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The Edible Gift

DEVOTION – THE LORD’S SUPPER

The Eucharist, Breaking Bread, Holy Communion, the Lord’s Supper—this sacrament has many names and, unfortunately, many misconceptions concerning it. We ask the Holy Spirit to open our hearts to His Word as we revisit this gracious gift of our Savior.
At the outset we wish to establish that this precious meal is a sacrament; that is, a sacred act graciously given us by our God. Holy Communion does fulfill the three prerequisites for the traditional definition of a sacrament. Firstly, it is divinely instituted—Jesus Himself gave us the practice on the night He was betrayed. Secondly, the Sacrament gives or conveys the forgiveness of sins, and finally the meal contains earthly elements, namely the bread and wine.Read More »The Edible Gift

“BREAD OF LIFE” READINGS May 2020

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

Date Hymns Reading Comments
May 1 TLH 336; LSB 695 1 Samuel 18:1-11 It’s difficult for us to see the success of others without feeling jealous, but jealousy in the heart leads to other sins too. May God preserve us!
May 2 TLH 590 (LSB 755) 1 Samuel 19:1-7 Jonathan interceded for his friend David. It is a blessing when the Lord gives us friends who stand up for us.
May 4 TLH 435 Psalm 63 In his loneliness, David longs for fellowship with God. Then he remembers the Lord’s faithful help and this encourages him, leading him to sing praises and rejoice.
May 5 WS 766 (LSB 671) John 14:1-14 We don’t have to worry about finding the way to Jesus’ place ourselves. He finds us and will take us to be with Him. Trust Him!
May 6 TLH 59 (LSB 398) 1 Samuel 20:30-42 The Lord used Jonathan to save the life of David— who was to be king and the ancestor of Jesus. Saul would not stop God from bringing His Son into the world.Read More »“BREAD OF LIFE” READINGS May 2020

“BREAD OF LIFE” READINGS April 2020

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

Date Hymns Reading Comments
Apr 1 WS 725 (LSB 444) Mark 11:1-11 Jesus was truly coming “in the name of the Lord.” He embodied the plan of the Lord our God to save us from our sins.
Apr 2 TLH 152; LSB 424 Mark 11:12-19 The people had not been using the temple court for the spiritual role it had been intended, so Jesus reminded them again of its purpose.
Apr 3 TLH 354 (LSB 427) Mark 11:20-25 Our faith is what connects to us to God and to His blessings. Remember that the righteous will live by faith.
Apr 4 TLH 162 (LSB 441) 1 Samuel 7:2-13 Samuel interceded for the people before God and then He answered, accepting their confession of sins and faithfully helping them against the Philistines.Read More »“BREAD OF LIFE” READINGS April 2020

Triumphant Humility

COVER STORY – Palm Sunday

One of the fun parts about attending a professional basketball game is the home team player introductions. The lights dim, the pump-up music plays, spotlights pan around the crowd, and the stadium announcer stretches every syllable of the star player’s name so the fans can cheer for longer. But sometimes the cheers turn to boos if the star’s performance doesn’t live up to expectations.
Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem is an excellent demonstration of the contrast between Jesus’ dual nature of true God and true Man. He was given the praise He deserves, yet demonstrated His perfect humility. “And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: ‘Hosanna to the Son of David! “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” Hosanna in the highest!’” (Matthew 21:8-9) The big event on Palm Sunday is often called the triumphal entry. The crowd hailed Him as the promised Son of David and laid their clothes before Him. He got such a star treatment that it bothered the Pharisees: “And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, ‘Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.’ But He answered and said to them, ‘I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.’” (Luke 19:39-40) Jesus’ response to them showed that His glory as true God would not be removed from Him. But Jesus’ royal parade was also marked by the perfect humility that He demonstrated on earth. He did not come on a royal horse or with a company of angels. Rather, He humbly sat upon a borrowed donkey. These details together reveal the King of heaven, Who was willing to humble Himself to be like us.Read More »Triumphant Humility

The Longest Name

DEVOTION – EASTER

We each bear a name that tells a lengthy story.

The longest name in recorded history belonged to a man who went by “Hubert B. Wolfe + 988 Sr.” This was merely a shortening of his full name which included twenty-six ordinary names followed by a 988-letter surname. I would guess that most of us go by three names, although perhaps some have four; certainly, none come near to the length of Hubert’s name. But, in a way, we can all claim to have a name that is much longer than even his. In the book The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien, a tree-like creature says about his name, “I am not going to tell you my name, not yet at any rate. . . . For one thing, it would take a long while: my name is growing all the time, and I’ve lived a very long, long time; so my name is like a story.” Similarly, we each bear a name that tells a lengthy story. It’s the name Christian.Read More »The Longest Name

TLH 162 Ride On, Ride On, in Majesty

A HYMN OF GLORY LET US SING

Paradox and perspective are two elements which, along with the lofty melody of “Winchester New” (http://lutherantacoma.com/hymns/012.mp3), stand out in Henry H. Milman’s Palm Sunday hymn, “Ride On, Ride On, in Majesty.”
Paradox
A paradox is a statement that seems self-contradictory but which may, in fact, express a profound truth. The Spirit-inspired writers of the Bible often used paradoxical statements to express divine truth in a memorable way (see Matthew 5:4 and 10:39, and 2 Corinthians 12:10 for just three of many possible examples). So also, in verse 2 of this hymn, Milman uses the paradoxical term lowly pomp to perfectly characterize the Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem at the beginning of Holy Week. “Ride on, ride on, in majesty! / In lowly pomp ride on to die. / O Christ, Thy triumphs now begin / O’er captive death and conquered sin.” (v. 2)Read More »TLH 162 Ride On, Ride On, in Majesty