St. Paul's Ev. Lutheran Church

St. Paul's Ev. Lutheran Church St. Paul’s exists to glorify God by proclaiming his gospel and sharing his love in our community.

Sunday Services at 7:30 and 10:00, except first Sunday of month at 8:30

01/25/2026

Message from the Pastor

The Second Commandment

“You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God.” (Exodus 20:7)

A person’s name is one of the dearest treasures we own. We like to hear it used in positive moments (“Good job, Robert!”) and to have it honored by others (“Betty Johnson, top student in her class”). How dismayed we would feel if our name gets dragged in the mud or even used as a pejorative.

How do you think the Lord our God feels, then, when we misuse his name? “Oh my God” is treated as a joke phrase; worse still, his name is used in curse words as in “God-d***” and other four-letter words to that effect. What James wrote is true: “Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be” (Jas. 3:10). How could we who believe and honor God use our tongues to curse, swear, or lie by his name?

Lying by God’s name is done by those who claim to be teaching God’s Word, but in reality are promoting false doctrine. God has this to say about such misuse of his name and Word: “I am against the prophets who wag their own tongues and yet declare, ‘The Lord declares’” (Jer. 23:31). His name is used as a cover for false teaching that leads people away from the Lord.

Martin Luther also warns about witchcraft in connection with this commandment. Though we might think of superstition and witchcraft as make-believe, there are spiritual powers that do not come from God. Don’t dabble in things like the occult, horoscopes or mediums; such powers come from the devil, not the Lord!

But there are proper uses for the name of the Lord. Luther tells us what they are: Call on him in every trouble, pray, praise, and give thanks. Just as we love to hear our name in good contexts, the Lord loves it when we call on his name to pray and to tell others about his wonderful name. For it is by that name, the name of Jesus, that we are saved (Acts 4:12).

At Mount Sinai, the Lord told the first priest, Aaron, to pronounce his name on the Israelites: “The LORD bless you and keep you, the LORD make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the LORD look on you with his favor, and give you peace.” He added, “So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them” (Num. 6:24-27). We still use that blessing in church today. May we be eager to use his name correctly, the name of the Lord that blesses us, the name by which he saves us!

--Pastor Timothy Blauert

12/29/2025

Join us

Sunday, Jan. 4. 2nd Sunday of Christmas. 8:30 a.m. communion service. Theme: Our Savior is born to make the Father known.

Sunday, Jan. 11. 1st Sunday after Epiphany. 7:30 and 10 a.m. worship. Theme: Jesus appears as the Christ, the Anointed One.

Sunday, Jan. 18. 2nd Sunday after Epiphany. 7:30 and 10 a.m. communion services. Theme: Jesus appears as the sacrificial Lamb of God.

Sunday, Jan. 25. 3rd Sunday after Epiphany. 7:30 and 10 a.m. worship. Theme: Jesus appears as the Light shining in darkness.

12/27/2025

Message from the Pastor

The First Commandment

“You shall have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20:3)

This year, the newsletter devotions will be going through Luther’s Small Catechism, starting with the Ten Commandments. God gave the commandments first of all to the Israelite nation under Moses. God had called this nation to be his own. The Lord wanted to make it clear to them what it meant for them to be his people, and what his will for them was.

The first commandment captures that clearly: “You shall have no other gods besides me.” All the nations around them, such as Egypt and Canaan, worshiped false gods. Egypt had a god of the sun, a god of the moon, a god of the sea, and so forth. The Canaanites worshiped idols like Baal and Ashtoreth that included fertility rites and even involved prostitutes. The Lord told the Israelites, “Don’t have any of that. Worship me, the LORD, alone!”

The commandments also express God’s moral law, his will for all people of all time. Martin Luther explained the first commandment in his small catechism: “We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.” A false god doesn’t have to be Baal, or Allah, or Buddha. A false god could be our bank accounts, or a football game, or our family members, or ourselves, if we put our trust in money or place them ahead of God in our hearts.

This commandment shows us our sin, doesn’t it? We may fear what others think rather than what God thinks, so we go along with the crowd in certain sins instead of following God’s will. Or we set our heart’s desires on the things of this world, our homes, even our families, ahead of God. Even just momentarily putting our trust in our own reason ahead of God breaks the first commandment. Proverbs 3:5 tells us, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding” (EHV, emphasis mine).

Fellow sinners, let us continually repent, turn from our sins, and turn to our Lord for mercy. Thank the Lord, his Son Jesus came to obey this and every commandment perfectly for us. Having fulfilled the law, he then paid for our sins on the cross. “The blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

Thank God for his forgiveness! And what better way to thank him than by obeying the first commandment. Keep the Lord God as number one in your hearts. Fear him, love him, and trust in him ahead of your parents and kids, more than your bank accounts and your teachers, more than your life itself.

--Pastor Timothy Blauert

Join us today at St. Paul’s for treats.
10/31/2024

Join us today at St. Paul’s for treats.

Thank you to the family of Bob Grossenbacher for donating this beautiful new banner for our congregation in his memory. ...
04/10/2022

Thank you to the family of Bob Grossenbacher for donating this beautiful new banner for our congregation in his memory. Thank you also to Louise Crisman for her remarkable skill in putting it together. God is truly good to his people!

Today St. Paul's held its first annual Vacation Bible School program in six years. God blessed our program with 10 ener...
08/13/2021

Today St. Paul's held its first annual Vacation Bible School program in six years. God blessed our program with 10 energetic young children in attendance and five adults (pastor included) to watch over them. A fun day full of Bible truths, singing, arts and crafts, snacks, puzzles, card games, and boomerang throwing was had! Thanks be to Jesus, who ensures that our "road trip" through life will end with the most heavenly of destinations!

We're on a road trip! Gonna be a great ride,
Cause Jesus Christ is on our side.
He saved us in a wonderful way,
So now our road is leadin' right to Heaven someday!

Theme Song of VBS

Thank you to Louise Crisman for another beautifully designed banner for our sanctuary!
04/05/2021

Thank you to Louise Crisman for another beautifully designed banner for our sanctuary!

Address

106 South Maple Street
North Freedom, WI
53951

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 4:30pm
Tuesday 8am - 4:30pm
Wednesday 8am - 4:30pm
Thursday 8am - 4:30pm
Saturday 8am - 12pm
Sunday 7:30am - 12pm

Telephone

+16085224493

Website

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