What We Believe | Peace Lutheran ELCA

Our Beliefs

The Basics

Our Welcome

In response to God’s unconditional love for all people, we at Peace Lutheran Church affirm that every person is a child of God. All believers and seekers regardless of your age, ethnicity, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, relationship status, abilities or economic circumstance are a part of the body of Christ. We recognize that there are differences among us and believe that we can love alike even though we may not always think alike. We invite you to join us in our faith journey toward greater love and understanding.

Peace Lutheran Church is part of the Metropolitan Washington, D.C. Synod of The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. We believe in the Triune God—Father, Son, Holy Spirit—mysteriously three in one. God created and loves all creation. We believe that God’s Son, Jesus Christ, transforms lives through his death on the cross and his new life through resurrection, and we trust that God’s Spirit is active in our lives and in this world.

Jesus Christ is the Word of God incarnate, through whom everything was made and through whose life, death and resurrection God fashions a new creation. We teach that all people are sinners. A person is saved by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ. We live in the true freedom of Christian love and responsibility.

We believe that the canonical Scriptures of the First (Old) & Second (New) Testaments are the written Word of God. Inspired by God’s Spirit speaking through their authors, they record and announce God’s revelation, centering in Jesus Christ. Through them, God’s Spirit speaks to us to create and sustain Christian faith and fellowship for service in the world. The Holy Scriptures are the inspired Word of God and the source and norm for proclamation, faith and life.

We were not created to live our lives alone, but to form meaningful relationships in community with others. Faith doesn't happen overnight. The Holy Spirit plants and waters the seed of faith deep inside us, allowing God to build faith within us. The Church doesn't exist for its members. Instead, the Body of Christ exists to extend beyond our own walls, seeking and finding individuals who are lost and in need of support, care, and nurturing as a community. At Peace Lutheran, we are all about bringing people together to experience Jesus Christ and his liberating message. You have a place here at Peace Lutheran Church!

The Sacraments

We are nourished in our faith through the sacraments of baptism and communion. Jesus Christ, the living Word of God, by the power of the Spirit, comes to us through the reading of the Scriptures, the proclamation of preaching, the announcement of the forgiveness of sins, through Holy Communion, and in the gathered community. By the power of the Spirit active in Holy Baptism, this Word—Jesus Christ—washes people to be Christ’s own Body in the world.

THE MEANS OF GRACE

Baptism is the means of grace by which God names and claims us as their very own. Through baptism, we become children of God and are given the promise of the Holy Spirit. Through the water and the Word, God liberates us from sin and death by joining us to the death and resurrection of Jesus. We are born fallen creatures, in bondage to sin, yet through baptism we are reborn children of God and inheritors of eternal life.

Communion is the means of grace by which God forgives, restores, welcomes and builds community. More than merely a symbol, we believe that Christ is mysteriously present in, with, and under the bread and wine. At Peace Lutheran, we welcome all baptized Christians who believe that Jesus’ body is broken for you and that His blood is shed for you. Welcome to God's table!

As with many Lutheran churches, Peace Lutheran Church is liturgical, meaning that we have a set sequence for worship that includes hymns, scripture readings, prescribed prayers, and other rituals. With the liturgical seasons—Advent, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost, for example—which help direct the church year and concentrate on various facets of religion and the life of Jesus Christ, worship takes on new shapes.

A key component of our worship is the Eucharist, sometimes referred to as Holy Communion or the Lord's Supper, when the congregation shares consecrated bread and wine in remembrance of Jesus' Last Supper with his followers.

A liturgical calendar and lectionary are common tools used in liturgical churches; they offer a plan of Bible readings for every Sunday and holy day of the year. Over time, these readings guarantee deep interaction with scripture and assist to define the themes and messages of worship services.

Participation in liturgical worship comprises prayers said aloud by the congregation, symbolic acts carried out by both clergy and worshippers. The liturgy expresses the ideas and ideals of the faith community while also establishing a sense of continuity with the past, therefore tying people into the larger Christian heritage.