Congregation at Prayer

Catechesis Notes for the Week — “If in this life only we have hope in Christ…” (1 Cor. 15:19). “If believing in Christ does not result in the resurrection of our bodies from the dead and eternal life with God that is free of all sickness, sin, and corruption, then what is the point of the Christian faith? This is Paul’s assertion. ‘If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.’ But Paul, unlike so many modern theologians and even the Jewish Sadducees of his day, actually believed in the historical Jesus who is the Christ, the Son of God, who actually suffered and died for the salvation of the world and who also actually rose bodily from the dead on the third day after His crucifixion. The Scriptures teach that the crucifixion and death of God’s Son upon the cross took away all sin and the curse of the creation. The Christian faith rests upon the fundamental assertion: ‘Christ is risen from the dead!’… His death reconciles us to God. His death swallowed up death because it took away the problem of sin.…” Lutheran Catechesis, p. 118b

CP250420

Catechesis Notes for the Week — This week’s section of the Table of Duties directs us to what God’s Word says concerning the Office of Husband. When the Apostle Peter directs, “Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers,” he is reminding husbands that their wives have been given an office by God that places them in a subordinate position to them. It would be very easy for the husband, corrupted by the sinful flesh as he is, to take advantage of his headship and the wife’s position of subordination to him. He is to “be considerate” of the position that God gave her and be husband to her in selfless love. Although they are not in the same office, they are, nevertheless, equal “heirs of the gracious gift of life” in Christ Jesus. If he does not believe that, then his prayers, which include the ministration of his office as a husband will be “hindered.” The essential disposition of the husband to the wife is contained in the passage from Colossians: “Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.” Here the husband’s office is depicted as the office of Christ to His bride the Church, as it is also in Ephesians 5. Christ loves His bride by laying down His life for her and covering her sins with His blood. He is never harsh with her who is “bone of His bone and flesh of His flesh but nourishes and cares for her as His own body.” The office of husband finds its identity in Christ, the Church’s Bridegroom.   

CP250413

Catechesis Notes for the Week — Responsible Citizenship—Lord, keep this nation under Your care. Bless the leaders of our land that we may be a people at peace among ourselves and a blessing to the other nations of the earth. Grant that we may choose trustworthy leaders, contribute to wise decisions for the general welfare, and serve You faithfully in our generation; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.  Amen. (LSB #225)CP250406

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

Catechesis Notes for the Week — A Pledge of the Resurrection of the Body — The Lord’s Supper was, since ancient times, called “the medicine of immortality”. In the Lord’s Supper we receive Jesus’ true body and blood. This is the same body and blood that was born of the Virgin Mary and that was given and shed for us for the forgiveness of all our sin. “Where there is forgiveness of sins, there is also life and salvation.” It is precisely because the body and blood of Jesus delivers to us Christ’s forgiveness, that His body and blood becomes the source of restored life with God, the resurrection of our bodies, and eternal life, incorruption, and immortality. When we receive Jesus’ true body and blood in faith, we are receiving the very pledge from our Savior that on the last day we shall be raised bodily from the dead, and our mortal flesh will put on immortality and incorruption. CP250223

Catechesis Notes for the Week — Catechesis Notes for the Week—They Drank from the Rock—This week’s Bible verse teaches us that Christ was actually in the Old Testament with the children of Israel in the Rock that followed them and from which they drank. This passage of the “real presence” is chosen to highlight that since Christ was actually present with the children of Israel in the Rock from which they drank in the Old Testament, how much more should we understand that Christ is truly present with us today in the Lord’s Supper. He declares of the bread and the wine of the Lord’s Supper: “This is My body…This is My blood…” Therefore it is His true body and blood.

This is My body. In the Lord’s Supper Jesus gives us His body to eat and His blood to drink. The Sacrament of the Altar rests upon the Word of God. Jesus’ words give what they say. The power and benefits of the Sacrament are given through the Word. Take away the Word and there is no Sacrament. With the Word, there is a Sacrament, namely, “the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, under the bread and wine, instituted by Christ Himself, for us Christians to eat and to drink.” What role does faith play in the Sacrament? Faith receives what the Word says. Faith believes in what the Word gives. Faith rests upon the promises of God. The essence of the Sacrament, that is, “what it is,” is determined by the Word. This gives faith its certainty. We know we receive the body and blood of Christ for the forgiveness of all our sins, because the Word says so.  Faith knows no other certainty but the promises of the Gospel.CP250216