Dear Members and Friends of St. John,
Wednesday, March 6, is Ash Wednesday. Members of St. John, as well as believers
from many other Christian churches, will willingly participate in a curious
tradition. They will have their foreheads
marked with the sign of the cross, this mark composed of ashes. Why would someone willingly have ashes rubbed
into their skin? Why would someone walk
around with an imperfect cross of dirt on their forehead for all to see?
I have recently been asked by a number of people about
Lent. You won’t find the word “Lent” in
the Bible, but you will find in Scripture the suffering and the sacrifice of
Jesus which Lent remembers. Lent is a
word which comes from Latin and actually means “spring.” The time set aside for Lent remembers the 40
days of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness, plus Sundays. But, Lent is a
season when Christians have especially focused upon and meditated on the
suffering, the passion, and the death of Jesus to pay for our sins.
Because Jesus willingly faced opposition from the very
people He came to save, because He suffered and died for our sins, these six
weeks of Lent are a special opportunity for repentance. As we remember that our sin is the reason
Jesus suffered and died, as Christians prepare for the victory celebration of
Jesus’ victory over sin and death in His rising from the dead, God’s people
have used Lent as an opportunity to confess their sins, to turn to the love and
forgiveness of God found in Jesus, and to work on living for God instead of for
themselves.
Actually, repentance is a common
and recurring message of Scripture. Time
and again God’s people fall into the sin of fleshly desires and of rebellion
against the rule of God as Lord of their lives.
So time and again God calls His people to turn from their sin, and to turn
to the love, the grace, and the guidance our Lord lovingly offers. Sometimes these calls to repentance even
speak of ashes as a sign of sorrow over sin.
(Look at Job 42:1-5, Isaiah 58:1-10, and especially, Daniel 9:1-9). Jesus began His public ministry with His
baptism by John, and with His temptation by Satan for 40 days and 40 nights in
the wilderness. As soon as this time of
calling, testing, and strengthening was finished Jesus began preaching. His message was, "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and
believe the good news!" (Mark 1:15)
In fact, when Jesus scolds the villages in which He had
taught and performed miracles for the lack of repentance He found in those
villages, Jesus Himself mentions the “sackcloth and ashes” of repentance.
20 Then Jesus began to denounce the cities in which most of his miracles
had been performed, because they did not repent. 21 "Woe to you, Korazin!
Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the miracles that were performed in you had been
performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and
ashes. (Matthew 11:20-21. See also
verses 22-24!)
There is a good reason the
Christian church observes Lent before celebrating Easter. Chronologically of course, Jesus did first
suffer and die before He rose. But, when
God’s law points to our sin and the punishment we deserve for turning against
our Creator and Lord, then we see the forgiveness won by Jesus’ sacrificial
death, and the eternal life He offers by faith because of His resurrection, as
the amazing gift that it is. When we
know our sin and repent, the mercy of God gives new life. That is why the Apostles also began their
ministry by preaching law and Gospel, repentance and salvation. Listen to the words of Peter and John in the
temple right after Pentecost Day.
“18 But this is how God fulfilled what he had
foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ would suffer. 19 Repent,
then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of
refreshing may come from the Lord.” (Acts
3:18-19)
The idea of repentance is not popular with people of
today. But even Adam and Eve in their
day tried to shift blame instead of admitting their sin and submitting to God. However, it is only when we admit that we
have dirt on our hearts, that the cleansing of Jesus really is Good News. When we repent in sorrow because of our sins
and turn to the mercy and the forgiveness won by Jesus, this Good News
refreshes our hearts and souls. The
rising of Jesus is not just a miracle of the Son of God, but victory for us in
our lives.
So why observe Lent?
This season of the church year is not found in Scripture. But, the repentance of Lent prepares our
hearts to receive the good news of Jesus forgiveness and salvation by faith. As we remember the suffering and death of
Jesus for our sins during Lent, the celebration of Jesus’ Easter victory
becomes personal and powerful in our lives.
A Blessed Lenten Season to each of you.
A Child of God, Repenting My Sin that Led to Jesus’ Death,
Pastor Jonathan
P.S. Ash Wednesday
Services are held tonight, Wednesday, March 6, at St. John at 6:30 p.m. with
the imposition of ashes. Hunter Richards
will preach and lead worship as Pastor Rockey is helping with the Veterans of
the Cross Retreat in Florida. (Pastor Rockey
returns late Friday night and will lead worship on Sunday morning.)
P.P.S. If you want
to prepare for worship this Sunday, read Luke 4:1-13 about the temptation of
Jesus.
P.P.S. Kathy and I are on vacation.
·
One of the reasons we were in Florida is that I
was asked to preach at the conference of retired church workers, the “Veterans
of the Cross” Retreat. A treat is that
my brother, Pastor James Rockey, was the liturgist as I shared God’s Word. We also got to spend time with the man who
pastored us as children, Pastor Robert Besalski. Here are some pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/ETgTZnZxQCFKucuJ6
·
We held a family get together / reunion on
Saturday, March 2 at the home of my sister, Martha, and her husband, Mark. Here are some pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/5ruJQndsHKde1DzG8
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ABOUT ‘THOUGHTS FROM THE PASTOR’ - I am
sending these e-mail messages, hopefully weekly, to all St. John members and
friends whose e-mails I have. (I am regularly adding new names of friends
and members – in case you are just receiving this e-mail for the first
time.) However, if you do not want to receive this e-mail, please let me
know, and I’ll gladly leave your name off my list for this message.
******
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