Zion's Messenger

Volume 11 Issue 3
March 2006




Some Thoughts About the Cross and Lent


    Mark 8:31, NKJV - “And Jesus began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again”

     Thirty three years had passed since the birth of the Lord Jesus. The fullness of time was coming, the time for God’s own Atonement through the sacrifice of God the Son on the cross of Calvary. In the days before His crucifixion, Jesus spent time with His disciples in a number of places, talking about what was going to happen. They didn’t get it. In fact, Peter told Jesus to get it out of His head. It was at that point that Jesus told Peter, “Get thee behind me, Satan!” You see, the Redeemer Jesus Christ saw the cross as the center of His ministry, the goal that would free mankind from its bondage to sin.

     You and I need to look to the cross. The cross should be our focus during Lent as we look at the cross from various places that were important during Holy Week. Following a light “soup and sandwich” supper at 6:00 PM on each Wednesday evening during Lent, we will have an opportunity to worship in a brief Service of Lenten Vespers at 7:00 PM where we will direct our hearts to Jesus’ Lenten journey. Beginning with Ash Wednesday, March 1, we will journey on these Wednesdays through the “Priestly Work Spaces” (3/1), the “Upper Room” (3/8), the “Temple Treasury” (3/15), “Solomon’s Porch” (3/22), “Caiaphas’ House” (3/29), and the “House of Simon the Leper” (4/5). On Maundy Thursday, a meditation on the “Garden of Gethsemene” (4/13) will conclude our Midweek Lenten Vespers. A Tenebrae Service on Good Friday will be Zion’s final Lenten observance at 7:00 PM, April 14.

     Each Lenten meditation will connect us to the cross! Do you realize how central the cross is to Lutheran understanding of Jesus' role in the spiritual history of the world? If you look at our stained glass window over Zion’s altar, you will see “Luther’s Seal” with the cross at its very center. Perhaps this is a good time to review what Luther had to say about this seal to Lazarus Spengler in his letter of July 8, 1530 (Amy Marga, Translator, from “Luthers Siegel: Eine elementare Deutung seiner Theologie,” in Luther 67 (1996):6687).

     “Grace and peace from the Lord,” Luther writes. “As you desire to know whether my painted seal, which you sent to me, has hit the mark, I shall answer most amiably and tell you my original thoughts and reason about why my seal is a symbol of my theology. The first should be a black cross in a heart, which retains its natural color, so that I myself would be reminded that faith in the Crucified saves us. ‘For one who believes from the heart will be justified’ (Rom. 10:10). Although it is indeed a black cross, which mortifies and which should also cause pain, it leaves the heart in its natural color. It does not corrupt nature, that is, it does not kill but keeps alive. ‘The just shall live by faith’ (Rom. 1:17) but by faith in the crucified. Such a heart should stand in the middle of a white rose, to show that faith gives joy, comfort, and peace.

     “In other words, it places the believer into a white, joyous rose, for this faith does not give peace and joy like the world gives (John 14:27). That is why the rose should be white and not red, for white is the color of the spirits and the angels (cf. Matthew 28:3; John 20:12). Such a rose should stand in a sky-blue field, symbolizing that such joy in spirit and faith is a beginning of the heavenly future joy, which begins already, but is grasped in hope, not yet revealed. And around this field is a golden ring, symbolizing that such blessedness in Heaven lasts forever and has no end. Such blessedness is exquisite, beyond all joy and goods, just as gold is the most valuable, most precious and best metal. This is my compendium theoligae. I have wanted to show it to you in good friendship, hoping for your appreciation.”

     Then Luther with his pastor's heart shares the prayer that each of us have for others in the faith, “May Christ, our beloved Lord, be with your spirit until the life hereafter. Amen.”

     Hope to see you at supper time and for Vespers this Lent on Wednesdays. May God bless you as you spend time with Him during this Holy Season of Lent.

