The repentant sinner rejoices at being found in the loving embrace of the Father’s full, free, and “foolish” forgiveness. Even though our sin should separate us from the family of God, he welcomes us back into the family with the full rights sons. To the self-righteous, this seems foolish, even offensive. But for the loving Father this is cause for celebration. Historically, the Fourth Sunday in Lent has been called Laetare Sunday. “Laetare” is Latin for, “rejoice,” and is the first word in the Introit, This Sunday has been viewed as a sort of respite from the sorrowful season of Lent. This Sunday also marks the halfway point to Good Friday, and is the first time Jerusalem is mentioned in the Divine Service during Lent. We can see the end of Jesus’ time on earth approaching as we near Jerusalem.
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At its heart, our Lenten journey must be one of Spirit-wrought repentance. Here is the Lenten invitation: turn from sin fully confident of the Lord’s deliverance. The Lord had delivered his people in spectacular fashion. Israel had every reason to trust whole-heartedly in his promises, relying on their rock, the Christ. Yet so many served their own bodies, even seeking the favor of other false gods. Let Israel’s example serve as warning. Turn from temptation, leave sin behind, trust in the Lord’s faithfulness to forgive, bear abundant fruit, and follow the Way out of this world to eternal life.
Jeremiah was rejected because he did not tell the people what they wanted to hear. Though threatened with death, he was resolute in his mission and faithfully proclaimed the Word of the Lord. Paul contrasts the journey through life of those who are enemies of the cross of Christ and those who embrace it. Even though he was rejected by many, the Christ was resolute on his journey to redeem us. He would not be intimidated by Pharisaical lies or enemies of the cross. He would press on toward his goal to redeem humankind from the violence of sin, gathering the elect beneath his eternal wings. Notice the invitation to repentance and mercy by the Lord of free and faithful grace that follows Jeremiah’s wake-up call. But it was a call that fell on many deaf ears. Whether we like it or not, our Lord speaks to us, today. Yet, despite a call to repentance, our focus remains on the message of the cross. It is only in Jesus that we can find strength to be resolute on our journey to follow him.
Each of us battles with temptation every day, and the results are too obvious to mention. Christ was no stranger to temptation, either. He battled, yet was without sin...for us and for our eternal righteousness. This message of victory gives us confidence as we journey through the wilderness of sin in true repentance.
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