Welcome College Students

The OU Lutheran Student Fellowship would like to thank you for stopping by. We meet and have Bible study every Tuesday night at 7:30 pm, with a free meal every first Tuesday of the month at 6:30 pm. We meet at the Vicar's house located at 716 Stinson Street. We enjoy fellowship with each other while studying God's Word and singing hymns! If you have questions or would like to know more, please feel free to email the president of LSF at cbuie63@ou.edu.
Lutheran Student Fellowship is a campus ministry of Trinity Lutheran Church (LCMS) in Norman, Oklahoma. The church is located at the intersection of Classen Blvd. & Alameda with Divine Service at 8:00 and 10:30am, with Bible Study at 9:15 am on Sundays. We welcome and encourage you to join us in worship on Sunday mornings, especially if you are unable to attend the Tuesday night meetings.

A Message From Our Vicar at Trinity
from Vicar Jacob W. Gaugert

All Things New

"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” 5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” -Revelation 21:1-5a

I don’t know about you, but at times when things have become rough in my life I have wondered why Jesus just doesn’t come back to release us from the difficulties and frustrations of this world and “make all things new,” as he promises in the above text.  It seems that today in our community we hear more every day about negative, worrisome things: war, financial failure, broken families, and deaths – just to name a few.  Naturally, we ought to be concerned with secure employment, retirement funds, and what the future holds for the coming generation, but as Christians we need to see these issues in a biblical perspective.  We know that what we experience in this life will “pass away” and be made “new.”  No longer will we have a deceptive sense of being abandoned by God, but God will make his “dwelling place” with man and will be with us.  “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

On November 23rd our congregation, along with all other traditional churches that follow the lectionary, will celebrate the Sunday of the Fulfillment, also known as the Last Sunday in the church year.   On this Sunday we celebrate the coming of our Lord in judgment.  But he comes not as a judge to condemn, or to pass on sentence, but he comes as our Redeemer and Advocate.  He comes not to punish and send us out of his presence to death, but he comes to dwell among us and bless us with life, “and death shall be no more.”
 
The reality of the Lord’s saving presence and his final judgment is something that we would do well to consider more often – especially now in these trying times.  A stunning stock portfolio or insured bank accounts are a reasonable thing to have for retirement, but you will not be able to take these funds with you when the Lord calls you home.  A secure job with good benefits is important for keeping you and your family healthy in this life, but they are not the means by which the Holy Spirit calls and sustains little ones in faith.  When things go badly – as they seem to be going now- we are given a reality check on really how “secure” all things temporal are. 
 
What is secure, what is not temporal, is the Lord’s promise of salvation to us.  Perhaps retirement will come a few years later then we had originally planned.  Perhaps, already in retirement, we may have to “skimp” even more to make ends meet.  Maybe there won’t be as many Christmas presents under the tree this year and maybe we won’t be going on that vacation that we had planned.  Most assuredly, however, we know that Christ’s love and mercy for us does not wane or waver.  Christ still calls us to Him, to receive and enjoy His love and forgiveness - in fullness. 
 
Do not allow the trials and worries of this world to distract you from the ONE thing which you do not need to worry about, God’s love for you.  “These words are trustworthy and true.” He is already making all things new here at Trinity Lutheran Church, among your brothers and sisters in Christ, who suffer under similar – if not the same – troubles that plague you.  He makes all things new in His word, in the preaching of the gospel and in His sacraments, whereby He makes His dwelling among us and we are made His people.  He makes us new and will separate us from the trials and worries of the old.  The last words in the Bible at the end of Revelation speak comfort to us in the church today. “He who testifies to these things says ‘Surely, I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.  The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all.  Amen.” 

In Christ, Vicar