Ministries

Chain of Lakes Videos

Select a link below to view recent past videos of worship services. For all past worship services go to https://vimeo.com/chainoflakes/videos Don’t forget to also check out Pastor Paul’s blog

January 5, 2025
“Communion”

December 29, 2024
“The Christmas Story Chapter 1 and Chapter 2” – Guest preacher Heidi Vardeman

Christmas Eve, 2024

December 15, 2024
“Being a Messenger of Joy” – Rejoice in the Lord

December 8, 2024
“Being a Messenger of Joy” – Praying with Joy

December 1, 2024
“Being a Messenger of Joy” – Finding Joy in Relationships

November 24, 2024
“Listening to God in a World Full of Noise” part 2

November 17, 2024
“Listening to God in a World Full of Noise”

November 10, 2024 – unavailable

November 3, 2024
“Growing With Purpose” part 2

October 27, 2024
“Growing With Purpose”

October 20, 2024
“Talking Faithfully about the Dreaded Word PO#%*ICS” – The Golden Rule

October 13, 2024
“Talking Faithfully about the Dreaded Word PO#%*ICS” – Why is it so hard?

October 6, 2024
“Talking Faithfully About the Dreaded Word PO#%*ICS” – Was Jesus Political?

September 29, 2024
T. Mychael Rambo Guest Preacher

Daily Devotions

Comments about the devotion can be emailed to pastor@colpres.org

Daily Devotions January 13 - 18, 2025

Monday, January 13
Exodus 2:1-10
Birth and Youth of Moses
Now a man from the house of Levi went and married a Levite woman. The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw that he was a fine baby, she hid him three months.When she could hide him no longer she got a papyrus basket for him and plastered it with bitumen and pitch; she put the child in it and placed it among the reeds on the bank of the river.His sister stood at a distance, to see what would happen to him.
The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her attendants walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid to bring it. When she opened it, she saw the child. He was crying, and she took pity on him. “This must be one of the Hebrews’ children,” she said. Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and get you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?” Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Yes.” So the girl went and called the child’s mother. Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child and nurse it for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed it.When the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, “because,” she said, “I drew him out of the water.”
This past Sunday Pastor Paul addressed the question, “Why is God so different in the Old Testament than the New Testament?” You can watch the sermon by clicking the link on the Chain of Lakes’ web site.
This series is part of an initiative called “Year of the Bible.” As part of this many people are reading through the Bible. If you haven’t joined them, consider downloading the reading guide at: https://www.fivedaybiblereading.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/2025-5-Day-Bible-Reading-Large-Print.pdf?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR3WU2OLdxpa_C0N86h1xOQw
You can also participate in a Facebook group. Do a search on Facebook for the site, “2025 Year of the Bible.”
The story of Moses is an excellent one to review to understand if God is different in the Old Testament compared to the New Testament. Moses experienced the full dimensions of God in his story. This week we’ll have the opportunity to read about significant events in the life of Moses.
Today we read the story of the birth of Moses. He was born into an extraordinarily dangerous situation. Just by being a Hebrew he was condemned to death. He was saved by Pharaoh’s daughter. Think of the irony! The daughter of the man who was having all the Hebrew children killed Found Moses and brought him up.
What does it mean to you that Pharaoh’s daughter raised Moses? Please share.

Tuesday, January 14
Exodus 3:1-2, 4:10-17
Moses at the Burning Bush
Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness and came to Mount Horeb, the mountain of God.There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed.
But Moses said to the Lord, “O my Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor even now that you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.”Then the Lord said to him, “Who gives speech to mortals? Who makes them mute or deaf, seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you are to speak.” But he said, “O my Lord, please send someone else.” Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses, and he said, “What of your brother Aaron, the Levite? I know that he can speak well; even now he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you his heart will be glad.You shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth, and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth and will teach you what you shall do. He indeed shall speak for you to the people; he shall serve as a mouth for you, and you shall serve as God for him. Take in your hand this staff, with which you shall perform the signs.”
As an adult Moses had to flee from Egypt to Midian because Moses killed a man. It’s interesting to think that arguably the most important person in the Old Testament was a murderer.
While Moses was living in Midian God appeared to Moses in the story of the burning bush. God did everything that God could do to convince Moses to go back to Egypt to liberate the Israelites from Pharaoh.
Moses did not want to serve, but God was insistent. When Moses repeatedly said, “no,” we read in verse 14 that God was angry. This characteristic of God is one that some think God exhibits often in the Old Testament and not the New Testament.
This is one of the first times that God’s anger is mentioned in the Old Testament. The word describes the intense emotional response from God to humans.
It’s important to know that Jesus communicated anger in his story. Remember the story of Jesus turning over the tables in the Temple? See Matthew 21:11-12 & Mark 11:15-18.
Moses experienced this anger or wrath. But despite the emotional response from God, Moses was willing to serve.
What are your thoughts about Moses serving God even when Moses experienced God’s anger? Please share.

