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From the desk of Pastor Dan
March2025
23For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, 24and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
1 Corinthians 11:23-25
In, with, and under . . .
Each week, when we celebrate Communion . . . The Lord’s Supper . . . The Holy Eucharist . . . you hear Words of Institution that are very similar to those above, “In the night in which he was betrayed, Our Lord Jesus Christ took bread, blessed it, broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, ‘This is my body given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.’ Again, after the supper, he took the cup, blessed it, and gave it to them saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is shed for you, and for all people, for the forgiveness of sins. Do this for the remembrance of me.’”
Think about those words. Think about their meaning. Think about the power of what is being said and done. Those words reflect the very mystery and Theology of the Cross. We say the words, “Jesus died for my sins,” but do we fully embrace the incredible power behind those words? Our Lord gave his Body and Blood as a sacrifice for the salvation of all humankind. He became this sacrifice, not just for some people or for a special group of people. He did so for ALL people.
As we enter the Season of Lent and begin our journey to Holy Week, the Cross, and Easter, take some time each day to reflect of the events of Holy Thursday and the meaning of those events. Jesus gathered his disciples . . . soon-to-be-apostles . . . around him at a meal. That meal was a family meal! He ate with those he had lived with and taught; those who were so incredibly close to him; those whom he loved so dearly; and he shared a last meal with them. His heart was full of love for them, and he wanted to give them a gift, a gift that they would understand all-the-better the next day. He broke bread with them. He shared wine with them. He blessed the bread and wine in a way that has been passed down to us throughout the centuries.
However, what Jesus gave us in that meal is not just a re-enactment of that meal. It not just a symbol of that meal. In his blessing of the bread and wine, he truly gave us his body and blood as source of God’s grace for all time. In the celebration of the Eucharist, through the power and grace of the Holy Spirit, the bread and wine is truly the body and blood of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. HE is present IN the elements of the blessed bread and wine. HE is present WITH the elements of the blessed bread and wine. HE is under the nature of the elements of the blessed bread and wine. This is most certainly true and it is through the grace of God the Creator, God the Savior, and God the Holy Spirit that it will remain true until time itself shall end. Reflect on this incredible gift during this Lent and for all time!
Blessings,
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​Pr. Dan
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From the desk of Pastor Dan
January and February2025
Do not fear, for I am with you, do not be afraid, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.
Isaiah 41:10
“Now is the Winter of our discontent,” Richard III by William Shakespeare
Recently, I saw an editorial cartoon comparing the time up-to-and-through Christmas, to the time after Christmas. In the left-hand panel, the artist showed the time up through Christmas as all sparkling and light-filled and bright. Then, in the right-hand panel, the artist showed the time after Christmas as all dreary and gray. It was that second panel that made me think about the line above from Shakespeare’s Richrd III, “Now is the Winter of our discontent.” And, that made me recall something I was feeling right after Christmas as I anticipated taking down the Christmas Tree and the other Christmas decorations. I described it as “Post-Christmas Depression.”
Perhaps you have felt it yourself. Perhaps not to any great extreme, but think about that first Sunday after Epiphany, when all the Christmas decorations had been taken down in the Sanctuary. Did you have a sense of, “Oh, wow, the church looks just so plain!” Was there just a little bit of sadness that the joyous Christmas Season was over? And then when the snow and ice came, was there a moment of realization that now the real impact of winter was upon us? Did you . . . do you . . . have a feeling of “Winter Discontentment?”
As human beings, we are subject to the vagaries of our emotional responses to conditions surrounding us. And, while those emotional responses can be, at times, quite uplifting and wonderful; there are also times when those emotional responses can literally drive us to despair, especially when we feel that we have little or no control over what is going on around us. We certainly can’t control the winter weather, now can we? Well, I suppose we could somewhat control it by going south for the winter, but this year, there has been significant snowfall in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Louisiana, and Alabama. And, we also can’t control regional disasters or national disasters or world crises or geopolitical crises.
However, what we can do in response to what we can’t control, is turn to the source of all comfort and peace. The prophet Isaiah, 800 years before the birth of Christ, wrote those words above; words that came from God, “Do not fear, for I am with you, do not be afraid, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you . . .”
In your deepest, darkest moments, when everything seems dreary and gray; when the “Winter of discontent” has enveloped you, when perhaps you’re wondering if you will ever experience the “Spring of renewal,” turn everything over to the upholding, victorious right hand of God, knowing that you are not alone; knowing that Our Lord is with you to drive away the fear; knowing that you will be strengthened through the abiding presence and sustaining power of the Holy Spirit. Open your heart to the peace of Our Lord Jesus Christ that comes to you without your asking; comes to you without price.
Blessings,
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​Pr. Dan
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