Author: Andrea Schultz

“He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?…For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 8:32, 38-39

Each church season my wife and I look to learn parts of a new hymn by heart. We chose this hymn (“O Dearest Jesus, What Law Hast Thou Broken”) for Lent this year. As we (the Church) move closer to Christ’s Passion, we sing hymns and pray through God’s Word to reflect on what Christ risked and achieved for us. In part, these words give us courage to take up the cross of confessing Christ in our lives. Although this gives us hope and strength to serve our neighbor, the main point of Lent is to reflect on our depravity. These words offer us sincere, concrete hope in the authentic Christ who distinguished Himself from us sinners by His perfect work throughout His life and on the cross so that we might never be separated from Him. Jesus does not condemn us but is constantly interceding for us so that nothing can separate us from the love of God.

Let us pray: Lord God, heavenly Father, we surely have earned nothing but death and harm for straying from the good life that You have wanted to give us. We ask You to hear us and let nothing interfere with our prayers to You. We thank You for Your Son, who faced death all day long so that we are justified before You, and we ask that You strengthen our confession in Your holy name, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

(Nathaniel Konkel, Sem I)

“Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God!
Let your good Spirit lead me
on level ground!”
Psalm 143:10

After four weeks of Lent, it can seem as if Easter is still an eternity away, especially for those who are fasting. Likewise, our lives can feel the same way. Through trial and tribulation we find ourselves praying, “Come, Lord Jesus!” Exhausted, Christians are torn between the desires of the flesh and the godly desires given to them by the Holy Spirit. This conflict can appear to be an uphill battle, a never-ending turmoil, and hopelessly futile.

Yet looking ahead to Easter we know this is not so! Christ has won the battle with His suffering, death, and resurrection. While we feel the effects of sin in our lives and struggle to discipline ourselves during Lent, God still gives us relief. We feast on His body and blood during this fasting period. We see our sin through the mirror of the Law, yet are still continually comforted with the Gospel. We look to the resurrection while still anticipating Good Friday. Through all of life’s suffering and the consequences of our sin, we can still find joy in God’s mercy and dwell on it without ceasing. As baptized Christians, we now find joy in His law and seek after it. We look to God who leads us on level ground, His never-changing Word.

Let us pray: Lord God, heavenly Father, forgive all that we have done in sin this day. Draw us back to Your Word and give to us Your Spirit, that we may find joy in Your will and look to You until the end of our lives, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

(Claire Houser, Deaconess Student)

“So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.”
Romans 7:21-25

When we fail in our endeavors, sometimes the only thing we can say is, “I did my best.” Yet in the end a failure is a failure because a sin is a sin. As Christians in this present reality we find within ourselves a battle going on between the sinful flesh and the Holy Spirit. No matter how hard we try, there is no escaping this remnant of sin. It clings to us and will remain as long as we have flesh and bones this side of Christ’s return.

Yet we do not wallow in despair. We who have been baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection have been given the promise of eternal life and the power of the Spirit to wage war against the desires of the flesh. In this battle between the flesh and Spirit there is no stalemate. The Spirit rules and the flesh is subordinate. In this way we can gain comfort from knowing that when the flesh pushes us to sin, we are prompted and encouraged by the Spirit to seek forgiveness through Christ and to embrace His righteousness. In this way we take comfort in the fact that the Spirit keeps us from despair by leading us to the only source of righteousness: Jesus Christ and His cross.

Let us pray: Lord God, heavenly Father, through Your Word we know that we are by nature sinful and unclean. We ask that You forgive us of our sin and strengthen us by Your Holy Spirit so that we may ever look to Christ and His saving work for our salvation. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

(Garrett Buvinghausen, Sem. IV)

“And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”
Hebrews 11:6

Our fallen human wisdom vainly ponders the suffering of Christ on the cross. We cannot understand this. It is beyond our comprehension: we who were enemies of God, separated from Him because of our sins, by our lack of faith and mercy, have been brought near to God. God has drawn us to Himself by His Son’s cross: “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself” (John 12:32).

The Holy Spirit gave us faith in this sinless Son of God, in whom His Father is well pleased, at Holy Baptism. So, in faith, we seek God as the only source of our forgiveness, life, and salvation. He rewards us with His Son and with the eternal life that He purchased for us with His precious blood. Now, in faith, we ponder our Lord’s bitter woes and His mercy upon us. We cannot repay Him for all His benefits to us, but we will call upon His name and proclaim His marvelous works that are beyond our comprehension.

Let us pray: dear heavenly Father, You have brought us near to You by your Son’s death on the cross. Grant that, as we ponder Your Son’s suffering and death, we would turn to You in repentance and faith; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

(Mika Patron, Deaconess Student)

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”
Romans 12:1

What exactly is the purpose of fasting for Lent? Many people will claim that this is a good thing to do, but why? In Romans 12 it is considered a good thing to present your body as a living sacrifice. In fact, this is considered acceptable and even holy to God. It is considered to be a spiritual worship as well. This is a reason why fasting is a good thing—but the first half of this verse must not be left out. This good act can only be carried out by the mercies of God.

God reveals His mercy to us through His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, and His death and resurrection. In our baptism our sin is buried and we are raised in newness of life with Christ. It is in this newness of life that we are able to present ourselves as a living sacrifice, which is holy and acceptable to God.

Let us pray: Lord God, heavenly Father, You have revealed Your mercies to us through Your Son, Jesus Christ, that by His death our sin would be paid for and by His resurrection we would no longer be slaves to sin, but free in Christ to serve You. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

(Kyle Mullins, Sem. 1)

“In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”
1 John 4:10

During the season of Lent, we are reminded that we are sinful and unworthy of God’s mercy. We have inherited sin through our first parents, Adam and Eve. We are in need of a Savior. But it was because of God’s love that He sent His only Son to die for us as that Savior. We did nothing to deserve this love.

John 3:16-17 testifies to this reality: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” It is only through God’s work that we are saved not by anything that we do, but through His grace and mercy. During the season of Lent, we gather together as the Body of Christ and look forward to Christ’s crucifixion. It is on His cross where our Savior died for us. On this cross we see that God loved us.

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, we know that we are by nature sinful and unworthy of Your grace and mercy. We give thanks that, through Your wonderful love for us, You have sent Your only Son, Jesus Christ, to save us. We pray that You would help us to daily and faithfully follow You, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

(Stephanie Wilde, Deaconess Student)