Wednesday, January 15
Exodus 14:13-14, 15:1-18
But Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid, stand firm, and see the deliverance that the Lord will accomplish for you today, for the Egyptians whom you see today you shall never see again.The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to keep still.”
The Song of Moses
Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord: “I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; horse and rider he has thrown into the sea.The Lord is my strength and my might, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him; my father’s God, and I will exalt him.The Lord is a warrior; the Lord is his name.Pharaoh’s chariots and his army he cast into the sea; his elite officers were sunk in the Red Sea. The floods covered them; they went down into the depths like a stone.Your right hand, O Lord, glorious in power— your right hand, O Lord, shattered the enemy.In the greatness of your majesty you overthrew your adversaries; you sent out your fury; it consumed them like stubble.At the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up; the floods stood up in a heap; the deeps congealed in the heart of the sea. The enemy said, ‘I will pursue; I will overtake; I will divide the spoil; my desire shall have its fill of them. I will draw my sword; my hand shall destroy them.’ You blew with your wind; the sea covered them; they sank like lead in the mighty waters.Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in splendor, doing wonders?You stretched out your right hand; the earth swallowed them. In your steadfast love you led the people whom you redeemed; you guided them by your strength to your holy abode. The peoples heard; they trembled; pangs seized the inhabitants of Philistia.Then the chiefs of Edom were dismayed; trembling seized the leaders of Moab; all the inhabitants of Canaan melted away. Terror and dread fell upon them; by the might of your arm, they became still as a stone until your people, O Lord, passed by, until the people whom you acquired passed by.You brought them in and planted them on the mountain of your own possession, the place, O Lord, that you made your abode, the sanctuary, O Lord, that your hands have established. The Lord will reign forever and ever.”
Moses experienced the full intensity of human emotions. In this story he was leading the Israelites out of Egypt. Despite being promised by Pharaoh that the Israelites could leave, Pharaoh sent his chariots to catch the Israelites.
Moses stayed firm amidst a situation that had to cause incredible fear. These two verses that Moses shared amidst this terrifying situation are worth memorizing.
“But Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid, stand firm, and see the deliverance that the Lord will accomplish for you today for the Egyptians whom you see today you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to keep still.” Exodus 14:13-14
Despite the ups and downs of his life in convincing Pharaoh to let the Israelites go, Moses trusted God. Even in an incredibly scary moment, Moses continued to trust God.
What are your takeaways from this story? Please share.

Thursday, January 16
Exodus 17:1-7
Water from the Rock
From the wilderness of Sin the whole congregation of the Israelites journeyed by stages, as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink.The people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?”But the people thirsted there for water, and the people complained against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?” So Moses cried out to the Lord, “What shall I do for this people? They are almost ready to stone me.”The Lord said to Moses, “Go on ahead of the people and take some of the elders of Israel with you; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile and go. I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.” Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel.He called the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled and tested the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”
Shortly after the people were liberated by God from the Pharoah, they experienced a significant crisis. The Israelites didn’t have water to drink.
Moses was very frustrated with the people. We can imagine his frustration. Even though the people had been saved by God from Pharaoh, now they were turning on God because they had no water. Their faith was incomplete.
This story became known by many Old Testament writers. It became known as the rebellion at Massah and Meribah. The people had given up on God.
Moses was also frustrated with God. Moses wanted to know why he had to deal with this group of people who were complaining so much.
What are your thoughts on this story? Please share.

