Sacraments Archives - Faith Lutheran Church, Wesley Chapel

Kurt Steinbrueck August 8, 2019

Blog Communion, Sacraments

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Take and Eat

“For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” – 1 Corinthians 11:23-26

Communion, the Lord’s Supper, the Eucharist, or the Sacrament of the Altar.

This sacrament has many names, each emphasizing a different aspect of this blessed gift. Communion speaks to the communion we experience with Christ and with each other. The Lord’s Supper reminds us that Jesus instituted the meal and His body and blood are present. Eucharist means, “giving thanks”, and focuses on it being a meal of thanksgiving to God for forgiveness, life, salvation through Jesus’ sacrifice. The Sacrament of the Altar emphasizes Jesus being the one true and final sacrifice for our sins, the sacrifice in which His body was broken and His blood shed.

With Communion, God gives us His presence in a way we can touch, taste, see, smell, and sometime even hear (the sound of the bread breaking or wine being poured). All of our senses are engaged as communion with our Lord and each other and receive forgiveness of sins. This physical experience can be very helpful as we face our doubts and the accusations of enemy. The devil loves to accuse us and tell us we still stand guilty in our sins. However, we can remember receiving Jesus body and blood and trust in His promise to give forgiveness through the meal.

As Luther once wrote:

““When the devil throws our sins up to us and declares we deserve death and hell, we ought to speak thus: “I admit that I deserve death and hell. What of it? Does this mean that I shall be sentenced to eternal damnation? By no means. For I know One who suffered and made a satisfaction in my behalf. His name is Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Where he is, there I shall be also.””

This Is My Body. This Is My Blood.

There is much debate among Christian denominations of whether Jesus body and blood are truly present and in what way they are. As Lutherans, we believe Jesus body and blood are truly present for Jesus said, “This is my body.” (Luke 22:19) and “This is my blood.” (Matthew 26:28) We do not, however, try to explain how Jesus body and blood are present except to say that it is by the power of God. The Bible doesn’t explain it. It simply tells us it is, so we trust that it is.

What Happens In Communion?

There are many things which happen in communion. 1 Corinthians speaks of us, together, participating with Christ’s body and blood. It also says we are proclaiming Christ’s death until He comes. Jesus says we receive forgiveness of sins. Where we receive forgiveness of sins we receive life and salvation. When we receive Communion in faith, we receive all these blessings for our spiritual nourishment and strength.

What a wonderful blessing Jesus has given us in the Lord’s Supper. May Christ be with you every moment. And if the devil tries to accuse you or bring up sin from you past, you can, like Luther, say, “I admit my sin, but it does not condemn me. For Jesus has forgiven my sin, washed me clean, and made me His own.”

Heavenly Father,

Thank you for sending Your Son to die for us. Jesus, thank you for giving us Your body and blood. Please forgive me and strengthen me that I may endure all of life’s trials until I go to be with You or You return. Unify Your church with You.

Amen.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Kurt

Kurt Steinbrueck August 6, 2019

Blog absolution, confession, forgiveness, Sacraments

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I’m Sorry. You Are Forgiven

I'm Sorry. You are forgiven.

“Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

– John 20:21-23

Confession and absolution (forgiveness) is pretty straight forward. The guilty confess their wrong doing and then they are forgiven. However, the simplicity of what is done should not take away from how incredible this is.

Imagine if you committed a crime and got caught. When you are brought before the judge you confess and tell the judge you are sorry. In our courts, this may lessen your sentence, but you will still be found guilty. In God’s court, however, He pronounces you innocent and declares you free of all guilt and it’s associated punishment. How incredible?!!!

We all sin. Everyday, many times a day, we sin. We rebel against God. So, we are all guilty and in desperate need of forgiveness. God, in His great mercy has provided a way for us to be forgiven through faith in Jesus Christ. After Jesus had risen from the dead, He appears to the disciples, breathes on them, gives them the Holy Spirit, and then gives them the authority to forgive sins.

This authority is given to the whole church. The church then gives this authority to be used by the pastor as He is called by God and the church to administer the means of grace. As we confess our sins each week in the worship service (or in private confession) we hear the words of the pastor forgiving our sins. We take hold of this promise by faith. So, as we hear these words, we can be confident that we are forgiven as though Christ were standing before us speaking the words Himself. After all, it is by Jesus’ command that the pastor does so.

What sweet relief it is to know that you are forgiven.

