A Lenten Companion
“And great crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from beyond the Jordan. When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he began to speak and taught them, saying:’ (Matthew 4:25-5:2).
In Matthew chapter 4, Jesus is on the way. From his temptation in the wilderness (4:1-11); from Nazareth to Capernaum (4:13-17); to his time along the Sea of Galilee (4:18), Jesus is on the move. But then Jesus stops, heads up a mountain, sits down, and shares the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1-7:28).
For those of us who are participating in 2023 Year of Story Daily Bible Reading Guide, we will be spending the next five weeks reading through both the Sermon on the Mount and the Sermon on the Plain (Luke 6:17-49). Jesus will be our guide and companion for this sacred journey.
This Wednesday, February 22, we begin the Lenten journey with Ash Wednesday. In the Ash Wednesday Liturgy, the presiding minister extends an Invitation to Lent. The conclusion of the Lenten Invitation includes these words, “I invite you, therefore, to the discipline of Lent—self-examination and repentance, prayer and fasting, sacrificial giving and works of love—strengthened by the gifts of word and sacrament”.
My prayer is that you will be strengthened by God’s gifts of word and sacrament, as we daily ponder the teachings of Jesus and are regularly nourished by the Body and Blood of Jesus during Lenten worship. May the crucified and risen Jesus will be your Lenten guide and companion on this sacred journey.
2023 Daily Bible Reading Guide
Psalms of Lament
Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God (Psalm 43:5) Artwork: The Sorrowful Saint (2016) by Scott Erickson The Psalms are an important part of Scripture and play an important...
For All the Saints
And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who from now on die in the Lord.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them” (Revelation 14:13) On All Saints Sunday, many of us gathered to hear...
Innovator Learning Academy
“Thus, I make it my ambition to proclaim the good news, not where Christ has already been named, so that I do not build on someone else’s foundation, but as it is written, “Those who have never been told of him shall see, and those who have never heard of him shall...
Ordination Anniversaries
In the Letter to the Romans 10:14-15, St. Paul writes, “But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him? And how are they to...