Friday, January 17
Exodus 33:12-23, 34:1-10
Moses’s Intercession
Moses said to the Lord, “See, you have said to me, ‘Bring up this people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.’Now if I have found favor in your sight, please show me your ways, so that I may know you and find favor in your sight. Consider, too, that this nation is your people.”He said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”And he said to him, “If your presence will not go, do not bring us up from here.For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people, unless you go with us? In this way, we shall be distinct, I and your people, from every people on the face of the earth.”
The Lord said to Moses, “I will also do this thing that you have asked, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.”Moses said, “Please show me your glory.” And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you the name, ‘The Lord,’ and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one shall see me and live.”And the Lord continued, “See, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by;then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen.”
Moses Makes New Tablets
The Lord said to Moses, “Cut two tablets of stone like the former ones, and I will write on the tablets the words that were on the former tablets, which you broke.Be ready in the morning and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai and present yourself there to me on the top of the mountain.No one shall come up with you, and do not let anyone be seen throughout all the mountain, and do not let flocks or herds graze in front of that mountain.” So Moses cut two tablets of stone like the former ones, and he rose early in the morning and went up on Mount Sinai, as the Lord had commanded him, and took in his hand the two tablets of stone.The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there and proclaimed the name, “The Lord.” The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, yet by no means clearing the guilty, but visiting the iniquity of the parents upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.”
And Moses quickly bowed down to the ground and worshiped. He said, “If now I have found favor in your sight, my Lord, I pray, let my Lord go with us. Although this is a stiff-necked people, pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for your inheritance.”

The Covenant Renewed
He said, “I hereby make a covenant. Before all your people I will perform marvels, such as have not been done in all the earth or in any nation, and all the people among whom you live shall see the work of the Lord, for it is an awesome thing that I will do with you.
This is a longer story, but it’s worth reading. Once again the people were rebelling against God.
Moses had enough. He wanted to see God.
This is quite a request by Moses. No one had ever seen God in the past and lived.
God had such respect for Moses that he granted his request. He passed before God. Pay special attention to how God identified the divine self in 34:6-7. God was merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.
This statement by God is consistent throughout the Bible. God can be angry, but God is slow to anger. God did not change in the New Testament. God’s characteristics were the same. We just don’t come across many stories in the New Testament where God’s anger was shared.
Read again in 34:6-7 how God described the divine self. Do you believe these characteristics by God are consistent throughout the entire Bible? What does this self-disclosure by God mean to you? Please share.

Saturday, January 18
Deuteronomy 34:1-12
Moses Dies and Is Buried in the Land of Moab
Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho, and the Lord showed him the whole land: Gilead as far as Dan, all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Western Sea,the Negeb, and the Plain—that is, the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees—as far as Zoar. The Lord said to him, “This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not cross over there.”Then Moses, the servant of the Lord, died there in the land of Moab, at the Lord’s command.He buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor, but no one knows his burial place to this day.Moses was one hundred twenty years old when he died; his sight was unimpaired, and his vigor had not abated. The Israelites wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days; then the period of mourning for Moses was ended.
Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him, and the Israelites obeyed him, doing as the Lord had commanded Moses.
Never since has there arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face.He was unequaled for all the signs and wonders that the Lord sent him to perform in the land of Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his servants and his entire land, and for all the mighty deeds and all the terrifying displays of power that Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.
This is the final story about Moses. God didn’t allow Moses to enter the Promised land because of what happened at Massah and Meribah. (see Thursdays devotion) But God did allow Moses to see the Promised Land.
Look at verse 10 again. “Never since has there arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face. (Deuteronomy 34:10)
What do these verses mean to you? What does the story of Moses mean to you? Please share.

