Lesson 8

Ascension Lutheran Church

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Lesson 8

The Lord's Supper

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In Holy Communion our Lord gives us his true body and blood by which he graciously forgives our sins and miraculously unites us with himself and each other. While God's Word is clear on these matters, unfortunately, many misconceptions persist among Christians about the nature of the Sacrament--with the vast majority of these differences going back to Luther's time and before. We'll return to Scripture to remind ourselves what we mean by the "real presence" of Christ in the Supper, and why our churches practice "close communion"--that is doing our utmost to only commune with those who have been properly instructed and with whom we are one in faith and doctrine.

Lesson 1

The Declaration of Independence says that we should each be free to pursue happiness. But we Christians are called to a higher expression of liberty--not a freedom that allows me to do whatever I want (for myself) but the freedom of patiently seeking the good of others above our own. This was a core principle of the Reformation that still needs to guide the church today!

Lesson 2

July 21, 2024

It may surprise you to know that Martin Luther was voted TIME magazine's most influential person of the last millennium. There are many reasons why Luther received such notoriety, but high among them is his influence on education. Luther maintained that it was in the best interest of the state and the eternal interest of saving souls for both boys and girls to be basically educated so that they could read and understand the Scriptures and apply and share them for themselves.

Lesson 3

July 28, 2024

The Roman Catholic Church of Luther's Day (and still today) teaches that sinners work together with God's grace to merit salvation. This necessarily means that there must be certain moral requirements that we must fulfill. In contrast, Luther found in Scripture the comforting message that Jesus has fulfilled all of God's commands, and therefore none of them earn our salvation. That does not mean that we jettison the Old Testament Law, but rather we see it in its proper light and original purpose.