Congregation at Prayer

Catechesis Notes for the Week — “I Am the Vine, you are the branches, he who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” Holy Communion means that through Jesus’ body and blood we abide in Him and He abides in us. He takes from us all sin, death, and condemnation. We receive from Him all good and every spiritual blessing. We have no life apart from Him. A vine is the source of life for the branches. Branches have no life apart from that which they receive from the vine. In Holy Communion, the good flows from Jesus to us as a gift of His grace; and by the power of His Holy Spirit, He produces His works of love and mercy in us. ‘He who abides in Me, and I in Him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.’ Jesus produces all good in us as Christians. The fruits of His redeeming work—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23)—are all worked in us By Him as we receive His body and blood in contrition and faith. Applying this promise of Jesus’ to the Lord’s Supper helps us to understand what the Catechism is speaking about when it says that we go to the Sacrament to ‘learn from [Christ] to love God and [our] neighbor’ (Christian Questions with Their Answers). Excerpt from Lutheran Catechesis Catechist Edition, p. 290b

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Catechesis Notes for the Week — Job’s Confession of Faith in the Resurrection—The Prophet Job confessed his faith in Christ and in the resurrection of the body over 2000 years before the death and resurrection of Christ. The promise of salvation in Christ was the source of Job’s faith in Christ and his comfort in suffering. Faith knows by virtue of the Word of God that creates faith. Apart from the Word of God there is no knowing and there is no certainty. The word of God gives certainty to faith, and in our confession, we speak back to God what is true on the basis of His Word. In the midst of Job’s intense physical and emotional pain and suffering, he confesses his faith in ‘My Redeemer’ who would rescue him from the corruption and mortality that sin had brought upon his body. By calling his Savior ‘my Redeemer’ we are reminded of the familiar and intimate words of the Catechism’s explanation to the Second Article, ‘[Christ] has redeemed me…purchased and won me…that I may be His own and live under Him … in righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, just as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity.’” Excerpt from Lutheran Catechesis Catechist Edition, p. 118a.      CP220417

Catechesis Notes for the Week — Weep Not For Me —“Jesus turning to them said, ‘Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.’” (Luke 23:28) “He suffers for our sake. For this reason, it grieves the Lord that His suffering should make us weep. He wants us to be happy, to praise God and give thanks for His grace, and to glorify Him and bear our witness, for it is through His Passion that we received God’s grace, and were freed from sin, and death, and became God’s dear children. But we are as slow to the one as to the other, for by nature we are contrary. When we should weep over our sins, we laugh; when we should laugh and our hearts be joyful because Christ, through His death, has won eternal life for us, we weep. For either we have no regard for such joy, because our hearts are bewitched by the merriment of this world, or we weep, lament, and pine as if Christ had never died, never paid for our sin, never stilled the wrath of God, and never redeemed us from death. Therefore, prayer is needed for both: first, that God through the Holy Ghost may touch our hearts, that He may make us loathe sin, may draw us away from it, and take away our trust in ourselves. Then, that He may kindle in our hearts His comfort in the midst of sin, and give us a firm confidence in our Lord’s sacrifice and satisfaction.” – Martin Luther, 1545, Day by Day we Magnify Thee

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Catechesis Notes for the Week — The Week of Judica— “Vindicate…”—The Latin title for this week in Lent is “Judica” which means “judge” or better translated “vindicate me.” It is taken from the Introit for the Sunday: “Vindicate me, O God, and plead (or defend) my cause against an ungodly nation; Oh, deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man!” (Psalm 43:1-2) There are times in life in which evil and deceit are perpetrated against us by wicked and deceitful people. Jesus endured all such injustices for us from those who hated His ministry of mercy. At such times, we are called to entrust ourselves to God. We identify with our Lord and draw our strength and comfort from Him who endured all manner of injustice for us. In the end, and for Jesus’ sake, He will vindicate His people and plead their case against the ungodly. In the end, God will bring forth justice for the oppressed, and right all wrongs at the last.

“Vindicate me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation;

Oh, deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man!

For You are the God of my strength.

Oh, send out Your light and Your truth! Let them lead me; let them bring me to Your holy hill and to Your tabernacle.

Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy; and on the harp I will praise You, O God, my God.

Why are you cast down, O my soul?

And why are you disquieted within me?

Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance and my God.”

(Psalm 43:1-2a; Psalm 43:3-5)CP220403