In the name of the Father and + of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

O God, You desire not the death of sinners, but rather that we turn from our wickedness and live. Graciously behold Your people, the church on earth, who plead to You and spare us.   Withdraw the scourge of Your wrath and be moved in mercy to turn away this pestilence from us and restore jobs, livelihood, civil liberties, and health as daily bread and protect us from evil and oppression; for the sake of Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen.

PSALM 91

Fifth Sunday in Lent

Scripture Readings: Ezekiel 37:1-14; Romans 8:1-11; and John 11:1-45

Collect of the Day: Almighty God, by Your great goodness mercifully look upon Your people that we may be governed and preserved evermore in body and soul; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and The Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Hymns: 449, 420, 907 and 760 – Lutheran Service Book.

If you wish for Pastor Frahm to stop by your home for Holy Communion or if you wish to stop by church for a personal or household Holy Communion service, please contact Pastor Frahm at 715-904-0642 (you can also text this number) or email:  chemnitzian@gmail.com.   This will be a somewhat abbreviated spoken Divine Service.

OUR CALLING TO PRAY FOR OTHERS AND GIVE THANKS

FOR GOD’S BLESSINGS OF BODY AND SOUL

Members: Maxine Dominkowski, Mary Lenaas, Cliff Markuson, John Sitkiewitz, Debbie Stough, Dan Riegelman.

Relatives and Friends of Trinity Members: Mike and Kay Douglas, Barb Johnson, Clara Mullen, Pat Primdahl, Peggy Sherman, Tamara Trouten, and Paula Ullrich.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, all worship services and church programs at Trinity Lutheran Church are cancelled until further notice. Please check Trinity’s website and Facebook Page for updates as to when divine services will resume. Contact Pastor Frahm if you want to be added to weekly email distributions of Pastor’s sermons and Trinity News & Notes during this interim period. Parishioners are asked to drop off or mail in their offerings in this interim period. The church’s mailing address is P.O. Box 24, Boulder Junction, WI 54512-0024.

Lutherans for Life – Life-Thought: Life issues like surprise pregnancy and terminal diagnosis cast long shadows. Sometimes our mortal eyes behold despair and death in such circumstances. But our Lord Jesus loves nothing more than lost causes (Ezekiel 37:5-6). He walks hope into the darkest valley, and where our resolve ends, His resurrection begins. Trusting His presence and promise and power takes hold of a life not even crisis or cancer can touch (John 11:25).

To pass along news and notes for the weekly bulletin, please email office administrator Eric Johnson at trinityboulderjct@icloud.com by a Tuesday, 5 p.m. deadline for the following Sunday’s bulletin.

The study of God’s Word is very important, but the problem for many people is time. Here’s an easy way to study God’s Word in 2020. Listen to Lutheran talk and Lutheran music 24/7 during your commute, your housework, your exercise routine or in your free time with the Lutheran Public Radio mobile app, available for download at https://subsplash.com/lutheranpublicradioissuesetc/app.

Another great online resource is Lutheran Ministries Media’s website at worshipanew.org. Lutheran Ministries Media, Inc. produces a weekly, 30-minute Lutheran broadcast worship service called Worship Anew on DirecTV Channel 377 on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. Each service includes music, scripture readings, prayers, and a pastor delivering a message that is designed to feel one-on-one to the viewer. Each program is closed-captioned for the hearing impaired.s

Easter Lily orders have been cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Tony Evers’ 3/24-4/24 stay-at-home order, and the cancellation of worship services at Trinity until further notice.

Birthdays, Anniversaries, and Other Celebrations

Birthday Wishes & God’s Blessings to Julie Schuenemann on April 3rd.

 Anniversary Wishes & God’s Blessings to all those who are celebrating wedded years as God brought them together as man and wife.

April is the month that the Community Food Pantry of Boulder Junction looks to Trinity Lutheran Church for donations. The April donation theme focuses on personal supplies including deodorant, hand cream, feminine hygiene products, toothbrushes, toothpaste, floss, lip protectant, and mouthwash. The Community Food Pantry serves western Vilas County. Please place your donations in the collection basket in the Narthex.

Among the many worship resources available is the Lutheran Hour radio program (www.lhm.org) heard on Sundays at 8:30 a.m. on WJMS-AM 590 and WJMS-FM 92.1, and Sundays at 10 a.m. on WRVM-FM at 103.9, 106.3 and 107.1.   For those who especially are not internet savvy or would rather stay off the computer try the Lutheran Hour or WorshipAnew on DirecTV.

