What We Believe
Who We Are
Cana Lutheran church is a community of believers committed to growing in the Word, a healthy prayer life, and connecting through service and fellowship. We formed in 2022 as a fellowship of people hungry for the Gospel message and a shared desire for sound worship, study, and prayer. Today, we are a growing collection of believers from many faith traditions spanning every generation. In any given week, you’ll find a thriving children’s ministry, weekly Bible studies, prayer ministry, seasonal community service projects, and more. Visitors often comment “Wow, there’s a lot of kids here!”
We believe fostering connections is important for a healthy faith community. After worship each Sunday, you’ll find a basement brimming with conversation, laughter, and tasty pastries! At Cana, little ones and experienced hands work alongside each other – serving the community and church while building relationships.
We are an independent church in Washington, Illinois. We have members and attendees from around the region. Cana Lutheran is affiliated with Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ (LCMC) - one of the fastest-growing Lutheran associations in the country.
Whether you find yourself curious to learn more about Christ, you are a lifelong Lutheran or you come from a different faith background searching for a connection to the Gospel message – we hope you explore Cana Lutheran and join us in worship and fellowship.
What We Believe
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At Cana Lutheran Church, we believe and teach that the Holy Bible is the Word of God and the sole source and norm for Christian faith and life. We teach that all of the Bible is the Word of God (not just the parts we like). God isn’t giving us new teaching which contradicts the Bible. The Word of God is not something that we stand over, judging whether it is right or wrong. Scripture stands over and judges us. To the extent our desires, beliefs, prejudices, or actions do not align with the Word of God, we should realign ourselves to God’s Word rather than seeking to reorient the Word of God.
We read individual Bible verses in light of the whole Bible, so verses aren’t taken out of context. We recognize that some parts of the Bible are poetic, and communicate God’s Word through story and image. We believe that the entire Bible witnesses to Christ.
God speaks in the Bible through both commands/expectations (the Law), and mercy/comfort (the Gospel). Neglecting either loses the whole. Only when we are aware of how we have strayed from God, does God’s offer of forgiveness and mercy in the Gospel make sense. And only when we have the confidence of God’s saving grace, are we able to admit to our sins without fear of judgment.
Every element of our worship is based on God’s Word. Our weekly worship service includes readings from multiple places within the Bible, usually including both Old and New Testament readings and a selection from a Psalm. Sermons seek to teach us about the scripture in its larger context, rather than being based upon a single verse or two. Contemporary commentaries and books can help us understand scripture but they are secondary, not primary, sources. Only the Bible is the Word of God; therefore, scripture is the central focus of the sermons you will hear at Cana.
The Bible leads us to the cross. There is no salvation without dying to sin. God doesn’t bless our selfishness or offer a secret for personal success; God invites us to offer our lives to him and discover that true life comes through serving others in Christian love.
John 1:1; Matthew 22:29; John 17:17
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We believe God gave us his Law through the Scriptures, and that God’s Law gives the commands and expectations he asks us to keep as His chosen people. Obeying God’s Law helps us to keep God’s greatest commandments, which are to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind,” and to “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:36-40)
But we are unable to align our thoughts, words, and deeds to the Law, because of the inherent sin in our human nature. Sin is not the “bad” things we do; fundamentally, sin is our attempt to be our own God by refusing to believe the promises God makes to us and failing to follow the instructions He gives us. God’s Law exposes that we “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 1:21-22, 3:23).
God’s Law is good and helpful for our lives; however, God never intended the Law to be our salvation. He also gave us the good news of the Gospel: that Jesus’ death on the cross pays the price for our sin, and that through the shedding of His blood, all our sins are forgiven and washed away. (Romans 3:24-26)
We believe and proclaim that this forgiveness of sin in the name of Jesus is offered to all people by God’s grace through our faith in Jesus. We believe that this forgiveness of sin completely justifies us in the eyes of God … that we are justified by Jesus’ blood, and no works of our own are required to accomplish our salvation. (Ephesians 2:8-9; John 3:16).
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At Cana Lutheran Church you can expect to receive the gospel throughout the worship service, which incorporates aspects from both traditional and contemporary styles.
Our worship service begins at 9 am with music from our contemporary worship band, who play a mix of modern uplifting Christian music and familiar, classic hymns. Our worship is deeply rooted in the Word, incorporating liturgical and historical worship traditions while focusing on relating the biblical text to modern life.
At Cana, all baptized believers in Jesus Christ are welcome to receive Holy Communion, which is offered every first and third Sunday. Our worship service is family-friendly with a children’s message to help guide and include the next generation of believers.
We offer a nursery staffed with volunteers during the sermon for children (and parents!) who need a break. Our worship service concludes with an upbeat sending song from the praise band to get the congregation back on their feet and moving around a bit. But there is more!
Be sure to join us for fellowship hour after worship where you will enjoy refreshments and building relationships with other believers in Christ.
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Cana is a Lutheran church. If you’re not completely sure what that means, you will be in good company here because many of our members come from non-Lutheran faith backgrounds!
Lutheranism emphasizes salvation by Grace alone (Romans 6:23), through Faith alone (Ephesians 2:8-9), in Christ alone (John 14:6), based on Scripture alone (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
Lutherans recognize two sacraments: Baptism as a means through which God grants grace, forgiveness, and new life (Titus 3:5, Acts 2:38) and the Lord’s Supper (Holy Communion) as a means of God’s grace through the real presence of Christ’s body and blood “in, with, and under” the bread and wine (1 Corinthians 10:16, Matthew 26:26-28).
Lutheran beliefs are confessed in the “Book of Concord” which was first published in 1580. A straightforward introduction to Christianity and the Lutheran approach is found in Martin Luther’s “Small Catechism.” It was written to help with teaching the Christian faith in the home. You can find a copy HERE.