Dating back to fourth century, if not earlier, the 40-day season of Lent has varied meanings today but strong biblical roots. More than anything else, Lent prepares us for the celebration of the mystery of our redemption by the death of the God-man Jesus Christ. Lent is often said to be a time to reflect on baptism, a time for rebirth and renewal, for the discipline of learning and growing in faith, and for repentance and prayer. The length of the season can be a sort of “tithe” of the people of Israel’s 40 years in the wilderness or a direct reflection of other 40-day periods, such as Moses’s 40 days on Sinai (Exodus 24:18; Deuteronomy 9:9), or Elijah’s 40-day fast on his way to the mountain of God (1 Kings 19:8), or, perhaps best, Jesus’s 40-day fast in the wilderness (Matthew 4:2; Mark 1:13; Luke 4:2).
As Elijah and Jesus fasted, so those preparing for Baptism during the season of Lent once fasted as they were instructed in the faith. Though fasting was once required for all, one’s giving up meat or something else during the season is an individual’s choice. To be sure, Lutherans recognize that fasting has a place. While Christians are to live with inner repentance not only during the season of Lent but every day throughout the year, such inner repentance also produces outward signs of repentance such as fasting (see Theses #1 and #3 of Martin Luther’s 1517 Ninety-Five Theses, as in the American Edition of his works, volume 31, page 25). With the Small Catechism we believe, teach, and confess that “Fasting and bodily preparation are certainly fine outward training” (SC VI:10).
Sundays from Ash Wednesday to Easter are Sundays “in” Lent not “of” Lent; as celebrations of the resurrection they do not count towards Lent’s 40 days. Yet, their themes and emphases are not unaffected by the season in which they fall. The following are the Sundays of Lent in 2013 and their Gospel Readings (appointed by Lutheran Service Book’s three-year lectionary series C).
• First Sunday (2/17): Jesus is tempted by the devil (Luke 4:1-13)
• Second Sunday (2/24): Jesus weeps over Jerusalem (Luke 13:31-35)
• Third Sunday (3/3): Jesus calls all to repent (Luke 13:1-9)
• Fourth Sunday (3/10): Jesus tells a parable about a lost son (Luke 15:1-3, 11-32)
• Fifth Sunday (3/17): Jesus tells a parable about vineyard tenants who kill the owner’s son (Luke 20:9-20)
• Palm Sunday/Sunday of the Passion (3/24): Jesus is tried, crucified and buried (Luke 23:1-56)
Pilgrim offers midweek Vespers services during penitential seasons such as Lent and Advent. Those in Lent traditionally consider Christ’s suffering and death, but they also place a time-honored emphasis on learning and growing in faith. In its Midweek Lenten Vespers and other associated special services of 2013, Pilgrim will consider the Lord’s Prayer—its introduction, seven petitions, and conclusion—as evident in the words and deeds of our Lord during His passion and resurrection.
Given Lent’s emphasis on repentance, the season appropriately begins with Ash Wednesday, and Pilgrim not only offers the Sacrament of the Altar in the Divine Service but also offers the imposition of ashes, reminding the recipients both that they are dust and to dust they will return but also that Jesus has redeemed them. You can hear Pastor Galler’s Ash Wednesday presentation to the Kilgore Rotary Club here. (The image is from here.)
• Ash Wednesday (2/13): “Our Father Who art in heaven”
• Midweek I (2/20): “Hallowed be Thy Name”
• Midweek II (2/27): “Thy kingdom come”
• Midweek III (3/6): “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”
• Midweek IV (3/13): “Give us this day our daily bread”
• Midweek V (3/20): “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us”
• Maundy Thursday (3/28): “Lead us not into temptation”
• Good Friday (3/29): “Deliver us from evil”
• The Resurrection of Our Lord (3/31): “For Thine is the kingdom …”
You can find the handout from Pastor Galler’s summary of “The Lord’s Prayer in His Passion” as presented to the St. Luke’s United Methodist Church Lenten Soup Luncheon on March 6, 2013, here.
On Sunday, March 31, Pilgrim will have two services celebrating The Resurrection of Our Lord: Matins at 8:00 a.m. and Divine Service at 10:45, with an Easter Breakfast, Egg Hunt, Sunday School, and Adult Bible Class in between. All are invited and welcome to attend!
You may read and hear the sermons at Pilgrim from the Seasons of Lent and Easter and from every season of the Church Year here.
The banner graphic at the top of this page includes part of an image of Salvador Dali’s “Christ of St. John of the Cross” painting found here.
