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IMMANUEL LUTHERAN CHURCH
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NEWS FROM THE PEWS NOVEMBER 2009
It's interesting when you talk to pastors of other denominations what you'll hear. For instance if you ask a Methodist pastor to boil down their teaching to just a few words you'll hear them talk about "Word, Sacrament, and Discipline. I've heard similar thoughts from other denominations: not all but quite a few. However, if you ask a Lutheran pastor then you'll hear just "Word and Sacraments". That's our focus. Interesting! But, what do we mean by "Word and Sacraments"? To put it quite simply, maybe too simply, when we talk about "Word and Sacrament" we are talking about the Gospel and how it is conveyed or given to us. We often refer to this as the "means of grace". Grace is not something that we "feel", but something that God gives to us outside of ourselves (extra nos). To quote from the Christian Cyclopedia at the LCMS website grace and the means of grace is: " The term "means of grace" denotes the divinely instituted means by which God offers, bestows, and seals to men forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation. Properly speaking, there is but 1 means of grace: the Gospel of Christ (Ro 1:16–17); but since in the Sacraments (see Sacrament and the Sacraments) the Gospel appears as the verbum visibile (visible Word; Ap XIII 5; Augustine* of Hippo, Tract 80 on Jn 15:3; see also par. 6 below) in distinction from the verbum audibile (audible Word), it is rightly said that the means of grace are the Gospel and the Sacraments. The Law, though also a divine Word and used by the Holy Spirit in a preparatory way to work contrition,* without which there can be no saving faith (see Faith, 2), is not, properly speaking, a means of grace (see Law and Gospel). It is the very opposite of a means of grace, namely a "ministration of death," 2 Co 3:7. Prayer is not a means of grace, but faith in action.So, grace which is God's forgiveness of sins, life, and salvations are given to us in only one place. The Gospel of Jesus Christ. Alright, so the Word in Word and Sacraments makes sense but how does the Sacraments fit into all of this? The Sacraments are quite simply the Word made visible. It is the word of God's forgiveness to us joined to a physical element. God knows that mankind understands abstract ideas better when we have a concrete example and so He gave us the Sacraments. Every time you read or hear God's Word you are being assured that you are a sinner and that your sins are forgiven. When you were Baptized your sins were forgiven. When you hear the absolution in the Divine Service you are hearing again that your sins are forgiven. And when you receive the true Body and Blood of Jesus in Holy Communion you are again receiving into your body the forgiveness of your sins. Because, it's all the same Gospel. It’s the same gospel, the same grace, the same love in each. So the forgiveness you receive is also the same — it’s just coming to you in different ways and at different times. This is why Lutherans stick to "Word and Sacrament" as the focus of our ministry. You can never be assured enough and in enough ways that your sins are forgiven. Yes, you are a sinner, but you are a sinner who has been forgiven of all your sins by the shed blood of Jesus upon the cross. So, I leave you with this question. If in the Divine Service we are being assured of the forgiveness of our sins over and over again then why should we limit ourselves to being forgiven in just one way? Why don't we receive God's forgiveness in every way that we can? Spreading the Kingdom with you,
Artesia: 11/5 Harold Friesner 11/18 Jim Ward 11/21 Cub Cuthbertson 11/23 Emma Bartley Carlsbad: 11/1 Matthew Beard Gerald Cass 11/2 Mary Campbell Rachel Galvin 11/4 Millie Flanders 11/7 Paul Cosand Gary Kennedy 11/22 Lindell Smith