Sadly, when we sin, sometimes the guilt of our sin and the lies of the devil push us to to avoid church and avoid God. We, like Adam and Eve hiding in the Garden, try to hide and avoid our shame. However, we are running from the very thing we need. This is just the time when we should run TO God and His church to receive the forgiveness we so desperately need.

We can all go to God anytime and confess our sins. However, God has also given us the gift of confession and absolution where we can hear the words of forgiveness audibly spoken to us and know that it is true.

If you feel the weight of sin on your shoulders, I encourage you to contact me (or whomever your pastor is), confess, and receive forgiveness.

Heavenly Father,

I confess that I have sinned against You. I am sorry for what I have done. For the sake of Jesus Christ and His suffering, death, and resurrection, please forgive me and renew me that I might walk in Your ways.

Amen

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Kurt

Kurt Steinbrueck August 1, 2019

Blog baptism, Sacraments

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His Name On You

His name on you

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” – Matthew 28:19

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. These words were spoken over you when you were baptized. These aren’t just random words. It’s not just a nice thing we say. These words have power, life-giving power.

In baptism God is putting His name on you.

If you had brothers or sisters growing up or just took things to school, you probably remember putting your name on your stuff. By putting your name on your lunchbox or your favorite toy, you were saying, “This is mine. This belongs to me.” In much the same way, in baptism God has put His name, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, on you and said,

“This is my child.”

To have God’s name on you is more than just a statement of ownership, it is a declaration of adoption and it comes with many wonderful blessings.

You are washed clean of your sins.
He rescues you from death and the devil.
You can go to God in prayer as His child.
And gives you eternal life.

This is the reality that you, as a baptized child of God, live in.

You might ask, “How can water do all this?”

It’s not just water. It’s water with the Word of God which is received by faith. God is the one baptizing you. It is the same Word of God which spoke galaxies into existence which creates new life in you in your baptism through the grace of Jesus Christ.

“He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.”

– Titus 3:5-7

Heavenly Father,

Thank you for washing me in the waters of baptism and putting Your name on me. I am Yours, not because of my own righteous works, but because of Your mercy and grace. Help me to live as Your child and to rest in the promise of my salvation through Jesus Christ.

Amen

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Kurt

Kurt Steinbrueck July 30, 2019

Blog god, God with Us, jesus, physical, Sacraments

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The Concrete God

The Concrete god

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” – John 1:14

God is Spirit. We can’t touch Him or see Him unless He shows Himself to us. We, however, are physical. Most of what we interact with on a daily basis is also physical. We can see it, touch it, taste it, smell it, and or hear it. This can cause a problem as we struggle to comprehend things that are not physical.

God knows what we are like. After all, He made us. So, God has dealt with mankind often in physical ways. He walked with Adam and Eve in the garden. He sends angels to deliver messages. He led the people of Israel through the wilderness as a cloud by day and pillar of fire by night.

Of course, the biggest way God dealt with us in a physical way is by Jesus, the Word, becoming a man. He dwelt among us. He walked and talked with us. He died for us.

Today, God still deals with us in physical ways.

He gives us His Word in written form
He baptizes us with water
He forgives us through His servants
He feeds and strengthens us through bread and wine, Jesus’ body and blood.

Through God’s sacraments, God not only does mighty spiritual work, like forgiving sins, strengthening faith, and making us part of His body, the church, He also gives us something concrete to hold onto.

When the memory of a sin keeps haunting me causing me to question whether I am truly forgiven, I can remember that I received Jesus Body and Blood through the bread and wine of Communion and know that God promises to forgive my sin in His supper. If I start to question whether I’m truly saved, I can remember that I am baptized and God promises to wash us in our baptism and make us His children.

One of Martin Luther’s recommended practices for Christians was to rise in the morning, make the sign of the cross, and say,

“I am baptized into Christ.”

Every day we are faced with temptations to sin, doubts, and all kinds of suffering. What comfort God gives us to rest in the finished work of Jesus Christ and have concrete ways that He comes to us and works in us.

Dear Jesus,

Thank you for washing me of my sins, making me Yours, and strengthening me through Your Body and Blood.

Amen.

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Kurt

Sacraments

Take and Eat

Take and Eat

I’m Sorry. You Are Forgiven

I'm Sorry. You are forgiven.

His Name On You

His name on you

The Concrete God

The Concrete god

Faith Lutheran Church in Wesley Chapel, FL serving Lutz, Zephyrhills, Land O’ Lakes, and New Tampa, FL