~Pastor Dave



Special Services During Lent
  • March 1, Ash Wednesday
    • Soup and Sandwich Supper 6:00 PM
    • Meditation “Priestly Work Spaces” 7:00 PM

  • March 8
    • Soup and Sandwich Supper 6:00 PM
    • Meditation “Upper Room” 7:00 PM

  • March 15
    • Soup and Sandwich Supper 6:00 PM
    • Meditation “Temple Treasury” 7:00 PM

  • March 22
    • Soup and Sandwich Supper 6:00 PM
    • Meditation “Solomon’s Porch” 7:00 PM

  • March 29
    • Soup and Sandwich Supper 6:00 PM
    • Meditation “Caiaphas’ House” 7:00 PM

  • April 5
    • Soup and Sandwich Supper 6:00 PM
    • Meditation “House of Simon the Leper” 7:00 PM

  • April 13, Maundy Thursday
    • Meditation “Garden of Gethsemene” 7:00 PM

  • April 14, Good Friday
    • Tenebrae Service 7:00 PM





“I am the light....”

~John 8:12



God Sent an Email

     One day God was looking down at Earth and saw all of the rascally behavior that was going on. So he called one of His angels and sent the angel to Earth for a time.

     When he returned, he told God, "Yes, it is bad on Earth; 95 percent are misbehaving and only 5 percent are not."

     God thought for a moment and said, "Maybe I had better send down a second angel to get another opinion." So God called another angel and sent him to Earth for a time too.

     When the angel returned he went to God and said, "Yes, it's true. The Earth is in decline; 95 percent are misbehaving, but 5 percent are being good."

     God was not pleased. So He decided to e-mail the 5% who were being good, because He wanted to encourage them, give them a little something to help them keep going.

     Do you know what the e-mail said?

     Okay, I was just wondering; I didn't get one either...


Baldwin's South Gideon Camp
Alive and Well

     The Baldwin South Gideon Camp hosted pastors and church representatives from South Baldwin at its annual "Pastor's Appreciation Dinner" on February 21, 2006. Zion's own Gideon and Auxiliary, Mack and Linda Gibbs, welcomed Cindi and Pastor Dave Johnson and Martha and Charlie Canning to the affair.


     Mack Gibbs greets Charlie and Martha Canning, and Cindi Johnson, while Pastor Dave Johnson takes their photo.

     Miss Linda was charged with developing an Exhibit relating to the Gideon's Bible Distribution program in Mexico. It was displayed prominently along the west wall of the Foley Civic Center where the event was held. (The Gideon Faith Fund Offering collected from Gideons at the event, was dedicated to the Mexican project.)



        Linda and Mack Gibbs view the Mexican Gideon Faith Offering Display prepared by Miss Linda.

     There were a number of highlights for the evening program. Gideon Dewey Jackson, familiar to Zion members because of his Gideon Reports to our congregation, gave the invocation for the evening. Martha Hawkins of Montgomery shared events leading to her receiving Jesus Christ into her life and His giving her a vision for her "Martha's" restaurant, noting that "God put me into a position where I had to believe." Tennessee Gideon Montie Matlock talked about vision as well and opportunities for sharing God's Word in the Gideon ministry, noting that "vision ... results from absorbing the facts. ... It's a call from God to do. God has provided a variety of visions which He wrote in a Book." He was speaking of God's Word, of course, the Holy Bible.

     Zion church member, Gideon Camp Scripture Chairman Mack Gibbs, concluded this program of song, Scripture, and speakers, with a prayer and benediction.



Temperance

     A minister was completing a temperance sermon. With great emphasis he said, "If I had all the beer in the world, I'd take it and pour it into the river."

     With even greater emphasis he said, "And if I had all the wine in the world, I'd take it and pour it into the river."

     And then finally, shaking his fist in the air, he said, "And if I had all the whiskey in the world, I'd take it and pour it into the river."

     Sermon complete, he sat down.

     The song leader stood very cautiously and announced with a smile, nearly laughing, "For our closing song, let us sing Hymn #365, "Shall We Gather at the River."