Sermon: Luke 13:1-9

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"There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”

And he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. And he said to the vinedresser, ‘Look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down. Why should it use up the ground?’ And he answered him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure. Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’”

Why Should Christians Observe Lent?

Lent has been formally observed by Christians since the 4th century, but the practice of fasting, repentance, and prayer before Easter has been observed since at least the 2nd century according to the testimony of St. Irenaeus. Easter has always been a time of celebration for the church. On Easter we remember the victory that Christ won through his resurrection; we celebrate the fact that he overcame death, hell, and the devil by conquering the grave, as he burst forth from the tomb. But times of great joy in the Christian tradition, such as Easter or Christmas, are preceded by contemplation, repentance, and prayer.

The forty days in which fasting is practiced before Easter mirrors the forty days that Jesus spent in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-2). The practice of forty days of fasting goes back even farther, as both Moses (Exodus 34:28) and Elijah (1 Kings 19:8) used forty days as a means for spiritual preparation. In the same way that these great saints took time out of their lives to focus on prayer, and fasting, and in imitation of Christ, we too utilize this spiritual practice.

In certain traditions, fasting becomes legalistic. Certain churches, bishops, and pastors, require fasting for these forty days, and at times even dictate what your fast should be. Instead of a free decision, fasting becomes compulsory, it is made into a strict Law. This is opposed to the Gospel. St. Paul writes to the Colossians, “Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or new moon or a Sabbath.” (Colossians 2:16) We are no longer bound to a Law which dictates what we can and cannot eat or drink, or what days we need to celebrate. Those ordinances of the Old Testament were pictures of Christ, which no longer have any hold on us because Jesus has fulfilled them. We have freedom in Christ.

Does this mean that we shouldn't observe Lent because God doesn't require us to? We would do well to listen to the wisdom of St. Paul on this point. “ 'All things are lawful, but not all things are helpful.” (1 Corinthians 10:23) Even though we don't need to observe Lent, it is helpful to do so. As Christians for 2,000 years have used this time as a means to focus on repentance and fasting, we too would do well to do the same. Focusing on repentance, and taking time to meditate over our sin is helpful because it allows us to more fully understand the joys of Easter. A recognition of our sin always comes before the proclamation that our sins are forgiven. We only rejoice in God's forgiveness if we understand the truth of our great offenses against God.

There are different ways in which Lent can be observed. Some choose to fast from food from sun up to sun down; others choose to fast from a certain meal each week, or choose a 24 hour period to fast; many will give up some sort of habit or food that they usually indulge in. There are also spiritual practices which some take up such as praying the Psalms, setting aside a longer time of prayer than is normal during the rest of the year, or having a plan to read through more Scripture each day.

I would encourage you to observe Lent this year, not in a legalistic way, not because you have to; but do so because through it you will be edified, and through contemplation, prayer, and fasting, the Gospel will become even more joyous when it is proclaimed boldly on Easter morning.

New Weekly Podcast of Sermons

I have begun recording my sermons each week for my new podcast, "Proclaiming Law & Gospel." My sermons each week will be posted here and will be hosted at http://proclaiminglawandgospel.libsyn.com/rss, if you would like to subscribe to the feed. It will be up on itunes in the next week or so. My first program is a sermon on Psalm 130 from our Mid-week Lent service. Here is the message.

Baptism in the Early Church

On today's program I discussed baptismal regeneration and the early church. I went through various Patristic sources to demonstrate that there is a strong doctrine of baptism as a means for the forgiveness of sins and reception of the Holy Spirit in the early church. Here is the program.

St. Augustine on the Law

"A law was not given that could give life, but which might show his sins to the sinner. For the sinner had forgotten himself, and saw not himself; the law was given him, that he might see himself. The law made him guilty, the Lawgiver freed him: for the Law-giver is the Supreme power... There is therefore a law of the mercy of God, a law of the propitiation of God. The one was a law of fear, the other is a law of love. The law of love giveth the forgiveness of sins, blotteth out the past, warneth concerning the future; forsaketh not its companion by the way, becometh a companion to him whom it leadeth on the way." St. Augustine, commentary on Psalm 130:4

Atonement Theories and Objective Justification

On today's program I did a brief overview of the controversy over objective justification and gave some of my thoughts on the matter. Then I answered a question about the Governmental theory of the atonement and launched to a discussion of the various atonement motifs. Here's the program.

Here is the article I referenced in regards to objective justification: What is objective justification?

The Lordship Salvation Controversy

On this week's program I did an overview of the Lordship Salvation controversy within evangelicalism, and explained why from a Lutheran perspective, both sides of the debate are wrong. Here is the program.