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“BREAD OF LIFE” READINGS AUGUST 2021

TLH = The Lutheran Hymnal, 1941; WS = Worship Supplement 2000; LSB = Lutheran Service Book, 2006

Date Hymns Reading Comments

Aug 2 TLH 536 (LSB 838) Genesis 16:1-16 When Abram was eighty-six years old, he and Sarai thought they should “help” God’s promise along by having a child through Sarai’s maid. Their weakness of faith only caused trouble.

Aug 3 TLH 549; LSB 764 Psalm 9 We give thanks to the Lord for bringing us safely through days of trouble. Our refuge is in Him now and forever.Read More »“BREAD OF LIFE” READINGS AUGUST 2021

“Welcome Back to Church!”

COVER STORY – RETURN TO CHURCH

During the past year of pandemic isolation, we all have been very thankful to God that He has provided us with the means to share His Word through live streaming and other venues. Thanks be to God that He has spared the large majority of our members from severe health problems due to the virus! Now that restrictions have been eased and the danger has subsided somewhat, it’s a good time to remind each other of the blessings of in-person fellowship.

The word fellowship has to do with sharing. Church fellowship can be described as “whatever Christians do together as spiritual partners.” Examples include worship, prayer, singing hymns and spiritual songs, sharing the Lord’s Supper, Christian education, mutual encouragement in God’s Word, and mission work.

God wants to bless His believers through the interactive exercise of their faith with others who share the same beliefs in Jesus, founded on the truth of His Word. This fellowship that we share was never meant to be purely passive. Yes, it’s possible to do these things in a limited way from a distance, but the best blessings come when you give as well as receive:Read More »“Welcome Back to Church!”

Congregation, Not Isolation

DEVOTION—FACE-TO-FACE FELLOWSHIP

In the beginning, the Lord punctuated His series of creative “Let there be’s” with this simple principle: “It is not good that man should be alone.” (Genesis 2:18) But it was only shortly after that when mankind sprinted headlong into isolation. The result of the first sin was that Adam and Eve hid away from God during what should have been the highlight of the day. Then the accusations flew against one another as both sought to save their own skins. We see that sin left people with nothing but separation, both from God and from each other. Thus it has been ever since that when we find isolation depicted in the Scripture, it’s often in the context of lament and suffering. Consider David’s words, “Why do You stand afar off, O Lord? Why do You hide in times of trouble?” (Psalm 10:1) Or who could forget the despair of lonely Elijah, “I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.” (1 Kings 19:10) Read More »Congregation, Not Isolation

TLH Hymn 481 “Through the Night of Doubt and Sorrow”

A HYMN OF GLORY LET US SING

Other than what God has told us in His Word, we do not know what the future holds. Several years ago we did not know that the whole world would essentially shut down for an entire year. We did not know that churches would be closed, and we would be watching sermons in our living rooms on video screens, without the benefit of weekly in-person contact with our fellow believers to encourage us in our faith. It has been, we might say, a “night of doubt and sorrow” that was unexpected and long.

When will the next significant trouble appear on the horizon for us? Will it be tomorrow, next week, or next year? We don’t know, but we do know that the Lord has given us brothers and sisters in the faith so that we will not need to face the next trouble alone. In Bernard Ingemann’s hymn “Through the Night of Doubt and Sorrow,” Read More »TLH Hymn 481 “Through the Night of Doubt and Sorrow”