Pastor David Nehrenz
tlcnormanpastor@gmail.com
FROM THE PASTOR’S DESK
Dear Saints in Christ,
This month, on June 15, we celebrate an important festival in the Christian Church –The Holy Trinity.
The revelation of the Holy Trinity is found throughout the Bible and very clearly in (Matthew 28:18-20) “And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
In the Athanasian Creed, confessed once a year on Trinity Sunday, we say,
“Whoever desires to be saved must, above all, hold the catholic (universal Christian) faith. Whoever does not keep it whole and undefiled will without doubt perish eternally. And the catholic (universal Christian) faith is this, That we worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in Unity, neither confusing the persons nor dividing the substance.”
“For the Father is one person, the Son is another, and the Holy Spirit is another. But the Godhead of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit is one: the glory equal, the majesty coeternal. Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Spirit: The Father uncreated, the Son uncreated, the Holy Spirit uncreated; The Father infinite, the Son infinite, the Holy Spirit infinite; The Father eternal, the Son eternal, the Holy Spirit eternal. And yet there are not three Eternals, but one Eternal, Just as there are not three Uncreated or three Infinites, but one Uncreated and one Infinite.”
“But it is also necessary for everlasting salvation that one faithfully believe the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, it is the right faith that we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is at the same time both God and man. He is God, begotten from the substance of the Father before all ages; And He is man, born from the substance of His mother in this age: Perfect God and perfect man, composed of a rational soul and human flesh; equal to the Father with respect to His divinity, less than the Father with respect to His humanity.
“Although He is God and man, He is not two, but one Christ: One, however, not by the conversion of the divinity into flesh, but by the assumption of the humanity into God; one altogether, not by confusion of substance, but by unity of person. For as the rational soul and flesh is one man, so God and man is one Christ, Who suffered for our salvation, descended into hell, rose again the third day from the dead, Ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father, God Almighty, from whence He will come to judge the living and the dead.”
Our faith is centered on and grounded in the Holy Trinity – The Father who created us, the Son who redeemed us and the Spirit who sanctifies us. We were created in the image of God. We had lost that true image through the fall of man into sin. We are re-created in holy baptism to be restored to that image again. In heaven we will see God in all his splendor, beauty and holiness. What a day that will be!
See you at church in the Divine Services this month as we rejoice, praise and exult our glorious Lord!
In Jesus,
Pastor Nehrenz
Church Year Dates for this month
Pentecost Sunday – June 8
The gift of the Holy Spirit is poured out upon the church, so that the Tower of Babel is reversed, and the one language of the Gospel goes forth into all the nations.
BARNABAS – June 11
A hard-working missionary who aided the apostles. (Acts 11:19-30; 13:1-3)
Holy Trinity Sunday – June 15
In the Athanasian Creed, we boldly confess the holy mystery of the Trinity. There is one God in three Persons – The Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
FATHER’S DAY is also on Sunday June 15, as we thank God for men who have faithfully served as Christian fathers and as heads of their families in the service of our Lord Jesus!
THE NATIVITY OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST – June 24.
The birth of the great Forerunner of Christ. (Luke 1:57-80)
PETER AND ST. PAUL, APOSTLES – June 29
Two bold Apostles who were martyred for Jesus. (1 Cor. 3:16-23)
Vicar Tanner Sawall
tlcnormanvicar@gmail.com
FROM THE VICAR
Proverbs 12:15 – “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.”
At first glance, Proverbs 12:15 might seem like simple moral instruction: don’t be arrogant—listen to others. But when we approach this text through a Lutheran lens, we see that it speaks to much deeper realities—about sin, repentance, and the wisdom found in Christ alone.
“The way of a fool is right in his own eyes…” This is more than stubbornness. It is the natural state of the sinful heart. Ever since the Fall, human beings have been curved inward—incurvatus in se, as Luther described it. We trust ourselves rather than God. We justify our actions, we ignore correction, and we resist the Word that calls us to repentance.
God’s Law confronts this. Proverbs 12:15 exposes our foolishness. It shows us the mirror of our self-righteousness. Like Adam and Eve hiding in the garden, we want to believe we know best. But the Law reveals the truth: we often prefer our own way over God’s.
But thanks be to God, the story doesn’t end there.
“…but a wise man listens to advice.” This isn’t merely about being teachable in a general sense; it’s about recognizing that true wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord (Proverbs 9:10)—a humble reverence that leads us to Christ. Wisdom is not earned by effort or intellect. It is a gift, granted by the Holy Spirit through Word and Sacrament.
To “listen to advice” is ultimately to listen to the voice of the Good Shepherd. It is to hear the Gospel, which calls us away from self-justification and into the mercy of Christ. In Him, we find the wisdom of God—not a philosophy, but a crucified and risen Savior. As Paul says, “Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1:24).
This verse also has implications for vocation—the callings God gives us in daily life. Whether we are parents, students, workers, or neighbors, God places people around us who speak His wisdom into our lives. Listening to godly advice is not just a practical tip; it is a way we live out our faith in community, under the cross, shaped by grace.
And when we fail—as we all do—we return to the font, to the table, to the Word. There, God does what we cannot: He makes the foolish wise, the proud humble, and the sinner righteous in Christ.
In Christ,
Vicar Sawall
