Sermon -- Ash Wednesday (February 18, 2026)

RETURN TO ME!

ZECHARIAH 1:1-6

In the name + of Jesus.

     Throughout the Wednesdays in Lent, we will be hearing from the prophet Zechariah.  Zechariah’s message is a reflection of Israel’s past, to the present population of Jerusalem, with an eye on the future Messiah.

     Israel’s past was not pretty, and Zechariah acknowledges that.  “Our forefathers did not listen, nor did they pay attention to me, declares the LORD.  Your forefathers—where are they now?  And those prophets—did they go on living indefinitely?  But my words and my statutes, which I commanded to my servants the prophets, caught up with our forefathers, didn’t they” (Zechariah 1:4-6)?

     The people of Israel wandered away from the Lord and his word.  They were negligent in their worship and self-serving in their lives.  Some ignored the word of the Lord.  Others lived in open rebellion against it—worshiping idols, engaging in licentious behavior, and oppressing the poor.  The Lord was not content to let the people of Israel forsake the covenant, so he sent prophets to them again and again.  Those prophets were mocked, threatened, and killed.  After years and years of stubborn rebellion against God and his prophets, the Lord acted in judgment. 

     As he had threatened through Moses, the Lord raised up an enemy nation which destroyed their nation, killed many, and carried others into exile.  That captivity lasted for decades.  Finally, God raised up a new nation which granted the release of the captives.  The Persian King Cyrus issued a decree that enabled the people to return and to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple.  But those who came back were lax in rebuilding the temple and restoring proper worship.  Later, King Darius renewed the decree.  Nevertheless, the people were still negligent.  They were committed to building up their own homes while the house of God remained in ruins.

     It is to these people that Zechariah was raised up to proclaim the word of the Lord.  “The LORD was very angry with your forefathers.  Therefore, now you are to tell this people that this is what the LORD of Armies says to them.  Return to me, declares the LORD of Armies, and I will return to you, says the LORD of Armies.  Do not be like your forefathers, to whom the earlier prophets proclaimed, ‘This is what the LORD of Armies says.  Return, return from your evil ways and from your evil deeds’” (Zechariah 1:2-4). 

     The people of Israel may have returned to Jerusalem, but their hearts had not returned to the Lord.  They were embracing the very same attitudes which resulted in the exile of their forefathers.  Their return to Jerusalem began with noble intentions.  But once they returned and had to rebuild Jerusalem from scratch, they focused on their homes and businesses.  While those were important, the people lost sight of what they had returned to Jerusalem for.  The Lord was an afterthought.  Life got in the way of faith.  Homes got priority over church.  Commerce trumped over the sacrifices.  The stomach became more important than their hearts.  So, the Lord sent Zechariah to proclaim, “Return to me … and I will return to you” (Zechariah 1:3)!

     How is it possible that the people of Israel did not learn the lesson from their fathers?  Their captivity had lasted seventy years!  If their fathers had not died in Jerusalem due to starvation, disease, or the sword, they died in captivity.  Even though a new generation returned to Jerusalem, it was no easy endeavor.  Just the journey was dangerous and expensive.  When they returned, Jerusalem was a ruin.  There were no homes and no walls for protection.  Fields needed to be cultivated again, and vines and trees needed to be tended.  This journey required a commitment to the Lord and to restoring right worship.  How could they forget so quickly?

     There is nothing new under the sun.  Every year, we return to the Lenten season, and every year we hear the word of the Lord again declaring, “Return to me!  Repent of your ways.”  The call is not because you are criminals who need to be scared straight.  It is because, like those Israelites of old, we become absorbed in daily living.  We are too busy to pray or to contemplate God’s word.  To be fair, we are usually busy.  Few people spend their days with nothing to do.  So, life gets in the way of faith.  Homes get priority over church.  Commerce trumps over prayer.  We hunger for entertainment rather than meditation.  So, Zechariah still proclaims the word of the Lord, “Return to me” (Zechariah 1:3)!

     One of the disciplines of Lent which is often avoided by Lutherans is the practice of fasting.  In the Roman Catholic Church, people were taught that a failure to fast was a sin against God.  There were even specific foods that were forbidden on certain days.  We are all familiar with the fish fries which are the alternative to eating meat.  But there were also butter days and cheese days and so forth.  Since consciences were burdened by failing to keep commands that God has not made, the Lutherans exposed the practice as wicked.  We are not to treat traditions—even laudable traditions—as the commandments of God.  No one is going to hell because he eats a bacon double cheeseburger in Lent.

     But the pendulum has swung the other way.  Many Lutherans have been taught to avoid fasting altogether—either because we don’t have to do it or because it is Roman Catholic.  Today’s Gospel lesson, however, shows us that fasting, prayer, and repentance all go together.  When Jesus instructed his disciples, he said, “Whenever you pray” (Matthew 6:5).  It is not an “if” but a “when.”  God’s people will pray.  Likewise, Jesus said, “Whenever you fast” (Matthew 6:16).  He assumes God’s people will fast.  Repentance is not optional, and fasting, repentance, and prayer all go together.  It is not a commandment; rather, it is discipline for our sinful flesh. 

