Lenten Blessings to You from God

Newsletter article for March 2001

© 2001 by Rev. Paul A. Wolff

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

Lent is a time where some Christians fast or give up something cherished (usually a food) in order to grow in their Spiritual life. Others may use this time as a convenient time to go on a diet and lose some excess weight. The temptation in either case is to rely on the strength of our own willpower and determination to see us through the tough times to the end. If we succumb to the temptation it is obviously sinful because if we succeed in our fast then we will take the credit for ourselves, rather than praising God for His grace and strength.

If we truly wish to grow Spiritually then we may wish to heed the message of 2 Tim. 3:16 (above). God does want us to train ourselves in righteousness and good works, but the tool He has given us to use is not our own strength of will, but Holy Scripture. The Holy Scriptures are not primarily a rule book, above all they tell us about how God has saved us from our sins through the obedient life and innocent death of Jesus Christ. However, the Holy Bible does also teach us the things that God wants us to do in our lives (summarized by the Ten Commandments). Scripture also rebukes us or reprimands us when we disobey God’s commands, and it corrects our erring ways. Then Scripture can also train us in righteousness by illuminating the right path that God wishes us to walk (Psalm 119:105).

It is enough for our salvation to hear God’s word and believe it. Jesus said, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved.” (Mark 16:16) But God also wants our lives to be filled with His blessings, and free from the consequences of sin. Our lives will never be completely free from sin, but God wants to fill our lives with His love so that we may be a blessing to others and also lead them to eternal salvation in Christ. One day when someone tried to exalt His mother for having given birth to Him, Jesus replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” (Luke 11:28)

Since God’s Word is so important for not only bringing us eternal salvation in Christ, but also for guiding our actions along a God-pleasing path, then perhaps it would be beneficial to you this Lenten season to devote some time each day to studying God’s Word. The potential benefits are much greater than if you just relied on self-determination to go without a cherished food item. However, if you also wish to have a fast this Lent, then perhaps you will also be strengthened in this task through God’s Word, and the work of the Holy Spirit through His Word. Then when you are finished you will almost certainly be strengthened in your faith and you will give greater praise and glory to God.

As you study God’s Word here is something from the Formula of Concord (Article XI § 12) which may be good to keep in mind: “All Scripture, inspired by God should minister not to security and impenitence but ‘to reproof, correction, and improvement.’ Furthermore, everything in the Word of God is written down for us, not for the purpose of thereby driving us to despair but in order that ‘by steadfastness, by the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.’ From this it is beyond all doubt that the true understanding or the right use of the teaching of God’s eternal foreknowledge will in no way cause or support either impenitence or despair. So, too, Scripture presents this doctrine in no other way than to direct us thereby to the Word, to admonish us to repent, to urge us to godliness, to strengthen our faith and to assure us of our salvation.”

May God bless your Lenten devotions.

Confession and Absolution

Newsletter article for March 1999

© 1999 by Rev. Paul A. Wolff

The Church season of Lent which we are now observing is a special season which prepares our hearts and minds for the celebration of Easter. We do this by looking into our own hearts and recognizing our sinfulness. We cannot properly celebrate Easter until we recognize that Good Friday and Easter are for us. The death of Jesus makes no sense until you realize that Jesus didn’t belong up there on the cross. It should be you and me up on our own crosses suffering for our own sins. The resurrection of Jesus also makes no sense unless we believe that just as Jesus died so that His death takes the place of our death, in the same way His resurrection to life proves that He will also give us the victory over death so that we may live forever.

Six weeks of thinking about sin probably doesn’t fit anyone’s definition of a good time. Some may say that the season of Lent is too long. They are missing the point. We should look into our hearts every day and confess our sins to God every day, or even more frequently if we are struggling with a particular temptation. Although it is hard to admit our sins, even when we talk to God in private, it is a great blessing to be able to confess our sins to God.

God is a gracious God. He wants us to admit our sinfulness and confess our sins to Him. He knows our sins better than even we know ourselves. He knows all the sins that we have forgotten about, or that we were not aware that we were doing wrong. There is no hiding from God the fact that we are guilty, and deserving of punishment. But God doesn’t tell us to confess so that he can punish us. He tells us to confess our sins so that He can forgive us.

Absolution (or forgiveness) is an even greater blessing from God than confession. It seems easy enough in our worship to confess our sins and hear the words from the pastor that God forgives our sins. Perhaps it is too easy, because if we overlook all that it took for God to be able to tell the pastor that he can pronounce the words of forgiveness, we might possibly think that God simply overlooks our guilt and doesn’t care if we sin against Him. However, Holy Scripture tells us that God is a righteous and just God and He hates sin. He cannot let even one little sin go unpunished.

This would be extremely bad news for all of us except that God also loves us and wants to save us from our sins. That is why He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus, to be born as one of us and take our place on the cross. The suffering and torture that Jesus endured for our sins is indescribable, but His love for each one of us is even more awesome. It is only because Jesus loved us enough to suffer and die to take the punishment for our sins that He has given us the authority to forgive one another’s sins.

