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Devotions

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

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

“BREAD OF LIFE” READINGS March 2020

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

Date Hymns Reading Comments
Mar 2 TLH 411 Ruth 1 Ruth wasn’t simply attached to her mother-in-law. She had come to faith in the God of Israel and was determined to remain among others who believed in Him.
Mar 3 TLH 281 Ruth 2 Boaz took notice of Ruth, and noticed too that she had come on account of the Lord, the God of Israel (v. 12).
Mar 4 WS 757 Psalm 47 God is the great King over all the earth. The good news is that He is our God!
Mar 5 TLH 421 (LSB 688) Luke 9:18-27 God’s Messiah wasn’t what most people were expecting. He would be rejected and killed, and those who followed Him would also suffer much.
Mar 6 WS 719 (LSB 415) Luke 9:28-62 While many did not see Jesus as the Messiah, He showed three of His disciples that He truly was from heaven—without a doubt.Read More »“BREAD OF LIFE” READINGS March 2020

Will You Accept the Gift of Lent?

COVER STORY – Lent

I’ve never found myself in a situation where I felt I needed to refuse a gift. Some obviously have. No honorable woman would ever, for example, accept a diamond ring while refusing a marriage proposal (as much as she might like to). Others may have found it necessary to refuse gifts that would obligate them to unacceptable terms or conditions.
Beginning February 26th, our God will again be offering to each of us the gift of Lent. The question that confronts all Christians each Lenten season is whether we will accept or refuse this divine present. How, why, would any Child of God refuse?

Time for introspection and contemplation

The gift that our God offers in connection with the season of Lent is a unique and invaluable time for introspection and contemplation, but it does not come without certain obligations. Human beings are, by nature, hedonistic, superficial, ungrateful, and lazy. We also have a natural sense of entitlement, imagining that we deserve whatever good things we want or receive. Christians know better, but our Adversary has learned from experience that if he can fill our existence with distractions and obligations, if he can create a world of perpetual preoccupation, he can tap into both our natural laziness and our sense of entitlement, and thereby convince us that the obligations of Lent outweigh the benefits.

Counting the cost

The point here is not that the obligations of Lent aren’t real. They are. Begin therefore by counting the cost. If your plate is truly full, you can’t add more without forcing something else off. “Carving out time” implies that something has to be cut off and discarded. Recognize also that the obligations of Lent involve more than just an hour or two for a half dozen Wednesday services (which can include cleaning off and bundling up little ones, a cold car ride, and the disruption of the family routine). Read More »Will You Accept the Gift of Lent?

“Were You There?”

DEVOTION – GOOD FRIDAY

Lent and Holy Week have some very powerful and moving hymns that cause us to pause and contemplate our Savior’s passion. A few hymns that come to mind are, “Go to Dark Gethsemane,” “Stricken, Smitten, and Afflicted,” “O Sacred Head Now Wounded,” and one that captured my imagination as a child, “There Is a Fountain Filled with Blood.”
A hymn for Good Friday that appears in some newer Lutheran hymnals is “Were You There When They Crucified My Lord?” (Christian Worship #119 / Lutheran Service Book #456) A quick search online reveals that this hymn was sung by slaves on plantations in the pre-Civil War era.
The hymn asks us if we “were there” when Jesus was crucified, when He was nailed to the tree, when they laid Him in the tomb, and when God raised Him from the tomb. Each verse echoes with the refrain, “Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.”Read More »“Were You There?”

“BREAD OF LIFE” READINGS February 2020

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

Date Hymns Reading Comments
Feb 1 TLH 458 (LSB 766) Luke 11:1-13 How can we not be encouraged to pray? Jesus shows us what sorts of things we can talk to God about and assures us that He will answer us.
Feb 3 TLH 10; LSB 849 Luke 11:14-26 Jesus certainly can’t be in league with Satan or under Satan’s control if He is able to drive out demons.
Feb 4 TLH 283 (LSB 582) Luke 11:27-32 Jesus’ words are wiser than Solomon’s and greater than Jonah’s, so let’s pay attention to them. Those who treasure Jesus’ words are happy!
Feb 5 TLH 264 (LSB 658) Luke 11:33-54 Who are those whose light shines into the world? Those who hear the Word of the apostles and prophets.Read More »“BREAD OF LIFE” READINGS February 2020

“We Are Beggars. This is True.”

DEVOTION – DEATH OF LUTHER

February 18, 2020 will mark 474 years since the death of Dr. Martin Luther in 1546. His tireless efforts and bravery, born from a heart set free by the Gospel of full and free forgiveness in Christ, were God’s instruments to shine this same Gospel on countless hearts and lives, including our own. Among his many accomplishments are these:Read More »“We Are Beggars. This is True.”

“BREAD OF LIFE” READINGS January 2020

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

Date Hymns Reading Comments
Jan 1 TLH 529 (LSB 719) Judges 1:1-3 When the Israelites did not know what to do, they asked the Lord. Judah followed the Lord’s direction, as should we in this new year.
Jan 2 WS 706 (LSB 388) Judges 2:8-18 After the death of Joshua, the Israelites fell away from the Lord in just a generation. It reminds us how important it is to teach our children to fear of the Lord.
Jan 3 WS 714 (LSB 378) Judges 3:7-11 Israel had done evil, yet when they turned to the Lord for mercy He was merciful and gave them a leader to lead them away from their sinful ways.Read More »“BREAD OF LIFE” READINGS January 2020