     St. Paul referred to this when he wrote to Timothy.  “Train yourself for godliness.  For bodily training is beneficial to an extent, but godliness is beneficial in all things, because it holds promise both for life now and for the life to come” (1 Timothy 4:7-8).  Fasting is bodily training.  We learn to control our desires instead of letting our desires control us.  Fasting usually regards food, reducing the number of meals from three to 1 ½ or 2 meals.  Fasting disciplines us so that our stomachs do not control us.  But perhaps you would do better to withhold something else from yourself—social media, entertainment, caffeine—whatever you crave.  Of course, wicked desires should always be put to death. 

     “Bodily training is beneficial to an extent” (1 Timothy 4:8).  We need not despise it.  If you find that it is hard, you discover that your cravings have more control than they ought.  If you fail, you need not quit.  Return to your fast.  You are not sinning against God if you sip coffee, eat chocolate ice cream, or check who posted what on Facebook, but you are learning that such discipline is work and that the flesh is weak.

     When Zechariah called the people of Israel to return to the Lord, he was not calling them away from criminal activities.  They were not committing atrocities.  And while they could argue, “We are not doing what is evil,” the Lord would retort, “But you are failing to do what is good.”  Farming and family, commerce and industry all have their place.  But they become idolatry when they are placed above the Lord.  It is evil when the First Commandment gets demoted.  That is why Zechariah called out, “This is what the LORD of Armies says.  Return, return from your evil ways and from your evil deeds” (Zechariah 1:4).  Even activities that are noble and pious will not save you.  While it is good to be a diligent worker, a dutiful child, and a decent citizen, that does not save you.  While it is laudable to cross yourself or to be marked with a cross of ashes, that does not take away your sins.  While it is right to pray, to fast, and to give alms to the poor, these do not atone for sin.

     Return to the Lord your God.  Devote yourself to his word and sacraments.  For, these deliver to you the salvation that Jesus Christ has won for you.  “Return to me, declares the LORD of Armies, and I will return to you, says the LORD of Armies” (Zechariah 1:3).  The Lord does not delight in the death of the wicked—to the point where he offered up his own Son as a sin offering.  Jesus’ pure motives have atoned for our impure desires.  Jesus’ faithfulness has atoned for our failings.  Jesus’ steadfast devotion to his Father has atoned for our misplaced devotion and priorities.  Jesus substituted his innocent life on behalf of all the guilty.  To cleanse you of all unrighteousness, Jesus poured out his innocent blood.  To paraphrase Zechariah, “Because of our ways and our deeds, the LORD of Armies has done to [Jesus] just as he planned to do to us” (Zechariah 1:6).  Jesus has appeased the wrath of God.  He spares you from the terrible judgment.  Jesus, and Jesus alone, has secured God’s blessing upon you.

      Once again, we being a Lenten journey to the cross.  We have made this journey before.  There are few, if any, surprises.  We offer our prayers.  We hear of Jesus’ sufferings and death.  We look forward to the joyous resurrection.  For now, we heed God’s call, “Return to me.”  For we have not overcome our sins.  We continue to fight against our cravings.  We still become distracted so that prayer and meditation become a chore to cram into our schedules instead of a joyful part of our day that we spend with our Lord.  It is to be a time of peace when God speaks to us in his word, and when we carry to him all our concerns, worries, and fears. 

     “Return to me, declares the LORD of Armies, and I will return to you” (Zechariah 1:3).  He will return to you with blessing and grace and comfort and peace.  The blood he shed for your forgiveness is given to you once again.  The body which bore took your punishment is given to you again.  Here, the Lord strengthens you to engage in the discipline.  Here, the Lord summons you to pray because the flesh is weak.  Here, the Lord pardons all your faults and failings.  Again, to paraphrase Zechariah, “Because of [Jesus’] ways and [Jesus’] deeds, the LORD of Armies [will do] to us just as he planned to do to us” (Zechariah 1:6).  His plan is to raise you up from the dead.  Dust and ashes will give way to immortality.  And the feast will go on without end.

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Worship Notes: Imposition of Ashes

Remember that you are dust,

and to dust you will return.

            These words paraphrase Genesis 3:19 where the Lord proclaimed a curse upon man when he had first sinned.  St. Paul repeated that thought in his letter to the Romans: “Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned.” (Romans 5:12)

            Ashes to ashes.  Dust to dust.  This is the harsh reality of sin.  The use of ashes long pre-dates the New Testament Church.  In the era of the Patriarchs, Job confessed his sin and declared, “I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:6).  The Imposition of Ashes teaches a dual lesson.

            1)  It is a mark of penitence.  We demonstrate outwardly the sorrow for sin that we have inwardly. 

            2)  It is a mark of death.  It is a reminder that we are all dust, and to dust we will return.  The ashes remind us that we are helpless in our sinful condition.  Our only hope is a Savior.  We repent of our works.  We cling to Jesus for his.

            No one should feel obligated to receive the ashes on the forehead.  If you do not want to do it, the ushers will simply pass you by and go to the next row.  Children may participate at the discretion of their parents.

            We will begin the service with the rite.  Where the bulletin indicates, the ushers will begin to invite people by row to come to the communion railing to receive the ashes.  The penitent will kneel at the railing (like Lord’s Supper), and wait as the pastor applies the ashes to the forehead in the shape of a cross.  Please resist all temptations to scratch or smear the ashes.  (The ashes will easily be washed off with soapy water.)

            This ceremony truly sets the tone for Lenten season.  We are marked as sinners.  We are marked for death.  We are marked as the penitent whose only hope is Jesus Christ. 

