Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

            Although I wouldn’t exactly say that I am excited for Lent, I am really looking forward to it this year.  Rev. Jon Bendewald approached me about doing a series on the Tabernacle and how it points to Jesus, and he has already put many hours into planning.  He is doing me a huge favor, but when I’ve talked to him, he almost makes me think that I am doing him the favor.  He is so excited and has had so many creative ideas.  Many of you have already been put to work building/sewing/making different props and other visuals.  You aren’t going to want to miss these Wednesday evening services!  Jesus is our Tabernacle, and He is a shelter like no other!

            I couldn’t let Pastor Bendewald have all the fun though, so I decided to also do a series on Sunday morning that will be called, Savior, Servant, Friend.  We will explore some of the extraordinary attributes and actions of our Lord.  Here is a quick overview of the series.  For the first Sunday in Lent, we will look at Jesus as our Healer.  Through word and song, we will remember that Jesus heals us of the sickness of our sin through his death on the cross and makes us well again in our very souls.  For week two, Jesus is our Listener who listens to us like no other and answers all our questions and concerns.  For week three, Jesus is our Encourager who encourages us in our faith, so we live our lives for him.  For week four, Jesus is our Protector who protects us from the devil and from danger and keeps us safe in Him.  For week five, Jesus is our Comforter who comforts us in struggles and sorrows so that we find rest in his promises.  Then, that will bring us to Palm Sunday and Holy Week where we will look to Jesus as our King, Servant, Savior, and Redeemer. 

            To kick off this series, though, I have one for you now.  Jesus is our Forgiver.  Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, and it is our tradition to put ashes on our foreheads in the shape of the cross.  From my perspective, this task is a bit messy.  I tend to get the ashes everywhere.  But, maybe that is part of the point—the ashes are messy because our lives are messy.  Sin makes messes out of our relationships and these are not pretty.  It is hard to imagine that our God would want to get His hands dirty and enter our mess.  But this is exactly what He does!  What a friend we have in Jesus!  There is no mess too messy for Him.  He comes to you and claims your mess as His own and cleans it up the only way it can be cleaned—washed in His blood shed on the cross.  Jesus forgives us our sins cleansing us from all unrighteousness.  How refreshing is it to know that you are not left to clean up your own mess!  You have a friend who loves you and cleans it up for you. 

            I hope that you join us on Wednesdays and Sundays this Lenten Season.  Jesus is our Tabernacle—A shelter like no other, and He is our Savior, Servant, and Friend!