NEWSLETTER: March - THINKING of LENT

Faithfulness to the Lord, loyalty to the Church

Dear brothers and sisters,

The time of Lent is upon us. Thinking of Lent, there are a few layers to consider. On March 9, the first Sunday of Lent, we’ll read Luke 4:1-11. Allow me to explain these layers based on the Gospel reading: First, the time of Lent reminds us of the 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness. Right after His baptism, Jesus was led into the wilderness where natural dangers were testing His will, and when the absence of food, comfortable sleep, and the lack of joyful fellowship with other people reached its peak, the supernatural temptations came to surface.  The devil came, trying to penetrate the guard of the Son of Man. Everything began as a simple earthly question: what about this bread, the basic means to survive? The same questions we have here at Zion: what about the money, paying the bills, etc. All of them are reasonable and should concern a genuine believer, but the focus should stay on the LORD who generously provided in years past. 

Then the devil attacked Jesus, tempting Him with idolatrous glory. Glory is always related to numbers – numbers of followers, numbers of worshipers, numbers of (fill in the blank).  There are so many methods to gain the numbers: from a marketing standpoint, from a sociological one, from (again, fill in the blank) while The Bible and the Confessions teach us to be in the Word and faithfully partake the Sacraments. Shiny lights and loud cymbals are pale in comparison to His glory which He reveals from the altar, forgiving our sins, instructing us in His holy, written, and inerrant Word, and feeding us with Himself. What can be more glorious?     

Then the final one: an immature attempt to die tempting God. Our days are in the hand of God from the moment of conception until the moment when He will bring us safely to our heavenly home. We have no need to speed up the course of life, taking matters into our hands. Even if we are not talking about the death itself, the attitude of “my way or the highway” is not a heathy exhibition of virtue. God rewards those who have patience in Him (Ps. 37:7).          

There is also a layer of the practical life of a Christian: how is it reflected in your life? Some people take away a particular type of food from their menus, some people add a series of godly deeds. As a pastor I want to provide even more Biblical assistance to my beloved Zion. Apart from regular Bible studies, Sunday School, and Divine services, I plan to walk through the “desert” book of the Bible – Exodus, which has 40 chapters. Each day I’ll post a devotion based on a chapter throughout the 40 days of Lent. Let us walk together, keeping our eyes on Jesus, and waiting patiently for the celebration of His glorious resurrection when He overcame death, sin, and the devil!