and eternal life through the suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension of the Son of God, Jesus Christ. In our current climate of financial distress and spiritual potpourri this collection of forgiven sinners and baptized saints of God called Trinity has found it necessary to sell the property of their beloved church home in order to continue its ministry to the congregation and it surrounding communities.

Please remember us in your prayers and consider joining us on this Sunday for our Reformation worship service and disposition of the Golden Avenue property, and Sunday, November 1, for our All Saints Day worship service marking the opening of Trinity Lutheran Church’s new worship and education facility.

Trinity Lutheran Church will continue to celebrate the Divine Service every Sunday morning at 10 a.m. with Bible study prior to the service at 9. Trinity Lutheran Preschool will continue to hold classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays for 3 year-olds and Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays for 4 year-olds from 9 a.m. to Noon. We still have openings in the 4 year-old class and would like to open a Kindergarten class in the fall of 2010. Please call 801.544.5770 and ask for Pastor Hering regarding church information, or Mrs. Hering regarding preschool and kindergarten information.

By the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit, we pray this move from 385 West Golden Avenue to 74 North Fort Lane in Layton will provide a sanctuary for the gathering of God’s beloved people around the Word and Sacraments of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, for years and generations to come.

Your ever appreciative servant of the Word,
Pastor Hering