Beliefs

With the universal Christian Church, The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod teaches and responds to the love of the Triune God: the Father, creator of all that exists; Jesus Christ, the Son, who became human to suffer and die for the sins of all human beings and to rise to life again in the ultimate victory over death and Satan; and the Holy Spirit, who creates faith through God's Word and Sacraments. The three persons of the Trinity are coequal and coeternal, one God. Being "Lutheran," our congregations accept and teach Bible-based teachings of Martin Luther that inspired the reformation of the Christian Church in the 16th century. The teaching of Luther and the reformers can be summarized in three short phrases: Grace alone, Scripture alone, Faith alone.

Grace alone

God loves the people of the world, even though they are sinful, rebel against Him and do not deserve His love. He sent Jesus, His Son, to love the unlovable and save the ungodly.

Scripture alone

The Bible is God's inerrant and infallible Word, in which He reveals His Law and His Gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ. It is the sole rule and norm for Christian doctrine.

Faith alone

By His suffering and death as the substitute for all people of all time, Jesus purchased and won forgiveness and eternal life for them. Those who hear this Good News and believe it have the eternal life that it offers. God creates faith in Christ and gives people forgiveness through Him.

The word "Synod" in The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod comes from the Greek words that mean "walking together." It has rich meaning in our church body, because the congregations voluntarily choose to belong to the Synod. Diverse in their service, these congregations hold to a shared confession of Jesus Christ as taught in Holy Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions.

The congregations of the Synod are "confessional." They hold to the Lutheran Confessions as the correct interpretation and presentation of Biblical doctrine. Contained in The Book of Concord: The Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, these statements of belief were put into writing by church leaders during the 16th century.

Worship

About Lutheran Worship

Our Lord speaks and we listen. His Word bestows what it says. Faith that is born from what is heard acknowledges the gifts received with eager thankfulness and praise. Music is drawn into this thankfulness and praise, enlarging and elevating the adoration of our gracious giver God.

Saying back to Him what He has said to us, we repeat what is most true and sure. Most true and sure in His name, which He put upon us with the water of Baptism. We are his. This we acknowledge at the beginning of the Divine Service. Where His name is, there is He. Before Him we acknowledge that we are sinners, and we pleas for forgiveness. His forgiveness is given us, and we, freed and forgiven, acclaim Him as our great and gracious God as we apply to ourselves the words He has used to make Himself known to us.

The rhythm of our worship is from Him to us, and then from us back to Him. He gives His gifts, and together we receive and extol them. We build one another us as we speak to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Our Lord gives us His body to eat and His blood to drink. Finally His blessing moves us out into our calling, where His gifts have their fruition. How best to do this we may learn from His Word and from the way His Word has prompted His worship through the centuries. We are heirs of an astonishingly rich tradition. Each generation receives from those who went before, and, in making that tradition of the Divine Service its own, adds what best may serve in its own day - the living heritage and something new.

Zion Lutheran practices liturgical worship, employing the traditions of the ages, and enriching it with the best of the music of today.

Music

What is the style of music at Zion? It is sacred.

In any given service, you might hear music that was written hundreds of years ago and then something that was written just months ago. Some will be based on Gregorian chant; other on Ethiopian tunes and rhythms. The Lutheran Chorale played a large role in shaping Lutheran hymnody through the years, yet the church has added to it the sacred songs of each age.

Sacred music by definition won't sound or feel like what may be playing on your radio all week long. For something to be "sacred," it means it is "set apart for the glory of God." Just as the sights of a church are by design different than that of, say, a theater, so are the sounds one hears, the feel, taste, and smells one experiences in church. Together, they proclaim, "This place is special. This place is different. This is where we commune with God."

The early church developed its music from the psalmody of the synagog, to which it added the strophic hymns of Greek and Roman converts. When the liturgy became the sole property of the clergy, there arose a need for hymns in the language of the people. Thus there came into being the great body of Latin hymns. In time these again became the property of the clergy and hierarchy. The Lutheran reformation once more restored the church's song to the people in their native tongue. From then on the Lutheran Church became known as the "singing church." The hymns used at Zion today draw on the vast treasury of Christian hymnody old and new, with words that speak God's law and Gospel and express our faith's response and with music that nourishes both memory and heart.

(Most music in our Divine Services is led by a newly rebuilt and expanded Wicks pipe organ. Dr. John Behnke will be dedicating this instrument November 10 at 3:00 PM. All are invited to hear and to sing in this lively recital and hymn festival.)

History

Zion was founded in 1886 by a group of Lutheran immigrants. From 1900 to 1924 Zion operated a parochial school, until lack of a teacher forced its closure. In 1964, the present sanctuary was built, replacing a structure built in 1887, the basement of which is still in use as a garage and can be seen at the intersection of 144th and Ida. In order to operate a preschool and eventually a parochial school again, Zion embarked on a building project in 1999, finishing in August, 2002.

Through most of her years, Zion has operated as a rural parish, but the fields around her that once grew corn and soybeans now sprout homes, businesses, and other development. The faces in the pews are also changing as more and more people, of all ages and from all walks of life, join the historic church with a view for eternity.

Schools

Wider Omaha Lutheran School Association (WOLSA)

Zion participates with 14 other congregations in operating two Elementary and one Junior/Senior High School in Omaha. The Elementary schools are Abundant Life at 90th and Q Streets, and Bread of Life at 90th and Blondo. Concordia Junior/Senior High School is located at 156th and Fort, just one mile south and one mile west of Zion. Zion supports the schools and her members that enroll their children in these schools. For more information about the WOLSA Schools, please call 445-4000.