            Our comfort comes from Jesus who takes our sin.  He dies our death.  He marks us as his own who have been baptized into his name.  That is where the penitent find comfort.  That is where the dying find life.

Mid-Week Lenten services 2026

LENTEN 

VESPERS

2026

February 18     ASH WEDNESDAY
                             Divine Service with the Imposition of Ashes

                             Return to Me! (Zechariah 1:1-6)
                               Rev. Thomas Schroeder, Good Shepherd, Novi

February 25     Scattered Sheep. (Zechariah 13:7-9)
                               Rev. James Frey from St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Belleville

March 4            The Truth, the Whole Truth,

                                    and Nothing but the Truth. (Zechariah 8:14-17)
                               Rev. Paul Schaefer from St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, Plymouth

March 11           What’s He Worth to You? (Zechariah 11:7-13)
                               Rev. Thomas Schroeder, Good Shepherd, Novi

March 18          The Kingly Priest. (Zechariah 6:9-13)
                               Rev. James Frey from St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Belleville

March 25           Sacred Concert by
                              Michigan Lutheran Seminary Choir

All services for Lenten Vespers are at 7:00 PM.

A supper will be served each Wednesday at 6:00 PM.

Sermon -- Ash Wednesday (March 5, 2025)

LUKE 18:9-14

GOD, BE MERCIFUL TO ME, A SINNER.

In the name + of Jesus.

     Our Lord Jesus Christ asked his disciples, “Why do you focus on the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the beam that is in your own eye” (Matthew 7:3)?  It is a probing question because we are very good at noticing the sins of others.  We tend to be dismissive of our own.  I see the best in me, but I focus on the worst in you.  Comparing ourselves to others is addictive since we always come out the winner.  Jesus knew this, which is why he told the parable in our Gospel reading.

     “Jesus told this parable to certain people who trusted in themselves (that they were righteous) and looked down on others: ‘Two men went up to the temple courts to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a tax collector’” (Luke 18:9-10).  If you are familiar with this parable, you have already taken sides.  In doing so, you are already looking down on someone. 

     When Jesus told this parable, he depicted two people whose reputations were on opposite ends of the spectrum.  We may as well call the Pharisee a pastor because that is basically what his vocation was.  The Pharisees were moral, decent, and careful observers of their laws and traditions.  The Pharisees were held up as examples of virtue.  Mothers told their children to be like them.  And it was certainly no surprise to see a Pharisee standing in the temple during the hour of prayer.

     By contrast, there was the tax collector.  This was a man who had hired himself out to the Romans to collect taxes from his fellow Jews.  The tax collector was hired to benefit a pagan government and an occupying force.  It was abhorrent to the Jews to be ruled by a foreign power.  It was not only an annoyance, it was also forbidden by God’s Law.  What’s worse, the emperor of that foreign power claimed to be divine.  Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar when he regards himself as a god?  Even if it was lawful, it was despised.  In addition, tax collectors were known to pad their own pockets at the expense of their own people.  The only people who were lower than tax collectors were murderers and insurrectionists like Barabbas.  The Romans crucified criminals like Barabbas, but they protected tax collectors.  While this tax collector would not have been forbidden to enter the temple, many people would have considered it insulting to God and country that he was there.

     “Two men went up to the temple courts to pray” (Luke 18:10).  What is the point of prayer?  What do we do, and what do we hope to gain from it?  Prayer is our word to God.  We praise him for who he is and for the gifts he gives to us—our daily bread, our family, our talents and abilities, and so on.  We offer up intercessions for those who are in need—the sick, the sorrowful, the poor and needy, widows and orphans, and any who are oppressed.  We make our petitions for our own needs— the forgiveness of our sins, strength in the hour of temptation, and protection from evil.  Prayer is where we take God’s word to heart: “Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).  Prayer is a bold act of worship as we call upon God and trust him to act for our good regarding our concerns and struggles and desires.

     The Pharisee did none of that.  Listen to his prayer: “God, I thank you that I am not like other people, robbers, evildoers, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.  I fast twice a week.  I give a tenth of all my income” (Luke 18:11-12).  To be fair, everything the Pharisee said about himself was probably true.  The people surrounding him would have heard his prayer and would not have disagreed.  But the Pharisee sought no mercy and no forgiveness from the Lord.  Really, he asked for nothing.  He boasted and expected to be honored and rewarded for his exemplary life.  Convinced he had no faults of his own, he looked down on others whose faults were manifest.  Convinced he did not need mercy, he had no mercy upon others.

     Naturally, we conclude that the Pharisee is a bad guy.  We conclude that because Jesus tells us so.  Jesus tried to show the Pharisees their sins and their need for forgiveness.  When they rejected Jesus’ teaching and despised him for having mercy upon sinners, Jesus called them hypocrites and offspring of the devil.  But they sure did not look like bad men.

     That is why we can deceive ourselves, too.  We might question how much we really need to repent.  Our behavior is outwardly noble and decent.  We adhere to God’s word.  We are respected in the work place.  We are liked by friends and neighbors.  We have not made a mess of our life.  Maybe you don’t even get speeding tickets.  All the noble characteristics, kindness, and morality you claim for yourself may be true.  Should you not be honored by God for such goodness?

