The Invocation

"In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."

Have you ever wondered why we begin the Divine Service with these words?

There are two key reason for beginning with these words.
  1. It publicly declares to everyone who is there that we are gathered in the name of the Triune God.  It is God's house and God's service.
  2. It is a reminder of our Baptism.  When you were baptized, whether your remember it or not, you were baptized into the name of the Triune God.  Jesus instructed in Matthew 28:19-20 that we baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and so the church has done just that. And since the time of the Apostles, Christians have started the Divine Service by using the same words used when they were baptized.  It has served as a reminder for Christians throughout the history of the church of the promises of God that are theirs in Holy Baptism.
The invocation can serve as a reminder to Christians today as well.  Beginning the service with the same words with which you were baptized reminds us that God is the one who first acted to save us, that salvation is entirely a gift from God.

It can also remind us of the promises that are ours through Holy Baptism, such as...
  •  Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. (Rom 6:3-5)
  • In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. (Col 2:11-12)
  • Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, (1Pe 3:21)
  • Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. (Mar 16:16)
  • And 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. (Act 2:38)
  • And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.' (Act 22:16)
  • For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. (Gal 3:27)
  • But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. (Tit 3:4-7)
The list could go on.

So the next time we begin with the Invocation, In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, think about the promises that God has for you through Holy Baptism and you can then give a heartfelt, "Amen!"

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Jesus's Whip

Image
After reading about Jesus making a whip and then driving out the moneychangers, I wondered what ever happened to the whip. So I wrote a story of what could have happened to that whip. The Jewish Passover was near, so Jesus went to Jerusalem. He found those who were selling cattle, sheep, and pigeons in the temple courtyard. He also found moneychangers sitting there. He made a whip from small ropes and threw everyone with their sheep and cattle out of the temple courtyard. He dumped the moneychangers' coins and knocked over their tables. He told those who sold pigeons, "Pick up this stuff, and get it out of here! Stop making my Father's house a marketplace!" His disciples remembered that Scripture said, "Devotion for your house will consume me."   (John 2:13-17) What do I do with this this? The man looked at the whip and wondered what to do with it.  He had just witnessed Jesus use the whip, which Jesus had fashioned with His own hands by ta...
Read more

What are the Benefits of Receiving the Lord's Supper?

Image
In my Bible Class we've been going through 1 Corinthians, but recently we've stalled for several weeks in chapter 11, because it has given us a great opportunity to take a closer look at the Lord's Supper. As we've been going through what the Bible teaches us about the Lord's Supper, a lot of questions have come up, so I wanted to try to address many of those questions in a series of posts. What are the benefits of receiving the Lord's Supper?  Forgiveness of Sins The chief benefit of receiving the Lord's Supper is receiving the forgiveness of sins, as Jesus said "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins" (Matthew 26:28). But didn't we already receive forgiveness in baptism?  And in the service itself, don't we receive forgiveness through the absolution?  So, why do we need to receive forgiveness again? The very life of a Christian is one of repentance.  One reason God has given these ...
Read more

20 Ideas for Holy Week

Image
Oftentimes Christians feel like they should do something during Holy Week (besides attending services on Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday).  So here are some ideas that you might consider using during Holy Week.  Consider picking one or two things and then make sure you put plans in place to make it happen. Read a gospel (Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John) from start to finish, either by yourself or with your family. Pick a hymn and learn it by heart (listening to it on an mp3 player, spotify, YouTube, etc., can be help you do this). Memorize Scripture. Here are some good verses, that you might not yet know, but are very much worth memorizing.      Colossians 2:13-14        Romans 6:3-5      Revelation 1:17-18     John 20:21-23 Review the catechism , using each day of Holy Week to review one of the 6 chief parts. Pray for your pastor and all pastors as they prepare to proclaim the gosp...
Read more