Even though we’ll spend the majority of April rejoicing in our Lord’s resurrection, I’m not ready to go there just yet. With Holy Week still in front of us as you receive this April edition of the Zion Messenger, there’s far more yet to ponder on our Lord’s Passion.

Lent is about repentance. Paul Miller, our congregational president, has been visiting all of our boards. One of the things he challenged us to meditate upon is a portion of Psalm 51, a psalm about repentance. Mr. Miller focused on change. I’ve been taking that to heart, especially as I work through materials from the Doxology seminary I attended in January.

Repentance is most certainly a change of mind. But any kind of change whatsoever cannot happen apart from the mercy of God. So it was for David. He couldn’t pick up the pieces and be God’s man after that horrid offense against God with Bathsheba, certainly not apart from the mercy of God. So it is for you and for me.

I pray that this season of Lent has been a season of repentance for you. That means not only a focus on the seriousness of your sin, but on the incredible mercy of God. How has this Lenten season been a season of repentance for you? How has it been different for you than other times of the year? Has your devotional life increased? Did you give something up this season? If you did, I pray that it’s pointed you to the cross and reminded you of your greatest need, a need satisfied at Calvary, where sin and death were done for and life was one for the world, FOR YOU.

You have an opportunity for something different this year during Holy Week. Each weekday morning during Holy Week, a short devotional service of meditation and prayer will be offered at 7:15am in the sanctuary. Stop by on your way to work. Stop in as you drop off your children at school. Stop in and spend a few extra moments in meditation and prayer on our Lord’s Passion. The full Passion account will be read over the course of the week. Prayers will be offered. A hymn will be sung. That’s all, maybe fifteen or twenty minutes to bask in the mercy of God as each of us begins our day.

God’s mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:23). The prophet Jeremiah rejoiced to confess that, even in the midst of God’s dreadful judgment over Israel’s sin. This Holy Week watch God’s dreadful judgment fall upon His only-begotten Son in your place. Repent and receive His mercy!

Yours In Christ,

Pastor Fritsche