Congregation at Prayer

Catechesis Notes for the Week — “Fishers of Men” — In this week’s Gospel Jesus extends the call into the ministry to four men who had become His disciples through the ministry of John the Baptist.  Like all of us, after their baptism they returned to their vocation as fishermen in the town of Capernaum on the Sea of Galilee.  When Jesus said, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men” He was calling them to leave their vocation and enter into the Office of the Apostolic Ministry in which they would no longer fish in the way they had, but would now “fish for men” through the preaching of the Gospel.  We are all called to bear witness to our Lord in whatever vocation God has given us, but there is the office of the Holy Ministry in which men are called to full time service in the preaching of the Gospel and administration of the Sacraments.  The Church includes both the witness of laymen in their earthly callings and the witness of her ministers in fulltime service to the Church and the world.

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Catechesis Notes for the Week — “Behold! The Lamb of God Who Takes away the Sin of the World!” Believe it or not, there are certain Christian denominations that believe that Jesus did not die for everyone but only for certain people.  For example, some teach that He only died for the elect, those predestined to salvation.  Not true!  Some teach that He only died for those who would come to faith in Him.  Not true!  The words of John after Jesus’ baptism make it clear that He died for the sins of the whole world.  This is an enormous source of comfort because it means that God really does love everyone, even though many reject Him.

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Catechesis Notes for the Week — The Baptism of Our Lord — Christians should look to their Baptism every day for their identity and strength.  Our Baptism means that we are the children of God; Christ’s death for sin and resurrection for our justification is ours; Christ’s righteousness clothes us and makes us acceptable to the Father; the Holy Spirit has been poured out into our hearts through Christ; and faith has been created in our hearts.  What God has made us and given us in our Baptism also becomes the strength by which we live our lives, repent of sin, resist Satan, and enjoy the testimony of a clean conscience.

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Catechesis Notes for the Week — Epiphany — “Epiphany” means “to be revealed.”  During the Epiphany season, Jesus is “revealed” to be the Son of God and the Savior of all people, Jew and Gentile alike.  Throughout this season we see the divinity of Jesus revealed in the Holy Gospel readings and the glory of God shining through the flesh of the eternal Son who is both “the Father’s beloved” and “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”

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Catechesis Notes for the Week — “‘I have been crucified with Christ…Christ lives in me!’ It is in our baptism that we have been crucified with Christ, so that Christ now lives in us. Since we have been crucified with Christ, the Law has been fulfilled for us, sin has been atoned for, and the gift of new life is ours. This new life begins now by faith in Christ the crucified. Victory over sin, death, and the power of the devil is never by the strength of our own will but solely by the merits of Jesus’ crucifixion. Faith receives Christ’s victory and lives in Him. Sin, death, and hell cannot destroy Him and, therefore, they cannot destroy us because He lives in us. This means that each day of our lives as Christians is lived by faith in the Son of God who loved us and gave Himself for us. Christ’s sacrifice of love for us upon the cross is always before our eyes. This means that ‘the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me,’ is not only the object of my faith, but also the source and strength for living the Christian life. Day by day, moment by moment, our life in the flesh—with all its struggles, weaknesses, and failings—is lived by faith in the Son of God who loved us and gave Himself for us.” — Excerpted from Lutheran Catechesis, p. 230c, used by permission.

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Catechesis Notes for the Week — “Creation and redemption are equally impossible for man to accomplish, but not for God.  ‘With God nothing will be impossible,’ not even the incarnation of His Son for the salvation of His fallen world. He is the actor, the Savior, and the Lord, who descends to our human flesh and joins Himself to our weaknesses, becoming like us in every way, except without sin, so that He might take our sin to Himself. When His Word sounds forth to announce His salvation, it can only be received and believed, for it carries with it all the saving benefits it proclaims. Mary received this Word, and the life of the world was conceived in her womb. Every Christian receives this Word too, through the call of the Gospel, and it brings to us the same Christ and the same salvation who was born of Mary. Therefore, our confession of faith is the same as Mary’s, ‘Let it be to me according to your word.’” — Excerpted from Lutheran Catechesis, p. 90, used by permission.

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Catechesis Notes for the Week— Joseph, the Guardian of Jesus, and Christian Vocation (Read Matthew 1:18-25): Joseph, the Guardian of Jesus as he is often called, had a difficult vocation. He was called to be Mary’s husband and Jesus’ earthly father. This calling meant a life of suffering and self-denial. This is always what true faith calls us to: a life of sacrificial love in which we deny ourselves. This is the shape of our lives as Christians because our life is lived by faith in the God and Savior who lived in selfless love for us. The Child conceived in Mary’s womb was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit. Mary was not an adulteress. His name would be called “Jesus” because He is the Lord who would save His people from their sins by becoming one with them in their flesh and blood. All this was done to fulfill the Scriptures, “Behold, a virgin shall be with child and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel.” This means that God is with us in the poverty and humiliation of our human condition in order to redeem us by the sacrifice of Himself. Joseph had no strength to fulfill his vocation within himself, but he was strengthened by the Holy Spirit through the promises of the Scriptures and the message of God’s selfless love for him and for all his people. This is our strength too in our vocation. The Gospel not only saves us from our sins, but it also strengthens and keeps us in the love of Christ in the earthly vocations to which our Lord has called us.

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Catechesis Notes for the Week— Repentance Is at the Heart of Advent — “I’m tired of hearing talk about our sin!” This is often the response of those who hear the call to repentance. “Sin is a downer!  Can’t we get on with something else?”  Yes, we can go on.  That’s what repentance is all about—going on, confessing sin, turning from it to Christ, finding our relief, comfort, and strength in His forgiveness.  The message of repentance is not only the knowledge of our sin, but also the proclamation that there is nothing that Jesus hasn’t done to save you from your sin and to give you new life and freedom now!  The message of repentance always brings relief when it finds its rest in Christ, our righteousness.

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Catechesis Notes for the Week— Advent Life Is One of Contrition and Repentance — Advent means coming. It is the season of anticipation for our Lord’s return in glory. To be prepared for His coming and to rightly celebrate His nativity, we need to understand and believe in how He comes to us NOW. In His Word, Jesus is present. We need Him, even though we so often live life as if we don’t. By His Word He comes to us to show us our need. By His Word He calls us to repentance, so that by His Word He might comfort us with His forgiveness and restore our faith and hope in Him. The life of daily contrition (sorrow for sin) and repentance (turning away from self-reliance to Christ for life and salvation) is the proper focus for our advent meditations that we might rightly celebrate His birth and be prepared for His return in glory.

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Catechesis Notes for the Week— The End of the Church Year: Watching During the Great Tribulation—The Bride of Christ, the Holy Christian Church, waits eagerly for her Lord’s Second Coming.  Then she, of whom we are all members, will be delivered once and for all from sin and the corruption that is in the world.  The “Great Tribulation” of the last days is the struggle that the Church and every Christian in every age has had with the devil, the world, and the sinful flesh. These enemies attack faith in Christ. We, Christ’s Church, have been in the “Last Days” since our Lord’s ascension into heaven. The faith of the Church has always been under attack. Our only defense as Christians is the Word of God and the prayer of faith that claims Christ’s victory in the midst of this suffering.

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