Turning Off the Noise

Following Jesus into the wilderness, this first week of Lent invites us to look at the "clutter" of noise and busyness that drowns out God’s voice. For many of us, the main thing getting in our way isn't a "big sin," but a thousand small distractions. We fill every quiet moment with our phones, music, social media, or endless "to-do" lists because silence can feel uncomfortable. This week, fast from the constant noise we use to stay distracted. By stepping back from the digital world or our hectic schedules, we create a space where we can actually hear what God is saying to us.

The goal would be a simple change of heart. By letting go of the need to stay "constantly busy," we realize how much we’ve been trying to do everything on our own without ever looking to God. Luther reminds us that faith is a living, daring confidence in God’s grace, a quiet trust in God’s love, but it’s hard to feel that trust when we never sit still. This week, as you clear your schedule or put down your phone, remember that you aren't just giving something up—you are making room to be found in the quiet by the God who loves you.

At the heart of Lent

On Ash Wednesday, Pastor Susan Climo welcomed us into the season of Lent with a reminder that it is about far more than simply giving up chocolate, or wine — or even both. Her words invited us to see Lent not as a checklist of sacrifices, but as an opportunity for intention. It is a season to examine what stands between us and a deeper relationship with God, and to gently lay those things aside.

In the Book of Joel 2, we hear the call to “return to the Lord your God.” That invitation captures the heart of Lent. It is not about outward deprivation for its own sake, but about turning — reorienting our hearts, habits, and attention back toward God. If we embrace Lent this way, it becomes less about what we are giving up and more about whom we are drawing near to.

May you have a blessed Lent as you turn to God.

Smeared in Sin, Washed in Love

With ash and soot we begin this Lenten season with confession; we begin with Psalm 51; we begin on our knees. Today this ancient prayer placed on our lips becomes new again: “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.” We speak our truths from the shadow of our sin, the very shadow that marks our mortality. Like ash traced upon our foreheads, we are marked with the reality of our frailties and failings. It is stark reminder that sin and death are smeared all over us. From this inevitable reality, we cry out for mercy! For as bold as it is to name our sin and sinful ways that lead to death, it is all the more audacious to summon our God! To summon the one who actually has the power to do something about sin and the ways of death! On this day of penitence, through the work and witness of Christ Jesus, we brashly summon God to come, to hear our prayer, and to listen to our confession.

  

So, with our truths laid bare, we confess our unfaithfulness to God, our lackluster love for our neighbors, our neglect of suffering and injustice in the world. In the same breath, we ask God to wash us, to purge us, and to create in us clean hearts. The smears of sin are washed clean through the love of Christ. And yet, we will leave worship this day still carrying the cross-shaped trace of sin and death upon us. It is a reminder that, even amid our confession, we continue this Lenten season to listen for the perpetual call to return to the Lord our God who is gracious and merciful, abounding in steadfast love (Joel 2:13).

Sundays&Seasons

The Work of Christmas Begins Now....

Reflecting the Grace of God

In sharp contrast to the image of Jacob, who wrestles with an angel and prevails, the Lord redeems Jacob from hands too strong for him. Jacob does not always prevail. We too are reminded that it is not our own strength but God’s power that blesses, strengthens, fills, gives, and grants peace. God has the power to bring together and to scatter. God creates family not because we are God’s blood relatives but through adoption. In baptism we are claimed, redeemed, and forgiven. We receive wisdom and are lavished with grace. We are marked with the seal of the Holy Spirit. We receive an inheritance. Through God’s powerful gift, we are gathered up, become children of God, and receive grace upon grace.

  

Receiving this gift of grace we are called to live as children of the light. In this holy calling we have John the Baptist as our guide. You can tell the story of Jesus leaving out all sorts of important details. In John’s gospel the shepherds, angels, and manger are all absent. But the gospel writers agree, you cannot tell the story of Jesus without John the Baptist. You simply must have the one who comes solely to point others to Jesus. This is our calling as well. We who are forgiven and redeemed, we who are claimed and called, are the ones who point to Jesus. We do this with our lives; we do this with our words. We point to Jesus when we feed the hungry, when we invite those we know and love to know the gift of grace we see in Jesus. We point to Jesus when we allow the holy light of the season to shine through all we do and all we are.

Theological Reflection

At Christmas we get a clue about the identity of the church. John the Baptist testified as a witness to the light (John 1:6-7). The resurrected Jesus later told the disciples that they were witnesses (Luke 24:48; Acts 1:8), and the early church claimed this identity (Acts 2:32, 10:39-41). Witnesses tell what they have seen.

Where do we continue to witness God’s illumination? How is being witnesses a core part of our being as the church? In what ways do we testify to God’s ongoing work in the world?

From Sundays & Seasons