The Boulder Junction Community Center and the Boulder Junction Public Library, 5392 Park Street, will be closed to the public until further notice. In-person voting and voter registration will be available by appointment, Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.  Please call the town office at 715-385-2220 to request an appointment. Absentee ballots may also be requested online at https://myvote.wi.gov/en-us/VoteAbsentee.  Absentee ballot applicatons will also be available at the Community Center right outside the front door in a gray mailbox at 5392 Park Street, Boulder Junction, WI 54512.  Applications may be left in the Community Center drop box or emailed to clerk@townofboulderjuction.org.  A copy or photo of a valid ID will need to accompany the application.

Coontail Market is rolling out a delivery service for those in need in our area, as the health of our small community is of the utmost importance. Coontail Market is expanding its services to include Curbside and Home Delivery for our elderly and those with health conditions as an aid for crucial, recommended distancing efforts. The Home Delivery service will be offered within a 15 mile radius of our Boulder Junction location at no cost to customers for a minimum order of $25. Coontail staff will leave all Home Delivery orders at the customer’s doorstep, eliminating close personal interaction. All orders must be paid for with a check at time of pick-up or via credit card over the phone. Note: Alcohol, lottery and cigarettes will not be available for this service. Coontail Market will do its best to fulfill orders, but in this time of high demand some items or brands may not be in stock at the time of your order. You can place your Curbside or Home Delivery via phone at 715-203-4702 or 866-375-2628 Ext. 312. You will receive a voicemail message, which prompts you to leave your name and number. A Coontail Market employee will follow up with you within the hour (between the hours of 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.) to place your order and to provide you with your delivery time-frame. All calls received after 4 p.m. will be returned on the next business day. Please check Coontail Market social media pages for real time updates.

Also note Trig’s and Save More in Minocqua also offer delivery services for those who live closer in that direction.

 

For those of you who have such devices as an iPhone, iPad, or and Android Based smart phone or Android based tablet you can purchase a very helpful and easy to use devotional resource for home that provides readings and other resources within a short prayer order that is closely connected with our hymnal, Lutheran Service Book (order one here for home use).   And it helps you keep tied in to the church year calendar.   I commend this helpful resource to you.   We also use it at home.   It is from the LCMS Publisher, Concordia Publishing House.   It is called PrayNow.  You can also use the “app store” app on your device.

Link to Android Version (CLICK HERE – Google Play)

Link to Android Version (CLICK HERE – Amazon)

Link to iOS/Apple Version for iPhone or iPad (CLICK HERE).

Link to Concordia Publishing House page about this app for daily prayer.

IF YOU PREFER A SIMILAR PRINT RESOURCE THAT IS ROBUST do check out the print book that this app is based upon.   It is also available from Concordia Publishing House.   It is called the Treasury of Daily Prayer (CLICK HERE).   It contains Scripture readings built into orders of service, catechism excerpts, sermon excerpts, many prayers, and is rooted also the church year calendar.   I commend it highly. If you would like the option of sung music for the liturgies in Treasury of Daily Prayer I commend the CD or digital version of Evening and Morning: The Music of Lutheran Daily Prayer (CLICK HERE). You can also buy a version of this on the iTunes/Apple Music store for your device in digital format.

Also, Pastor Frahm will also be emailing out a weekly sermon/devotional for those who give him their email addresses.   Just email him at chemnitzian@gmail.com if you want to be on that list.   He will also attach weekly News & Notes.   Pray that the Lord will bless, protect, and lead us to restored Divine Services together soon.   The Lord bless and keep you!

Other helpful apps:

ESV (English Standard Version) Bible app

LCMS Catechism app for Apple iOS

LCMS Catechism app for Android OS

Lutheran Public Radio app for Apple iOS – iPhone & iPad

Lutheran Public Radio app for Android OS devices

 

Fourth Sunday in Lent

Scripture Readings: Isaiah 42:14-21, Ephesians 5:8-14 and John 9:1-41

Collect of the Day: Almighty God, by Your great goodness mercifully look upon Your people that we may be governed and preserved evermore in body and soul; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and The Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Hymns: 438, 565, 901 and 575 (from Lutheran Service Book)

PLEASE DO MAIL IN OR DROP OF YOUR USUAL OFFERINGS TO THE CHURCH DURING THE WEEK IF YOU ARE ABLE.   OUR NEEDS STILL REMAIN FOR YOUR THANKOFFERINGS.

