\Our King willingly comes to set us free by His Passion! With joy we meet him. With palms we praise him. We join the procession to honor and welcome the Conqueror over death and hell as he proceeds to the battlefield. Zechariah foresaw this (Traditional First Lesson — Zechariah 9:9,10). The joy is great for we know the cross leads to Easter. This is more than reenactment. We presently accompany this Victor as he enters his house today to give us this victory. After the procession, we are confronted with his cries from the cross (Introit) and we hear of his Passion (Gospel). This does not surprise us, but rather is the very reason we carry palms: Our victory, of which palms are symbolic, is won by his cross! Today also sets the stage for Holy Week. It’s not a week of mourning, but there are notes of joy and victory throughout, a realization that Christ’s sacred Passion was the path to Easter glory (Second Lesson). We will not understand this week unless we keep this in mind. That is true even today as we hear of His death, but receive him alive in the Supper. ![]()
How beautiful is our journey to the cross and tomb. We have seen our Savior’s battle waged against temptation. We have found confidence in his resolution to carry out the Father’s plan of salvation. We have turned to the Lord at his invitation to draw near with repentant hearts. And we have rejoiced in his loving and forgiving embrace. In these final hours before Holy Week, even as we rejoice in the great things God has done for his people throughout history, let us put the ways of the past behind us and continue to strive for that for which Christ has laid hold of us. ![]()
The repentant sinner rejoices at being found in the loving embrace of the Father’s full, free, and “foolish” forgiveness. Even though our sin should separate us from the family of God, he welcomes us back into the family with the full rights sons. To the self-righteous, this seems foolish, even offensive. But for the loving Father this is cause for celebration. Historically, the Fourth Sunday in Lent has been called Laetare Sunday. “Laetare” is Latin for, “rejoice,” and is the first word in the Introit, This Sunday has been viewed as a sort of respite from the sorrowful season of Lent. This Sunday also marks the halfway point to Good Friday, and is the first time Jerusalem is mentioned in the Divine Service during Lent. We can see the end of Jesus’ time on earth approaching as we near Jerusalem. ![]()
At its heart, our Lenten journey must be one of Spirit-wrought repentance. Here is the Lenten invitation: turn from sin fully confident of the Lord’s deliverance. The Lord had delivered his people in spectacular fashion. Israel had every reason to trust whole-heartedly in his promises, relying on their rock, the Christ. Yet so many served their own bodies, even seeking the favor of other false gods. Let Israel’s example serve as warning. Turn from temptation, leave sin behind, trust in the Lord’s faithfulness to forgive, bear abundant fruit, and follow the Way out of this world to eternal life. ![]()
Jeremiah was rejected because he did not tell the people what they wanted to hear. Though threatened with death, he was resolute in his mission and faithfully proclaimed the Word of the Lord. Paul contrasts the journey through life of those who are enemies of the cross of Christ and those who embrace it. Even though he was rejected by many, the Christ was resolute on his journey to redeem us. He would not be intimidated by Pharisaical lies or enemies of the cross. He would press on toward his goal to redeem humankind from the violence of sin, gathering the elect beneath his eternal wings. Notice the invitation to repentance and mercy by the Lord of free and faithful grace that follows Jeremiah’s wake-up call. But it was a call that fell on many deaf ears. Whether we like it or not, our Lord speaks to us, today. Yet, despite a call to repentance, our focus remains on the message of the cross. It is only in Jesus that we can find strength to be resolute on our journey to follow him. ![]()
Each of us battles with temptation every day, and the results are too obvious to mention. Christ was no stranger to temptation, either. He battled, yet was without sin...for us and for our eternal righteousness. This message of victory gives us confidence as we journey through the wilderness of sin in true repentance. ![]()
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, the Christian’s 40-day journey with the Lord to the cross and tomb, preparing for the proclamation of Easter. The 40 days are reminiscent of several biblical events: Jesus’ 40-day fast at the beginning of his ministry, Moses’ stay on Mount Sinai at the giving of the Law, or Elijah’s fast on his way to the mountain of God. Ash Wednesday begins the Christian’s Lenten journey with a reminder of our mortality and a call to repentance. The ancient practice of imposing ashes on the foreheads of the faithful gives Ash Wednesday its name. The imposition of ashes has never been an exclusively Roman Catholic practice, and today is observed widely by Christians of many traditions. The church father, Tertullian (c. a.d. 160–215), writes of the practice as a public expression of repentance and of our human frailty that stands in need of Christ. The ashes remind us forcefully of our need for redeeming grace as they recall the words from the rite for Christian burial: “…earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust…,” words that will very likely be spoken over us all. ![]()
Today, the Savior “preaches” to us his final sermon: Prepare for my passion. On the mount, Jesus appears to his disciples in glory as the Son of God. The Epiphany season is bookended by the voice of God the Father proclaiming Jesus his Son. Before he suffered as man’s substitute, Jesus gave his Church a glimpse of the glory that he set aside to be our Savior. See how much he loves us! The God of Mt. Sinai, the Majestic Glory, became a man to suffer and die for us, just as Moses and the Prophets had foretold. It is good that we are here. Today we also bid “farewell” to alleluia. It is the custom that alleluia is not spoken or sung in the church from Ash Wednesday until Easter morn. It is omitted from the Verse of the Day, the hymns, and liturgical songs. We stifle our joy during the season of Lent as we prepare and observe the Passion of our Lord. But don’t worry; the church will shout it again on Easter morning as she rejoices at the entrance to the empty tomb. ![]()
Our human inclination is to listen without faith. This can only lead us to the brow of a cliff and throwing Jesus out of our lives. But the Savior of the Nations comes with his gracious words of redemption and membership in his body. The Word of the Lord is proclaimed through the revelation of his Anointed One. In him faith is rooted, love flourishes, and salvation is known from generation to generation. In today’s Gospel and sermon, we see that the gracious words of the Anointed One win admiration but not hearts of faith. When confronted by their own unbelief and the inclusion of Gentiles in spiritual Israel, “Joseph’s son” is driven from the synagogue to be thrown from the cliff. Yet the Savior of the nations passes through the angry mob to continue his mission and reveal himself in Capernaum. ![]()
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