Concordia

September 28, 2021

Dear Friends,

Think a moment about the name of our church. Names often become so familiar that we lose their meaning. Concordia is a Latin word that means something like one-heartedness. It’s a word for unity and harmony. It’s the word that was used to describe the relationship of the Christians who confessed the truth in the years following the Reformation. They called their confession Concordia. Using similar language, Paul urged the Philippians to be “of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind” (Phil. 2:2).

The key to Paul’s admonition and what lies at the heart of the Reformer’s confession is the source of our Concordia. It does not come from shared interests or ethnicity or class. It does not come from having a common enemy. It isn’t even a voluntary Concordia. Rather, it’s a unity and harmony that we have through Jesus. He has called us to Concordia. That is, we are one-hearted because we share the heart of Jesus. We can be of one mind because we have the mind of Christ. We can be united and in harmony because our foundation is in Christ alone.

I wish we had record of the conversations that happened surrounding the naming of our church. It would be interesting to know what was on the minds of those folks. They could have named it St. Paul or St. John or Fairhaven Lutheran or Our Redeemer. They chose Concordia. And it’s a good name. It’s a good reminder of what it means to be a church. It’s not just a reminder that we should find our oneness in Jesus. It’s also a reminder that, in Jesus, we have the promise of oneness. He’s the one who has made us one body, shared his one Spirit, called us to one hope, reigned over us as one Lord, given us one faith and one baptism. It’s in him that we trust, and it’s in him that we have Concordia.

God bless and keep you,

Pr. Buchs

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