The Bethany Bullet Sermon Message - Week of March 3, 2019

“Our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, when he said, ‘Repent’ he willed the entire life of believers be one of repentance.” This is the first of Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses. When the Reformers addressed this in truth in the Augsburg Confession they wrote, “Repentance consists of contrition and faith.” The Reformers understood contrition to be terror on account of our sins and sorrow over our sins; while faith they understood to be complete confidence that by God’s grace, for Christ’s sake, sins are forgiven.

In his preface to the Lenten Devotional The Sinner/Saint, Daniel Emery Price reflects upon how the parable of Jesus recorded in Luke 15 is a beautiful picture of “repentance.” “Contrition is the Prodigal’s return, and          Absolution is the Father’s response.”  He continues, “The prodigal was only half right. Repentance doesn’t look like cutting a deal with your Father to work off your sins, but it does look like going home.” “Grace gives each Prodigal every reason to believe the good news that he is forgiven.”

This Lenten Season both our Sunday morning proclamation and our Wednesday evening reflections will flow from and focus upon the themes for the day presented in the Lenten Devotional, The Sinner/Saint.  We invite you to pick up a copy of this devotional for your daily devotions at home this penitential season.  For this work reminds us that, “There is no repentance apart from Christ.  There is no Lent apart from His suffering on our behalf.  There is no hope apart from His righteousness gifted to us.  Dear Sinner/Saint, prepare to be told to go home to your forgiving Father over and over” this Lenten Season. Copies can be obtained through Amazon and there is also a Kindle version. Click HERE for the link to order this devotional.

Our Midweek Lenten worship opportunities this year will be offered on TWO campuses. The same text and theme for the day from The Sinner/Saint will be used. At 12:00 noon on the campus of The Gathering Lutheran Church (in Long Beach on Atlantic and 10^th) we will have a short service of the Word followed by coffee and conversation. At 7:00PM in the gym here at Bethany Lutheran Church (BLC) we will have a service that will include corporate singing, prayers, confessions and meditation with a short time of group reflection and conversation on the text; this will be preceded by soup supper starting at 5:30PM.

Ash Wednesday worship opportunities will be on Bethany’s campus at 9:00AM (school chapel), 4:00PM and 7:00PM in the gym and at The Gathering at noon. Maundy Thursday worship will take place at The Gathering at 12:00 noon and Bethany at 7:00PM. Good Friday worship will take place at Bethany at 10:00AM and 7:00PM and The Gathering at 12:00 noon.

 -Pr. Kevin Kritzer