Peace Lutheran Church Sussex, Wisconsin

Congregation at Prayer

Monthly Archives: December 2024

Catechism: The Creed—Third Article

December 29, 2024

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Catechesis Notes for the Week — Let Your Servant Depart in Peace —“Simeon is old, sees death before him, yes, he feels death in his very bones, in every limb, as death approaches day by day, and daily he grows weaker after the manner of old people.  But it does not grieve him. He desires only that it be soon, says that he is not frightened by his departing, yes, that death is welcome to him, since his eyes have seen his Savior. For were this not so, there could be no joy, nor could there be happiness in dying. Therefore the godly Simeon wanted to warn every man and to lead us thither (because we must all confess that we need a Savior), that we should accept Christ Jesus, whom our fancy has not created but whom God Himself has ordained.  For with His help we cannot fail.  For this reason alone the Child is come.  God, His heavenly Father, has prepared Him for us, that He shall help us. And, of a truth, if any man possesses this Savior, who is God’s Savior, that man is still and peaceful in his heart…It all depends on this, that we with the dear old Simeon open our eyes and see the Babe, take Him into our arms, and kiss Him, which means, that He is our hope, joy, comfort, and our life.  For where this faith is firm and sure in our hearts, that this Child is God’s Savior, there, of a truth, it must follow that the heart is content and is not afraid of sin or death, for it has a Savior who delivers it from them.” Martin LutherCP241229

Catechism: The Apostles’ Creed—Second Article

December 22, 2024

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Catechesis Notes for the Week — Celebrate the Nativity of Our Lord in Devotion and Prayer — This week’s Congregation at Prayer affords us the opportunity to read and mark in Holy Scripture the Church’s minor feasts that follow Christmas: St. Stephen, the First Martyr (December 26); St. John, Apostle and Evangelist (December 27); and the Holy Innocents (December 28). Stephen was one of the first seven ministers ordained in the Church after the Apostles. His ministry included giving Word and Sacrament to Greek-speaking Jewish Christian widows. The account of Stephen in the book of Acts shows him to be a faithful preacher of Christ from the Old Testament Scriptures. His use of the Old Testament is an important guide to us in understanding that the Old Testament Scriptures, like the New, point to Jesus Christ. He condemned the unbelief and impenitence of the religious establishment of his day by comparing it to the unbelief and impenitence of Old Testament Israel. Stephen reminds us that the message of Christmas must also be the call to repentance from dead works to living faith in God’s mercy in His Son. This feast also reminds us that the joy of Christmas exists in the context of persecution, suffering, and even death for being faithful to the Gospel. The feast of St. John, Apostle and Evangelist, underscores the great truth that we can have no faith in Christ apart from the Scriptures that are written that we may believe that Jesus is the Christ. Faith is created and rests upon the certainty of the Apostolic and prophetic witness to Jesus. The feast of the Holy Innocents depicts the depth of human sin in the evil of King Herod who will stop at nothing in his attempts to kill God. This appetite of the sinful flesh is the nature of all sinners and is the reason why “the Word became flesh” for our redemption. Baptism saves us from this horrible evil and makes us children of the Child born in Bethlehem. Remembering our baptism daily makes every day a celebration of our Lord’s birth and our rebirth in Christ: “He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior.” (Titus 3 from the Catechism) CP241222

Catechism: The Lord’s Prayer—Fifth and Sixth Petitions

December 15, 2024

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Catechesis Notes for the Week — The Great “O” Antiphons are prayers addressed to the Son of God, which call upon Him to come to us according to the promises of the Old Testament Scriptures. Historically, Christians have prayed these prayers during Advent, seven days before Christmas. These antiphons are the basis for each stanza of the familiar Advent hymn, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” The antiphons are offered below for your daily prayers.CP241215

Catechism: The Lord’s Prayer—Fourth Petition

December 8, 2024

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Catechesis Notes for the Week — “As the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west…” Lightning is swift and visible by all across the horizon. This is why Jesus compares His Second Coming to lightning. He will appear again suddenly, and all will see Him. He calls us to “be ready” through the hearing of His Word, in daily contrition and repentance, with faith fixed firmly upon Him, because He will come at an hour we do not expect. That no one knows the time of our Lord’s Second Coming highlights the fact that Christians are to live each day by repentant faith in Christ as if He could appear again at any moment. (Excerpt from Lutheran Catechesis: Catechist Edition, p. 128b)CP241208

Catechism: The Lord’s Prayer—Second Petition and Third Petition

December 1, 2024

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Catechesis Notes for the Week John’s Birth Is Announced to Zachariah—Our Advent midweek meditations prepare us to celebrate the birth of the Son of God in human flesh. This week, the Angel Garbiel announces to the priest Zachariah that he and Elizabeth will be the parents of the forerunner of the Messiah. Though he had been praying for this gift of salvation while officiating at the daily sacrifice, Zachariah doubted the Angel’s message. He is struck mute and for nine months he is given the opportunity to meditate upon the faithfulness of the Lord’s Word. Despite his doubt, the Lord kept His promise, and John was conceived and born to prepare the way for Jesus’ coming. Advent is the season of kept promises. Our faith rests upon this comforting foundation of the Lord’s Word.CP241201