Daily Devotions January 6 - 11, 2025

Monday, January 6
Isaiah 26:7-9
The way of the righteous is level;
    straight is the path of the righteous that you clear.
In the path of your judgments,
    O Lord, we have placed hope;
your name and your renown
    are the soul’s desire.
My soul yearns for you in the night;
    my spirit within me earnestly seeks you.
For when your judgments are in the earth,
    the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.
This week we have the opportunity to read Scriptures that relate to the Lord’s Supper or Communion.
The ninth verse of this reading from the book of Isaiah is especially powerful.
“My soul yearns for you in the night,
My spirit within me earnestly seeks you.
For when your judgments are in the earth,
The inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.”
We don’t know if Isaiah woke up during the night and then wrote this verse. However it wouldn’t be surprising if he was expressing a deep personal desire to connect to God.
Each of us probably can relate to waking up during the night and not being able to sleep. If you find yourself awake at night see if you can focus your thoughts on connecting to God.
Remembering what happens in the Lord’s Supper offers us this connection. When we drink from the cup and eat the bread that is offered we are connected by the Holy Spirit to the living God—Jesus Christ. Whether we feel this connection or not, we still are connected.
The next time you have a hard time sleeping, remember what Communion is like. Close your eyes and picture in your mind the act of taking the bread and the cup. This connection can settle us and help us connect.
Have you had an experience of focusing on God when you wake up during the night? Please share.
Tuesday, January 7
Genesis 17:1-14
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless. And I will make my covenant between me and you and will make you exceedingly numerous.” Then Abram fell on his face, and God said to him, “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land where you are now an alien, all the land of Canaan, for a perpetual holding, and I will be their God.”
God said to Abraham, “As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations. This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. You shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you. Throughout your generations every male among you shall be circumcised when he is eight days old, including the slave born in your house and the one bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring. Both the slave born in your house and the one bought with your money must be circumcised. So shall my covenant be in your flesh an everlasting covenant. Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”
Communion is a Sacrament. Presbyterians celebrate two Sacraments—Communion and Baptism. We understand a Sacrament to be a sign and seal of grace. God made a covenant through Jesus Christ to offer us this grace.
In this story we read that God made a covenant with Abram. God shared that Abram’s name would be changed to Abraham and that Abraham would be the ancestor of a multitude of nations. This resulting generations of Abraham would be the community of followers.
The sign of the covenant was circumcision. Every male was to be circumcised on the eighth day of their life as a sign of the covenant that God made with the Israelites.
As followers of Jesus we don’t see circumcision as a sign of the covenant. But understanding circumcision can help us have a clearer understanding of Communion. Communion is a sign of the new covenant. We can’t see the resulting mark of Communion, but a person’s spirit is drawn to God through Communion.
Your life is a sign of the Communion covenant. Think yourself how Communion had made an impact in your own life. How has your spirit been marked by this gift of grace from God? Please share.
Wednesday, January 8
Exodus 12:1-13
The First Passover Instituted
The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, “This month shall mark for you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year for you. Tell the whole congregation of Israel that on the tenth of this month they are to take a lamb for each family, a lamb for each household. If a household is too small for a whole lamb, it shall join its closest neighbor in obtaining one; the lamb shall be divided in proportion to the number of people who eat of it. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a year-old male; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month; then the whole assembled congregation of Israel shall slaughter it at twilight. They shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. They shall eat the lamb that same night; they shall eat it roasted over the fire with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water but roasted over the fire, with its head, legs, and inner organs. You shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn with fire. This is how you shall eat it: your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand, and you shall eat it hurriedly. It is the Passover of the Lord. I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, from human to animal, and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord. The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live: when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague shall destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.
The celebration of Passover was a very special celebration for the people of Israel. In Passover the Israelites were liberated from Egypt. God passed over the Israelites and saved them from death. The first born of the Egyptians were killed. Pharaoh was so enraged that he let the Israelites go from slavery.
This is a hard story if you were an Egyptian. It’s hard to reconcile the level of violence that took place so that the Israelites could be free.
This is a wonderful story if you were an Israelite and eventually a Jew. The people remember the Passover by celebrating the Passover meal. When Jesus gathered with the disciples the night before Jesus was killed they gathered to celebrate this Passover meal. The Lord’s Supper or Communion became a new sacrament.
People see the relationship between the death and resurrection of Jesus to the Passover. Just as the Jesus died, the first-born of the Egyptians died. Just as Jesus was raised and released from death, the Israelites were release from slavery.
When you celebrate Communion you are connecting to this story of Passover.
What does it mean to you that the celebration of Communion connects us to the celebration of Passover? Please share.

