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Holy Communion

By Pr. Lisa Rygiel

In last week’s e-formation, we talked about one of the two sacraments recognized by the ELCA church, baptism. This week, we will discuss the second sacrament, Holy Communion.

Lutherans believe that in Holy Communion, the true body and blood of Jesus Christ are really and substantially present “in, with, and under” the bread and wine, given for the forgiveness of sins. This conviction is rooted in Jesus’ own words at the Last Supper and is central to Lutheran worship and spirituality.

Lutherans confess that Christ’s body and blood are truly and substantially present in the sacrament—not symbolically, not metaphorically, and not by a change in the substance of the elements. 

The sacrament is grounded in Jesus’ words at the Last Supper (Matthew 26; Mark 14; Luke 22; 1 Corinthians 11). Lutherans take Jesus’ words “This is my body… this is my blood” at face value.

Communion is not merely a memorial meal. It is a means of grace—a way God delivers forgiveness, life, and salvation.

  • The Small Catechism teaches that the sacrament “offers forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation.”
  • The promise of grace is applied and sealed to believers in the act of receiving.

Lutherans do not teach that the elements change substance (as in transubstantiation).

  • The bread remains bread.
  • The wine remains wine.
  • Yet Christ’s body and blood are truly present with them.

Different Lutheran bodies practice communion differently. Within the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America), we practice an open table: all baptized Christians are welcome.

Communion is celebrated regularly — often weekly or biweekly, depending on the congregation. The pastor speaks the Words of Institution, and the congregation receives the elements with the promise: 

  • “The body of Christ, given for you.”
  • “The blood of Christ, shed for you.”

In Summary, the ELCA believes that Holy Communion is:

  • Instituted by Christ
  • A real encounter with His body and blood
  • A means of grace that forgives sin
  • A sacred mystery held in the tension of bread/wine and body/blood together

Let us look forward to Sunday where we celebrate the mystery of our faith along with this beautiful sacrament.

Feb. 1, 4th Sunday of Epiphany

10 a.m. Sunday Worship

Announcements

  • Fellowship: Join us after worship in the Fellowship Hall for our First Sunday Potluck, followed by our annual congregational meeting. All are welcome.
  • Annual Congregational Meeting: Feb. 1, we conduct our annual congregational meeting. Voting members should have received an email about the meeting, including Zoom access, agenda, budget, and church constitutional amendments. Paper copies are available in the Fellowship Hall.
  • Wednesday Book Club: Lisa is leading a Wednesday Book Club focusing upon What if Jesus was Serious – A Visual Guide to the Teachings of Jesus We Love to Ignore. The club meets at 10:30 a.m. Wednesdays in the Fellowship Hall.
  • 5-Loaves Help Wanted:We will deliver meals for 5-Loaves next Saturday, Jan 31. If you can help with meal preparations on Friday, Jan. 30, or with deliveries on Saturday, please let Norine Hazen, Terry Watson, or Jo Moss know.
  • Souper Bowl of Caring: Each February, Zion’s joins churches and civic groups nationwide to help transform Super Bowl weekend into a nationwide movement designed to address hunger in our communities. As part of Souper Bowl of Caring, Zion’s will collect canned goods and non-perishable food items throughout the month of February, for donation to the Trinidad Soup Kitchen. Please consider bringing donations to worship each Sunday. Place these gifts in the soup pot at the front of the Sanctuary. At the end of February, all donations will be given to the Trinidad’s Soup Kitchen.
  • Church Council: The next church council meeting is Feb. 8 following worship.
  • Invitations from First United Methodist Church:
    • Women’s Conference Invitation: 6-7 – the Rev. Dr. Jan Everhart will lead a Women's Conference at First United Methodist Church in Raton. The topic is the Five Women in Jesus' Genealogy. Contact Pr. Jan E. or Pr. Lisa for registration information.
    • Time of Prayer & Coffee: Members of the Zion’s family are invited to join our siblings in Christ from the Methodist church for a time of prayer and coffee at 10:30 a.m. each Thursday at Kangaroo Coffee, (in the Marketplace on Commercial Street).
  • The Way Ministry: At 1 p.m. each Sunday, Zion’s welcomes the Way ministry to our Fellowship Hall as they offer food and worship to the unhoused and others in need.

Congregational Annual Meeting Announcement:

Zion’s Lutheran Church will conduct its Annual Congregational Meeting at 11:30 a.m. on Feb. 1, 2026, in the Fellowship Hall (following worship and our First Sunday Potluck). This is an annual event as set forth in our church’s constitution where we report on that status of our congregation, including: finances, and committee and congregational activities.

Voting members will be asked to review and vote on the 2026 budget and to elect church council members. Our church council consists of nine members, of which three come up for election each year, and serve 3-year terms. If there is a partial-term vacancy, we will vote for someone to finish out that term. This year we will vote for three members to serve 3-year terms. Voting members at Zion’s are defined as confirmed members who have communed in this congregation who made a contribution of record in the current or preceding calendar year.

Participation is in person and via Zoom (the Zoom link follows): https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87970855587?pwd=2dnj5Ftjmhuq8LOZjgaaiGecaaEdhG.1 -- Meeting ID: 879 7085 5587 — Passcode: 244034

E-formation

In most of the standard Sundays after the Epiphany and after Trinity Sunday, Year A reads through significant passages in the gospel of Matthew. Most of the Sermon on the Mount is appointed. Jesus Christ has come among us, and Christians are called to adopt the transformed life described in the Sermon on the Mount.

Matthew 5:1-12

The Beatitudes describe the rigorous values that according to Matthew characterize the Christian life. In the service of the word, we hear Matthew’s description of life within God’s kingdom, and we turn for forgiveness and renewal in the service of holy communion. Jesus Christ is himself the embodiment of the Beatitudes.

Micah 6:1-8

Christians recognize that Jesus’ call to a life of justice follows in the Old Testament tradition, in which prophets spoke God’s word of righteous living to a people who had received God’s saving deeds. The Micah passage parallels the Beatitudes.

1 Corinthians 1:18-21

The cross of Christ represents a paradoxical divine wisdom that is alien to the world’s common understanding of reality. We stand within the righteousness that comes to us through the cross as we hear the stern Sermon on the Mount.

Zion's Lutheran Church

zionsluth@gmail.com

719-846-7785