     When we exalt ourselves, we cannot help but look down on others.  Like the tax collector in the temple, other people have made poor choices—some out of desperation, others out of depravity.  It is easy to judge them according to their sins.  Their sins are evident, and they are without excuse.  It can lead us to boast, “God, I thank you that I am not like them.”  Maybe you don’t have a reputation that’s been sullied by public sins, but it certainly does not make you righteous.  If you cannot look upon sinners with compassion, it means that you do not appreciate the depths of your own sinfulness.  It is focusing on beams in the eyes of others while ignoring the speck in your own.  Repent.

     Now, you can find fault in the tax collector all you want.  You wouldn’t be wrong.  But unlike the Pharisee whose prayer was boasting, the tax collector’s prayer was reduced to begging.  He had nothing to present to the Lord, and he did not pretend that there was anything redeeming about himself.  The Pharisee poured out many words about himself, but the tax collector offered only one—sinner.  The tax collector stood off to the side, as if he were not worthy to be in the Lord’s temple.  He did not stand with hands outstretched, as if he deserved to receive anything from the Lord.  And he beat his chest, thumping against his aching heart.  The tax collector confessed his sin both in his words and in his posture. 

     The tax collector prayed to the Lord, seeking only one thing.  “God, be merciful to me, a sinner” (Luke 18:13)!  Perhaps you recall the words, “Lord, have mercy,” in their Greek: “Kyrie, eleison!”  The tax collector’s prayer was a bit different.  Translating the phrase, “Have mercy,” more accurately, we would say, “God, be propitiated to me, a sinner.”  This is significant because the hour of prayer was also when the priest was offering the evening sacrifice.  The lamb was slain to atone for the sins of the people.  God’s wrath was diverted from the people to the lamb which was consumed in fire on the altar.  The substitute died for the people.  That is propitiation.  The tax collector was not asking God to forget his sin; he was asking that God would reckon the evening sacrifice as a sacrificial offering made for him.  The Pharisee did not appeal for this propitiation because he was convinced of his own righteousness.  The tax collector acknowledged that he had no righteousness; therefore, he yearned for the atoning sacrifice.

     Even if you do not have a plank in your own eye, you do have a speck.  And if you’ve ever had a speck in your eye, you know how terrible that is.  You do whatever you can to flush it out of your eye to alleviate the pain.  If you recognize your sins, then you also know the pain and the sorrow over all kinds of words that you regret, actions you wish you could take back, or dark thoughts that you wish you could purge.  But you can’t take back those words and the pain they inflicted.  You can’t erase the sins of your youth.  Even if you are no longer suffering the consequences, you are haunted by the memory.  And secret thoughts rarely go away.  They continue to come back as temptations as you fantasize about sins you wish you could commit. 

     Even if others do not notice the speck in your eye, you certainly feel it.  How could you exalt yourself or look down on others when you know the truth about yourself?  Therefore, join with the tax collector and offer up an honest prayer.  We make no appeal for our worthiness.  Rather, we appeal to the sacrifice which has been made for us.  We implore our Lord, “God, be propitiated to me, a sinner” (Luke 18:13)! 

     There is no point in comparing ourselves with any other sinner on earth.  We all have been stuck in the same pit.  Whether you bear the smudge of ashes or not, you are marked for death.  It does not matter if your sins are unnoticed or egregious.  St. Paul tells us: “There is no difference, because all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:22-23).  But Paul goes on.  “There is no difference, because all … are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God publicly displayed as the atonement seat (that is, the propitiation) through faith in his blood” (Romans 3:22-25). 

     No matter what guilt you bear, Jesus has suffered and died for all of it.  He is your propitiation, which means that all of God’s wrath has been diverted from you to Jesus.  He is the atoning sacrifice.  He has taken your sin, and he has suffered your curse.  He was consumed in God’s fiery wrath for you.  So, if God’s wrath has been consumed by Jesus, God only has blessing left for you.  Therefore, we appeal to our Father for the sake of Jesus, “God, be propitiated to me, a sinner” (Luke 18:13)!  And he is. 

     We repent in dust and ashes.  This not only means that we put off sin and fight against temptation, it also means that we put off any claims of our own righteousness.  We don’t worry about planks or specks.  We have no reason to look down on anyone.  Rather, we rejoice that our Lord looked down on us from heaven, beheld our miserable state, and sent his Son to redeem us.  Therefore, we focus our eyes on Jesus.  “He is the propitiation for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the whole world” (1 John 2:2).  Jesus has exalted you and made you children of the Most High God.  Thanks to Jesus, you shall go home justified.  And you may live in peace.

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Ash Wednesday prep

There's no rain, and practically no wind.  The time was right to burn the palm fronds for Ash Wednesday.   Th Imposition of Ashes will be observed on Wednesday, March 5 at 7 pm.

Worship Notes: Ash Wednesday and the Imposition of Ashes

Remember that you are dust, and to dust you will return.

            These words paraphrase Genesis 3:19 where the Lord proclaimed a curse upon man when he had first sinned.  St. Paul repeated that thought in his letter to the Romans: “Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned.” (Romans 5:12)

            Ashes to ashes.  Dust to dust.  This is the harsh reality of sin.  The use of ashes long pre-dates the New Testament Church.  In the era of the Patriarchs, Job confessed his sin and declared, “I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.” (Job 42:6)  The Imposition of Ashes teaches a dual lesson.

            1)  It is a mark of penitence.  We demonstrate outwardly the sorrow for sin that we have inwardly. 

