February 2012

Dearest brothers and sisters in Christ,

The month of September is the holiest time of the year for Jews. That's when they usually celebrate the New Year. This is called Rosh Hashanah. Then, there's ten days of self-examination. When you look at your life you confess all your sins from the past year and then on the tenth day, you ask God for forgiveness. That tenth day is called Yom Kippur. For us Lutherans Lent is a lot like that. The only difference is that instead of ten days of self-examination. We get 40.

If the cross is the Answer, what exactly is the Question?

Does anyone know how Lent got started? It's not in the Bible. There is no verse that says "Thou shalt celebrate Lent." But around 230 AD, a group of Christians started fasting for the 40 hours leading up to Easter. To prepare their hearts for Easter. Pretty soon, the idea caught on. Years later, they bumped it up to 7 days of fasting. And they called it Holy Week. And by 325 AD, the church officially made it 40 days. Maybe you're thinking, "Sorry, Steve. But there's no way that I'm going to fast for 40 days. That's just out of the question. It's not going to happen." And my answer is "That's OK!" God is more concerned about what's in your heart than He is about what's in your refrigerator. In Mark 7:18-20, Jesus says, "that it's not what goes into your mouth that makes you unclean. It's what comes out of your heart." The secret sins in your life that you can't quit. The grudges that you can't let go. An issue you can't resolve. The fact of the matter is that no one's perfect. Romans 3:23 says that "For all have sinned and have come short of the glory of God."

And that's why Ash Wednesday is such a good thing. It's a chance for us to come clean. To clear the air between us and God. To repent of our sins. That's what Ash Wednesday is all about. It's about getting rid of our sin. It's about admitting to God that we are nothing but dust and ashes without Him in our lives. It's about confessing our sins, and forsaking them forever, and turning our whole lives over to Jesus Christ. I invite you to do this on Ash Wednesday. Just hand it all over to Him. Remember: God knows everything. He knows all about the sin you've tried to hide from the world. He knows the thoughts that run through your head. And He knows that you can never be truly happy unless you hand it over to Him. Remember that God loves you. Isaiah 30:18 says "that He longs to be gracious to you." Proverbs 28:13 says, "That whoever confesses and forsakes his sin will find mercy." His arms are open wide. He is waiting for you to come back to Him starting with Ash Wednesday.

In this world, Someone stands behind; silently loving us; reaching out a hand when we've fallen; encouraging us when we're tested and in fear; understanding us when no one does; pointing us the light when we are in the dark… God deserves a pause..a hug..a thank you..because we are wrapped in a beautiful truth that... "WE ARE LOVED WITHOUT MEASURE."

Your servant in Christ,

Steve Baas, Elder