Blessed Sacrament Lutheran Church

08/31/2026

“You go, and do likewise.” ~Luke 10:37 In the Collect for the Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity we pray: "O Lord, keep Your Church with Your perpetual mercy; and because of our frailty we cannot but fall, keep us ever by Your help from all things hurtful and lead us to all things profitable to our salvation; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever."

In the Large Catechism, Martin Luther writes, “Let no one think that as long as he lives here he can reach such a position that he will not need forgiveness. In short, if God does not forgive without stopping, we are lost” (LC III.91). Thus do we pray for God’s perpetual mercy, confessing of ourselves that we cannot but fall.

This echoes an additional sentiment from Luther in the same paragraph of the Large Catechism, where he writes, “This should serve God’s purpose of breaking our pride and keeping us humble. God has reserved this right for Himself: if anyone wants to boast of his godliness and despise others, that person is to think about himself and place this prayer before his eyes. He will find that he is no better than others and that in God’s presence all must tuck their tails and be glad that they can gain forgiveness” (LC III.90). God grant to us such humility that we see all aspects of our life as given to us gratis, lest we take in hand with pride what He has mercifully bestowed.

Source: Pastor William's Parish Pfarrbrief for September 6, 2026

08/19/2026

BSLC — where the temperature is always just right... eventually.

Join us for our 3 pm Divine Service, where we gather around Christ, rejoice in His Word, and receive His gifts.

Link to us through the comments below.

08/15/2026

[Jesus] also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous,
and treated others with contempt. ~Luke 18:9

In the Collect for the Eleventh Sunday after Trinity we pray: Almighty and everlasting God, always more ready to hear than we to pray and to give more than we either desire or deserve, pour down upon us the abundance of Your mercy, forgiving those things of which our conscience is afraid and giving us those good things that we are not worthy to ask, except through the merits and mediation of Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

In the Large Catechism, Martin Luther writes,
“God expects us and He Himself arranges the
words and form of prayer for us. He places them on our lips for how and what we should pray,
so that we may see how heartily He pities us in our distress, and we may never doubt that such
prayer is pleasing to Him and shall certainly be answered” (LC III.22).

“God expects us” does not refer to an expectation placed upon us (though He does want us to pray), but is what one might say of someone hosting a dinner party, who expects guests. Because He is more ready to hear than we to pray and to give more than we desire or deserve, He even provides for us the best words to say to Him, thus not only encouraging those He expects, but giving assurance that our prayer (the Lord’s Prayer) is pleasing to Him. God is generous in all that He gives and, likewise, in providing for us to ask with all boldness and confidence, not in ourselves, but in God Who is generous. Let us, then, turn to our Father in
heaven, Who is worthy, and desires to hear from His children.

08/10/2026

THE FIRST HOUSEHOLD & HERITAGE PICNIC.

What a wonderful day of food, fellowship, family, and Lutheran heritage! We were blessed to welcome friends and families from Montana, Central Idaho, Washington, and even Wyoming for our first Lutheran Household & Heritage Picnic.

The skies were a little smoky from distant wildfires, but that didn’t stop the fellowship—or the fun! It was a beautiful day together, and we’re already looking forward to doing it again.

Thank you to everyone who came, cooked, played, visited, and helped make the day such a success. What a blessing to share in Christian fellowship across so many miles!

08/07/2026

The First Household & Heritage Picnic is Today!
Fellowship belongs at the heart of the Christian household.

Visit Lutheranroots.org for the schedule.

07/15/2026

Why won't Lutherans commune Christians from other churches? It's a question pastors hear often, and one that's frequently misunderstood.

Matt Whitman, host of The Ten Minute Bible Hour, was recently a guest on the On the Line podcast with Bryan Stecker and shared his thoughts on closed communion. In this thoughtful response, Pastor Williams explains what Confessional Lutherans confess about the Lord's Supper, why they practice closed communion, and why that practice is not a judgment on another person's salvation.

You'll find a link to Matt Whitman's interview on On the Line in the comments below.

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07/07/2026

“Lord of all power and might, author and giver of all good things, graft into our hearts the love of Your name, increase in us true religion, nourish us with all goodness, and of Your great mercy keep us in the same; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.” - Collect for the Sixth Sunday after Trinity.

Augustine praises God, writing, “Those in whom Thy good Spirit is said to rest, He causes to rest in Himself.” (1) God does all for you, dear Christians. It is not with our assistance that God saves us, but according to His own good pleasure. Thus, Paul writes, It is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy (Rom. 9:16).

In the Collect, then, we pray that according to His own power and might (owing, also, to His gracious kindness in Christ), that God would act so as to graft into our hearts the love of His saving name. And, lest thinking we begin in the Spirit only to be perfected by the flesh (an error condemned by Paul in Galatians 3:3), we also as that by God who shows mercy, increase in true religion would also occur. Thus, in the Solid Declaration, we hold this tension:

In this life the regenerate advance to the point that they want to do what is good and love it, and even do good and grow in it. Still, this is not of our will and ability, but of the Holy Spirit (SD II.39). We have been set free from the bo***ge of sin and, indeed, advance in weakness, but we should not see ourselves advancing in some independent way, but only empowered by the Spirit of God given continuously through the Gospel and the Sacraments. We make these advances in the way a toddling toddler makes advances in walking, that is, much assisted by father and mother.

So, the Collect envisions the entirety of our life entirely dependent upon God’s gracious mercy in Christ. Let us always hold in mind this blessed revelation.

SOURCE: Pastor Williams' Parrish Pfarrbrief for July 12, 2026.

(1) Augustine, Confessions Book XIII.IV.5

07/02/2026

Join us for the Lutheran Household & Heritage Conference as we explore "Divine Wisdom for Holy Marriage." Enjoy faithful teaching, worship, fellowship, and encouragement for Christian households.
August 7–8 • Rathdrum, Idaho

The conference is free but registration is required.

Learn more and register via the link below.

Household & Heritage Conference in North Idaho: Divine Wisdom for Holy Marriage, a Lutheran gathering for worship, counsel, fellowship, and household life.

07/02/2026

What makes someone a good friend? Loyalty? Shared interests? Kindness? Fun? Those matter—but Scripture and the Christian tradition point to something even greater.

In this essay, Rev. Marcus Williams explores the biblical and historic Christian understanding of friendship: why God created us for it, why it matters for our children, and why friendship is ultimately meant to help us journey together toward Christ and eternal life.

If you're a parent, grandparent, teacher, or simply someone who wants to think more deeply about Christian friendship, I hope you'll give it a read.

Below is a paper I recently presented at a conference for the Consortium for Classical Lutheran Education.