Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper

Today we celebrate the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, which Jesus instituted for His disciples on the night of his arrest.  When Jesus said of the bread and wine, “This is my body… this is my blood” (Mt. 26:26-28), He was speaking about the death He soon would experience on our behalf.  Just as Jesus officiated at that first sacramental meal, we believe that He is officiating for us today through His presence in the Holy Spirit.  As we receive the sacrament in faith, we can know that we have gained all the blessings that Jesus secured for us by His death, and we can look to God to minister His grace to our hearts.  All baptized and communing members of a Christian church are welcome to participate.

The Apostles’ Creed

Confessing our faith together is an important part of our worship.  In this corner of a dark and rebel world, God’s people stand as one, joining our voices with Christians of all ages to herald the Christian faith.  We most frequently use the Apostles’ Creed.  This ancient statement of the faith recalls the key truths of our faith, and especially the great truths concerning our Savior, Jesus Christ.  This glorifies our Triune God, and knowing the Apostles’ Creed is useful for explaining our beliefs to others. 

Two phrases in the Apostles’ Creed confuse some Christians.  We profess belief in the “holy catholic church.”  The word “catholic” means “universal” – we are not professing allegiance to the Roman Catholic Church.  The phrase “He descended into hell” refers to Christ’s bearing of God’s wrath on the cross and His being buried, and continuing in the state of death until the third day.