PO BOX 24

BOULDER JUNCTION, WI  54512

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

OUR CALLING TO PRAY FOR OTHERS AND GIVE THANKS

FOR GOD’S BLESSINGS OF BODY AND SOUL

Members: Mary Lenaas, Cliff Markuson, Karen Hayes, John Sitkiewitz, Otis Voeltz and Bill Wheeler.

Relatives and Friends of Trinity Members: Mike and Kay Douglas, Barb Johnson, Clara Mullen, Pat Primdahl, Peggy Sherman, Tamara Trouten, and Paula Ullrich.  We pray for our our congregation, our pastor’s family, our nation, and the relief efforts of all sectors of society.   We also pray for economic protection and recovering during this serious downturn.

 Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, all Divine Services and church programs at Trinity Lutheran Church are cancelled until further notice. Please check Trinity’s Facebook Page and this page for further updates. Parishioners are asked to please drop off or mail in their offerings in this interim period. The church’s mailing address is P.O. Box 24, Boulder Junction, WI 54512-0024.

Easter lily order forms are available on the table in the Narthex. Please submit your order form and payment to office administrator Eric Johnson no later than April 1st.  We are hoping to be able to celebrate Holy Week services, if the Lord wills.

In Case of Emergency or Hospitalization: Please notify Pastor Frahm at the above cell number or one of the elders: Ralph Hewett at 715-385-2616, Greg Sass at 715-385-0337, or Steven Lorbiecki at 715-686-7946. Pastor Frahm would appreciate being informed if you are going to have surgery. Please feel free to call also if you are in need of pastoral guidance, Private Confession and Absolution, or are dealing with struggles of faith.  During this time of the Coronavirus, please contact Pastor Frahm regarding Holy Communion if you wish for him to stop by or if you wish to arrange an appointment at church for an abbreviated Divine Service for your household.

To pass along news and notes for the weekly bulletin, please email office administrator Eric Johnson at trinityboulderjct@icloud.com by a Tuesday, 5 p.m. deadline for the following Sunday’s bulletin.

Another great online resource is Lutheran Ministries Media’s website at worshipanew.org. Lutheran Ministries Media, Inc. produces a weekly, 30-minute Lutheran broadcast worship service called Worship Anew on DirecTV Channel 377 on Sundays at 10:30 a.m. Each service includes music, scripture readings, prayers, and a pastor delivering a message that is designed to feel one-on-one to the viewer. Each program is closed-captioned for the hearing impaired.

Standard and large print copies of the April-June 2020 issue of the Portals of Prayer daily devotional are now available in the Narthex for pickup.

PLEASE NOTE: April is the month that the Community Food Pantry of Boulder Junction looks to Trinity Lutheran Church for donations. The April donation theme focuses on personal supplies including deodorant, hand cream, feminine hygiene products, toothbrushes, toothpaste, floss, lip protectant, and mouthwash. The Community Food Pantry serves western Vilas County. Please place your donations in the collection basket in the Narthex.

Pastor Frahm will be assembling an Outreach/Publicity Task Force for Trinity. Please let him know if you would like to be a part of that. 

The Boulder Junction Community Center and the Boulder Junction Public Library, 5392 Park Street, will be closed to the public until further notice. In-person voting and voter registration will be available by appointment, Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 1 m.  Please call the town office at 715-385-2220 to request an appointment. Absentee ballots may also be requested online at https://myvote.wi.gov/en-us/VoteAbsentee.  Absentee ballot applicatons will also be available at the Community Center right outside the front door in a gray mailbox at 5392 Park Street, Boulder Junction, WI 54512.  Applications may be left in the Community Center drop box or emailed to clerk@townofboulderjuction.org.  A copy or photo of a valid ID will need to accompany the application.

FOR ADDITIONAL RESOURCES PLEASE SEE THE POST BELOW THIS ON THE WEB PAGE WITH INFORMATION ON ONLINE AND DIRECTV SERVICES, LUTHERAN PROGRAMS, THE LUTHERAN HOUR, ETC.   PLEASE CHECK THIS WEB PAGE, THE CHURCH FACEBOOK PAGE, OR CALL PASTOR FRAHM TO CHECK ON THE LATEST 715-904-0642.

http://www.issuesetc.org

http://www.lutheranpublicradio.org

Coontail Market is rolling out a delivery service for those in need in our area, as the health of our small community is of the utmost importance. Coontail Market is expanding its services to include Curbside and Home Delivery for our elderly and those with health conditions as an aid for crucial, recommended distancing efforts. The Home Delivery service will be offered within a 15 mile radius of our Boulder Junction location at no cost to customers for a minimum order of $25. Coontail staff will leave all Home Delivery orders at the customer’s doorstep, eliminating close personal interaction. All orders must be paid for with a check at time of pick-up or via credit card over the phone. Note: Alcohol, lottery and cigarettes will not be available for this service. Coontail Market will do its best to fulfill orders, but in this time of high demand some items or brands may not be in stock at the time of your order. You can place your Curbside or Home Delivery via phone at 715-203-4702 or 866-375-2628 Ext. 312. You will receive a voicemail message, which prompts you to leave your name and number. A Coontail Market employee will follow up with you within the hour (between the hours of 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.) to place your order and to provide you with your delivery time-frame. All calls received after 4 p.m. will be returned on the next business day. Please check Coontail Market social media pages for real time updates.

 

PASTORAL NOTICE REGARDING PRESENT MINISTRY OF

TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH (LCMS)

OF BOULDER JUNCTION WI

March 18, 2020

Greetings in the Name of Christ our Good Shepherd and Lord!

We worship the Lord who conquered sin and death and fear.   He has routed the devil and all his legion.   In these late times of the world we are reminded that the devil’s time is short.   We live in a fallen world with perils to body and soul.   The Church is sent forth into this world with the holy Word and Sacraments of Christ to proclaim and deliver forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and salvation.

As we function in this world we live under the two ways God exercises authority in this world – through the civil law and good order, and through the proclamation of the Gospel.   Under the civil order we have been asked to minimize exposure to the pandemic virus with certain restrictions.   While we may have questions about this, for the time being we will do our best by God’s grace to work with such standards from the state.

For the sake of being somewhat concise, I’ve tried to convey the important information below in outline form.

FOR THE TIME BEING, THE FOLLOWING IS RECOMMENDED FOR THE MINISTRY OF TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH, BOULDER JUNCTION:

1. Please follow the best health guidelines available for your own health and for the protection of your neighbor. Please be aware of your own particular vulnerabilities of health.
2. Please let Pastor Frahm and/or the elders know if you suspect you have the virus or if you are diagnosed or hospitalized. Please reach Pastor Frahm at 715-904-0642 or his email:  chemnitzian@gmail.com
3. For the time being we will follow this procedure:
   1. Pastor Frahm will be available for devotions/Holy Communion visits at church or at your home upon request/arrangement. If you suspect you may have been exposed to the virus please let him know.
   2. Devotional materials have been set out on a table in the narthex at church. Let us know if you need something mailed to you (Portals of Prayer, etc.)
   3. The following resources are also available for non-sacramental services from home:
      1. Worship Anew program – www.worshipanew.org – Channel 377 DirectTV – this programmed is recorded on campus at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, IN.
      2. Lutheran Public Radio – www.lutheranpublicradio.org – sacred music

• KFUO AM LCMS Radio station in St. Louis, MO www.kfuo.org

1. Issues Etc Lutheran Radio program www.issuesetc.org
2. Chapel Services online from Concordia Theological Seminary www.ctsfw.edu
3. The Lutheran Hour Radio program: (www.lhm.org)
   1. WRVM 103.9, 106.3 FM & 107.1 Phelps/Eagle River/Land O’ Lakes – Sunday at 10:00 AM
   2. WJMS – 590 AM & 92.1 Ironwood MI – Sunday at 8:30 AM

• Higher Things for Lutheran youth. www.higherthings.org
• Several of these resources also have audio streaming apps for iPhone and Android Phones. Look up “Lutheran Public Radio” or “KFUO” in the App store for either type of phone.

4. Services at Trinty are cancelled until at least Palm Sunday to allow time to monitor developments. Presently I am hoping to resume services with extra precautions for Holy Week and Easter, but that is tentative at this point.   Again, please note that barring certain health conditions, Pastor Frahm can either come to your home or meet your family at church for an abbreviated Divine Service in either the sanctuary or the Bible Study room at Trinity.
5. Please also remember the congregation as a whole in your prayers.
6. NOTE: Please also consider dropping off or mailing your offering to church during this time of being away from our regular Divine Service gatherings.
7. Our church library also has edifying resources for your faith.
8. Take this opportunity to spend time in the Bible, the Catechism, and the hymnal for your household devotions. If you need additional resources, they can also be shipped to you from Concordia Publishing House (cph.org or 1-800-325-3040).
9. Watch the Trinity web page, the Trinity Facebook page, or call, email, or text Pastor Frahm for updates. I can receive calls and texts at 715-904-0642.   Or email me at chemnitzian@gmail.com
10. Please help pass along word about these things. I will also post materials in the narthex entry area at church as well as make materials available on the narthex table.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you always.   Amen.

Pastor Frahm

 

A good blog post on Christian comfort in our challenging times…

Coronavirus and Comfort (Gotttesdienst Blog)

No Poison Can Be in the Cup… (a study on the Chalice and health considerations)

A Christian Response to Coronavirus Fear (Issues Etc podcast interview)

In these times, please do let Pastor Frahm know if you need the Holy Supper at home, especially if it is not typical for you.   Also toward the congregation, please do consider mailing in to church your regular offerings for the support of the church.   But we will continue to hold Divine Service at the regular time.

WORSHIP AND DEVOTIONAL RESOURCES FOR THOSE WHO ARE HOMEBOUND OR IN QUARANTINE:

Worship Anew (Lutheran services online and on satellite tv – from Fort Wayne, IN)

Daily Chapel Services and archive from Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, IN

Lutheran Public Radio – sacred Christian music 24/7 streaming online

LCMS Resources for times of Pandemic

 

OTHER RESOURCES:

Vilas County, Wisconsin Public Health Dept.

Marshfield Clinic Coronavirus Page

The penitential and catechetical season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday.    This year we will have Ash Wednesday Divine Service at 6:30 PM on Wednesday, February 26th.   

We will have potluck supper beforehand at 5:30 PM in the fellowship hall.   

Our service will be following the Ash Wednesday rubrics from Lutheran Service Book and will feature the voluntary imposition of ashes.

The imposition of ashes was mostly discontinued among Lutherans at the time of the Reformation. For a long time, then, this practice was associated with the Roman Catholic Church among modern day Christians. However, properly understood, there is nothing uniquely Roman Catholic about it, so long as we do not make the ashes into a meritorious work or a sacrament.    Recently, however, Lutheran and some Protestant communions have recently witnessed a renaissance of this ancient, medieval ceremony for the beginning of Lent. Two questions might occur to us:

1. Is it wrong for Lutherans to impose ashes for Ash Wednesday?
2. If it isn’t wrong per se, what does it mean or teach?

 

Truthfully, in Scripture, there is no ongoing command to impose ashes, but neither is there a command against the imposition of ashes. We are free to do so and free not to do so, when all things are equal.  If we were being persecuted for not imposing ashes we might be obliged to continue omitting such. If we were being persecuted for imposing ashes we might be obliged to continue the practice to confess the truth.

ORIGINS

The earliest references to ashes and dust in a Christian context may be found in numerous Scripture passages, bold Old and New Testaments. It is not difficult to observe, on the basis of Jesus’ words in Matthew 11:21 and Luke 10:13, the primary use and meaning there was to provide an outward or ritual expression for the repentance of sin. It is this self-evident biblical understanding that carries over into the practice of the early church. The early church theologian Tertullian (ca. 150-225) described the use of “sackcloth and ashes” in the penance of an adulterer. In the fifth century the early church fathers Eusebius, Cyprian, and Jerome also associated ashes with public repentance. The last of the early fathers, Isidore of Seville (ca. 560-636), described the practice of his day with these influential words: “It is good, therefore, that a penitent deplore his sin in sackcloth and ashes, for in sackcloth is harshness and the prick of sin; and the ashes, moreover, display the dust of death.”

In regard to ashes in connection with Lent, scholars have traced the origins of Lent to perhaps the beginning of the fifth century A.D. The earliest clearly datable rite directly associated with the opening day of Lent (as opposed to other occasions of public repentance and pastoral discipline) is AD 960, from a pastoral manual issued at Mainz, which became precedent for this practice. The practice had its Lenten origins in western Europe, rather than Rome. In the mediaeval era this practice became more standardized. In the 11^th century the imposition of ashes for the beginning of Lent was commended by the bishop of Rome. Now it became to take shape as a cross-shaped mark made with ashes upon the forehead, and the words, “Remember, O man, that you are dust, and to dust you shall return,” recalling God’s words to Adam after the fall into sin.

