"Everyday people living in, reaching out, and connecting others with Christ"
St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church of America 56381 National Road Bridgeport, Ohio 43912 (740) 635-2472
Worship Service 10:45am
During March we welcome the return of Spring (March 20th) and celebrate the return of the first flowers and plant growth that have been dull and silent for the winter. In a similar way, we will be welcoming the return of our Lenten journey to the celebration of the resurrection. As you take you journey through Lent, let me encourage you to choose one of the Gospel books as a source of meditation. If you aren’t sure which one to select, try the Gospel of Mark. The Gospel of Mark is a short little book. With just 16 chapters it gives what Bible scholars tell us is the earliest account of the life of Jesus—a brief life of 33 years. Yet, Jesus Christ changed the world, and still changes the lives of those who believe and learn to walk by faith in him. Part of that learning process is fostered by following the traditional practices of the disciples down through the centuries. This time of year, we set aside certain “ordinary” practices to draw our attention to the supernatural person of Christ and the life-giving changes we can experience through his life and love. Lent, which runs all through the month of March this year, is a time of practicing an ancient tradition—that of fasting and prayer. Most of us know what prayer is and use it often, but what is fasting and why should we fast, you may ask? The Britannica.com web site gives this information: fasting, abstinence from food or drink or both for health, ritualistic, religious, or ethical purposes. Fasting has been used therapeutically since at least the 5th century BCE, when Greek physician Hippocrates recommended abstinence from food or drink for patients who exhibited certain symptoms of illness. Reading the Old Testament reveals that fasting was practiced for thousands of years in the Israelite community. Our Christian tradition of fasting and prayer has been kept since the days of the first disciples. Mark’s gospel records a discussion Jesus had with the disciples of John the Baptist and the Pharisees on that very subject. 18 Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting, and people[a] came and said to him, “Why do John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” 19 Jesus said to them, “The wedding attendants cannot fast while the bridegroom is with them, can they? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. 20 The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast on that day. Jesus, the eternal bridegroom, is present with all those who profess him as their Lord and Savior. Like the long winter, we endure the days without our Lord’s physical presence until we meet we him in all his splendor in our eternal home in Heaven. Until then, let us practice those traditions of the faith that call our hearts and minds to a stronger sense of the eternal sacrifice he has made on our behalf. Enjoy your Spring!