Join us for our 5pm Holy Communion Service, followed by fellowship, refreshments and catechism. 203 North Jefferson Ave in Covington. Join us for 5pm Holy Communion Service, followed by fellowship, refreshments and catechism. Join us at 203 N. Jefferson Ave. in Covington, at 5pm, on Sunday December 17, 2023 Join us for Holy Communion Service at 5pm in Covington, followed by Fellowship and Catechism at 6:15pm. Catechism Review: Holy Communion and Confirmation
Holy Communion 131. Why did Christ institute the sacrament of Holy Communion? He instituted it for the continual remembrance of the sacrifice of his atoning death, and to convey the benefits of that sacrifice to us. (Exodus 24:1–10; Psalm 23:5–6; Luke 22:17–20; John 6:25–51; 1 Corinthians 10:16–17) 132. What is the outward and visible sign in Holy Communion? The visible sign is bread and wine, which Christ commands us to receive. (1 Corinthians 11:23–26) 133. What is the inward gift signified? The inward gift signified is the Body and Blood of Christ, which are truly taken and received in the Lord’s Supper by faith. (Deu teronomy 8:1–20; Psalm 78:17–29; John 6:52–56; 1 Corinthians 10:1– 4, 16–18) 134. What benefits do you receive through partaking of this sacrament? As my body is nourished by the bread and wine, my soul is strengthened by the Body and Blood of Christ. I receive God’s forgiveness, and I am renewed in the love and unity of the Body of Christ, the Church. (1662 Catechism; Psalms 28:6–9; 104:14–15; Jeremiah 31:31–34; John 6:52–56; 17:22–24; Revelation 19:6–9) 135. What is required of you when you come to receive Holy Communion? I am to examine myself: Do I truly repent of my sins and intend to lead a new life in Christ? Do I have a living faith in God’s mercy through Christ and remember his atoning death with a thankful heart? And have I shown love and forgiveness to all people? (Leviticus 10:1–5; Psalm 50; 1 Corinthians 11:27–32) 136. What is expected of you after partaking in Holy Communion? I should continue to grow in holiness, avoiding sin, showing love and forgiveness to all, and serving others in gratitude. (Leviticus 20:26; 1 Corinthians 10:14–32; 1 Peter 4:1–11) Confirmation 137. What is confirmation? Confirmation is the laying on of the bishop’s hands with prayer for strengthening by the Holy Spirit, following a period of catechetical formation. In confirmation, I make a mature confession of faith, publicly renewing the vows and promises made at my Baptism. (Deuteronomy 6:4–25; Psalm 119:33–40; Acts 8:14–17; 2 Timothy 1:6–7) 138. What grace does God give you in confirmation? In confirmation, I am further empowered and gifted by the Holy Spirit for daily growth in wisdom, courage, and humility before God in every aspect of my life and work. (Psalms 37:3–31; 71:17–18; Isaiah 11:2–5; Acts 19:6; Jude 3, 17–25; “Confirmation, Reception, and Reaffirmation,” Book of Common Prayer 2019) 139. What is the work of all Christians? All Christians are to bear witness to Christ in their lives; to care for the poor, strangers, widows, and orphans; and, according to their gifts, to serve Christ in the world and in the Church. (Zechariah 7:9–10; Psalms 1; 15; Micah 6:6–8; Colossians 3:1–17; James 1:27; 1 Peter 4:8–11) Join us at 5pm for Holy Communion Service, followed by fellowship and catechism. 121 ... A sacrament is an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace. God gives us the sign as a means by which we receive that grace and as a tangible assurance that we do in fact receive it. (Genesis 17:1– 21; John 6:53–58; Romans 2:25–29; 1 Corinthians 10:16; 1662 Catechism) 122. ... I should receive the sacraments by faith in Christ, with repentance and thanksgiving. Faith in Christ is necessary to receive the grace of the sacraments, and obedience to Christ is necessary for the benefits of the sacraments to bear fruit in my life. (Mark 16:16; John 6:52–58; Acts 2:38–47; 1 Corinthians 11:27–32; 1662 Catechism; Articles of Religion, 28) 126. What is the outward and visible sign in Baptism? The outward and visible sign is water, in which candidates are baptized “in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” (Book of Common Prayer 2019; see also Genesis 9:8–17; Matthew 28:19–20; 1 Peter 3:18–22) 