Prayer Requests: (sick and recovering) Millie Flanders, Ralph and Aileen Cunnar, Ron Jones, Ursula Ochs, Leah, Suzanne Ballard, Mary Barnhart, Faith Goad, Evelyn Wilkinson, Delano Slade, Dora Boyd, Wilma Knudson, Hanna Kreul, Kent Ingram, Betty Joy, Sally Sanchez, Don Lynch, Nolan Bontke, Ralph Walker, Debbie Burnes, Mark and Corrina Corrasco, Michele Klink, Helen Hackeman, Grant Jacks, Dorothy Onstott, Kathy Macha, Jean Rightley, Mary Porter, Cole Calhoun, and Katie Beeman. Soldiers: Luke Huebner, David and Karen Fogg, Eric, Riley Parnell, JJ Jarnagin, Paul Huebner. Prayer Requests: Jonnie McGonagill, Veronica Blaine, Harold Friesner, Emma Bartley, Eugene Acosta, Venesa Ciquez, Allen Fairbain, Howard Irwin, Alton Grill, Marian Mayhall, Beverly Wilbanks, Joan Shetterly, Gladys Grill, Betty Fleacher, Lois Kittle, Nancy Unruh, Faye Antee, Cecil Friesner, and Alfred Nittsche. Soldiers – Jorge, Nick, Kendall, Adam, and John, and John Matthews. Newsletter information: Please remember if you want anything printed in the newsletter to have it in the office by the 15th of the month. LWML NEWS The LWML meeting will be Thursday Nov 5th at 9:00 am. All lady members of the congregation are invited to attend Jonas House Please remember we collect food items to be donated to Jonah’s House. Thank you for your generosity. REMINDER We still have the Kettle in back of the church for the Orphan Grain Train. Lutheran’s For Life: "Thanks be to God! His hands have not stopped creating! His love is still amazing! And His promise of sweet, sweet life is new everyday in Jesus! The thief comes to steal and kill and destroy, but Jesus says, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full" (John 10:10 NIV). Linda D. Bartlett, former president of Lutherans For Life This "Life Quote" is from Lutherans For Life – www.lutheransforlife.org.
There is No Good Reason Not to Offer the Lord’s Supper Every Sunday: Do you agree? Written by Paul T McCain August 10th, 2009
I’ve been pondering the perplexing phenomenon of Lutheran congregations not offering the Lord’s Supper every Sunday, along with the quirky, "Service of Communion without Communion" the infamous "page 5″ service of The Lutheran Hymnal, or as some put it wryly, "the dry mass." In The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod we’ve been passing resolution after resolution, "encouraging" congregations to offer the Lord’s Supper every Sunday for years now, but we still have far too many congregations that celebrate the Lord’s Supper every-other-Sunday, at best, or even less frequently, at worse. Holy Scripture indicates that the Lord’s Supper was offered to God’s people each Lord’s Day ( Acts 2:42; 20:7; 1 Cor. 11:20,33). The Lutheran Confessions declare in our churches Mass is celebrated every Sunday and on other festivals, when the Sacrament is offered to those who wish for it after they have been examined and absolved (Augsburg Confession XXIV, para.34). And Dr Luther in his Large Catechism writes, Indeed, the very words, "as often as you do it", implies that we should do it often. And they were added because Christ wishes the Sacrament to be free, not bound to special times like the Passover (Large Catechism, Fifth Part, para.47). Here’s a great resource to get you started. I am convinced that if a congregation prayerfully studies this book together, the remaining objections to communion every Sunday can only finally be attributed to willful, selfish, ignorance, and can on longer be used as a valid reason not to offer the Lord’s Supper at each Divine Service in our congregations. The point I always make with people who protest at the thought of a congregation offering the Sacrament every Sunday that it is "too often" or "too Roman Catholic" or too…whatever, is that while they may choose not to receive the Sacrament every Sunday, they have no right to deny this gift to others simply because they don’t want it.When we consider the enormous blessings that we receive in the Lord’s Supper, that we are receiving from Christ Himself, His very body and blood for forgiveness, life and salvation, how could we not want to receive this gift at every Divine Service? Simply put, I can not think of one single good reason why the Lord’s Supper is not offered in our congregations every Sunday. Can you? If your congregation does not offer the Lord’s Supper every Sunday, why doesn’t it? And what can you do about it?
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BIRTHDAY’S
