“As members of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, we believe and confess that we receive forgiveness by God’s grace alone and it is ours through faith alone in the sacrificial work of Jesus Christ alone,” Langness went on to say. “In the Lord’s Prayer, we pray, ‘And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.’ This reminds us that the forgiveness that we give to others should reflect the same forgiveness that Jesus’ death and resurrection gives to the whole world.”
“Therefore, we must always forgive,” Langness said. “To hate our neighbor is to hate Jesus. May the God of all creation keep us ever faithful in loving all, even those who would choose to be our enemy.”
The vandalism is under investigation.
ChurchLeaders reached out to Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church for comment and Rev. Langness forwarded his public statement, which can also be found on Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church’s Facebook page and is reflected above. This article has been updated.
