Dear Friends in Christ,

I love Lent, I think I always have.  I remember that sometimes my parents would let me sit in the balcony of our church with friends during Lenten services and it was quite moving to see all the people below when the church was much darker than on Sunday mornings.  I remember hearing our pastor preach on the sufferings of Christ, or different parts of the passion, or simply preaching on the assigned readings for the week.  I loved the hymns; the tone they set to the service, one of solemnity, and of course the serious nature of the Word that was being preached.

I write this because Lent is a time of great joy, it is a solemn time of course, but it is joyful.  It is a time for us to consider our standing before God, our sins and misdeeds.  It is a proper time to fast, to pray, to give and to listen to the Gospel. But particularly it is joyful in a restrained way.  Lent is not meant for us to be sad or downcast.  However, we are often downcast, sad and grumbling.  Luther deals with this in the Large Catechism,

“Of course, we keenly feel our misfortune, and we grumble and complain of unfaithfulness, violence, and injustice; but we are unwilling to see that we ourselves are knaves who have roundly deserved punishment and that we are not one bit improved by it. We spurn favor and happiness; therefore, it is only fair that we have nothing but unhappiness without mercy. Somewhere on earth there must still be some godly people, or else God would not grant us so many blessings! If it depended on our merits, we would not have a penny in the house or a straw in the field. All this I have been obliged to set forth with such a profusion of words in the hope that someone may take it to heart, so that we may be delivered from the blindness and misery in which we are so deeply sunk and may rightly understand the Word and will of God and sincerely accept it. From God’s Word we could learn how to obtain an abundance of joy, happiness, and salvation, both here and in eternity.”

As Luther says, we spurn favor and happiness; we are unwilling to see that most of the times the lousy things of which we complain are of our own making!  So Lent is not a time to have us focus on how lousy we are, but on the blessings of God in Christ Jesus.  The Word and will of God clearly shows you His graciousness toward you.  Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”  (St. John 10:7-10)  St. Paul wrote, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?”  (Romans 8:31-32)

This article could be filled with verse after verse.  You have the true and living God who gives you promises of abundant, joyful life for the Son of God has been delivered up for you, and as He is for you who can be against you?  Even though life is full of its sadness and trouble, our Lord’s life on this earth certainly was, He lives to give you life and joy in the forgiveness of your sins and in the peace that He alone gives.  This is the preaching that comes during Holy Lent, it is the message of the hymns we sing and it is all gives life and joy.

So love Lent, come to the Lord’s House, pray, sing, listen and be filled with joy.

In Christ,

Pastor Ball