            2)  It is a mark of death.  It is a reminder that we are all dust, and to dust we will return.  The ashes remind us that we are helpless in our sinful condition.  Our only hope is a Savior.  We repent of our works.  We cling to Jesus for his.

            No one should feel obligated to receive the ashes on the forehead.  If you do not want to do it, the ushers will simply pass you by and go to the next row.  Children may participate at the discretion of their parents.

            We will begin the service with the rite.  Where the bulletin indicates, the ushers will begin to invite people by row to come to the communion railing to receive the ashes.  The penitent will kneel at the railing (like Lord’s Supper), and wait as the pastor applies the ashes to the forehead in the shape of a cross.  Please resist all temptations to scratch or smear the ashes.  (The ashes will easily be washed off with soapy water.)

            This ceremony truly sets the tone for Lenten season.  We are marked as sinners.  We are marked for death.  We are marked as the penitent whose only hope is Jesus Christ. 

            Our comfort comes from Jesus who takes our sin.  He dies our death.  He marks us as his own who have been baptized into his name.  That is where the penitent find comfort.  That is where the dying find life.

Sermon -- Ash Wednesday (February 14, 2024)

JOEL 2:12-19

REPENT WITH YOUR WHOLE BEING.

In the name + of Jesus.

     The prophet Joel wrote scathing words of judgment against the people of Israel.  He was not alone.  If you read through most of the Minor Prophets, you will see similar pronouncements of God’s wrath, warnings of coming judgment, and earnest calls to repentance.  Why was such harsh preaching aimed at God’s people?  Was Israel actually worse than the nations around them which practiced child sacrifice?  Were the people of the covenant more debauched than others whose worship involved sexually perverted acts?  Was Jerusalem even more faithless than Egypt or Assyria or Babylon?  To hear the Minor Prophets, you would think so.

     Even if Israel was not worse, they did not seem to be any better.  The difference is that Israel was given so much more than the nations around them.  The Lord had claimed Israel as his people.  The Lord had given them his word so that they could distinguish between good and evil, clean and unclean.  They were set apart for God; therefore, their lives were to be set apart as godly.  Much had been given to them; much was expected of them.  Despite their privileged position, they proved to be lazy, negligent, indifferent, and rebellious.  They found the perverted ways of the people around them to be attractive.  They forsook self-control.  They gave way to sinful impulses.  Perhaps they felt they had license to abuse God’s grace.  Perhaps they thought it did not matter. 

     Despite all this, the Lord sent the prophets to them so that they would not forfeit the privileges they had as God’s people.  The prophet Joel made the plea: “‘Yet even now,’ declares the Lord, ‘return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments’” (Joel 2:12-13).  Repent with your whole being.

     You and I share the privileged position of being the people of God.  You have been rescued from your bondage to sin and death.  Jesus has removed your guilt from you so that you will not face the wrath of a righteous God.  Rather than stand in terror before the Lord, you are received as the beloved children of your good and merciful Father in heaven.  Rather than be haunted by the fact that you are going to die, Jesus enables you to taunt death and the grave.  Since Jesus has overcome the grave by his resurrection, he holds authority over death.  And since you belong to Jesus, he will raise you up from the grave to live forever with him free from pain, sorrow, and fear.  You have been set apart as God’s people.  You live as beneficiaries of God’s grace.  Therefore, you are also set apart to be godly people, living like Jesus for the glory of Jesus.  You have been given much; therefore, much is expected of you.

     How easy it is to become lazy!  We grow tired of self-control.  We forfeit many battles against our sinful inclinations.  We use our weakness as an excuse because it is easier to make excuses than it is to fight off temptations and kill off sinful habits.  We are also envious of people who have cast off self-control and give themselves over to whatever impulse they have.  They are swept away by their sins, but it looks like they are having a blast.  They are like the singer of the Grateful Dead who said, “I may be going to hell in a bucket, baby, but at least I’m enjoying the ride.”  At least Jerry Garcia acknowledged the possibility of hell; most don’t.  And we envy them!  We would like to enjoy the ride with them.  What should God do when his grace is abused, when his people despise their privileges, and when we would rather blend in than be set apart?  The prophet Joel urges us to consider: “The Day of the LORD is great.  It is terrifying.  Who can endure it” (Joel 1:11, EHV)?  The judgment is deserved.

     Joel cries out: “‘Yet even now,’ declares the Lord, ‘return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.  Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster’” (Joel 2:12-13).  Repent with your whole being.

     The prophet Joel does not reduce repentance to an outward ritual.  Sure, they could rend their garments.  That was an expression of grief over their sins.  But if it were only an outward act, it was useless.  That is why Joel declared, “Rend your hearts and not your garments” (Joel 2:12).  The same could be said for putting the ashes on your forehead.  If you reduce repentance to getting a smudge of ash, it is pure showmanship.  People may commend you for it, but then you have received your reward in full.

     On the other hand, Joel does not limit repentance to a mental exercise.  He calls on us to engage our whole being in repentance.  He calls for fasting, weeping, and mourning.  We do not do these in our minds, we engage our bodies.  This is the purpose of ceremonies.  We do with our bodies what we confess with our mouths and feel in our hearts.  After all, our sins are not limited to our hearts.  Sin may have corrupted our hearts and minds, but sins pour out of our mouths and hands and bodies.  We commit sins with our eyes and ears.  Our sins are observed in our actions.  They are heard in our words.  They are considered in our minds and schemed in our hearts.  There is no part of us which is immune to the corruption or free from the guilt.  Therefore, Joel urges: Repent with your whole being. 

