Rejoice With Us, Brethren!

Last year, my wife and I had occasion to visit Orlando, Florida. We met wonderful Lutheran friends there. We had the double joy to visit Zion Lutheran Church in Winter Garden (in the suburbs). There we met the Rev. Robbie Rojas and his lovely family. We were able to receive the Sacrament from his hand in his celebration of the Mass, to hear him preach, and to attend his Bible class. It was such a joy! I wrote about it here.

At that time, Zion was worshiping in their now-former big-box warehouse-looking space with mustard-colored walls. It was a casualty of the old-and-busted boomer church-growth paradigm: build a nondescript generic space and use it as the nucleus of a preschool or day-school. And when the big bucks roll in, maybe build a sanctuary. But what happened in this case (and in other cases that I know of), the sanctuary got back-burnered, and Sunday Divine Service had to happen with chairs, plain walls, and a big “multi-use” space. But not to worry, because God wants you to come as you are anyway. Pews are for Catholics and stuffy blackshirt conservatives.

I know of one case where a member of such a church that was operating under such a paradigm gilded the lily by explaining that their Sunday services in the school gymnasium (since they ran out of money and never built a sanctuary) was a virtue signal of how important education was to the parish. Of course, when Moses went up on the mountain, and God gave him the tablets, He also gave Moses a lot more stuff to bring down (see Exodus chapters 21 and following), namely, plans for a “worship space” that was not a multipurpose room, a moneymaking scheme, a boomer church-growth big-box warehouse with modular chairs, nor a school (to show how important education is). No indeed. God gave Moses plans that were focused on the sanctuary, the holy Presence of God, with emphasis on beauty and glory: gold, silver, bronze, superlative craftsmanship, elaborate woven cloth, fine-twined linen, and yes, graven images - along with exquisite, holy vestments for the priests who were to minister in the Divine Presence.

God values worship over education. God values beauty over the ordinary (there is no “Come as you are” in God’s “preferred worship style”). God values holiness over commonness. God values art over miserly Puritanical plainness. God prefers vestments over hipster attire for Millennials, and gut-hiding untucked fat-shirts for boomers. God also values altars and incense and bells and pomegranates. Don’t ask me why God likes pomegranates. He just does. Maybe we should have pomegranates in our churches.

At any rate, in 2014, Zion called Father Roberto (his first call) , and he put an end to the happy-clappy nonsense. He abolished contemporary worship. He instituted every Sunday communion. He implemented closed communion. He and his congregation could honestly confess Article 24. As you can imagine, he took his share of slings and arrows from the “usual suspects.” Floridian Lutherans, desperate for liturgy, but stuck in a swampland of contemporary worship, began to come long distances, driving past several other LCMS churches, one after another, that were still stuck in the church-growth paradigm of Boomerville with non-liturgical worship. Zion began to grow - not because of gimmicks, but because of the Word, because of authentic, genuinely Lutheran real worship.

When I visited Zion last year, the plans for the new building were only a picture on an easel. But my wife and I vowed to come back for the dedication.

One year to the day of my previous post about Zion, it happened! I had the honor to be the crucifier and the lector in the service - which was a solemn and joyful Vespers.

I had never been to the dedication of a new church building. It was moving and glorious. It was an attack on Satan and his minions. People of all ages participated in the liturgy and hymns. Pastor Rojas blessed each piece of the liturgical furniture before their first use. The altar, font, pulpit, and lectern are made of cast stone. The altar was so heavy (multiple tons) that the equipment brought in to install it could not handle the load. These furnishings are not going to be moved willy-nilly by future pastors and members. There is a magnificent larger-than-life crucifix hanging from the ceiling. The acoustics are tremendous - assuring that the Word of God will resound throughout this Holy Place, into the ears and hearts of the faithful who will gather, God willing, for generations - not to be entertained, but to be fed with Christ Himself as He has chosen to come to us.

The pews and communion rail were delayed, but they are on the way (they may have been installed as of this writing). The steeple had just been raised the day before. And it is all paid for, mortgage free, by selling the old big box boomer building. Now they have a church sanctuary that looks like a church sanctuary.

Still to be installed (and paid for) is the last piece: a beautiful triptych of stained glass. Pastor Rojas has designed it himself. The design is breathtaking, and confesses Christ and His church. It will cost some $130,000 to complete it. I’m sure Zion Lutheran Church and Father Roberto would be grateful if anyone would like to take part in this historic endeavor to proclaim the rich Word of God in the wilderness that Florida is, for the most part, when it comes to confessional, liturgical Lutheran churches.

And maybe that wilderness is about to change.

Needless to say, if you visit the Orlando area, you must visit Zion Lutheran Church. You will be fed with the Word, you will be fortified with the Sacrament, you will praise the Most Holy Trinity in a space worthy of divine worship. You will be blessed by Jesus through a faithful pastor and a faithful Gottesdienst, through which the Holy Spirit is working. The people of Zion are faithful, to our Lord, and to their Lutheran identity and heritage.

I want to personally thank Pastor Rojas and the saints of Zion for their hospitality in including my family in this historic celebration, and for the time of fellowship afterwards. Perhaps the example that Zion has set will inspire a true revival of God-pleasing worship among our congregations and pastors - not just in Florida, but everywhere that our synod has a footprint.

Thanks be to God! Soli Deo gloria!