This morning, we will begin a 4-week study on the Apostles' Creed. We will take a look at it from an introduction viewpoint today and then over the next three weeks, we will take a look at each one of the articles. Here is the "apostles' creed" in a little different format:
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
ACTS: What Does It Mean ?
In the future, you will be hearing about ACTS. We are not trying to be "sacrilegious" but we will be using it (ACTS) as an acronym to describe a philosophy of ministry. We recognize that each student is at a different spot in their Christian walk and we want to gear ministry to each one of them. Here is a brief summary:
Attract
We want to attract students to Christ and to the ministry of Christ The Savior.
Connect
We want to connect students to God to to fellow students already connected to Christ The Savior.
Transform
We want students lives to transform into the likeness of Jesus Christ our Savior.
Send
We want to send students out to be the hands and feet of Christ so we can influence our community and impact our world.
Attract
We want to attract students to Christ and to the ministry of Christ The Savior.
Connect
We want to connect students to God to to fellow students already connected to Christ The Savior.
Transform
We want students lives to transform into the likeness of Jesus Christ our Savior.
Send
We want to send students out to be the hands and feet of Christ so we can influence our community and impact our world.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
No Crosstrainers: Oct. 24
Just a reminder that we will not be having Crosstrainers on Oct. 24. We will resume on the 31st. Have a nice Fall Break.
Sacrament: Lesson Four
Here is a brief synopsis of the lesson overview in Big Group Time
Take and Eat
Bible Text:
John 6:48–51
Lesson Focus:
Jesus feeds us with his body and blood so that we can feed others.
Big Question:
I take communion every week at church, but what am I supposed to do about it?
Key Words:
BREAD AND WINE, BODY AND BLOOD, SACRAMENT
Key Word Definitions
BREAD AND WINE: the earthly elements that, in the Lord's Supper, are Jesus' body and blood. When combined with God's word, they bring forgiveness, salvation, and life.
BODY AND BLOOD: the physical presence of Jesus Christ that he gives us in the Lord's Supper. The Lord's Supper is also known as holy communion.
SACRAMENT: something that 1) Jesus Christ commands us to do; 2) involves an earthly element, like water or bread and wine; and 3) combines with God's spoken word to bring salvation, forgiveness of sins, and the promise of everlasting life.
Going Deeper
Jesus is the bread of life. "Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh" (John 6:51). Jesus gave himself in life and death. The bread and wine we receive are Christ's body and blood. As we are baptized into the body of Christ, so in holy communion we are sustained and nourished as one body. "Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread" (1 Corinthians 10:17).
Jesus' meals inform our understanding of the Lord's Supper and all our meals. With Jesus, there is always enough for all. Holy communion is a foretaste of the Messianic banquet to which all will be invited.
Lutherans teach that the bread and wine of the eucharist become, by God's word, the body and blood of Christ and are at the same time ordinary bread and wine. The Lutheran Reformation rejected transubstantiation, which they understood to mean that the sacramental elements were essentially changed from bread and wine into Christ's body and blood. "Just as in Christ two distinct, unaltered natures are inseparably united, so in the Holy Supper two essences, the natural bread and the true natural body of Christ, are present together here on earth in the action of the sacrament, as it was instituted" (Kolb/Wengert, Formula of Concord Solid Declaration, Article VII 599.35–39). This teaching is an example of the idea that the finite is capable of bearing the infinite—finitum capax infiniti. The human Jesus is God's Word, the bread and wine are body and blood, AND the ordinary water is the water of baptism.
Take and Eat
Bible Text:
John 6:48–51
Lesson Focus:
Jesus feeds us with his body and blood so that we can feed others.
Big Question:
I take communion every week at church, but what am I supposed to do about it?
Key Words:
BREAD AND WINE, BODY AND BLOOD, SACRAMENT
Key Word Definitions
BREAD AND WINE: the earthly elements that, in the Lord's Supper, are Jesus' body and blood. When combined with God's word, they bring forgiveness, salvation, and life.
BODY AND BLOOD: the physical presence of Jesus Christ that he gives us in the Lord's Supper. The Lord's Supper is also known as holy communion.
SACRAMENT: something that 1) Jesus Christ commands us to do; 2) involves an earthly element, like water or bread and wine; and 3) combines with God's spoken word to bring salvation, forgiveness of sins, and the promise of everlasting life.
Going Deeper
Jesus is the bread of life. "Whoever eats of this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh" (John 6:51). Jesus gave himself in life and death. The bread and wine we receive are Christ's body and blood. As we are baptized into the body of Christ, so in holy communion we are sustained and nourished as one body. "Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread" (1 Corinthians 10:17).
Jesus' meals inform our understanding of the Lord's Supper and all our meals. With Jesus, there is always enough for all. Holy communion is a foretaste of the Messianic banquet to which all will be invited.