     Repentance comes from godly sorrow, but it also means turning away from sin.  This is the discipline of self-control.  We engage our mouths to reject bitter, sarcastic, or obscene words.  We engage our hands to refrain from spiteful or fraudulent actions.  We close our ears to gossip.  We turn our eyes from illicit entertainment.  We discipline our bodies to show that we are not ruled by our stomachs, our wallets, or longings, or our egos.  This is the purpose of fasting.  When you fast, you are denying yourself the things that want to own you.  It is not done to win God’s approval or to earn points.  Rather, it is discipline so that sin will not draw you away from a good and godly life, so that you are ruled by faith and not the flesh.

     When God’s people become lazy, negligent, or begin to adopt worldly attitudes, we become the objects of scorn—and not just from the Lord.  Even the godless will charge us: “You do not take your God or your faith very seriously, do you?”  Therefore, we repent with our whole being.  Especially during this penitential season, we intensify our discipline.  It is not forced upon you.  We take up this discipline willingly; for it is part of the answer to Joel’s prayer: “Spare your people, O Lord, and make not your heritage a reproach, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God’” (Joel 2:17)?  If we are mocked for our lack of self-control, it is deserved.

     Repent with your whole being—turning from sin and turning to the Lord.  Joel summons us, “Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster” (Joel 2:13).  The Lord has relented from the disaster that comes as a result of sin.  He does not treat us as our sins deserve.  Nevertheless, he cannot overlook our sins, either.  Therefore, Jesus has come to suffer the disaster we had brought upon ourselves.

     Just as our repentance is not merely a mental exercise, neither were Jesus’ sufferings and death.  Certainly, there was mental and spiritual anguish for Jesus.  In Gethsemane, Jesus “said to (Peter, James, and John), “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death” (Mark 14:34).  On the cross, Jesus expressed the anguish of his soul when he cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me” (Mark 15:34)?  God’s wrath and judgment were absorbed by Jesus’ entire being.  His back was rent by flogging.  His face received the punches and the spitting.  His head was pierced with thorns.  His wrists and feet were torn by nails.  His body was given into death.  All of it is the payment for our sin—sin which has corrupted us completely in body and soul, heart and hands, mind and mouth.

     Repent with your whole being.  Your body and soul Savior has been gracious to you.  He has redeemed your entire being.  He has cleansed your heart.  He renews your mind.  He moves you to offer your body as a living sacrifice, casting off wickedness and dedicating yourself to good works.  Jesus does not merely save your soul.  He took on a body to rescue your body from death and the grave.  You get to look forward to a resurrection where you will dwell with the Lord, body and soul, as he created you to be.  This is why we return to the Lord.  He alone delivers us from fear and shame in our hearts and from death and destruction for our bodies.

     Repent with your whole being, and engage your whole being in worship and praise.  For, when the Lord applies his grace to you, he engages your whole being.  Forgiveness of sins does not come to you just by thinking about it.  It is applied to you through words delivered from a mouth and received in your ears.  Salvation comes to you through water which is poured on a body.  We do not baptize souls, but bodies.  The body is washed, and the grace of God is given to a whole person.  In the same way, you do not commune with God through some vague spirituality.  He who came as your body and blood Savior gives you his body and blood in the sacrament of the altar.  The living body and blood is taken, and tasted, and consumed.  By this eating and drinking, Jesus sustains you, body and soul, in the true faith unto life everlasting. 

     If you have chosen to receive ashes on your head, it is because you are demonstrating that you are marked for death.  If you have chosen to not receive ashes, you are still marked for death.  Either way, you repent with your whole being.  And your whole being has been redeemed by Jesus.  “The Lord answer[s] and sa[ys] to his people, ‘Behold, I am sending to you grain, wine, and oil, and you will be satisfied; and I will no more make you a reproach among the nations’” (Joel 2:19).  He has anointed you with the oil of gladness.  He has bestowed the grain and wine by which he gives you his body and blood.  Jesus delivers you from the sins that corrupt you and from the grave that claims you.  Repent with your whole being.  Rejoice with your whole being.  Praise him, serve him, and worship him with your whole being.  For, Jesus has invested his whole being to redeem you, and he has set you apart wholly for himself.

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Worship Notes: Imposition of Ashes

 Remember that you are dust, 

and to dust you will return.

             These words paraphrase Genesis 3:19 where the Lord proclaimed a curse upon man when he had first sinned.  St. Paul repeated that thought in his letter to the Romans: “Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12).

            Ashes to ashes.  Dust to dust.  This is the harsh reality of sin.  The use of ashes long pre-dates the New Testament Church.  In the era of the Patriarchs, Job confessed his sin and declared, “I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:6).  The Imposition of Ashes teaches a dual lesson. 

            1)  It is a mark of penitence.  We demonstrate outwardly the sorrow for sin that we have inwardly. 

            2)  It is a mark of death.  It is a reminder that we are all dust, and to dust we will return.  The ashes remind us that we are helpless in our sinful condition.  Our only hope is a Savior.  We repent of our works.  We cling to Jesus for his.

            No one should feel obligated to receive the ashes on the forehead.  If you do not want to do it, the ushers will simply pass you by and go to the next row.  Children may participate at the discretion of their parents.

