Shepherd Notes August 2026
The Means of Grace!
There are three great treasures that enable us to grow in our Christian faith and life: The Word of God, Holy Baptism, and Holy Communion. These three are the Means of Grace through which God reaches us by the power of His Holy Spirit. These are the channels through which God claims us as His own and works to strengthen us in our relationship with Him through faith in His Son Jesus, our Savior.
For most of you, your life in Christ began in your Baptism. Baptism marks God’s claim on you as His adopted son or daughter. In your Baptism you were received into the Christian Church as God’s Spirit laid claim on your life as a redeemed sinner, forgiven through the blood of Christ shed on the cross for you. Holy Baptism is the Sacrament of initiation as your life in Christ began with a new name into which you were baptized, “In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”
Again, for most of us, that life in Christ continued to grow as you became more familiar with God’s Word of hope and promise in the Holy Scriptures. In Sunday School, Confirmation classes, Bible study you learned more of your Father’s promised grace and forgiveness offered through the sacrifice of His Son for you. Through the testimony of prophets and evangelists and apostles, God continues to reach out to you with the assurance of His love and with words of guidance and direction for living in the light of Christ. Through continued contact with God’s Word in Bible study and in worship, God works in you to know His will; directs you in doing His will; and empowers you to do His will in your daily life and witness.
Communion, for those who have been instructed in the faith, is God’s nourishing channel to strengthen you in your faith and relationship with Christ. In Communion we receive the Body and Blood of our Savior, under the forms of bread and wine. Through this means God’s Spirit is at work in you. He works to strengthen you in your trust in God’s promises; to grow in your desire and ability to serve others in Christ’s name; to witness to others what God has done for you and for them; to offer your thanks and praise to God for the gifts of His grace. These three treasures are what God has given to His Church to strengthen it by His Grace.
Your fellow servant in Christ
Pastor Brian