127. What is the inward and spiritual grace given in Baptism? The inward and spiritual grace is death to sin and new birth to righteousness, through union with Christ in his death and resurrection. I am born a sinner by nature, separated from God. But in Baptism, through faith in Christ and the gift of the Holy Spirit, I am made a member of Christ’s Body and adopted as God’s child and heir. (Psalm 51:1–2, 7–10; Ezekiel 36:25–26; John 3:3–5; Romans 6:1–11; Colossians 2:9–14) 128. What is required of you when you come to be baptized? Two things are required: repentance, in which I turn away from sin; and faith, in which I turn to Jesus Christ as my Savior and Lord and trust the promises that God makes to me in this sacrament. (Psalm 51:3–6, 13–17; Mark 1:14–15; Acts 2:37–38) 129. Why is it appropriate to baptize infants? Because it is a sign of God’s promise that they are embraced in the covenant community of Christ’s Church. Those who in faith and repentance present infants to be baptized vow to raise them in the knowledge and fear of the Lord, with the expectation that they will one day profess full Christian faith as their own. (Deuteronomy 6:6–9; Proverbs 22:6; Mark 2:3–5; Acts 2:39; 16:25–34) Note that all of God's Old Testament Covenants included adults and their children; and we believe that the New Covenant Community, which has been inaugurated in in Christ, is to include faithful adults and their children; and that baptism is to serve as the formal initiation rite into the New Covenant community. Matthew 19:14 Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 28: 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[b] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. Acts 2: 38...Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” 130. What signs of the Holy Spirit’s work should you hope and pray to see as a result of your Baptism? I should hope and pray that the Holy Spirit, who indwells me, will help me to be an active member of my Christian community, participate in worship, continually repent and return to God, proclaim the faith, love and serve God and my neighbor, and seek justice and peace. (Matthew 22:35–40; Hebrews 10:19–28; 12:14; 1 Peter 3:15; 1 John 1:9; 2:1) Join us Sunday at 5pm for Holy Communion Service, followed by Fellowship and Catechism Concerning Sacraments
From our Catechism: To Be A Christian Part II: Believing In Christ 121. What is a sacrament? A sacrament is an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace. God gives us the sign as a means by which we receive that grace concerning sacraments and as a tangible assurance that we do in fact receive it. (Genesis 17:1– 21; John 6:53–58; Romans 2:25–29; 1 Corinthians 10:16; 1662 Catechism) 122. How should you receive the sacraments? I should receive the sacraments by faith in Christ, with repentance and thanksgiving. Faith in Christ is necessary to receive the grace of the sacraments, and obedience to Christ is necessary for the benefits of the sacraments to bear fruit in my life. (Mark 16:16; John 6:52–58; Acts 2:38–47; 1 Corinthians 11:27–32; 1662 Catechism; Articles of Religion, 28) 123. What sacraments were ordained by Christ? The two sacraments ordained by Christ that are “generally necessary to salvation” (1662 Catechism) are Baptism and Holy Communion (also called the Lord’s Supper or the Holy Eucharist). These are sometimes called “sacraments of the Gospel.” (Articles of Religion, 25; see also Matthew 28:19–20; Luke 22:14–20; John 6:52–58; 1 Corinthians 11:23–26; 2 Corinthians 1:21–22) 124. Are there other sacraments? Other rites and institutions commonly called sacraments include confirmation (2 Timothy 1:6–7; Hebrews 6:1–2), ordination (Numbers 8:9–14; 27:18–23; 1 Timothy 4:14), marriage (Genesis 2:18–24; Matthew 19:4–6; John 2:1–11), absolution ( John 20:21–23; Acts 2:37– 41), and the anointing of the sick ( James 5:14). These are some- times called “sacraments of the Church.” 125. How do these differ from the sacraments of the Gospel? They were not ordained by Christ as necessary to salvation, but arose from the practices of the apostles and the Early Church, or were blessed by God in Scripture. God clearly uses them as means of grace. (Articles of Religion, 25) |