            We will begin the service with the rite.  Where the bulletin indicates, the ushers will begin to invite people by row to come to the communion railing to receive the ashes.  The penitent will kneel at the railing (like Lord’s Supper), and wait as the pastor applies the ashes to the forehead in the shape of a cross.  Please resist all temptations to scratch or smear the ashes.  (The ashes will easily be washed off with soapy water.)

            This ceremony truly sets the tone for Lenten season.  We are marked as sinners.  We are marked for death.  We are marked as the penitent whose only hope is Jesus Christ. 

            Our comfort comes from Jesus who takes our sin.  He dies our death.  He marks us as his own who have been baptized into his name.  That is where the penitent find comfort.  That is where the dying find life.

            Ash Wednesday is February 14.  Good Shepherd's Divine Service is at 7:00 PM.

Sermon -- Ash Wednesday (February 22, 2023)

MATTHEW 6:1-6,16-21

A REPENTANT HEART SEEKS GOD’S GLORY, NOT YOUR OWN.

In the name + of Jesus.

     The words of Jesus which we heard read from St. Matthew’s gospel are directed to Jesus’ disciples.  Jesus tells us what it means for us to be repentant disciples.  While we want the whole world to repent and turn to Jesus, we are only to be concerned with ourselves.  Each person will stand solo at the judgment to answer for himself.  I cannot vouch for you, and you cannot vouch for me.  So, Jesus’ words are for you, and he tells you that a repentant heart seeks God’s glory, not your own.

     The repentance that Jesus seeks is contrasted with that of the Pharisees.  The Pharisees are often regarded as villains by us.  We have good reasons for this.  They slandered Jesus.  They tried to ensnare him with cleverly devised “gotcha” questions.  They plotted for his arrest.  They demanded his crucifixion.  And they mocked him as he died in agony.  However, if you had seen a Pharisee go about his daily business, you would not have thought that he was evil at all.  A Pharisee was, generally speaking, a moral and pious man.  We think of the Pharisee in Jesus’ parable who went up to the temple to pray.  After congratulating himself for not engaging in the brazen sins which others had committed, he boasted, “I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get” (Luke 18:12).  Chances are, all of these claims were true.  The Pharisee was a praying man, a faithful attendee at the synagogue, a diligent observer of religious rites, and a generous giver of offerings.

     But Jesus revealed the problem of the Pharisees.  Jesus noted that they had one goal: “that they may be praised by others” (Matthew 6:2).  It was all for show.  When they gave alms to the poor, they made a public demonstration of it.  When it came time for the hour of prayer, the Pharisees made sure that the public saw them doing it.  When it came time for fasting, they made sure that their faces were disfigured.  You can imagine them walking around groaning with their hands on their bellies so that other people could take note of their practice.  And no doubt, the people were impressed.  “I wish I had their zeal.  If only we could be as good and godly as they are.”  The common people gushed over the Pharisees and praised them for their piety.  And the Pharisees soaked it up.

     Jesus exposed the Pharisees for all their religious posturing, and then he rendered his judgment: “Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward” (Matthew 6:2).  They wanted the praise of the people?  Well, they got it.  But that is all they got.  The Lord was not impressed, and he certainly was not pleased no matter how impressive the Pharisees looked to everyone else.  That is because a repentant heart seeks God’s glory, not your own.

     Jesus spoke of several practices that were done as acts of repentance—fasting, alms-giving, and prayer.  Fasting is the body being engaged in the act of repentance.  You withhold food from yourself and discipline your flesh.  Perhaps it is not food that you need to refrain from because you are not controlled by your belly.  What seems to control your time and attention?  Perhaps you need to fast from social media or shopping or sporting events.  None of these is inherently evil, but they can all take control of our lives.  Anything can become an idol.  Fasting from them is discipline that we put our bodies through so that we do not become mastered by them.  The time that you had given to these other things can now be dedicated to prayer.  The money you save because you are refraining from these things can be given to people who need it.  These practices are good for your spiritual discipline and also provide a benefit to others.  And of course, regarding your sins, you don’t merely fast from them for a season.  You fight against them daily and put them to death. 

     A repentant heart seeks God’s glory, not your own.  Since your works are done for the glory of God, you don’t need to flaunt them or broadcast them as you are doing them.  “Thus, when you give to the needy, … do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret.  When you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret.  When you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret” (Matthew 6:2-4,6,17-18).  Anyone could do the works that Jesus talked about.  Outward acts are easy, especially when they are just for show.  But God does not look at the outward acts; he looks upon the heart.  Therefore, the prophet Joel declared, “Rend your hearts and not your garments” (Joel 2:13).  Fasting, prayer, alms-giving, rending one’s garments, and even getting marked with ashes are outward acts.  Anyone can do those things, and it looks impressive.  But if it is all for show, God assures you that you have no reward.

     The Lord Jesus calls us to repent of our sins.  It is right to feel sorrow over sin.  Our sins have grieved the Lord and have severed the harmony between God and mankind.  But neither cries of sorrow nor promises to do better can restore what sin has broken.  Therefore, the Lord himself has come to restore all that has been broken and to reconcile the relationship that has been severed.

