Pastor David Nehrenz
tlcnormanpastor@gmail.com
FROM THE PASTOR’S DESK
Dear Fellow Redeemed,
Greetings in our Lord Jesus Christ during this Pentecost season.
The month of July is always a good time to remind ourselves of God’s institution of both the Church and the State. I share this every year with you during this month:
The State: Independence Day is July 4th, and then later came the founding of our constitutional, democratic, federal republic – the United States of America. It was and is a great blessing for temporal life and grants us our civic freedoms.
God established the State as His “minister (servant)” as it says in Romans 13:1-7 ”The authorities that exist have been established by God…do what is right and he will commend you…he is God’s servant to do you good…he does not bear the sword for nothing…he is God’s servant (minister), an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer…the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing.”
(The State is called “The Kingdom of the God’s Left Hand”- it has the office of the sword and rules by civil government)
The Church: Established by the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, it continues today in Word and Sacrament – the holy, universal, apostolic Church – and gives great blessings of eternal life and spiritual freedom.
God established the Church as His “minister” as it says in 2 Corinthians 4:1 “Since through God’s mercy we have this ministry…we do not preach ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord….” and in 5:18 “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not counting men’s trespasses against them.” Also in 1 Corinthians 4:1 “Men ought to regard us as ministers/servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things (sacraments/mysteries) of God”
(The Church is called “The Kingdom of God’s Right Hand” – it has the office of the keys and rules by Word and Sacrament)
During this month, as we take time to recreate, we commit ourselves anew to the unique work of Christ’s great commission – bringing the Gospel to the nations and the nations to the church. Though we thank the Lord for the blessings we have in this country, we know that the Gospel is meant to be proclaimed to all nations. As we travel around the country during our summer vacations, we all marvel at the beauty of this land and nation. We can live free lives and faithfully proclaim the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ – from sea to shining sea.
I was re-elected as District President of the Oklahoma District LCMS on June 13. I remain as your pastor here at Trinity, in addition to being the District President. All the district officers and staff, including me, are volunteers. There is no salary for these positions. Thus, we all serve our own parishes and the district. Our church will continue to be the district office. All costs involved with our facility and needs will be paid for by the district. May the Lord direct our paths to faithfully serve him in our congregation and district!
In Jesus
Pastor Nehrenz
Vicar Tanner Sawall
tlcnormanvicar@gmail.com
FROM THE VICAR
In Proverbs 23:4, Solomon offers a stern and timely warning: “Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist.” This may appear to discourage diligence or industry but it strikes at a deeper spiritual danger: the idolatry of wealth and the false security it promises.
We confess, as the First Commandment teaches, that we are to “fear, love, and trust in God above all things.” When we pursue wealth with tireless devotion, we risk shifting our trust away from God and toward mammon. The love of money, as St. Paul later warns, is “a root of all kinds of evils” (1 Timothy 6:10). Proverbs 23:4 echoes this truth by exhorting believers to discern the spiritual cost of their pursuits.
And this is not merely applicable only to money, but also to possessions in general. Elsewhere, Scripture states that “Sweet is the sleep of a laborer, whether he eats little or much, but the full stomach of the rich will not let him sleep.” (Ecclesiastes 5:12) The more material one possesses, the more one is possessed by material. But it is not the fault of the material, as if the material is somehow sinful or wrong to have, but the sinful flesh’s reaction to having abundance in material, as it does with wealth. Again, the issue is ultimately idolatry – the service, trust, and love in something else other than the Almighty.
Martin Luther, in his Large Catechism, taught that whatever we trust in and rely upon becomes our god. Thus, the ceaseless striving after riches and stuff is not merely a matter of misplaced priorities but a theological crisis. Wealth itself is not condemned in Scripture, nor is honest labor. Indeed, we are called to work diligently in our vocations as service to our neighbor (Ephesians 4:28). But when wealth becomes the end rather than the means, when it becomes the object of our toiling rather than a fruit of faithful labor, it supplants God in our hearts.
Lutheran theology emphasizes vocation — the idea that God places us in stations of life where we serve others. Our daily labor is not for self-glorification or earthly security – as if earthly security was anything more but delusion – but for the benefit of neighbor and the glory of God. In this light, “toil” that is bent solely on acquiring wealth is not just spiritually unwise — it contradicts the very purpose of Christian vocation.
The discerning heart, mentioned in Proverbs 23:4, is one formed by the Word of God and led by the Holy Spirit. It is the heart that knows when to desist—not because labor is wrong, but because endless striving reveals a deeper restlessness, a lack of trust in God’s provision. The Christian is called to rest in Christ, who provides not only daily bread but eternal life. In Him, we are free from the slavery of anxious toil.
So, let us work diligently—but let our hearts rest in Christ Jesus alone.
In Christ,
Vicar Sawall
