P Dear brothers and sisters of our Lord Jesus Christ, on this day the Church begins a holy season of prayerful and penitential reflection. Our attention is especially directed to the holy sufferings and death of our Lord Jesus Christ.
From ancient times the season of Lent has been kept as a time of special devotion, self-denial, and humble repentance born of a faithful heart that dwells confidently on His Word and draws from it life and hope.
Let us pray that our dear Father in heaven, for the sake of His beloved Son and in the power of His Holy Spirit, might richly bless this Lententide for us so that we may come to Easter with glad hearts and keep the feast in sincerity and truth.
P O God, You desire not the death of sinners, but rather that they turn from their wickedness and live. We implore You to have compassion on the frailty of our mortal nature, for we acknowledge that we are dust and to dust we shall return. Mercifully pardon our sins that we may obtain the promises You have laid up for those who are repentant; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
C Amen.
608 LORD, TO YOU I MAKE CONFESSION
1 Lord, to You I make confession:
I have sinned and gone astray,
I have multiplied transgression,
Chosen for myself my way.
Led by You to see my errors,
Lord, I tremble at Your terrors.
2 Yet, though conscience’ voice appall me,
Father, I will seek Your face;
Though Your child I dare not call me,
Yet receive me in Your grace.
Do not for my sins forsake me;
Let Your wrath not overtake me.
3 For Your Son has suffered for me,
Giv’n Himself to rescue me,
Died to save me and restore me,
Reconciled and set me free.
Jesus’ cross alone can vanquish
These dark fears and soothe this anguish.
4 Lord, on You I cast my burden—
Sink it in the deepest sea!
Let me know Your gracious pardon,
Cleanse me from iniquity.
Let Your Spirit leave me never;
Make me only Yours forever.
Text: Public domain
OLD TESTAMENT READING Jonah 3:1–10
1Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2“Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.” 3So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days’ journey in breadth. 4Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” 5And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.
6The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. 7And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, 8but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. 9Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.”
10When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.
A This is the Word of the Lord.
C Thanks be to God.
PSALM 51
1Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
2Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin!
3For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
4Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you may be justified in your words
and blameless in your judgment.
5Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
and in sin did my mother conceive me.
6Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,
and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.
7Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
9Hide your face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.
10Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
11Cast me not away from your presence,
and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
12Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit.
13Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will return to you.
HOLY GOSPEL
P The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew, the sixth chapter.
C Glory to You, O Lord.
16[Jesus said:] “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
19“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
P This is the Gospel of the Lord.
C Praise to You, O Christ.
SERMON
Jonah 3:5 And the people of Nineveh believed God.
Jonah did not see that coming. It wasn’t what Jonah expected. The people of Ninevah repented of their sins and believed God, because of the message Jonah preached to them. That’s not the way the preacher expected it all to go down.
He had been sent to the city of Ninevah to preach a warning from the Lord. He was sure they wouldn’t hear it. He was sure they’d say “No. We’re right. You’re wrong.” He was so sure that they wouldn’t admit their wrongs, it scared him to preach repentance to them. This was the second time, God had told him to go to Ninevah. The first time, he refused. He went the opposite way from Ninevah, catching a ride on a sailing ship out into the Mediterranean Sea. The Lord sent a terrific storm, Jonah was thrown overboard, swallowed by a great fish. . . you know the story. And now Jonah is reluctantly ready to go to Ninevah as he is told. And the people there, who, in his mind, were so frightening, so evil, he feared them more than he feared God. . . these people repented. They recognized their own sins. They sought mercy and redemption from God on high. Unexpected.
Repentance is not an easy or comfortable thing to do. It is actually rather uncommon for a person to admit fault and be truly sorry. People are often too prideful. Protecting our egos we say “I’m not wrong, you’re wrong!” Arrogance at its worst allows humanity to say to God himself, “I’m not wrong, you’re wrong!” For true repentance it takes a miracle. It takes some help from beyond ourselves. In Romans 2 we are told, “God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance”.
