Status Updates From Heaven on Earth: The Gifts ...

Last Supper stands as the most significant meal of Jesus and the most important occasion of His breaking of bread. This is because it is the only meal in which Jesus identifies the bread as His very body and the contents of the cup as His very blood. It is also the only meal that Jesus directs His disciples to repeat. When the Christian Church later breaks bread in celebrations of the Last Supper, this is in response

When Jesus mentions bread, He is pointing to table fellowship where those dining receive both the physical bread needed for life in this world now as well as the eschatological bread that provides the life of the age to come as spiritual sustenance even now. This follows the pattern of the Old Testament manna, which certainly was physical earthly food, but which at the same time provided miraculously and in abundance

Jesus uses Psalm 118 to describe His upcoming rejection by the Sanhedrin. What is so extraordinary about Jesus' imminent crucifixion is that His rejection is the means by which He will become the cornerstone and is therefore a reference to His glory. God's glory is manifested in the rejection of God's Son (v. 22). For the psalmist, this great reversal of rejection as a means for glory is the Lord's doing and therefo

As we saw on the way to Emmaus, where there is no hearing of the Word to cause hearts to burn, the meal cannot open eyes to the eternal realities of heaven on earth in Jesus Christ. This reality-that we join angels and archangels and all the company of heaven in feasting with Christ in His Kingdom-is the reason why we give thanks. And so the Lord's Supper is also called the Eucharist, which means the giving of thanks

One of the great virtues of the historic lectionary is its anonymity, that is, no one knows who chose these readings, how they came together, and what rationale was used. This shields the historic lectionary from the accusation of partisan meddling. Thise who have lived through years of hearing this historic cycle of justifiably treasure its catechetical value, there simply is great value in hearing the same lessons

Viva vox Jesu--the living voice of Jesus--is what we hear when His Word is read and preached. The Word of Jesus is both a written and an oral word. This Word, though written in words inspired and canonically received, is also spoken and heard within a community called the body of Christ. This voice is a living voice, for by it Jesus Christ is present for us bodily. This Word comes from the Word made flesh, a Word tha

In the ancient world, the king would sometimes visit a village or city. Anticipating his coming, villagers would line the road waiting for him to appear, an as he entered the city they would cry, "Lord, have mercy!" Amid their shouts, one could also hear petitions form the crowd for gifts that reflected the king's mercy, such as food, protection, lower taxes, and most important, peace. Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem

The ordinaries form the core of our acknowledgment of gifts received with eager thankfulness and praise. This means that Christ stands not only as the giver of gifts in Word and Sacrament but also as the one in whom we respond back to the Father with eager thankfulness and praise. The Church placed these ordinaries where they are to respond to the reality of Christ's presence in Word and Sacrament, that is, the ordin

There is no longer a collective, cultural biblical literacy. Christian presuppositions, which may have been badly skewed in previous generations, do not shape society in our time. Nor do the children of our postmodern culture process reality through a rationalistic structure, but instead perceive what is real through both their minds and their bodies, through visceral experience. Instruction in the faith in a classro

There is no longer a collective, cultural biblical literacy. Christian presuppositions, which may have been badly skewed in previous generations, do not shape society in our time. Nor do the children of our postmodern culture process reality through a rationalistic structure, but instead perceive what is real through both their minds and their bodies, through visceral experience. Instruction in the faith in a classro

We are truly children of the Enlightenment, that is we process the things in our culture through our minds and emotions, and the signals that come to us through our senses are secondary. Unlike the culture of the first centuries of the Christian Church and those of the Mediterranean world today, we tend to trust only those things that come to us through our minds, not realizing that our senses together with our minds

people bathed once a week instead of once a day. To bathe in the ancient world meant to wash with water and anoint with oil. This may even be reflected in the customs of the Old Testament where, for example, Naomi sends Ruth to Boaz with the instructions to "wash therefore and anoint yourself" (Ruth 3:3). Oil was used as a subsistute for soap, cleansing the body and sealing it from being eaasily soeled again. P 162-3

Baptism often began with an anointing with olive oil intended to represent the casting out of Satan and cleansing. After the actual Bapgtism in the font, it often ended with chrism: an anointing with perfumed oil. The similarity of the Greek words chrism and Christ accented the Christological character of Baptism, so the newly baptizzed are properly called "Christs", similar to Luther's intent when he said that anoin

rites of passage have three parts: separate from the old life, transition to a new life by means of some ritualized act, and incorporation into a new life.3 Baptism is a supreme rite of passage because of what God does in Baptism as Paul describes in Rom 6, Eph 5, and Col 2. To be sure, separation, transition, and incorporation are ongoing aspects of the Christian life. Each continues throughout earthly life as the C

we will delve into the New Testament to see how St. Luke the evangelist shows Baptism to be a process, beginning with John's Baptism and culminating in Christian Baptism at Pentecost. From there we will move to the Early Church. Early Christians developed their baptismal practices from the Scriptures, and so it is important for us to see how they incorporated the New Testament into the world in which they lived

Already in the third century, the hours of the day form the strcture of prayer in the lfe of the believer. Wlhat is most remarkable about Hippolytus is that the rhythm of prayer is associated with Passion of Jesus (the third, sixth and ninth hours), the death and resurrection of Christ (prayer at sunrise and sundown), and the last things (prayer before bedtime, which is eschatological). This is a well-ordered regimen

The devil is subtle, and he sees that his chance for victory lies in tempting Jesus to bypass the cross and reach for glory now. Each temptation attempts this: fill Your belly now, if You are the Son of God; worship me, and the kingdoms of the earth wil be Yours now; throw Yourself down from the temple, and all will see now that Your are the Son of God because God will rescue You. p139

One pastor called me a few years ago and asked if it was okay to use white paraments with "Alleluia" on them for the celebration of the Annunciation, which always occurs during Lent. He was especially concerned about this after the careful removal of all "alleluias" during Lent. At least he didn't ask if we should sing Christmas carols. But maybe singing carols that announce Christ is born is not such a bad idea?

"This has been thought out wisely, learnedly, and piously, namely, that the eighth day is the eternal day. For the rsing Christ is no longer subject to days, months, weeks or any numbers of days; He is in a new and eternal life. The beginning of this life is percieved and recknoed, but there is no end. In that life the true circumsision will be carried out." continued, see notes

Of singing the Psalms, Just quotes Bonhoffer: "These same words which David spoke, therefore, the future Messiah spoke through him. The prayers of David were prayed also by Christ. Or better, Christ Himself prayed them througfh His forerunner David." page 106

Jesus is the Word which is the Bread of Life. Man does not live by bread alone.

beginning chapter 6, we have learned that Christ is the presence of Yahweh in the temple, in the body of Mary, and now in the bodies of His people the Church.

Even the disciples present at institution of the Lord's Supper didn't understand it, why should I? Because I have the mind of Christ.

as close as they were, there is one fundamental difference between Jesus and the Pharis ees. His teaching centered in the Gospel, thatsalvation was by faith in the Messiah Who would come to save Israel with the shedding of his blood; the teaching of the Pharisees was cenetered in the Law. that salvation was by works of the Law.

The amount of the blood from 18,000 [lambs] was said to have covered the ankles of the priests, and periodically they would have to wash in the Court of the Women because of the volume of blood, The Kidron River that flowed between the temple and the Mount of Olives was said to have run pink during the sacrifice og the Passover lambs. p 67

It is fitting that the Scriptures are read from the Bible or the Lectionary, not ffrom bulletin inserts that are disposed of after the service. p. 47