The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod

Worship - Life Together Receiving God’s Gifts

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 in 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 is His name, which He put upon us with the water of our 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 plead 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 up 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.
(Excerpted from Introduction to Lutheran Worship)

Our Pastor
Rev. Jeremy Richert, B.A., M.Div.

Rev. Jeremy Richert was born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada on April 25, 1986 and was raised on the family farm near Fisherville, Ontario.

He graduated in 2008 from Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario, with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree in History. In September 2009 he entered seminary studies at Concordia Lutheran Theological Seminary (CLTS), St Catharines, Ontario.

After completing two years of seminary study, he took an academic leave from CLTS and spent a year abroad studying at the Lutherische Theologische Hochschule (LThH), Oberursel, Germany. There he learned to speak some German and took the opportunity to visit many European cities. Upon returning from Germany he served his vicarage under Rev. Alex Klages at the dual parish of Trinity Lutheran Church, Winkler and Zion Lutheran Church, Morden, Manitoba.

Upon graduating from CLTS in May of 2014, Pastor Richert received his first call to serve the dual parish of St. John’s Lutheran Church, Magrath and St. Matthew Lutheran Church, Milk River, Alberta. He served there until taking up his duties as Pastor of Holy Cross on February 17, 2019 and enjoys calling Dakota Dunes, South Dakota, home.