Congregation at Prayer

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

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

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

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

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

Catechesis Notes for the Week — Thanksgiving and Bible Readings on Prayer — During this Thanksgiving week we continue to meditate upon the Introduction and the First Petition of the Lord’s Prayer, together with readings on prayer and those assigned for the Day of National Thanksgiving. It is the end of the Church Year. The Gospel from Sunday bids us to “watch and pray” for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ that we might be prepared for His return. Thanksgiving is always associated with faith in Christ. The discipline of daily prayer, using the Scripture, Psalms, catechism, and hymns, prepare us for His comingCP241124

Catechesis Notes for the Week — Lord, Teach Us to Pray — From now until the first few days of the Second Sunday in Advent, the readings in the Congregation at Prayer will focus on prayer as we meditate upon the petitions to the Lord’s Prayer and their explanations from the Small Catechism. As you study these readings, keep in mind that prayer is the voice of faith that claims God’s promises to us. It rests upon His Word. We have access to God through the merits of Christ. And we have the right to cry out to God for all our needs because we are the baptized children of God. CP241117

Catechesis Notes for the Week — The Strange Miracles of Elisha — The miracles performed by Elisha seem so strange and they inspire the question, “What does this mean?” Digging ditches in the middle of the desert where there is no water, so that water might spring up, should remind us of Baptism and how in the desert of this world the Lord gives life through water. The widow’s oil should remind us of how oil is a sign of the Holy Spirit who anoints us with faith and the gladness of salvation. The resurrection of the Shunammite’s son naturally flows out of the lessons of this week’s first two miracles. The promise of Holy Baptism is the anointing of the Spirit and the promise of the resurrection. The miracle of feeding during the famine should point us to the Lord’s Supper and how the Lord feeds us in the wilderness of this world with His body and blood. The floating axe head, the strangest of all, should remind us of John the Baptist’s ministry of repentance. The axe was laid at the root of the trees that God might bring life out of death through repentance and faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus. CP241110v2

Catechesis Notes for the Week — The Still Small Voice of the Lord is Powerful to Save — While the Prophet Elijah was isolated in a cave in the wilderness upon Mount Horeb, the Lord appeared to Him to strengthen him under the suffering of being hunted down by Queen Jezebel. The Lord taught him that he should look for God’s strength, comfort, and deliverance not in displays of spectacular power (a violent wind or a destructive earthquake), but rather in the delicate whispering of God’s Word which has the power to comfort, sustain, and strengthen His children. We need to learn this lesson too. The theology of the cross teaches us that God so often strengthens faith and grants wisdom and understanding through the things that we suffer. We learn to believe this through faith in the suffering and death of Christ on our behalf. Out of His suffering and death, we hear the quiet, yet powerful voice of the Lord’s forgiveness that sees us through the struggles of life.CP241103

Catechesis Notes for the Week — St. Simon and St. Jude, Apostles; Founders Day; and The Reformation — 62 years ago, October 28, 1962, our congregation was formerly established and became a member of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Our founding took place on the minor festival of St. Simon and St. Jude, Apostles, and during the week in which we annually commemorate the recovery of the Gospel of the justification of the sinner before God, by grace, through faith, for Christ’s sake. How fitting that our congregation’s beginnings should be framed by this backdrop. St. Simon and St. Jude, Apostles: “The two apostles whose feast day is celebrated together on 28 October. The first of the two is sometimes called ‘the Canaanite’ or ‘the Zealot.’ Apart from his call and listing with the Twelve, there are no other references to him in the New Testament. The second of the two is the son of James the Elder, which makes him the grandson of Zebedee and the nephew of John. He is the other ‘Judas’ in the listing of the Twelve, although he is not generally referred to by that name because of the association with Judas Iscariot. He is also called ‘Lebbaeus’ or ‘Thaddaeus,’ which are Hebrew and Aramaic names that mean ‘one who is close to the heart’ or ‘a beloved one.’ On Maundy Thursday evening, this disciple asked Jesus the question, ‘Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?’ Jesus answered him, ‘If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him’ (John 14:22-23).” [Excerpted from N.T. Catechesis] What a wonderful word from our Lord for the celebration of the Reformation and the observance of our congregation’s anniversary. May we ever love Him who loved us and hold fast to His Word.CP241027