History and Virtual Tour of Our Sanctuary

Some History

Trinity's current sanctuary was built and consecrated in 1914 as Evangelisch Lutherische Dreieinigkeitskirche, German for "Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Trinity." The cornerstone at the southern corner of the steeple bears witness to this event and date.

This building, recently placed on the National Register of Historic Places, replaced the original wodden structure of 1868, which was located higher up on the hill to the northwest of the current sanctuary. You can see the plaque by the main entrance on the southwest side of the building. (You can read the congregation's 140-year history by clicking here.)

In the Sanctuary

Entering the sanctuary through the main door, take some time to look at the various items you see: the neo-gothic altarpiece with the risen Christ; the pulpit and baptismal font to the left; the lectern and organ to right; the beautiful stained glass windows in the chancel area depicting Christ's crucifixion and post-resurrection appearance; and also the beautiful and meaningful windows and wood paneling all around. As you'll see, all this is Lutheran theology set in glass, wood, paint, and stone.

As you move forward toward the altar past the windows and wooden panels, you can see that the two pairs of windows that are closest to the back depict the ancient symbols of the four Evangelists, St. Matthew (a man), St. Mark (a lion), St. Luke (an ox), and St. John (an eagle). The next pair of windows depicts God's condemning law (the tablets of stone) and his saving gospel (the book). The last couple of windows offer the symbols of the two sacraments of the church, the Lord's Supper (behind the pulpit on the left) and Baptism (on the organ side).

All symbols in the windows are decorated by a crown and two white lilies. These two symbols can have a variety of meanings here. I suggest the following: All windows depict the "means of grace," that is, the vessels God uses to deliver the redeeming grace and forgiveness Jesus earned on the cross and sealed in his resurrection from the dead (the two chancel windows!). This delivering takes place concretely here in this house of God, where God's people is gathered to be served by God in this way. God's grace flows from the altar and the chancel (where God's Word is read and preached; where absolution is pronounced; where Baptism and the Lord's Supper are given) into the sanctuary where the people is.

Whenever God serves his people in this way, the Holy Spirit is at work through these means to bring unbelievers to saving faith and to confirm Christians in this faith in Christ as their God and Savior. And it is the believers in Christ who will receive the victor's crown out of Christ's hand in the end (1 Corinthians 9:25; 2 Timothy 4:8; James 1:12; 1 Peter 5:4; Revelation 2:10). They are the ones who, from A to Z, are served and saved by God's grace, which is symbolized by the white lilies, which in our day are used to decorate churches for Easter, the festival commemorating Christ's resurrection.

The wooden panels surrounding the worshippers depict a great number of symbols. You can discover, e.g., those of many of the twelve apostles, many of whom died as martyrs for the Christian faith. But you can also discover the symbols of St. Paul, of King David, of Old Testament prophecy, of the prophet Isaiah, of new life and resurrection, of Martin Luther, and, last but not least, various symbols representing Christ.

What do these simple panels in this location tell us? They want to remind us that because we're gathered in the nave (that is, "ship") of the church around God's Word and Sacrament, we're not alone: Christ himself is with us with his good gifts, but we're also in communion with all the saints of old who continue to teach us by word and example to cling to Christ's gospel, no matter what. Paul's letter to the Hebrews says it well (12:1-3): "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls."

On the panels in the chancel area you see wooden symbols of the four Evangelists and of Baptism and the Lord's Supper, again giving us a representation of the means of grace, Gospel Word and Sacrament, which is very appropriate at this place (as seen above).

In the Chancel

In the chancel itself you see, from the left to the right, the pulpit from which God's word is preached to this very day and applied to the congregation in law and gospel.

Right next to it, there is the wooden baptismal font. At this humble place, through water combined with God's Word, forgiveness of sins, deliverance from death and the devil, and eternal salvation are given to all who are baptized here according to Christ's institution. The newness of life given here is also represented by the fact that the font has, like the pulpit, eight sides. The number eight is a symbol of the new life of the resurrection.

In the center of the chancel is the altar. Engraved on it you see Christ, the Lamb of God (see John 1:29), resting on a book with seven seals (see Revelation 5 and following), which signifies his victory and decisive role in the catastrophic events of the end-times, which is a deep comfort for all who believe in him. The Greek letters representing the first and last letters of that alphabet, alpha and omega, remind the congregation: Our Savior is indeed the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last (see Revelation 22:13).

Here, at the altar, the Lord's Supper is consecrated and given according to Christ's institution; here praise, prayers, and petitions are offered up to God by the pastor who represents his congregation before God; from its steps sinners are absolved of their sin at the beginning of each service. All these gifts were won when Christ was sacrificed on the altar of the cross -- the stained glass window to the left of the altar (see 1 John 2:2). All these gifts were sealed when Christ rose from the dead victorious -- the stained glass window to the right of the altar (see Romans 4:25 and 1 Corinthians 15:17). 

To the right, you see the lectern from which God's inspired Word of the Bible is read service after service according to an appointed order that follows the church year. Its four corners represent the four gospels.

Pulpit, font, altar, and lectern – these are the very places of God's service to his people. To this very day, God is present and active in his Word and Sacrament to forgive our sins. It is here that he once again cleanses our sin-soiled faces and clothes his people in Christ's blood-bought righteousness, holiness, and beauty. He chooses to do this here through the mouths and hands of his called servants, the pastors. It is very comforting to know that the infinite God, who once for all became man in Jesus, to this very day speaks to his people with a human voice at specific times and in specific places. For God desires us to be certain of our salvation.

The Organ

To the right of the lectern you see the 1930s organ of this church. Because of its voice-like qualities, it is still the preferred instrument to accompany this congregation as we respond to God's rich forgiveness, love, and grace in song.

The Holy Trinity at Trinity Lutheran Church

Before you leave, take a moment to look at the symbol of the Holy Trinity, one God in three equal Persons, that is on the ceiling of the apse, above the altarpiece.

It depicts the Holy Spirit (represented as a dove) above three interlocking rings, a symbol of the Trinity. This means that the Christian belief in the one God in three Persons did not originate in the heads or hearts of man; it did not come from below, as it were. The Church simply believes what God, through the Holy Spirit, has revealed about himself in his Holy Word, the Bible. That is to say, to know God as triune, as One in Three, comes from above, through the Spirit in the Word. The many praises we sing to the Holy Trinity at our church rightly say back to God what he has first said to us in his Word.

Peeking into the sacristy, to the left of the altar, we discover another representation of the Holy Trinity in a stained glass window.

In a very simple, graphic form this window, seen by the minister as he prepares to proclaim God's Word, confesses the basic Christian article of faith that the Father is the one true God, the Son is the one true God, and the Holy Spirit is the one true God, and yet there are not three gods, but only one God. And while the Father, the Son, and the Spirit is God, they are not identical: The Father is neither the Son nor the Spirit; the Son is neither the Father nor the Spirit; and the Spirit is neither the Father nor the Son. The Trinity is one God in three Persons. This has never been different – and it will never be different. For God does not change – and his Word does not change, either.

While our praise to the Holy Trinity, the one true God, begins here on earth, in this sanctuary, our praise will be perfected in heaven, where we will see God as he is in his heavenly sanctuary (Matthew 5:8; 1 John 3:2).

To him, the eternal God, be all praise and glory, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen