Grace Evangelical-Lutheran: March 2017

Monday, March 27, 2017

Psalm 84,5.6-7.11; Isaiah 66,10-11. Laetare

✠ One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you ✠

The Word of the Lord Endures Forever

se cwide þæs béaggiefan ábireþ ferhþ

Psalm 84,5.6a.7.11; Isaiah 66,10.11 1917

Lätare (4. Sonntag der Passionszeit) 027 „Rejoice“

Ludger, Bishop of Münster, Germany, ✠ 809

26. März 2017

1. О Lord Jesus Christ, whose delight is the house of the Lord; bring peace both to our world and Your Church, so that we may live and work in security in the security that we may worship You without fear or coercion. Amen. (Gradual)

2. Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her, all you who love her; rejoice with her in joy, all you who mourn over her; so that you may nurse and be satisfied from her consoling breast; so that you may drink deeply with delight from her glorious abundance. Blessed are those whose strength is in You, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. As they go through the Valley of Baca they make it a place of springs They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion. For the Lord God is a Sun and Shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.

3. »Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her, all you who love her; rejoice with her in joy, all you who mourn over her;«. Thus begins Laetare’s Introit, and it coincides nicely with what Jesus told His disciples during Holy Week: »Where I am, there will My servant be also« (John 12,26). Jesus spent much of His time during Holy Week in the temple courtyard where He taught His disciples and the crowds who arrived for the Passover celebration. Jerusalem was the religious capital of Judaism because the temple with its animal sacrifices was located there. Jesus both rejoiced and wept over Jerusalem. At 12 years of age, Jesus was in the temple listening to the rabbis, scribes and Pharisees teach the Scriptures, and also asking them questions (Luke 2,46). Eighteen years later, however, Jesus wept over Jerusalem because the city did not know the things that make for peace, and that winds of war with Rome were beginning to stir before the city (Luke 19,41-44). The joy of Jerusalem and the thing that makes for peace in her midst is Jesus Christ Himself.

4. The, Introit then exhorts us »so that you may nurse and be satisfied from Jerusalem’s consoling breast; so that you may drink deeply with delight from her glorious abundance.« The Psalmist encourages us to look to Jerusalem where the Scriptures are taught and the sacrifice for sin is made. Jesus is the Very Word of God made flesh and the Sacrificial Lamb who takes away the sin of the world. Jesus is the proper teacher of Holy Scripture and the once-for-all sacrifice that forgives all sins. The Psalmist proclaims: »Your Word is a Lamp to my feet and a Light upon my path« (Psalm 119,105).

5. »Blessed are those whose strength is in You, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. As they go through the Valley of Baca they make it a place of springs« In Jesus’ day, Jerusalem was the capital of Judaism and the temple was built on its Mt. Zion. The Lord met mankind at Zion and there He forgave his sin. In Holy Week, Jesus told His apostles: »The hour has arrived for the Son of Man to be glorified« (John 12,23). His glorification would take place outside the city gates of Zion.

6. »They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion.« In Jesus’ day, Jews went to Zion primarily to offer a sacrifice. They travelled up to Zion for this ritual all the way back to King David’s reign a millennia earlier. Men would present an animal to be sacrificed so their sins and their family’s would be atoned for. Every day such sacrifices occurred; and every year on Yom Kippur the sins of the nation were absolved. The Epistle to the Hebrews tells us: »This Mosaic law was but a shadow of the good things to arrive instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Consequently, when Christ arrived in the world, He said: Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have You prepared for Me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. Then I said: Behold, I have arrived to do Your will, O God, as it is written of Me in the scroll of the book. [Psalm 40,6-8]. When He said above You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices, offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings (these are offered according to the law), then He added: Behold, I have arrived to do Your will. He does away with the first testament in order to establish the new testament. And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all« (Hebrews 10,1-10). The new testament sacrifice of Jesus on the cross outside of Mt. Zion has fulfilled the old testament sacrifices that were performed daily at the temple.

7. »For the Lord God is a Sun and Shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.« The Prophet Malachi says the Christ will be »the Sun of Righteousness who shall rise with healing in His wings« (Malachi 4,2), and the Psalmist reminds us that »The Christ is our Shield in whom we trust and are helped« (Psalm 28,7). All favor and honor is bestowed upon us through Christ Jesus. He is the fulfillment of His Father’s promise to save fallen mankind. He is the vicarious sacrifice for our sin. The Greeks sought Him because He is the Light who enlightens the Gentiles, for He is the Jews’ Messiah and the Gentiles’ Christ. He gave up His life in this world in order to obtain eternal life for us all.

8. Thus the theme of Laetare is: rejoice! On this Sunday we cross the midway point of Lent (the Ides of Lent) and today is a day of hope for Easter is within our sight. The Psalmist reminds us today: Jesus is the certainty of our salvation. Our sins have been paid for and forgiven. We have been redeemed back to our Heavenly Father’s good graces. We are now righteous in His eyes. All this is from Jesus who is our Bright Morning Star. He bestows upon us favor and honor. We are enlightened with His grace and glory unto life everlasting. Amen.

9. Let us pray. O Christ, Thou grain of wheat who fell into the earth and died; we rejoice in the light of Your resurrection for You who had died later rose to life so that we may also be fruits of the harvest of eternal life. Amen.

To God alone be the Glory

Gode ealdore sy se cyneþrymm

✠

All Scriptural quotations are translations done by The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind using the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, 4. Edition © 1990 by the Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart, and the Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland 27. Edition © 1993 by Deutsch Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart.

Monday, March 20, 2017

Psalm 34,15.16.18.19.22; Psalm 25,15. Oculi

✠ One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you ✠

The Word of the Lord Endures Forever

Verbum Domini Manet in Aeternum

Psalm 34,15.16.18.19.22; 25,15 1817

Okuli (3. Sonntag der Passionszeit) 026 „My eyes“

Joseph, foster father of Jesus. Widow

19. März 2017

1. O Christ Jesus, Thou who prevails the Will of God; let Your justice be declared unto us, so that we may stand before You righteous. Amen. (Gradual).

2. When My eyes are ever toward the Lord, for He will pluck my feet out of the net. The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and His ears toward their cry. The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. The Lord redeems the life of His servants; none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned.

3. The Introit tells us: »My eyes are ever toward the Lord, for He will pluck my feet out of the net.« and the Psalmist is more optimistic than Jesus’ forboding declaration in today’s Gospel Lection: »No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the reign of God.« And we all know where Jesus’ path ends: It ends with Judas Iscariot betraying Him, His arrest, conviction of sedition against Rome and His execution on the cross. The other apostles and disciples all scattered in fear and went into hiding save His mother, a couple of other women and John. When the time had arrived for His apostles and disciples to stand next to Jesus and confess Him boldly and proudly as the Christ, only a few were at Jesus’ feet silent and sorrowful. The apostles had forgotten Jesus’ petition in His high priestly prayer on Maundy Thursday: »O Father, I do not ask that You take them out of the world, but that You keep the from the evil one« (John 17,15). Jesus would not leave them without protection or providence.

4. Therefore, we must keep the truth before our eyes that »The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and His ears toward their cry.« But who are the righteous? The Apostle Paul answers that question in his Epistle to the Galatians: »we know that a person is not righteous by the works of the law but that a person is righteous only through faith in Jesus Christ« (Galatians 2,16). »The Lord hears the prayer of the righteous« (Proverbs 15,29; 1. Peter 3,12).

5. But He is far from the wicked (Proverbs 15,29; 1. Peter 3,12). He is so far from the wicked that »The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth.« It is a serious thing to be cut off from God, and that is what Hades was created for: to be an abode for those opposed to God where their wish is granted, namely they will not have to dwell in His presence. To make yourself independent from God, to become your very own god, is to ultimately dwell apart from the One True God. But it is not God’s desire that anyone dwell alone and apart from Him. Sin and death set fallen humanity upon that wretched, dark path, but God would not see us walk down that road without His Light to show us the way back to Him and His method of redemption.

6. The Introit comforts us with this very promise: »The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.« The Holy Scriptures are replete with examples of God redeeming people. He provided for Adam and Eve after they had sinned and promised them a Messiah would be born from Eve’s descendant. Barren Sarah and Rachel were given sons. Jacob was spared from his brother’s wrath. Israel was redeemed from slavery. Nineveh was spared the fury of God’s destruction. The exiles were returned from Babylonian Exile. Jesus escaped Herod’s infanticide. Lepers were cleansed, the sick healed, the demon-possessed freed and even the dead returned to life. Whatever brokenhearted situation we experience in this life, we know that we do not endure it alone, for God is with us, comforting us and working to restore our joy. »A bruised reed the Lord will not break, and a faintly burning wick He will not quench; He will faithfully bring forth justice« (Isaiah 42,3).

7. The Introit reminds us that »Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.« Jesus Himself fulfills this: »Draw unto Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest« (Matthew 11,28). Suffering on account of Christ produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope in Christ and this hope does not disappoint us because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us (Romans 5,3-5).

8. »The Lord redeems the life of His servants; none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned.« All the redemptive events in the Bible were types of the antitype of Jesus redeeming all the world though His crucifixion. Jesus knew the cost to redeem fallen men and women, and upon the Mount of Olives Jesus showed true self-denial and perfect cross-bearing. He suffered rejection, slander, false accusations, condemnation, scourging, ridicule, crucifixion and death in order to save us. Such was the high price the law required to be paid in full on account of sin, and Jesus willingly and lovingly paid that price with His own body and life to restore mankind back to fellowship with His Father.

9. Lent reminds us to once again discipline ourselves to follow Jesus to the cross where He merits the forgiveness of sin for the entire world. This forgiveness is given out in proclaimed Absolution, the preached Word, in the poured water of Holy Baptism and proffered in the Lord’s Supper; these means of grace promise us that all our sin is forgiven. We receive this promise by faith which is a gracious, free gift given to us by the Holy Spirit. Christian discipleship trusts in Christ for salvation and seeks to live a God-pleasing life in response to this trust. Self-denial and cross-bearing are performed as expressions of faith in Christ. On account of Christ, we may put our hands to the plow and look to Jesus as those fit for the reign of God.

10. The wonderful story that unfolds within the pages of the Holy Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation is that the Lord’s people fall into sin and never live up to His strict demands of discipleship, but the Lord draws near to His fallen, discouraged people and brings them the gospel of forgiveness that is grounded upon His Son who is Christ crucified and risen for our righteousness and salvation. Christian discipleship is not about living the good, morally improving life – any philosophy, religion or self-improvement methodology can offer that – but Christian discipleship is about Christ, believing in Him whole-heartedly for the forgiveness of sins and rejoicing in the amazing gospel that says you are saved, you are the beloved of the Heavenly Father – not because you have lived up to your Christian potential – but rather Christ has lived it for you, and He gives it to all of us as a free gift. It is a gift that we cannot buy or earn by our good intentions or merits, but it is a gift that was earned by Christ so that He alone gives it to us through the Holy Spirit. This is the gospel, and its message is unique in all the world, and we have it by Christ alone for our eternal salvation. Amen.

11. Let us pray. O Lord Jesus Christ, Thou alone are worthy to put Your hand to the plow and sow the field for the harvest of the reign of God, keep our eyes on You so that we never look back in doubt but look forward to the joy set before in Your gospel. Amen.

To God alone be the Glory

Soli Deo Gloria

✠

All Scriptural quotations are translations done by The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind using the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, 4^th Edition © 1990 by the Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart, and the Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland 27^th Edition © 1993 by Deutsch Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart.

All quotations from the Book of Concord are translations done by The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind using Die Bekenntnisschriften der evangelisch-lutherischen Kirche, 12. Edition © 1998 by Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht.

Psalm 25,1.2.4.8.10.11; Psalm 25,6. Reminiscere

✠ One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you ✠

The Word of the Lord Endures Forever

se cwide þæs béaggiefan ábireþ ferhþ

Psalm 25,1.2.4.8.10.11; 25,6 1717

Reminiszere (2. Sonntag der Passionszeit) 025 „Remember“

Gregory the Great, Bishop of Rome ✠ 604

12. März 2017

1. О Lord, Thou Comfort of the distressed; consider our afflictions and forgive all our sins, so that we may live each day in peace and security. Amen. (Gradual)

2. Remember Your mercy, O Lord, and Your steadfast love, for they have been from of old. To You, O Lord, I lift up my life. O my God, in You I trust; let me not be put to shame; let not my enemies exult over me. Make me to know Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths. Good and upright is the Lord; therefore He instructs sinners in the way. All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep His covenant and His testimonies. For Your Name’s sake, O Lord, pardon my guilt, for it is great.

3. »Remember Your mercy, O Lord, and Your steadfast love, for they have been from of old.« The Introit begins by reminding us that God’s love for us is eternal and unchanging. This truth is vital to remember in a fallen world where we are ridiculed, persecuted, victims of sinful actions, doubt our own worth and a host of other afflictions. God’s love for us resulted in His creating us in His Image and Likeness. He created man to be the crowning jewel of His creation. The Psalmist proclaims: »God made man a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor« (Psalm 8,5). All the earth was given to man to be a steward over it on behalf of God (Psalm 8,6). When Adam brought sin into our human nature, God promised, out of love for us, to redeem us by sending His own Son to be our Savior.

4. Therefore, »to You, O Lord, we lift up our life, and we trust in You, O God; let us not be put to shame; let not our enemies exult over us.« In the Holy Gospels, the enemies of Jesus and God’s people were ironically the Jewish religious leaders. They questioned His teachings, accused Him of breaking the Mosaic laws and were aghast when He didn’t follow all the traditions of the elders. Jesus spoke today’s parable against the chief priests, the scribes and the elders. Their consciouses were convicted, but instead of repenting and receiving Jesus as their Messiah they instead doubled down as God’s enemies by seeking to arrest Him (Mark 12,1.12).

5. »Make me to know Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths.« The Introit exhorts us to make God the Cornerstone of our lives. The Psalmist also proclaims: »O God, Your Word is a Lamp to my feet and a Light to my path« (Psalm 119,105), for »good and upright is the Lord; therefore He instructs sinners in the way.« The Holy Gospels instruct us that only Jesus is the Savior of our wretched condition. Our sins need to be forgiven, and Jesus forgives them. Our sinfulness needed to be paid for, and Jesus atoned us. Death needed to be overcome, and Jesus rose from the grave in victory over Death. The devil needed to be overthrown, and Jesus defeated him. Hades’ gates were locked tight, and Jesus unlocked those gates and set the prisoners free. »All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep His covenant and His testimonies.« To keep the Lord’s covenant is to believe on Jesus Christ; He is the Cornerstone of our salvation. In Christ we see God’s steadfast love and faithfulness, for in Christ, the Lord, has pardoned all our guilt.

6. The Psalmist declares: »The Stone that the builders rejected has become the Cornerstone;this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes« (Psalm 118,22-23). Many religious leaders rejected Jesus as the Stone of the Lord’s salvation. They wanted to be secure in their comfortable works-righteous of the law and the tradition of the elders. But the Lord’s salvation and righteousness is built upon the Son of God who laid down His life to take away the sin of the world (John 1,29).

7. The Apostle Paul assures us: »While we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly, for God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us« (Romans 5,6.8). We remember this Great Cornerstone of our faith. We have been justified by the shed blood of Jesus; we have been saved from the wrath of God; we have been reconciled by the redemption price Jesus paid on the cross (Romans 5,9-10). The Pharisees feared this sort of Christ, and they devised a way to arrest Him. We trust in this sort of Christ, and we gladly rejoice in Him and worship Him.

8. It is true that the world does not want the Crucified Jesus, because the Crucified Jesus is divisive. Christ crucified is exclusive because Christ declares that only He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. The road to heaven runs through Christ dying on the cross for our sins and rising on the third day from His grave. That cross causes all manner of people to stumble, but Christ crucified is the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets. Christ crucified is our salvation and eternal life. The vineyard, then, is ours, for it given as a gift by the Lord, so that we may live long and prosper, and have peace and long life forever and ever. That gift is ours through Christ the Cornerstone. It is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes. Remember. Amen.

9. Let us pray. O Lord Jesus Christ, who shows His love for us in that You died for us while we were still sinners, pour upon us Your grace so that we daily trust in Your mercy and merit that declares us righteous. Amen.

To God alone be the Glory

Gode ealdore sy se cyneþrymm

✠

Monday, March 6, 2017

Psalm 91,1-2.4.11-12; 91,15. Invocavit

✠ One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you ✠

The Word of the Lord Endures Forever

Verbum Domini Manet in Aeternum

Psalm 91,1-2.4.11-12; 91,15 1617

Invokavit (1. Sonntag der Passionszeit) 024 „He will call“

Eusebius of Cremona, Abbot at Bethlehem, 5^th century

5. März 2017

1. O Christ Jesus, He Thou First-born of all creation, command Your angels to guard us in all our ways, so that they will bear us up and protect us from the evil one. Amen. (Gradual).

2. When he calls to Me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the Shadow of the Almighty. I will sayto the Lord: „My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.“ He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and buckler. For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.

3. The Gospel pericope for Invocavit is the temptation of Jesus by Satan. After fasting for 40 days, Jesus was tempted three times. The devil tempted Jesus to turn stones into bread, to test His Father’s Divine Providence and offered Him worldly power and glory. Jesus overcame these temptations by relying upon the Holy Scriptures as the Psalmist proclaims: »When he calls to Me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him.«

4. The first temptation by the devil is the most appropriate one: Jesus had just finished a 40-day fast in the wilderness, and He was hungry. An article in a 1997 volume of the British Medical Journal stated that humans can safely fast 30-40 days as long as they keep themselves hydrated by drinking water. Between the 35. and 40. day, though, severe symptoms of starvation begin to manifest in the body. Death can occur between the 45. and 61. day of fasting. It was imperative that Jesus eat soon, but the devil wants to Force Jesus to do so on his terms: why wait? Your fast is over; prove to me that you are the Son of God by turning these stones into bread and eat. »He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the Shadow of the Almighty.« for man doesn’t live by bread alone but also by every word spoken by the mouth of God (Deuteronomy 8,3). We live on the very words of Holy Scripture, and they exhort us to abide in God.

5. next the devil tempted Jesus to put His Father to the test. Surely He will protect you if you jump from the heights of the temple.the devil even quotes Psalm 91: »He will command His angels concerning you, and on their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.« (Psalm 91,11-12) While the words he quotes are true, the intention behind the words is at the heart of the matter. It is one thing to trust in God and place one’s well-being in His hands, but it is another to test God by forcing Him to prove Himself to you. Satan wanted to force the issue, but Jesus was content with His Father’s Providence: »God will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and buckler. For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.«

6. The Epistle to the Hebrews tells us that the angels also help us: »They are ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation« (Hebrews 1,14). The Scriptures contain many stories where angels ministered to people. Angels protect, provide for and proclaim God’s Word. Two angels protected Lot and his daughters from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah; provided bread and water for Elijah (1. Kings 19,5-6) and told Mary that she would be Θεοτόκος (God-bearer). There are many other instances in the Bible of angels ministering to men and women. Thus the Psalmist exults: »I will sayto the Lord: „My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.“«

7. The Epistle to the Hebrews then tells us that Christ is above the angels (Hebrews 1,4). »Christ’s throne is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of His reign. He loves righteousness and hates wickedness; God has anointed Him with the oil of gladness beyond His companions« (Hebrews 1,8-9). Thus, all heaven and earth is Christ’s; He is the Son of God and the Crown Prince of all creation. Satan is a mere usurper of the earth. His claim rests upon his success in tempting Adam to rebel against God. The devil certainly exercises a degree of control over this world; he influences the wickedness that man inflicts upon man. But in the end, Satan is merely an angel and not the Only-begotten Son of God. It should be the devil falling down in worship to Jesus his Creator, not Jesus bowing to the devil. But the devil hoped to divert Jesus from His passion by offering Him worldly power and comfort.

8. Jesus’ temptation at the hands of the devil is the beginning of His ministry to free us from the bondage of the devil. Jesus refused to use His Divine power to prove His Divinity to Satan. Jesus refused to put His Father’s Providence to the test. Jesus refused to acknowledge Satan as the prince of this world; He would not receive from him temporal wealth and power nor would He bow before him. Satan is a self-proclaimed god, but Jesus is the Son of God in the flesh, as His Father and the Holy Spirit attested to at His baptism 40 days earlier in the Jordan River at the hands of John the Baptizer.

9. »When we call to Jesus, He will answer us; He will be with us in trouble; He will rescue us and honor us.« Jesus was tempted and remained sinless. He contested with the devil and won. He went to the cross to die and pay for our sins. He rose from the grave to be the First-fruits of the resurrection. He sends His angels to minister to us. Amen.

10. Let us pray. O Lord Jesus Christ, Thou Incarnate Word; help us to draw encouragement from Your temptation so that we see in that time of struggle Your destruction of the works of the devil. Amen.

To God alone be the Glory

Soli Deo Gloria

✠

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Ash Wednesday devotion

Christ crucified

Introit (Psalm 130,5-8; 130,3.4)

O Lord, if You should mark iniquities, who could stand? But with You there is forgiveness, so that You may be feared. I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His Word I hope; my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning. O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with Him is plentiful redemption. And He will redeem Israel from all his iniquities.

Lent begins with ashes – the symbol of death and complete destruction – and thus, Lent begins with our recognition that one day we will become ashes. Ashes are the end result of God’s wrath and punishment upon sin and sinners. The curse of sin is death, and then after death comes the decay of the physical body until there are only ashes left. Even worse, after a millennia not even the ashes are left, unless you happen to be a mummified pharaoh. Where are Adam’s ashes? Abraham’s? Isaac’s? Jacob’s? Such patriarchs don’t even have ashes of their bodies anymore because so much time has passed that even their bodily ashes have broken down to molecules and atoms that have been reabsorbed by the ground and reprocessed elsewhere in nature. Ashes. We are dust, and to dust we will one day return. Ashes.

Jesus tells us: „You have been beaten up by the law, and you are afraid of what awaits you when you die and your body turns to ashes, but do not fear, I will overturn Death. You will live with Me forever!“ Jesus accomplishes this for us and the entire world, and He accomplished it when He suffered and died on the cross in ransom payment for our sins, and He secured it when He triumphed over Death when He Himself rose from death unto life, and not just any life, but eternal life never to die again. Jesus gives us these gospel gifts freely and we simply receive Jesus and His promise by faith.

Ash Wednesday and the liturgical season of Lent, then, are about Christ, His death and His resurrection. The Sinless One became the Chief Sinner; the Eternal One died; the Son of God who dwelt in heaven made a journey into the depths of hell; the One who died became the One who lives again. Jesus did all this for you! And He will form from your ashes a new body that will never die.

Collect for the Day

O Almighty and Everlasting God, You despise nothing You have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent. Create in us new and contrite hearts so that lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness we may receive from You full pardon and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever. Amen.

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church

Monday, March 27, 2017

Psalm 84,5.6-7.11; Isaiah 66,10-11. Laetare

Monday, March 20, 2017

Psalm 34,15.16.18.19.22; Psalm 25,15. Oculi

Psalm 25,1.2.4.8.10.11; Psalm 25,6. Reminiscere

Monday, March 6, 2017

Psalm 91,1-2.4.11-12; 91,15. Invocavit

Wednesday, March 1, 2017

Ash Wednesday devotion