Lent - Rethinking Religion
Everyone has assumptions about God. Likewise, everyone has assumptions about religion. Increasingly, those assumptions are negative. Americans are walking away from Christianity in breathtaking numbers. It raises the question. How do those people know if their assumptions about religion are correct?
Good Friday Tenebrae Service
March 29, 2024 • Pastor Greg Stenzel • John 19:17–30
RETHINKING SACRIFICE In most religions the gods demand sacrifice. Followers are to surrender something of value to that god. Money. Time. Possessions. Some religions have even called for human sacrifice. Even people who think they aren’t religious sacrifice to false gods. Take the man whose idol is success. What he wants most is to rise through the ranks at work. So, to pursue that idol, he sacrifices his family, spending little time with them. Throughout human history, false gods have expected you to die for them. In Christianity you meet a God willing to die for you. Today we see that the true God does not make our relationship with him conditional on how much we sacrifice for him. Instead, we are at peace with God because he sacrificed himself for us. It is one reason why we call it “Good Friday.”
Maundy Thursday Divine Service
March 28, 2024 • Pastor Greg Stenzel • 1 Corinthians 10:16–17
RETHINKING OUR APPETITES We use the word “appetite” to describe a powerful desire for something. So, what is it you crave the most? Where does your mind go in those quiet moments? What do you want? Power? What do you dream about? Prestige? For what do you hunger? Pleasure? Are our appetites healthy? A truly healthy appetite is one that aligns with our deepest needs: forgiveness, salvation, communion with God, loving relationships with others. The believer is ravenous for such things! And all of those blessings are on the menu of the Lord’s Supper. Some view Holy Communion as just a religious ritual. Far from it! In this meal, Christ satisfies our greatest appetites.
Palm Sunday
March 24, 2024 • Pastor Greg Stenzel • Philippians 2:5–11
RETHINKING REAL STRENGTH In the Epistle reading this morning St. Paul is urging us to “Be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind” (https://ref.ly/logosref/bible$2bnasb95.71.2.2). Paul is talking about an attitude of humility. We are sometimes concerned about the lack of this attitude in ourselves and in others. God through Paul indicated that He wants the Philippians and us to have AN ATTITUDE OF HUMILITY.
Fifth Sunday in Lent
March 17, 2024 • Pastor Greg Stenzel • Hebrews 5:7–9
RETHINKING DEVOTED COMMITMENT Religious sociologists sometimes divide Christians into two groups: “committed Christians” and “cultural Christians”. The former are usually defined as those who are active in a congregation, who pray regularly, who read Scripture, etc. The latter are those individuals who call themselves Christian and perhaps have some Christian beliefs. Yet, they do not strive to live a Christian life. They are not interested in church involvement. Those definitions are interesting when trying to understand shifts in American Christianity. However, they demonstrate a false assumption about the Christian religion. There is indeed a devoted commitment at the center of Christianity, but it is not about man’s commitment to God. Even believers will at times demonstrate lukewarm commitment at best. Instead, at the heart of Christianity we find God’s devotion and commitment to us. It is a devoted commitment so strong that it put God on the cross where He suffered for you, me, and the world.
Fourth Sunday in Lent
March 10, 2024 • Pastor Greg Stenzel • Numbers 21:4–9, John 3:14–21, Ephesians 2:1–10
THE ANTIDOTE FOR ALL Rethinking the Solution to Sin While not every religion uses the word “sin,” they all embrace the concept. Every religion acknowledges that mankind’s flawed attitudes or misguided actions are a source of pain, both now and potentially in eternity. So, every religion offers a solution: a set of laws, a moral code, or a path to more enlightened behavior. What do they have in common? We are to solve sin through human effort. Be better! Try harder! This is the heart of every false religion. Those who correctly understand they will never overcome their sin are crushed by guilt. Those who ludicrously believe they have defeated their sin are killed by pride. True religion offers a better way—one that frees us from guilt and has no room for pride. Jesus teaches that the solution to our sin is not to work harder. It is to trust in the work he has done for us. Salvation comes through Spirit-wrought faith in Christ, The Antidote for All.
Third Sunday in Lent
March 3, 2024 • Pastor Greg Stenzel • John 2:13–22
RETHINKING RELIGION "IN JESUS' CLEANSING THE TEMPLE, WE SEE CHRIST'S ZEAL REVEALED." Person A never attends worship. He can’t see the point. Person B attends every week out of a slavish sense of obligation. Her mind wanders during the services, for she views the activities of worship merely as tasks for her to complete. Who is worse off? Rather than debating the point, let us just admit neither understand why we gather for worship. And that is exactly what Satan wants. And so, the zeal of Christ is revealed in his Passover, his person, and his power to save us. As a result, we, the Church of God, his temple in the world, are called to be a people zealous for good works (Titus 2:14).
Second Sunday in Lent
February 25, 2024 • Pastor Greg Stenzel • Mark 8:31–38
Today our theme is: “Rethinking Suffering Under the Cross,” the next installment in our “Rethinking Religion” series. We know suffering and the cross was an instrument of torture and execution, which our Lord endured this for our salvation. However, Scripture also uses the term “cross” to refer to any suffering that one endures because he is a believer: the painful denial of the desires of the flesh; ridicule and persecution from unbelievers; etc. This is one reason people reject religion. They see Christians struggling in life with these crosses, while non-Christians often seem perfectly happy. Even the prophet Jeremiah asked, “Why do all the faithless live at ease?” (12:1). Jesus asks us to rethink suffering under the cross, because any suffering believers face under the cross is only good, the way Christ connects us tightly to himself with fire-tested faith.
First Sunday in Lent
February 18, 2024 • Pastor Greg Stenzel • Mark 1:12–15
“If God loves us, why doesn’t he remove all the trials, tests, and temptations we face?” That question demonstrates the religious assumption that those things are bad. They aren’t. In the hands of a loving God, they are tools by which he refines our faith. He uses tests to compel us to be less self-reliant and instead trust his strength. He uses trials to teach us that this broken world is not our true home. God even takes Satan’s temptations and uses them for our good. Trials, tests, and temptations are not exceptions to God’s love. That’s a false assumption! These are examples of God’s love. The proof is that God allowed his beloved Son Jesus to face trials and temptations so that he might be our perfect savior and substitute.
Ash Wednesday
February 14, 2024 • Pastor Greg Stenzel • Luke 12:13–21
Down from the Mount of Transfiguration, Jesus has his sights set on the cross. As we enter the season of Lent, we see the cosmic battle between Jesus and the devil. Ash Wednesday demonstrates the urgency of the battle for us. This battle is now. The Sundays in Lent will show us the battle from every angle as Jesus overcomes Satan. But on Ash Wednesday, God’s Word calls us to pay attention to this battle now. After all, it’s easy to get complacent. Just ask the believers in Sardis (Second Reading) who were acting the part, but Jesus knew their hearts. Ask the Israelites Joel addressed who needed to rend their hearts and not their garments (First Reading). Ask the farmer in the Gospel who was richly blessed and never once considered what was more important than earthly pleasure. Ask the face in the mirror. Ash Wednesday demands we consider what is truly important before it is too late. See the sense of urgency in all our readings. The rich man’s life was taken that night. The Lord demanded his people return to him “even now” (https://ref.ly/logosref/bible$2bnasb95.29.2.12). Jesus told those in Sardis to “Wake up!” or He would come like a thief (https://ref.ly/logosref/bible$2bnasb95.87.3.2). We need Ash Wednesday's reminder that this world’s distractions are empty, and we are dust because of our sin. Let’s turn to our Savior in repentance now.