Preparation for Holy Communion

1 Peter 1:2 reminds us that we are chosen “through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with His blood.”

Desires are matters of the heart. Every prayer is a prayer of desire, and through our words God looks into our hearts.

In the divine service, the liturgy teaches us, continually, to be truth-tellers. These holy statements reveal the truths of God:

Based on Numbers 14 - When we find ourselves rebelling like the people, or fixating on the negative like the 10, we can also trust in God’s promise to forgive.

The center of Scripture is not the text, but the person of Jesus Christ - the eternal Logos, the eternal Word. The words give us a glimpse of His life, His person, His suffering, and His death.

In Holy Communion, Christ exhibits supreme hospitality by inviting us to sit at His table ...

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

While personal prayers are an important spiritual discipline in maintaining and developing our relationship with God, communal prayers like the Lord’s Prayer are equally important.

Prior to Holy Communion, the congregation has the opportunity to pray the Lord’s Prayer.

“Together we celebrate the victory of Christ over evil and death. Sure, we experience the power of evil in our lives. But we believe and we know Jesus has overcome evil and death...

During the celebration of Holy Communion, Jesus Christ is in the midst of the congregation as the crucified, risen, and returning Lord.

Like the beginning of the Lord's Prayer, verses 5 and 11 express an orientation of the psalmist toward God. This steadfast focus on the exultation of God is a victory in and of itself; a weapon against the evil one.

This is My body, broken and given for you.  

John 13:15 is taken from the account of Jesus washing the feet of His disciples. The approaching moments of absolution and Holy Communion are not simply mechanics

All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18).

For the Lord takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation (Psalm 149:4).

For the Lord your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn His face from you if you return to Him (2 Chronicles 30:9).

Do we venture into the revealing light of Christ?

John 3:19-21  But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen.

The shepherds in Luke 2:10-11 were able to see the Savior because they followed the angel’s instructions. Obedience to God gives us access to the salvation He already offers today.

Jesus promises His peace in John 14:27. The proclamation in the absolution ends with, “The peace of the Risen One abide with you.”

We begin the Lord’s Prayer with words that bear similarity to the words used by the author of Psalm 123 - Our Father in heaven... (Matthew 6:9

The same power that became active and visible in the Lord’s resurrection is also bundled together through the forgiveness of sins. What is it that we must heed in this context?