God was incredibly kind to the people of Ninevah. He sent them a message by Jonah, giving them a chance. And they heard it. They repented and then they waited, “Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish” (Jonah 3:9). And so God did.
The catechism teaches us to say, “Confession has two parts. First, that we confess our sins, and second, that we receive absolution, that is, forgiveness, from the pastor as from God Himself, not doubting, but firmly believing that by it our sins are forgiven before God in heaven.”
There was a pattern and example of this in Ninevah of old. Two parts: they repented and they heard the absolution from God.
No, repentance is not easy, not comfortable. But when we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8-9).
Lent is a season of repentance for the Christian Church. And with repentance the full understanding, the true glory of the cross of our Lord Jesus is revealed. Those who don’t repent, those who don’t care about the seriousness of their sinfulness, look at Jesus and wonder, “Why did he go to such bother?”
But the contrite in heart seek help from the Lord and are just completely amazed and overwhelmed. Expecting only the Lord’s dipleasure and wrath, they find grace, love and forgiveness at the cross of Jesus. “Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.” You know, that’s what Jesus has done for you. Because of Jesus God turns. God puts aside his anger. God decides not to let you perish.
Though great our sins, yet greater still
Is God’s abundant favor;
His hand of mercy never will
Abandon us, nor waver.
Our shepherd good and true is He,
Who will at last His Israel free
From all their sin and sorrow. (LSB, #607, verse 5)
Amen.
Apostles’ CREED
PRAYER OF THE CHURCH
P Let us pray:
Blessed are you, O Lord, and blessed by Your Name forever and ever. Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the victory, and the majesty. Yours, O Lord, are heaven and earth, and you are God over all. Holy are you and righteous in all your works. You love righteousness and hate iniquity, and have commanded a just consequence for all transgression. You have declared the decree: The wages of sin is death; and if you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, who of us can stand? There is not that does good; and our righteousness is an unclean thing. But there is forgiveness with you, that you may be feared.
So, O heavenly Father, we acknowledge our transgression; and our sins are ever before us. The good that we would do, we do not; and the evil which we would not, we have done. We have transgressed your holy Word. In thought, word, and deed, that which was good we have corrupted; and in that which was wicked we have found pleasure. We have disdained the pure and loved the evil. The holiest joys and happiness that you have granted to us, O God, we have marred by our disobedience. We have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and are unworthy to be your children.
We come before you, humbly trusting in your promise that if we confess our sins, you are faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. We plead the merits of your only-begotten Son who calls sinners to repentance. For the sake of his innocent sufferings and death, pardon us. Wash us in his precious blood from our iniquity, and free us from our sin. Turn us from our transgression. Save us from our folly. Deliver us from our wilfulness. By your Spirit lead us from the arid, fruitless deserts of our lives to the grace of our Lord Jesus, like a stream of living water. Refresh our souls in him and restore to us the comfort of his cross wherein you have reconciled us to yourself.
Shower your blessing upon your church. Endow her with every grace and let her flourish in every land in true faith and good works.
Look with favor upon our nation and crown it with virtue and godliness. Cleans it of iniquity, and turn it to righteousness. Strengthen and upheld all in authority, and bind us together in justice and freedom.
Give us strong, pleasant homes, where, in all our common tasks, each one serves you and all is done to your glory.
For all who seek your mercy and help, the sick and the aged, the lonely and the weary, the disheartened and the discouraged, we pray. Supply all their need according your riches in Christ Jesus, and grant them a joyful issue out of all their trials.
Grant all here assembled, in person and at a distance, who have brought the sacrifices of broken spirits and contrite hearts, the fullness of your mercy in the saving knowledge of our dear Redeemer, Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray all these things.
C Amen.
LORD’S PRAYER
P Lord, remember us in Your kingdom and teach us to pray:
C Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be Thy name,
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done on earth
as it is in heaven;
give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those
who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the kingdom
and the power and the glory
forever and ever. Amen.
BENEDICTION
P The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you.
The Lord look upon you with favor and T give you peace.
C Amen.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Created by Lutheran Service Builder © 2021 Concordia Publishing House.
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