Lent is now upon us. It is the season of preparation for our celebration of our Lord’s resurrection on Easter Sunday. Lent is what we call a penitential season, meaning that it is a time of sobering reflection and examination of ourselves. While Easter is a joyful time and season, we realize that Easter didn’t happen without Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, when Jesus was betrayed, beaten, suffered, died, and was buried. He did all this, not to die a martyr’s death as a good but misunderstood man, but to die our death. He died to pay the full price for our sins. So during this time of Lent, we examine our lives, our sinful lives, and repent of our sins. We sorrow over them, knowing what Jesus had to go through for them, but we do not sorrow as those who have no hope.

We have hope! Jesus died to take those sins away. No one forced Him. He did it because He loves us. Because He loves you! The Father accepted Jesus’ sacrifice and proved it on Easter Sunday when Jesus rose from the dead. Jesus’ resurrection means that those who believe in Him will also rise on the last day, not to eternal damnation, but to eternal life with the Father.

In Christ,

Pastor Gullixson

“We want to note and learn from the example of our dear Lord Jesus Christ that every Christian as soon as he’s baptized, is marshaled into an army in confrontation with the devil, and from his baptism onward is saddled with the devil who harasses him as long as he lives. If this bitter enemy cannot by his onslaughts get the better of Christians and bring about their downfall, he seeks to hang them on the cross and kill them as he did Christ.

“All Christians face such attack, for the adversary never relents but continues to try to wrench us away from Christ and our baptism, by means of hunger or persecution, by worldly fame and wealth, or by heresy or false interpretation of Scriptures, so that we give way to despair and vain glory. If such tricks fail, the devil tries to get us by the throat and strangle us to death. We can learn from Christ’s encounter with Satan how to deal with and overcome this adversary, so that he’s forced to let us go. However, this happens only through true faith in God and his Word. Whoever thus arms himself properly will be able to withstand the devil; but whoever fails to do so will certainly be helpless against this deadly adversary….

“We must, therefore, gird ourselves well with God’s Word, in order to protect and sustain ourselves. May Christ, our dear Lord, who himself overcame these temptations for our good, give us also the strength through him to overcome and to be saved. Amen” (1534 Sermon for Invocavit Sunday—First Sunday in Lent).