PASTOR'S MESSAGE Welcome to the website of Trinity Lutheran Church, Dayton, Ohio. Please explore our site. We hope it gives you a little picture of what our congregation is like, and what we understand its purpose to be. Then, come and worship with us! Our intent is to offer opportunities for worship, for you to find friends, to be touched by the Holy Spirit, to find meaning and purpose in your life, and to find a centering place that offers opportunities and help in serving God.

We read in the scriptures that:
God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. So we are ambassadors for Christ, God is making his appeal through us. (2 Corinthians 5:19 -20)

We believe this message from God is for us as well as for those early Christians. We hope to be ambassadors worthy of our calling, and we hope that if you are looking for a church home, or simply a place to worship, you would consider joining us in, what we believe to be, this great, divine endeavor.

Nugget from Pr. Doug's Sermons

Season of Pentecost

Luke 14: 1, 7-14

Two men died and went to heaven. St. Peter told them that only one could enter - the one that was most humble. The first man piped up, "That's me!" St. Peter admitted the second man. To the crestfallen first St. Peter said, "Cheer up, man. The Lord is hospitable and will give you a second chance." Relieved the first man replied, "So, there really is a purgatory!" "No." said St Peter, "The Lord is sending you back to earth where you will teach humility."

Humility is a major theme of this Gospel passage. Jesus hinted at heaven itself when he told a parable about guests at a wedding banquet. In this parable guests at parties took pride in sitting next to the host, the place of honor. Jesus warned his listeners not to take the honored place because someone more distinguished might arrive, and in shame, they would be forced to move to a lower position. Jesus instructed his listeners to sit in the lowest place so that when the host invites them to "come up higher," they would be honored in the presence of all."For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted."

Humility is not "on the front burner" in our culture today. To be sure we must beware of false humility in those putting themselves down in order to seek affirmation or compliments; but our society teaches us to excel, to perform, to display talents that others admire. Especially in sports and in business we are encouraged to value people according to their performance in a very competitive environment. The life of Jesus shows us the very heart of God who values people differently than we do. Jesus is showing us "Kingdom Values," and this parable warns us against the superficial values the world today often places on people in our society apart from their personhood as creatures of God. Jesus instructed his listeners again when he told the host to "invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind to a banquet "and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you." This parable suggests that the lowly might even be guests of honor and it places great value on the hospitality of the host. We have fallen so far from how Jesus would have us see God's creative intent!

The lack of Kingdom Values even infects the Church. For instance, some churches might be considered more "successful" than others because of size and wealth. But how can a congregation in which Christ Himself is present (in the preaching of the gospel and the administration of the sacraments) - no matter how small or poor -be "unsuccessful"?

At the future heavenly wedding banquet, we will experience God face to face. In the meantime, God has a place and a mission for us, here. Luther teaches us in the Small Catechism that the Kingdom comes to us without our prayer, but we pray in the Lord's Prayer that it would also come to us! Today we have a lesson on the values of the Kingdom of God, and Jesus is teaching us that these values show how God is in the incarnation, death, and resurrection. If that is how God is, we should be also. This is our place and our mission.