Lutherans teach that the bread and wine of the eucharist become, by God's word, the body and blood of Christ and are at the same time ordinary bread and wine. The Lutheran Reformation rejected transubstantiation, which they understood to mean that the sacramental elements were essentially changed from bread and wine into Christ's body and blood. "Just as in Christ two distinct, unaltered natures are inseparably united, so in the Holy Supper two essences, the natural bread and the true natural body of Christ, are present together here on earth in the action of the sacrament, as it was instituted" (Kolb/Wengert, Formula of Concord Solid Declaration, Article VII 599.35–39). This teaching is an example of the idea that the finite is capable of bearing the infinite—finitum capax infiniti. The human Jesus is God's Word, the bread and wine are body and blood, AND the ordinary water is the water of baptism.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Monday, October 11, 2010
Sacrament: Lesson Three
On Sunday, October 10th, we had our 3rd lesson in the sacraments. In this class we switched over to the sacrament of Communion.
Going Deep
Jesus' family went to Jerusalem every year for the Passover festival. Jesus instituted Holy Communion at a Passover supper. Jesus said that the bread is his body and the wine his blood poured out for the forgiveness of sins. At his last supper, Jesus "took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to [the Twelve], saying, 'This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.' And he did the same with the cup after supper, saying, 'This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood'" (Luke 22:19–20). His blood, he said, "is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins" (Matthew 26:28). As in baptism, here is a sacrament—ordinary bread and wine together with the word, a command ("Do this") and a promise ("for the forgiveness of sins"). God's forgiveness of sins in Holy Communion reconciles believers to God and to one another so that we are one body.
KEY WORDS
PASSOVER: the Jewish celebration of the night God passed over Egypt, killing the firstborn in every Egyptian household. God spared the Hebrews, who were protected by the blood of the lamb.
LAST SUPPER: the Passover celebration Jesus shared with his best friends on the night he was betrayed.
EUCHARIST: the communion meal Christians share that remembers Jesus' Last Supper, bestowing on them Jesus' forgiveness and grace.
COMMUNION: the Lord's Supper. Also refers to what happens when followers of Jesus Christ come together to worship, learn, or pray.
Key Components
Bible Text:
Exodus 12:1–36; Matthew 26:17–29; Luke 22:19–20
Lesson Focus:
Word, wine, and bread together give us salvation, forgiveness, and new life.
Big Question:
What really happens during communion?
Going Deep
Jesus' family went to Jerusalem every year for the Passover festival. Jesus instituted Holy Communion at a Passover supper. Jesus said that the bread is his body and the wine his blood poured out for the forgiveness of sins. At his last supper, Jesus "took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to [the Twelve], saying, 'This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.' And he did the same with the cup after supper, saying, 'This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood'" (Luke 22:19–20). His blood, he said, "is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins" (Matthew 26:28). As in baptism, here is a sacrament—ordinary bread and wine together with the word, a command ("Do this") and a promise ("for the forgiveness of sins"). God's forgiveness of sins in Holy Communion reconciles believers to God and to one another so that we are one body.
KEY WORDS
PASSOVER: the Jewish celebration of the night God passed over Egypt, killing the firstborn in every Egyptian household. God spared the Hebrews, who were protected by the blood of the lamb.
LAST SUPPER: the Passover celebration Jesus shared with his best friends on the night he was betrayed.
EUCHARIST: the communion meal Christians share that remembers Jesus' Last Supper, bestowing on them Jesus' forgiveness and grace.
COMMUNION: the Lord's Supper. Also refers to what happens when followers of Jesus Christ come together to worship, learn, or pray.
Key Components
Bible Text:
Exodus 12:1–36; Matthew 26:17–29; Luke 22:19–20
Lesson Focus:
Word, wine, and bread together give us salvation, forgiveness, and new life.
Big Question:
What really happens during communion?
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Sacrament: Lesson Two
On October 3rd, we had the second session in our sacrament series and we had our second lesson on baptism. Here are some of the key scriptures and concepts:
Bible Text: Matthew 28:16–20; Genesis 6–9; 2 Kings 5:1–14; Romans 6:3–11
Lesson Focus: With water and word, we are washed in God's loving grace.
Big Question: How does baptism work?
Key Words: WATER, WORD, PROMISE, SACRAMENT
WATER: ordinary H2O through and with which God does amazing things.
WORD: Jesus Christ, the Living Word of God made flesh. Also, spoken and written words that point us to the Living Word.
PROMISE: A commitment that is dependable and reliable.
SACRAMENT: God's word joined with an earthly element through which God promises to work. The Lutheran Church teaches that there are two sacraments—holy communion and holy baptism.
Bible Text: Matthew 28:16–20; Genesis 6–9; 2 Kings 5:1–14; Romans 6:3–11
Lesson Focus: With water and word, we are washed in God's loving grace.
Big Question: How does baptism work?
Key Words: WATER, WORD, PROMISE, SACRAMENT
WATER: ordinary H2O through and with which God does amazing things.
WORD: Jesus Christ, the Living Word of God made flesh. Also, spoken and written words that point us to the Living Word.
PROMISE: A commitment that is dependable and reliable.
SACRAMENT: God's word joined with an earthly element through which God promises to work. The Lutheran Church teaches that there are two sacraments—holy communion and holy baptism.
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