Communion; A Gift From God

 

For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes." 1 Cor 11:23-26 NRSV

It is Sunday morning and I am not leading worship today. I am on vacation. But, I will be worshipping with a small community of saints. Christmas Eve was the last time I received the Sacrament of Holy Communion. I have attended worship since and heard the word; but, there was no Communion offered or received. Over the years, I have found that I need to receive this gift often. Life just seems to go better for me (and everyone around me) when I receive the Lord's body and blood into mine; when I receive this means of grace.

I am a sinner not worthy to come before the Lord let alone to abide in him. Yet, I am able because of his shedding of his blood for me and for all people. It is a gift from God. Who, in their right minds, would turn down the opportunity to receive the Word and Sacrament, the means that God uses to impart His grace to us? So today, I will be attending an LCMS mission congregation, Faith Lutheran in Beaufort, SC so that I might be fed with both Word and Sacrament.

I pray that everyone reading this today is planning on worshipping with their local congregation, as well!

God's Peace - Pr. J

Zechariah 10 - Vacations

I have been on vacation for almost two weeks and I admit it has made me to feel guilty. I have thought, more than once, about passages like the following from Zechariah.

“My anger burns against the shepherds,
    and I will punish the leaders;
for the Lord Almighty will care
    for his flock, the people of Judah,
    and make them like a proud horse in battle." (Zech 10:3 NIV)

I did not go anywhere. Basically, the vacation time was there so I am using it before the year runs out. I have done more than a few visits during this time and have been working on the annual report and statistics at home. I have spent a lot of time in prayer. Yet, there have been moments when I felt I should have, could have, been using the time that God has given me more wisely, more fruitfully.

Ministry, for me, has always been something other than a job. It is a calling. It is a way of life. I know from experience that pastors (I) need time away; time to be alone with God; time to be able to talk to Him; time to be able to really listen to Him; time to be renewed and refreshed. But, I also know that the suffering of the people does not stop when we (I) take vacations. So when trouble happens in the congregation and community; while I am resting; I grieve that I was not there. I find consolation only in the knowledge that the LORD is with us. He is with you (and me) and it is He who will care for His flock when I fall short. The Lord will strengthen us and in His Name we will live securely. (vs 12)

So pray for me and pray for all of our shepherds; that the LORD will strengthen us even as He will forgive our human weakness.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Zechariah 5 - Problems/Wickedness

I am on vacation; but, no, I did not take a vacation from this Bible Study Blog. It appears that we are missing the days from December 25, 2013 to January 1, 2014. I wrote them, but I also just moved them back over to Jeremiah. Linnea just let me know that somehow after chapter 4 of Zechariah, I jumped back to Jeremiah 5. Guess, I just wanted to stay with this project a year or so longer...! This, I think, is what happens when one leads three evening worship services, gets home at 1 a.m., sleeps for a very few hours, and gets up to focus on anything. I got lost! Forgive me and thank you, Linnea, for helping me to see the problem!

In Zechariah's vision today, the woman sitting in the basket is a major problem! She is "Wickedness." Two angels (women with wings) carry this basket to Babylon (Shinar) to build a house for it. Wickedness is to reside in Babylon, presumably as a punishment for the captivity of God's people.

We all make mistakes. Some can be fixed quite easily; others not so easily. Often, I find myself praying "Please, LORD, let not my mistakes be the cause of trouble or pain for others." On this New Year's Day, let us consider how we will approach this new year. Will we take care not to make mistakes that will damage others?

God's Peace - Pr. J

P.S. If you want to see what I wrote since Christmas morning 'till now you will have to go back and start at July 14th. There you will find double entries for some of the chapters of Jeremiah :)

Proverbs 27 - Planning And Boasting Not The Same Thing

Planning ahead has never been part of my husband's routine. He's finally come around to letting me know what is on his schedule for the next day so that I can plan my schedule so that we will have time together.  I have planned many vacations just to go on them alone or with our children or our grandchildren. He built an addition on our house a few years ago. It's a real nice addition. But, he had not planned anything in advance. There was no blueprint of any kind! At least none that he would share with me. We went to the hardware store and lumber yard as each step of the project advanced and he decided what he needed at the time. There was no estimating the cost in advance of the project. I don't think my husband had ever read or heard Luke 14:28-30 (NIV). “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?  For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’"

From childhood, he; however, had this first verse from Proverbs 27 engrained into his being. "Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring." Somehow, for him, boasting and planning had become synonymous.

The verse says "do not boast." It does not say, do not plan ahead. Proverbs is a whole bunch of wisdom sayings put together, one after another. But, as with all of scripture, we read need to read them in the context of all scripture. When we take a look a the story from Luke it says we indeed should be planning ahead, and Proverbs would be reminding us not to boast of things not yet accomplished.

I'm a planner. I like things organized so I know what is coming up. I like things done quickly and efficiently. Planning helps me with this. After 40 years, I am finally getting use to not knowing what my husband is planning and he's finally coming around to wanting to have some kind of plan.

Planning with others what you will do tomorrow is not the same thing as boasting about what you will do tomorrow.

God's Peace - Pr. J.