It's that time of year again. Zion's annual sausage supper is two weeks away. Preparations are in full swing. Phone calls are made. Tasks are assigned. More and more work is done each day as "The Day" draws near. The great event is on the horizon. I can't wait!

So it is also in the Church. Easter is on the horizon. Can you believe that? But first preparations must be made. That’s where the Lenten season comes in. Lenten disciplines like increased fasting and prayer, prepare us for the great feast which is to come, this year on April 8th.

Here at Zion, we follow the Church"s historic one-year lectionary series, which eases us into the Lenten season by providing us three weeks of "Pre-Lent," or what we call the "Gesima" Sundays. The first Sunday of this month is "Septuagesima," which means about 70 days to Easter. We go from the mountaintop of our Lord's Transfiguration, where His glory shone brighter than the sun, down into the valley of humiliation on the way to Calvary.

You'll see a gradual descent toward the cross as we first say farewell to the "Alleluias" in the Divine service. Gradually other elements of praise will be omitted as we trudge onward into the penitential, more somber, season of Lent. Thankfully, it's not all somber, however. At the same time, we can't help but carry with us the joy of knowing where our Lord is headed, yes to the cross, but ultimately to an empty tomb, which means eternal life. We confess a Savior "who for us men and for our salvation, came down from heaven."

The Christian faith is unique in that God comes down to us. We need not ascend to Him through works or mysticism. Our Lenten disciplines earn us nothing. They simply enable us to ponder and meditate upon our Lord's Passion more fully in the freedom of the Gospel. In fact, Septuagesima will remind us of the Father's lavish generosity. What a way to begin our descent on this journey following our Lord.

Easter is about seventy days away. Preparations are being made. Our Lord has come down from heaven to save us. He comes down even now to serve us with His Word, with His body and blood in the Sacrament. Even now there is feasting. The Great Event is on the horizon. I can't wait! A blessed "Pre-Lent" to you all!