I called Concordia Lutheran Church in Williston to see if there were any evening services. There are not, but there was an adult baptism and a project on Saturday. The company had delayed my next class until Monday, so I was able to attend.

The service was a combination of the Rite of Baptism, the Rite of Confirmation, and the Service of the Sacrament from LSB Divine Service 5. The liturgy and hymns, 370 “What Child Is This”, 550 “Lamb of God”, and 656 “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God,” were sung a cappella. Pastor Reinke has a strong voice, and his family participates in the community musical group.

Prior to the service, Pastor Reinke said a nice mini-homily on Acts 8:26-40. He mentioned that eunuchs were not allowed in the Jerusalem temple to worship, but this eunuch went anyway and worshipped from a distance. Christ is the new temple; this is the temple he spoke of in John. We are baptized into the body of Christ. This eunuch, who could never approach the temple, is baptized into the new temple. Christianity is about what Christ has done for us.

After worship about 10 people from the church hammered wooden crosses into the front lawn, to display for about three weeks the 1298 abortions performed in North Dakota last year. The setup took about two hours. We almost quit, but we finished the job. :)