October 14, 2007
Vol. 1, no. 17
<Previous Next>
Beloved in the Lord: Grace and Peace to you in the name of the One True God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit!
Amen.
Pray continually; giving thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. I Thessalonians 5:17-18.
The saints in prayer appear as one
In word and deed and mind,
While with the Father and the Son
Sweet fellowship they find.*
Have you ever been one with someone in word and deed and mind? Most of us would say we have maybe felt that close with our spouse, but even that can be pushing it. This glorious hymn of catechesis teaches us so many wonderful things about prayer and in this verse we see one of the greatest mysteries of prayer: it unifies. Sports teams used to pray before a game. They both prayed for opposite things, both wanted to win and both wanted the other team to lose. How does this unite us? Throughout the history of the world, Christian nations have been at war with one another. Both countries prayed that they would be victorious. How are they united? Christ, in the Garden of Gethsemane, prayed that the cup of God’s holy and righteous wrath would be removed from Him, and yet it was not. What is it about prayer that unites us? The will of our Father in heaven! True Christians will present their prayers and petitions before the Lord, asking not for their will to be done concerning them, but that God’s will be done. This is how we are truly united in prayer; this is how we find that sweet fellowship with the Father and the Son. God’s will binds us and faith turns us to pray for His divine will. We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His will. Take it to the Lord in prayer.
The Lord be with you,
Pastor Jim
*TLH 454, v. 6
Worship Practices
(Frequently Asked Questions)
Q: In communion, do we commune with the sacrificed body and blood of Jesus, or the resurrected body and blood of Jesus?
A: The answer to your question is that we receive in, with, and under the bread and wine the true body and blood of Christ shed on the cross, Jesus Christ Who is now risen and ascended and sits at the right hand of God the Father. He is the same Christ, and when he gave us the Sacrament, as the Lutheran Confessions affirm, "he was speaking of his true, essential body, which he gave into death for us, and of his true, essential blood, which was poured out for us on the tree of the cross for the forgiveness of sins" (Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration VII, 49).
In the Sacrament, our Confessions further teach, the same Jesus who died is present in the Sacrament, although not in exactly the same way that he was corporeally [bodily] present when he walked bodily on earth. With Luther, the Formula of Concord speaks of "the incomprehensible, spiritual mode of presence according to which he neither occupies nor yields space but passes through everything created as he wills....He employed this mode of presence when he left the closed grave and came through closed doors, in the bread and wine in the Supper...."[FC SD VII, 100; emphasis added].
For these and many more “FAQ’s”, visit the
Synod’s website at www.lcms.org
Five Minutes with Herr Luther
Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me.
Psalm 50:15
The Scriptures show two sorts of sacrifices that are acceptable and pleasing to God. The first is called a sacrifice of thanks or praise: when we teach and preach God's Word purely; when we hear and receive it with faith; when we acknowledge the same, and do everything that tends to the spreading of it abroad, and thank God from our hearts for the unspeakable benefits which through the same are bestowed upon us in Christ; when we praise and glorify Him. In the Psalms we find many such expressions of thanks or praise. "O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good; because His mercy endureth forever." "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name." "Offer unto God thanksgiving." The second sort is when a sorrowful and troubled heart in all manner of temptations has his refuge in God, calls upon Him in true and upright faith, seeks help from Him, and waits patiently upon Him. The Psalms offer many examples of such sacrifices also. "I called upon the Lord in distress; the Lord answered me, and set me in a large place." "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise."
To God, the Father of all love,
The God of earth and heaven,
The mighty God who reigns above,
Be praise and glory given!
With healing balm my soul He fills,
And every pain and sorrow stills:
To God all praise and glory.
Next Week’s Readings
Psalm 121
Genesis 32:22–30
2 Timothy 3:14—4:5
Luke 18:1–8
Next Week’s Hymns
Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing LSB 686
By All Your Saints in Warfare LSB 517
In the Shattered Bliss of Eden LSB 572
Holy God, We Praise Thy Name LSB 940
Word of God, Come Down on Earth LSB 545
The Lord be with you!
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, 908 W. Main Middleville, MI 49333 +269-795-2391+ goodshepherdlcms@gmail.com