Congregation at Prayer

Catechesis Notes for the Week —“Crucified under Pontius Pilate” — The governing authorities have been instituted by God. God works His will through them, even though they may be evil. This requires faith in the Lord who promises to work His will, even though we may not understand why or how He will do it. Jesus submitted Himself to the governing authorities in His Passion. Although these authorities were evil, God accomplished His will through the administration of their office. Our salvation was won when the Son submitted Himself to the judgment of the Roman governor. We should be reminded and strengthened by this every time we confess that Jesus was “crucified under Pontius Pilate.”CP250330

Catechesis Notes for the Week — What is the work of the ministry? This week concludes the two sections from the Table of Duties concerning “Bishops, Pastors, and Preachers and What the Hearers Owe Their Pastors.” If we are admonished to hold our pastors “in the highest regard in love because of their work,” we should understand clearly what their work is and what we should expect of them. The minister’s work is clearly spelled out in our Lutheran Confessions: “According to divine right, therefore, it is the office of the bishop to preach the Gospel, forgive sins, judge doctrine and condemn doctrine that is contrary to the Gospel and exclude from the Christian community the ungodly whose wicked conduct is manifest. All this is to be done not by human power but by God’s Word alone. On this account [we] are bound to be obedient to the bishops according to the saying of Christ in Luke 10:16, ‘He who hears you hears me.’ On the other hand, if they teach, introduce, or institute anything contrary to the Gospel, we have God’s command not to be obedient in such cases, for Christ says in Matt. 7:15, ‘Beware of false prophets.’”

CP250323 v.2

Catechesis Notes for the Week — “What the Hearers Owe Their Pastors”— This section from the Table of Duties speaks of the responsibility of the congregation to provide temporal support for her pastor who faithfully preaches the Gospel and administers the Sacraments to her members. Every Christian is called by the Gospel to “share all good things with his instructor.” It is a mockery of God when members of the congregations turn a deaf ear to the Word of God and a hard heart toward the care of their pastors. Such neglect flows from impenitence and unbelief. Where there is faith there will be love, affection, and generous support of the Church’s pastors by her members. Chief among the duties of Christians is the faithful hearing of the Word of God when it is preached and taught by our pastors. Pastors receive the greatest joy in their ministry when the people of the congregation come eagerly to hear the Word of God when it is taught and receive it with joy and the hearty “Amen” of faith. The “Amen” of faith is confessed in the way in which the congregation takes care of her pastor.CP250316

Catechesis Notes for the Week — Pray for Your Pastors — This week we begin eleven weeks of meditation upon the biblical texts in the Table of Duties concerning Christian vocation. The first set of texts concerns those who are called to preach the Word of God: To Bishops, Pastors, and Preachers. There are not three different offices, but one office. Each word describes an aspect of their work. A bishop is an overseer. He is to supervise the doctrine and life of the congregation, along with the administration of the Sacraments so that everything is taught and done according to God’s Word. Pastor means shepherd. The Pastor “shepherds” the flock by calling to repentance, admonishing the erring, and bestowing forgiveness for Jesus’ sake to the penitent. The word “preacher” gets at the heart of the minister’s work: proclamation of the Word of God. “He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.”  This section of the Table of Duties not only teaches us concerning the qualifications of our ministers, but it also encourages us all to “pray for our pastors” that they might remain faithful in the work God has called them to do.CP250309

Catechesis Notes for the Week — Why are Guests Asked to Speak with the Pastor before Communing? —There are two reasons why guests are asked to speak with the Pastor before going to the Lord’s Supper. First, it is the responsibility of the pastor to examine the confession of faith of those who come to the Altar. Our concern is that they know their sin, they trust in Christ alone for salvation, and they believe that He is giving them His body and blood for the forgiveness of sins in the Sacrament. “Worthy reception” of the Sacrament requires such faith. Second, the Lord’s Supper is not merely an individual Christian in communion with his Lord. It is also the declaration that the communicant believes and confesses the faith with the church in that place. The external teaching and confession of the church that we belong to is important because it is the external Word and sacraments that nurture and sustain that saving faith. CP250302