Thursday, January 9
Luke 7:36-50
A Sinful Woman Forgiven
One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him, and when he went into the Pharisee’s house he reclined to dine. And a woman in the city who was a sinner, having learned that he was eating in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster jar of ointment. She stood behind him at his feet, weeping, and began to bathe his feet with her tears and to dry them with her hair, kissing his feet and anointing them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw it, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what kind of woman this is who is touching him, that she is a sinner.” Jesus spoke up and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” “Teacher,” he replied, “speak.” “A certain moneylender had two debtors; one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he canceled the debts for both of them. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon answered, “I suppose the one for whom he canceled the greater debt.” And Jesus said to him, “You have judged rightly.” Then turning toward the woman, he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has bathed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven; hence she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven loves little.” Then he said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” But those who were at the table with him began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” But he said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
Jesus often shared meals with his followers. In fact seven times Luke wrote about Jesus sharing a meal in this gospel.
These meals give us a “taste” of what it was like to celebrate Communion or the Lord’s Supper with Jesus.
In this meal Jesus was invited by a Pharisee to enjoy a meal. The events of the meal revealed that the Pharisee was more interested in following the law and being holy than loving his neighbor. His neighbor was a woman—who was identified as a sinner and came to anoint the feet of Jesus.
She literally gave of herself to anoint the feet of Jesus. This was an incredible gesture by the woman who was willing to give everything she had to bless Jesus.
The Pharisee didn’t “see” what was happening. All he could see was a “sinful” woman was touching Jesus.
When we celebrate Communion we are given the opportunity to see what Jesus sees. When we come into the presence of Jesus through Communion we receive an entirely different outlook on the world. We shed the judgmental eyes that the Pharisee demonstrated in this story.
You probably have had an experience where you saw the world differently because you celebrated Communion. Please share.
Friday, January 10
Matthew 26:17-30
The Passover with the Disciples
On the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where do you want us to make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?” He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, My time is near; I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.’ ” So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover meal.
When it was evening, he took his place with the twelve disciples, and while they were eating he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.” And they became greatly distressed and began to say to him one after another, “Surely not I, Lord?” He answered, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that one by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that one not to have been born.” Judas, who betrayed him, said, “Surely not I, Rabbi?” He replied, “You have said so.”
The Institution of the Lord’s Supper
While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will never again drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
When they had sung the hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
This is Matthew’s version of the Passover meal. This extraordinary celebration happened in ordinary circumstances. The room was not special. It was in a house of an unnamed man whom Jesus knew about. The disciples were to find this man and share that the time is near for Jesus.
While they were gathered to celebrate the Passover Jesus acknowledged that one of the twelve would betray him.
Then he shared some of the most well-known words in history.
“Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to the disciples and said, ‘Take, eat this is my body.’ Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.’” Matthew 26:26-28
Share some ways that your own spirit is refreshed in Communion.
Saturday, January 11
1 Corinthians 11:23-26
The Institution of the Lord’s Supper
For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
The Apostle Paul wrote the letter that is called 1 Corinthians to a community that was very divided. He believed and hoped that the Lord’s Supper or the Eucharist could bring people together.
Pastor Paul shared in his sermon on Sunday that different beliefs about Communion have divided the church. This is a tragedy and was never the intent of what Jesus wanted when he instituted the Last Supper.
Today as you pray, pray that the Lord’s Supper can bring people together. Pray that in this era of division and partisanship, we can look forward to celebrating Communion with all people—particularly people with whom we have large differences.
Take a moment to pray and then share how Communion can bring us together as people. Share your thoughts on what it would mean to have Communion or the Lord’s Supper be a source of reconciliation.

Events

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Church Calendar

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Community Gardens

Chain of Lakes Church is excited to offer a Community Garden Ministry next to the new church building at 2650 125th Ave NE, Blaine, MN 55449. It’s just east of Malmborg’s Garden Center on 125th Ave NE in Blaine or .8 miles east of Radisson Rd on 125th Ave NE, Blaine.