Have you ever thought about what you want inscribed on your headstone some day? It’s not a thought we likely relish. No one really likes thinking about such a thing. If you’ve ever walked through a graveyard and looked at some of the inscriptions on headstones it’s clear many people have given it a lot of thought. Here are some of the more clever inscriptions I have heard about.
The Service of Darkness centers on a series of lessons, psalms, and liturgical texts that reflect on the Lord’s crucifixion and our repentance. As the service progresses, the candles of a sevenfold candelabrum are extinguished until only one remains. This candle is not extinguished but is removed from the chancel, leaving the church in darkness. The service is closed by a loud noise (known as the strepitus) that foreshadows the rending of Jesus’ tomb on Easter. After the strepitus, the last candle, still burning, is returned to the chancel. It thus anticipates the light of the paschal candle. The service ends without a benediction. We exit in silence to reassemble on the Festival.
Have you ever stopped to consider how many times it is recorded in Scripture that Jesus ate with people. Jesus went to dinner at Matthew’s house. He went to dinner at Simon the Pharisee’s house. He had dinner at the home of a man known as Simon the Leper. On the Saturday before Palm Sunday he had dinner with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus in Bethany. This is just to mention a few. The Pharisees once came to Jesus’ disciples and asked, Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners? (Matthew 9:11)
Our text for this morning puts before us the starting line of a race. Let’s think marathon. The runners are gathered at the starting line. They are limbering and loosening up. The road is lined with spectators, people who have gathered to cheer the runners on.
Can you picture it? Good! Because you are the one in the race!
Our lent worship services today are led by Pastor Nathan Berg from Eastside Lutheran in Madison. Pastor Berg is preaching for our last Wednesday Lent service this year on our theme “Baptized into His Death”.
Our text this morning finds Jesus in Jerusalem during Holy Week. He is there, as we well know, to celebrate the Passover, and die. But early in the week, the event of our text takes place. There are some Greeks in Jerusalem for the Passover. These would have been non-Jews who had come to faith in Israel’s God and now worshiped just like the Jews according to the laws of the Old Testament. But there is something interesting about these Greeks. They are drawn to Jesus.
Pastor David Horton from Eastside Lutheran in Madison, preached for both our Wednesday Lent Services. He continues with our theme “Baptized into His Death”.
We have the opportunity this morning to consider something very important in our Bibles, and that is types of Christ in the Old Testament. What exactly is a “type of Christ”? A type of Christ is something God used in the Old testament – maybe an object or a person or an animal – to teach the people some truth about the Savior who was to come. For example, the Passover lamb was a “type of Christ.” That lamb that was killed, whose blood was painted on the doorpost and meant life for those inside the house.
Today our Lent worship services were led by Pr. Jacob Scott from Zion Lutheran in Leeds and Lodi. He preached for our series “Baptized into His Death”.
Those who approach DeForest from the south and are driving north on Main Street are treated to, what I think, is the best view of this building. On the south-facing exterior wall of this building is a huge cross. It is especially beautiful at night when the cross is back-lit. I wonder how many people since this building was built in 2000 have seen that cross! It has to be hundreds of thousands. Maybe over a million?
