Life Is Sacramental
A sacramental view of the world means that as Lutherans we understand God to be present within creation and the centerpiece of this understanding is the incarnation of Jesus Christ.
In Jesus, God became flesh and dwelt among us which means that our God is not some far off in the distance God looking down upon us from his heavenly throne—rather God is, to quote Martin Luther, ‘in, with and under’ the very stuff of life.
We see this sacramental presence most clearly in our understanding of Holy Communion. When we receive the bread and wine of Holy Communion, we receive bread and wine; but we also receive something more—we receive the body and blood of Jesus because Christ is present ‘in, with and under’ the bread and wine of Holy Communion.
And because Christ is present, we receive the gifts promised in Holy Communion as well (forgiveness of sins, eternal life and salvation)—not because the bread and wine have somehow taken on magical properties, but because Christ is present in them.
Dave Daubert writes “Ultimately, a Lutheran understanding of sacraments is tied to our understanding of the Word from John 1. The same Word that became human in the person of Jesus is the Word that also called everything else into being. Luther could see God’s Word incarnate declaring God’s work in the world around him. This enabled him to say, ‘Our Lord has written the promise of resurrection, not in books alone, but in every leaf in springtime.’…as we share in the presence of Christ in the bread and cup we are reoriented to see that same God in the places we might not otherwise notice. As we encounter Christ ‘in, with, and under’ the bread and cup we, are also confronted by the Christ who is ‘in, with, and under’ the stuff of life.”
A sacramental view of the world means that as Lutherans we understand God to be present within creation and the centerpiece of this understanding is the incarnation of Jesus Christ.
In Jesus, God became flesh and dwelt among us which means that our God is not some far off in the distance God looking down upon us from his heavenly throne—rather God is, to quote Martin Luther, ‘in, with and under’ the very stuff of life.
We see this sacramental presence most clearly in our understanding of Holy Communion. When we receive the bread and wine of Holy Communion, we receive bread and wine; but we also receive something more—we receive the body and blood of Jesus because Christ is present ‘in, with and under’ the bread and wine of Holy Communion.
And because Christ is present, we receive the gifts promised in Holy Communion as well (forgiveness of sins, eternal life and salvation)—not because the bread and wine have somehow taken on magical properties, but because Christ is present in them.
Dave Daubert writes “Ultimately, a Lutheran understanding of sacraments is tied to our understanding of the Word from John 1. The same Word that became human in the person of Jesus is the Word that also called everything else into being. Luther could see God’s Word incarnate declaring God’s work in the world around him. This enabled him to say, ‘Our Lord has written the promise of resurrection, not in books alone, but in every leaf in springtime.’…as we share in the presence of Christ in the bread and cup we are reoriented to see that same God in the places we might not otherwise notice. As we encounter Christ ‘in, with, and under’ the bread and cup we, are also confronted by the Christ who is ‘in, with, and under’ the stuff of life.”
RSS Feed