     Jesus came to do the will of his heavenly Father.  Nothing Jesus did was for show.  Not that he wasn’t tempted to do that.  Jesus’ own brothers told him, “Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing.  For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly.  If you do these things, show yourself to the world” (John 7:3-4).  It sounded reasonable.  He could gain quite a following with displays of miraculous power.  But God the Father had not sent Jesus for that.  Jesus was committed to the glory of his Father in all that he did.  He gave his life to holy obedience and to humble service according to all that God has commanded.  Jesus sought the glory of his Father, not of himself.

     Therefore, everything Jesus did was in accord with the word of God.  Some people praised him for it.  Even so, Jesus was not motivated by their flattery.  Some people did not care.  Even so, Jesus remained committed to doing his Father’s will.  Some despised Jesus for it, accused him, and mocked him.  Even so, Jesus was not discouraged from seeking his Father’s glory.  He continued to preach, teach, and deal mercifully with the diseased, the doubting, the misguided, and even the malicious. 

     But the greatest glory that Jesus sought to give to his Father was to save sinners.  God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son.  And the Son came to make himself the offering that pays for the sins of the world.  Yes, Jesus did this for your good.  But his motive was first and foremost to glorify his Father.  So, in perfect obedience to his Father, Jesus delivered himself up to a cursed death by crucifixion.  In that death, Jesus paid for your sins.  He paid for your sins of being negligent in prayer, of being stingy with alms for the poor and needy, of being lazy in your fight against your sins.  Jesus paid for your sins of seeking glory for your ego and of being angry when you didn’t get the praise you were expecting. 

     Jesus has paid the price for all your sins, and that is why God the Father is pleased with you.  And this is also why you reflect God’s glory.  You are the ones he has saved.  You are not saved because you pray often enough, give generously enough, or fast during the Lenten season.  You are saved by Jesus’ sufferings and death.  Jesus did this to set you apart from sin and death.  While I cannot vouch for you, Jesus does.  He declares you forgiven of all sin and delivered from death.  And the repentant heart wants to remain free from sin and death.  Therefore, we daily put to death the sin that tries to seize us, and we flee back to Jesus for his forgiveness.  Our desire is to be like Jesus and to be with Jesus; for he is our comfort and our hope.  His gifts are the only ones that last. 

     This is why Jesus encourages us: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21).  If your goal is earthly glory, you will lose it.  If your goal is God’s glory, then you will always have God’s blessings.  If you seek God’s glory, your life will imitate the goodness of Jesus.

     A repentant heart seeks God’s glory, not your own.  No matter what you do—whether acts of penitence, acts of worship, daily chores, or the daily grind of work—all of it is to be done seeking God’s glory.  We order our lives according to God’s word because it is the Lord we are serving.  Now, as you serve the Lord according to his word, your neighbor will benefit in the process.  You love your neighbor because you want to honor the Lord who has given you your parents, your spouse, your children, your co-workers, and the various other people you meet.  You strive to be like God who is patient, kind, and merciful.  It is done out of love for God and for his honor.  And if your neighbor benefits from it, God be praised for that, too.

     If people gush over you because of your works, then consider it praise to your Father who is in heaven.  For, as St. Paul reminds us: “It is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).  If your neighbor does not care about your good works or notice them, so be it.  Your works are done for God’s glory, not for their praise nor for your ego.  And if we get to the point that you are vilified for upholding and doing God’s will, do not become discouraged.  You are simply becoming more like Jesus.  Besides, God sees what you do.  Your reward will come.

     A repentant heart seeks God’s glory, not your own.  After all, it is God who saved you.  It is Jesus Christ who has reconciled you.  It is the Holy Spirit who works in you the faith that makes your works pleasing to God.  Therefore, we repent of ourselves.  We seek God’s glory.  We rejoice in God’s grace.  For, the Lord has done all the work, and you and I receive the reward. 

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Worship Notes: Ash Wednesday

Remember that you are dust, 

and to dust you will return.

             These words paraphrase Genesis 3:19 where the Lord proclaimed a curse upon man when he had first sinned.  St. Paul repeated that thought in his letter to the Romans: “Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12).

            Ashes to ashes.  Dust to dust.  This is the harsh reality of sin.  The use of ashes long pre-dates the New Testament Church.  In the era of the Patriarchs, Job confessed his sin and declared, “I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:6).  The Imposition of Ashes teaches a dual lesson. 

            1)  It is a mark of penitence.  We demonstrate outwardly the sorrow for sin that we have inwardly. 

            2)  It is a mark of death.  It is a reminder that we are all dust, and to dust we will return.  The ashes remind us that we are helpless in our sinful condition.  Our only hope is a Savior.  We repent of our works.  We cling to Jesus for his.

            No one should feel obligated to receive the ashes on the forehead.  If you do not want to do it, the ushers will simply pass you by and go to the next row.  Children may participate at the discretion of their parents.

            We will begin the service with the rite.  Where the bulletin indicates, the ushers will begin to invite people by row to come to the communion railing to receive the ashes.  The penitent will kneel at the railing (like Lord’s Supper), and wait as the pastor applies the ashes to the forehead in the shape of a cross.  Please resist all temptations to scratch or smear the ashes.  (The ashes will easily be washed off with soapy water.)

            This ceremony truly sets the tone for Lenten season.  We are marked as sinners.  We are marked for death.  We are marked as the penitent whose only hope is Jesus Christ. 

            Our comfort comes from Jesus who takes our sin.  He dies our death.  He marks us as his own who have been baptized into his name.  That is where the penitent find comfort.  That is where the dying find life.