Volume 94, Issue 5 March 5, 2014
“Christ has humbled himself and become obedient unto death, even death on a cross.” Philippians 2:8
“What are you giving up for Lent?” asked the confirmands. I hadn’t thought about it—I wasn’t quite ready to think of self-denial and repentance and ashes and the journey to the cross. I was still into the joy and light and glory of Christmas.
But it’s time to think of it now. What will be my Lenten discipline? I could give up chocolate, but would it truly be self-denial or a weight-loss gimmick? Would it be Lenten sacrifice or self-help?
Well, then, why a Lenten discipline? Why can’t we just keep on doing as we always do? We come to worship, we pray, we try to be helpful and kind. Isn’t that enough?
But how do we measure “enough”? Enough to make ourselves feel good? Enough to earn God’s favor?
Is that what it’s all about? Earning God’s favor? Can we ever hope to “earn” God’s favor?
No, we cannot. Just ponder for a few moments our human self-centeredness, our weakness when it comes to temptation, our tendency to be critical and to judge one another, our desire to seek revenge… It has been said that repentance means recognizing that on our own we cannot do it ourselves, that we need help.
Which is exactly why Jesus came to live among us, to show and teach us how to be as one with God and with each other, learning and living God’s vision and purpose for us. Because of sin and evil in the world, we get lost, go astray, fail to understand and live God’s vision. In love, God calls us to be disciples. Disciple and discipline come from the same original word, which means “learning.” In this life we are learning how to live, caring for each other as God’s people.
It would be nice if we could skip right to Easter and its message of victory and glory and forget about the ugliness and purpose of the cross. But God chose the cross, the way of self-sacrifice, and we need to work with God’s ways rather than give in to our own.
The fact is, life is not just skipping from one glorious scene to another, from Christmas to Easter. The view from the mountaintops is wonderful, but life takes place in the valleys, in the down times, in the struggles, the pain that are so much part of life. Even Jesus came down from the mountain to the misery in the valleys below.
Christ accepted the discipline of God’s ways, of self-sacrifice and total self-giving. And through his death comes life. God’s ways are life. Our own ways lead only to death, and this is the whole point of Lent and Easter. We come to life through death of self.
The message of Lent is that in death there is life. We cannot really understand that, but as we attempt to participate in Lent, we begin to experience it. As we heed Jesus’ words that the one who would be a disciple must follow Jesus’ example of serving, of humility, of self-denial, of forgiveness, we find the life that God alone can give, the abundant life offered to us all. Whatever I do as a Lenten discipline, I will offer it to Christ as a sacrifice in thanksgiving for his giving to us.
May Lent be a blessing and a fruitful time for you. t Pastor Moll
Thursday, March 6 Scout District Committee, 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, March 9 Girl Scouts/Fellowship Hall, 12:30-3:30 p.m.
Cub Scouts/Fellowship Hall, 4-7:00 p.m.
Monday, March 10 Finance Committee, 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, March 12 Church Council, 7:00 p.m.
Bible Study, 7:00 p.m.
Thursday, March 13 Deadline for Messenger, 3:00 p.m.
Social Ministry, 6:00 p.m.
Worship & Music, 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, March 15 Kathryn’s Kloset, 9-11:00 a.m.
Sunday, March 16 Youth Group, Noon – 2:00 p.m.
Monday, March 17 WELCA, 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, March 19 Messenger folding, 9:30 a.m.
Thursday, March 20 Christian Education/Evangelism, 7:00 p.m.
Scout Roundtable, 7:00 p.m.
St. John’s Lutheran Church, 300 Queen Street, Northumberland, PA 17857.
Periodical postage paid at Northumberland, PA.
POSTMASTER: Send address change to St. John’s Messenger,
300 Queen Street, Northumberland, PA 17857.
ST. JOHN’S MESSENGER March 5, 2014 Volume 94, Issue 5
St. John’s Evangelical
Lutheran Church
570-473-3770
This Sunday at St. John’s
March 9, 2014
8:00 a.m. Worship Service with Communion
8:45 a.m. Sunday School for Preschool-6th Grade
9:00 a.m. Sunday School
10:15 a.m. Worship Service with Communion
Next Sunday at St. John’s
March 16, 2014
8:00 a.m. Worship Service with Communion
8:45 a.m. Sunday School for Preschool-6th Grade
9:00 a.m. Sunday School
10:15 a.m. Worship Service with Communion
Church Office Hours Mon-Thurs 8:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Fri 8:30 a.m.-Noon
MarthaSue Moll, Pastor
William J. Jacavage, Director of Music