May God bless you during this Lenten season as you prepare your heart for the celebration of Christ’s victory over sin. May the Holy Spirit give you the courage to admit your sinfulness before God. May the Holy Spirit give you the faith to trust in Jesus to rescue you completely from your sins. And may Christ

Jesus, our Lord, strengthen you with the assurance of salvation every time you hear His words, “Your sins are forgiven.”

What is Lent all About?

Newsletter article for March 1998

© 1998 by Rev. Paul A. Wolff

We are now in the church season of Lent until Easter. I’m sure that each of us observes Lent to a different degree, from not at all, to religiously keeping a fast of one sort or another. Whether or not you observe Lent I think that we all could be well served by learning (or reviewing) what Lent is all about, and some of the reasons for what we do to observe this church season.

All you Biblical scholars may notice that nowhere in the Scriptures is Lent mentioned. Nor are any of the seasons of the church calendar mentioned. The observance of Lent is considered Adiaphora. Adiaphora are practices which are neither commanded nor forbidden by God. This means that the faithful Christian can, with clear conscience, either observe Lent, or not. However, Lent has been celebrated in the Christian Church for over 1,500 years. Even Martin Luther, the great reformer, did not abolish the observance of this season, but he did clean up the practice to return the focus to Christ, where it should be in all we do in the church.

Let me begin at the end. Easter marks the end of Lent. It also is the reason for Lent, just as the death and resurrection of Jesus is the reason why we put our faith in Him as our savior. Lent is meant to be a time of preparation. For the six weeks of Lent we prepare for the Easter celebration.

The Lenten season is also a time of contrition (sorrow over sins), repentance (asking God for mercy and forgiveness), and contemplation of our sinfulness. Now, six weeks of thinking about sin may seem to some to be a very depressing exercise, that is kind of the point, isn’t it? What I mean is that the best way we can appreciate just how absolutely tremendously fabulously awesome, wonderful, and amazing Easter is for us, is if we first realize just how much we had to gain from Christ’s death and resurrection. We do this in Lent by focusing on our own unworthiness.

The season of Lent does not portray a flattering portrait of human beings, even Christian people. Instead it portrays a painfully accurate portrait of our guilt and sin. Only when we realize just how much it cost Jesus to rescue billions and billions of disobedient sinners, then we can appreciate the vastness of His infinite love, and with thankful hearts sing His praises on Easter morning.

One of the ancient traditions of Lent is the tradition of fasting. This tradition is most often associated with the Roman Catholic Church because in the past the Pope commanded that all Christians must observe Lenten fasts. This practice is not so common in the Lutheran Church because this is one of the reforms that Martin Luther brought to the church. Based on Romans 14, which speaks about eating (or not eating) certain kinds of food, and the book of Galatians, which speaks against burdening Christians with additional laws and practices, Luther showed that it is wrong to add requirements about different practices in the church. The Ten Commandments still stand and we must obey them, but beyond that, we cannot command Christians to do what God did not command, nor can we forbid Christians from doing what God has not forbidden.

The result of this is that while Luther abolished the requirement of fasting during Lent, he did not condemn the practice altogether. He also spoke about how fasting can be good training in self discipline and self control. When I listen to people talking about fasting for Lent, I think sometimes they think they must give up things which are bad for them anyway, like smoking, overeating, over-drinking, and things like that. While I agree that it is good to stop doing things which harm our health and bodies, that isn’t the purpose of a fast. If we are sinning or hurting ourselves we should stop that for good, not just for the six weeks of Lent. A fast should be a temporary thing where we give up something which we like, but only for a limited time. This is a good exercise because as we deny ourselves something we like (but which doesn’t harm us) we are training ourselves to control our actions. Then after our fast is over, we may be stronger, and better able to stop doing the things which hurt ourselves, or are sinful.

If we do give up something we like, such as meat, or chocolate, or sweets, or alcohol, we may find that it is a struggle to hold to our fast. When we are struggling with the temptation to break our fast, we can also appreciate just what an accomplishment it was for Jesus to go His whole life without sinning even once. In times of weakness and temptation we can also learn to turn to God in prayer, and ask Him to give us the strength we need to resist temptation and do what is right.

We should also remember what Jesus said about fasting in Matthew 6:16-18. Jesus says that fasting should be a private thing, between you and God. You shouldn’t make a show of your fasting in order to elicit sympathy from your friends, or to get their admiration for your strength of will. Instead keep it secret, and humbly accept whatever reward God sees fit to give you (if any).

It is most important to remember whether we fast for Lent, or don’t fast, neither practice makes us better in God’s sight. We are still sinners, whether we can successfully keep a fast, or not. We still need Jesus to forgive us our sins every day. We still must keep our eyes focused on the cross of Jesus, for that is our only hope for salvation. We still trust in the victory of Easter, because that is where Christ has proven His love, and has shown us that He has rescued us from sin and death.

When you come and worship here at St. Timothy this Lent, you may hear quite a bit about sin and guilt. The purpose is not to depress you, or make you feel bad, although it may do that momentarily. The purpose is to help you understand just how much God loves you, and just what a wonderful thing we celebrate on Easter.

May Christ bless you this Lenten season.