 Dear Members and Friends of First Trinity,The
famous comedian Garrison Keillar, a devout Lutheran himself, once said that Lutherans must
believe they are in the midst of the season of the Church Year called Lent year round
because, no matter what the season of the Church Year it is (even Christmas or Easter), we
are always, always solemn. Well, I don’t know if we Lutherans are always solemn ( I
believe we, at times, do smile and are even happy—why we even have fun and laugh a
lot, at least here at Trinity) but I do know that Lent is a solemn, very solemn time of
the Church Year. It has to be for the ultimate focus of Lent is the bitter suffering and
death of God’s one and only Son, Jesus Christ.
I remember at an Alpha Course that I was conducting (which really is
a course introducing the core basics of Christianity and which we will be using for our
“Basics of the Christian Faith Course as mainly outreach to Daycare and Community
Families), there was a retired mother attending who couldn’t understand why God the
Father’s will was for His one and only Son, Jesus Christ to suffer so terribly and
die such a horrendous death. “Why” she kept on asking because to her it
wasn’t right, let alone, fair.
Well, the answer to the dilemma starts with sin—the
world’s sin and our own personal sin. Now sin is not a popular subject. Many churches
refuse to talk about sin. Think not? A religion journalist for The New York Times visited
50 church services in New York City. According to the journalist, only four mentioned the
word sin! And when the journalist asked the 46 pastors why they didn’t even mention
sin, the overwhelming response was, “It makes people feel bad.” This trend also
seems to be growing among “TV Evangelists”. There are an increasing number who
preach a prosperity Gospel. They center their message on topics such as “How you can
become a better person”, “How to strengthen your family”, or “The
Christian Guide to Losing Weight”. Many of these preachers have declared that they
stay away from the subject of sin. And why? Because it makes people feel bad.
Friends, I don’t care what others think! We need to hear and
talk about sin—the world’s sin and especially our sin. That’s because sin
is our most serious problem! Sin, any sin, makes God angry. Sin, any sin, separates us
completely from God. Sin, any sin, places us under God’s punishment of
sin—earthly and eternal death. We may not think this is fair. But God is holy and
just. Since He is holy, we would have to perfectly obey His will to be His. Since He is
just, He cannot ignore it. He must punish it. Besides, He gives us all we have. He is the
source of our very being. The least He deserves is our total obedience. Yes, sin is the
most serious problem that mankind, you and I face. And there is nothing that we can do to
save ourselves. This is what Jesus’ suffering and death reveals. As verse 3 of the
Lenten Hymn “Stricken, Smitten, and Afflicted” reads; “You who think of sin
but lightly Nor suppose the evil great Here may view its nature rightly, Here its guilt
may estimate. Mark the sacrifice appointed; See who bears the awful load; It’s the
Word, the Lord’s Anointed, Son of Man and Son of God.”
It is in the midst of sin and it’s terrible consequences that
we learn why Jesus had to suffer and die the way He did. The only way that we could be
delivered is if someone paid the punishment of our sin for us. The only way such
individual could accomplish this monumental task is if He did not deserve to pay the
punishment of sin. This means the person would have to live a perfect life. And the only
One who could do this was God’s Son Jesus Christ. Thus God the Father sent Jesus to
this world. He lived the perfect life for us. He then suffered and died. He should not
have because He never sinned. But He did! Thus, He did deliver mankind from sin. As an
individual believes in Him as their Savior, God forgives all their sins! With sins
forgiven, the person is righteous before God. Thus, the person is reunited to God. Why God
declares that person to be His child. Moreover God writes that person’s name in
“The Book of Life”. To put it another way, the person will live with God forever
in the beauty, glory, and perfection of heaven.
This leaves one last aspect as to why God does this. The answer is
simple! Love—infinite, boundless love for mankind, you and I.
Friends, Lent is a solemn time. We see our sin. We see the
consequences of our sin. I invite you to worship this Lent. Certainly, attend on Sunday.
Please also attend on Wednesdays. [Ash Wednesday - February 6th at 7pm, Lenten Services -
February 13th Thru March 12th at 6:30pm, (soup/sandwich prior to Lent services at 5:45
pm)] Yes, we will focus on sin. We will “feel bad.” But as we grow in the
knowledge of our utter sinfulness and what we deserve because of it, we will focus on
Christ’s terrible suffering and horrendous death on the cross. The result is that we
will grow in the knowledge of how great His love is for us. Our guilt will turn to peace,
our weeping to joy, our despair to hope.
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