This Side of the Pulpit » Entries tagged with "Lent"
Fasting Fast Approaching
I haven’t been good about fasting for the past….well, let’s just say a while. But with Lent approaching fast, the fast is fast approaching. Here is a link to a document I prepared for my congregation. It includes Scripture and the Confessions on the value and command to fast, articles from the Lutheran Witness and the LCMS website, as well as (simplified) guidelines for how and when to fast as we do in the western tradition. The … Read entire article »
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Christ the Life of All the Living
Christ, the Life of all the living, Christ the Death of death, our foe, Who Thyself for us once giving To the darkest depths of woe, Patiently didst yield Thy breath But to save my soul from death; Praise and glory ever be, Blessèd Jesus, unto Thee. Thou, O Christ, hast taken on Thee Bitter strokes, a cruel rod; Pain and scorn were heaped upon Thee, O Thou sinless Son of God, Only thus for me to win Rescue from the bonds of sin; Praise and glory ever be, Blessèd Jesus, unto Thee. Thou didst bear the smiting only That it might not fall on me; Stoodest falsely charged and lonely That I might be safe and free; Comfortless that I might know Comfort from Thy boundless woe. Praise and glory ever be, Blessèd Jesus, unto Thee. Heartless scoffers did surround Thee, Treating Thee with shameful scorn And with piercing thorns they crowned Thee, All disgrace Thou, … Read entire article »
Filed under: Theology
In its Narrow Chamber Keep
Lord, Thee I love with all my heart; I pray Thee, ne’er from me depart; With tender mercy cheer me. Earth has no pleasure I would share, Yea, Heav’n itself were void and bare If Thou, Lord, wert not near me. And should my heart for sorrow break, My trust in Thee can nothing shake. Thou art the portion I have sought; Thy precious blood my soul has bought. Lord Jesus Christ, My God and Lord, my God and Lord, Forsake me not! I trust Thy Word. Yea, Lord, ’twas Thy rich bounty gave My body, soul, and all I have In this poor life of labor. Lord, grant that I in every place May glorify Thy lavish grace And serve and help my neighbor. Let no false doctrine me beguile, Let Satan not my soul defile. Give strength and patience unto me To bear my cross and follow Thee. Lord Jesus Christ, My … Read entire article »
Filed under: Theology
Master of Irony
I spent the three weeks of Pre-Lent (the good ol’ -Gesima Sundays of the One Year Lectionary, for you lectionary geeks) emphasizing the importance of preparing for Lent, what to watch out for, the need for prayer during Lent, the right understanding of fasting, the three Lenten disciplines of fasting, almsgiving and prayer. But guess what I did? In all my talk about preparing for Lent, I forgot to print out the fasting guidelines and resources that I prepared a couple of years ago. I also forgot to print out the devotional books that many folks seem to like. Who knows what else I forgot to do that I haven’t remembered yet. That’s one thing the Tempter is good at: irony and obviousness. He seems to hit us right in the hypocritical … Read entire article »
Filed under: Theology
What to Expect this Lenten Season
I hate to put it like this, but it is almost a rule that when we “make progress” in our Christian life, we will be tempted. Well, I mean we are tempted at every moment, but it gets stronger and less subtle when we are disciplining ourselves. Ok, so what do I mean? Well, if you are fasting, be prepared for temptation. Not just for eating more food, or eating the food you are abstaining from. I mean you will be tempted with things you have long set aside. That itch for nicotine you hadn’t had for years? There it is again. That feeling of sowing your wild oats, like you did before you were married? Yep, that old “friend” may come back. Sometimes literally. Even if you are not participating in … Read entire article »
Filed under: Theology
Ashes and Ashes
Dust and ashes. It doesn’t feel like that today, though. The sky is bright and blue, I’ve got two brand new baby clownfish in my new saltwater tank (properly cycled, thank you very much), my Flonase prescription is in the mail, but even without it I can breathe for the moment. Meanwhile a train is howling as it crosses town and the training jets from the Air Force Base are roaring by like they do every day, Monday through Friday. The hard-hatted men are pounding away on the sanctuary and secretary is typing away in the next room. So where’s the dust? Where are the ashes? Oh, M* knows it. Her husband is lying on a metal table right now. J* sees them. He’s recuperating from a heart cath and stint and is thinking … Read entire article »
Filed under: Theology
Happy Fat Tuesday
In Fat Tuesday News: 1. It’s a miserable day here in OK. Cloudy, cold, rainy. Makes thinking of Lent easy, though. 2. The Fast. Everyone thinks about it, not many of us do anything. What will I do? Give up giving up. That’s a biggie. Give up on sin and judging others. Oh, and the Western Fasting tradition: 1/4 meals for Breakfast and Lunch, one full supper. No wine or liquor. No meat on Wednesdays and Fridays. Frankly, I do not make it more complicated than that. I don’t mess with the “Ember Days” if you know what those are. It’s hard enough to fast. 3. Don’t talk about fasting. Yes, I see the irony. But I’m the pastor and it is my job to lead, and lead by example as often as … Read entire article »
Thoughts on Using a Prepared Sermon Series
I’m using a Lenten series this year written by Concordia Seminary President Dale Meyer and his homiletics students. I’ve only used a sermon series written by someone else a few times in my near-ten years of ministry, and those were for the Lenten “round-robin” services I’ve participated in from time to time. In fact, apart from those three or four years, I’ve never used a sermon written by someone else. The few I have for those services was with some serious heavy re-writing. Ok, St. John Chrysostom’s Easter Sermon is the exception; I’ve read that at one of the Easter services a few times. I approached using this prepared series a bit apprehensively. Not so much out of pride–Dale Meyer is a better preacher than me and most others. But I … Read entire article »
Pre-Lent Has Begun
We’ve entered the season of Pre-Lent, for those of you who don’t follow Vatican II. In other words, Lent begins in sixteen days and now is the time to begin preparing for that. Preparing to prepare for Easter, if you want to think of it that way. So how do you prepare for Lent? First, remember that repentance, prayer, fasting and charity are not optional for Christians. We do not earn favor with God for doing these things, but our Lord says that these are what his disciples do. Even though we should be doing these things all the time, in Lent we ramp them up or do these things more intentionally. Second, get ready now. Pray and consider how you are going to incorporate more fasting and prayer into your day. Take … Read entire article »
Filed under: Theology
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