Hymns this week: #398 Rock of Ages & #257 Break Thou the Bread of Life v. 1-4
Song of Praise: ‘Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus
This week, we’ll be using a confession of sin found in The Lutheran Hymnal (1941). This confession of sin confesses that we sin, not only by what we do, but by what we do not do. This is a fitting confession this week along with Pr. Schultz’s article on Servants’ Pen, which will appear in the October Christian Connection.
Explanation of the Week
“You cannot serve God and mammon” (Matt 6:24-34), for they require two contrary forms of service. Worry is the worship given to the false god of mammon, an unbelieving anxiousness and focus on the things of this world. Faith is the worship of the true God, a confident trust that He is a loving Father who will care for all of our needs in both body and soul. The widow of Zarephath served God, that is, she believed the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah that the bin of flour would not be used up nor would the jar of oil run dry (1 Kings 17:8-16). He who feeds the birds and clothes the flowers will certainly provide for our daily needs. For He has already provided for our eternal needs, clothing us with Christ’s righteousness in Baptism and feeding us His body and blood for our forgiveness. With such confidence we are liberated from worry and freed to do good with our material resources, especially to those who are of the household of faith (Gal 5:25-6:10).