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Devotions

The Comfort of Your Confirmation

DEVOTION – CONFIRMATION

The Comfort of  Your Confirmation

“Be faithful until death and I will give you the crown of life” (Revelation 2:10).

“This certifies that (fill in your name), having received a thorough instruction in the sacred teachings of the Christian religion as found in the Holy Scriptures and confessed by the Lutheran Church, and having vowed before God and this Christian congregation to be faithful to our Lord Jesus Christ and His saving Gospel, was received into communicant membership by the solemn rite of CONFIRMATION.”Read More »The Comfort of Your Confirmation

The Christian Pentecost

“They were all filled with the Holy Spirit”  (Acts 2:4). 

An expression I remember from my childhood is Emma go ‘het. It didn’t make much sense, but I knew what it meant. Forward with zeal and determination! I suppose the words were a rendering of a German-English phrase Immer go ahead! Always forward!

The Jewish festival of Pentecost was named Shavuot in Hebrew—meaning weeks. It fell seven weeks, or a “week of weeks,” after the Passover Sabbath. The festival, by count, was on the 50th day after the Passover Sabbath (Leviticus 23:15-16). The Feast of Weeks marked the end of the grain harvest and was the time to offer the first fruits (Leviticus 23:20). The name Shavuot later became Pentecost—Greek for fiftieth.

On the first Christian Pentecost, the one after Jesus’ death and resurrection, the promise Jesus had given to His disciples was fulfilled. He had said, before ascending, “Tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high (Luke 24:49), and “You shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now” (Acts 1:5). The Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Trinity, was poured out upon the disciples on Pentecost (Acts 2). The Holy Spirit had already brought the disciples to faith in Christ. Now the Holy Spirit was giving them special blessings to proclaim the saving Name of Jesus—courage, zeal, wisdom, understanding of the Scriptures, ability to speak other languages, power to work miracles—all to further their witness that the crucified and risen Jesus was the Savior from sin.Read More »The Christian Pentecost

Re-Gifting the Holy Spirit’s Gifts

DEVOTION – GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT

I’m pretty sure re-gifting is not a recent idea. Although it seems to be gaining popularity, there are those who consider it a tacky practice. The idea is that if you get three toaster ovens for your wedding, for example, you could give two of them away as gifts to someone else. It is important to take stock of the things we own. “If it’s not being used, it’s wasted” is my wife’s motto. I seem to have a hard time living up to this expectation and often find unused and underappreciated items in my possession.

God gives us much more than the earthly blessings of house, job, and family. He also gives us spiritual blessings.

Gifts, of course, come to us in many different forms. Our Heavenly Father is truly the giver of every good and perfect gift (James 1:17), but God gives us much more than the earthly blessings of house, job, and family. He also gives us spiritual blessings, including faith to know Read More »Re-Gifting the Holy Spirit’s Gifts

A Mother’s Comfort

It must have been in one of the special Sunday cartoon strips that I saw it—because otherwise Bil Keane’s Family Circus cartoons were always in circles. I remember three frames. The first showed Billy (Jeffy?) in tears, running to find his mother. The second frame shows the same boy encountering his dad—tears were gone—“Oh! Hi, Dad.” The third frame, with Dad gone, shows the same son back in tears continuing in his search to find Mom.Read More »A Mother’s Comfort

May 2015 Bread of Life

TLH = The Lutheran Hymnal, 1941;   WS  = Worship Supplement 2000;   SC  = Martin Luther’s Small Catechism; [  ] = Minor Festivals or commemorations in the Christian Church Year

May 1 John 6:1-14 PS 61

[St. Philip and St. James, Apostles] 
Jesus strengthens Philip’s faith in His redeeming work using five loaves, two fish, and twelve baskets in the feeding of the five thousand.

May 2 Luke 18:1-8 SC Lord’s Prayer Address
Does God forsake His children? No, He hears each and every prayer of the faithful.

May 4 1 John 4:1-11 TLH 346
The great theological test question is “What do you
think of Jesus?”Read More »May 2015 Bread of Life

To Rise from Sin

“. . . just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life”
(Romans 6:4). 

EASTER

is indeed a joyful time of the year as we celebrate the anniversary of our Savior’s resurrection. He who died for us rose again and lives forevermore! What greater joy for us than to know that our Redeemer lives! That joy comes from comprehending by faith the wonder of God’s love and the forgiveness that is ours in Christ Jesus. So we know a great sense of relief from guilt and we know peace and hope, but do we fully realize the power of the resurrection? Perhaps one’s first thought relating to the power of Jesus’ resurrection is that our mortal bodies too shall rise from the grave, Read More »To Rise from Sin

“I AM the Good Shepherd”

Twenty-three times in the Gospel of John we find “I AM” statements (in Greek, ego eimi). To seven of those are attached metaphors, including the passage in which our Lord states, “I AM the Good Shepherd” (John 10:11,14). Why did Jesus choose this word picture to describe Himself?

The land of Israel had a mostly agrarian population. Sheep herding had a long history in the region. Abraham, Jacob, Moses, and David had all spent time as shepherds. Read More »“I AM the Good Shepherd”