REFORMATION

Put in common terms, Luther’s approach to liturgical reform could be described as, “IF it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” and any fixing that had to be done was determined according to the article of justification by grace through faith. This ceremonial conservatism would consequently shape and inform Lutheran theology and practice, and preserve the catholic heritage of the church among Lutherans, since they sought to be both “evangelical” and “catholic.” Liturgical scholar Frank Senn notes with regard to the imposition of ashes among Lutherans in the aftermath of the Reformation: “How and why the use of ashes fell out of Lutheran use is difficult to discern from the sources… [C]hurch orders don’t specifically say not to use ashes; they simply stopped giving direction for blessing and distributing them and eventually the pastors just stopped doing it.”

The primary concern of the Lutherans is the multiplication of sundry “blessings” upon “things” rather than “people” especially outside of Baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and Absolution. The primary concern wasn’t that Ashes or other items were wrong, but that they don’t need special “blessing ceremonies.” They didn’t want the clear gospel blessings obscured or confused by extra man-devised ceremonies that weren’t focused on salvation by grace through faith. And yet the Lutheran confessors steadfastly affirmed the maintenance and use of “accustomed rites” and customs and liturgical practices. Their critique of “human traditions” in no way implied abandonment of good catholic liturgical practice and ceremonies that did not confuse Law and Gospel. Rather, because of the clear confession of justification by traditional liturgical forms were best suited than newly made-up orders. Ceremonies were to teach the faith and inspire reverence in God’s House, especially during the Divine Service.

USING ASHES TODAY

In his Pastoral Theology, C.F.W. Walther, first LCMS president, states that when it comes to ceremonies that are neither commanded nor forbidden (mitteldinge), what at one time and place may be forbidden may at other times be used once again. Therefore, is it possible for Lutherans to once again recover the imposition of ashes on Ash Wednesday? From their use in Scripture, once must certainly conclude that the impositions of ashes is neither commanded nor forbidden and we are free to use such to teach the faith.

The imposition of ashes slipped out of Lutheran usage without much specific reflection or writing on the matter.   Certainly Lutherans have gladly retained many other rites and ceremonies inherited from our rightful catholic heritage and interpreted them “in an evangelical way.” Certainly we do not need to bring along the “baggage” of what was problematic in the Roman Catholic use of ashes. For instance, Luther commends in many places the use of the sign of the cross, something that dates back to the early church. The abuse of a practice or ceremony does not invalidate its proper use. Just because something can be misunderstood or abused doesn’t mean it should be abandoned or forbidden.

The imposition of ashes for Ash Wednesday certainly makes better sense of the day’s actual name.    Not using ashes on Ash Wednesday (Aschenmittwoch) makes about as much sense as not celebrating the Lord’s Supper on Maundy Thursday. The words of the rite are certainly drawn from Scripture (Genesis 3:19), and ashes are mentioned in numerous places in Scripture in connection with repentance – an outward sign of the inward fact. Afterall, our mortality (death) is a result of original sin, and the only way through death to life is by death to self and selfishness (sin as being “curved in toward one’s self”) that repentance brings. In this way, the imposing of ashes can teach of Christ and His benefits given in Baptism, as well as in Confession and Absolution. The mark of the cross with the ashes suggests a correlation between the penitential character of Lent (and Ash Wednesday) and the Lutheran focus on the passion of Christ. The ashes are a reminder of the death sentence upon mankind since Adam and Eve. By allowing this ceremony, we confess our agreement with God’s truthful verdict upon sin. Yet the ashes, in the shape of the cross, show that our sin is covered and atoned-for by the death of the Son of God.   Of course, all this must be taught repeatedly.

The imposition of ashes is neither commanded nor forbidden in its current usage but it does have meaning derived from biblical usages in times past.    The imposition ashes is a symbolic reminder of important facts of our existence if understood properly.   But it is not obligatory, not a sacrament, and not a good work that merits blessings nor salvation.   Is is a ceremony and catechetical reminder with historic continuity with Christians gone before us.   Our practice as confessional Lutherans is not based upon being “not Catholic” but affirming positively our confession while carefully distinguishing from errors, misunderstandings.

 

19th Pastor Wilhelm Loehe of Neuendettelsau, Bavaria, Germany, was an “unofficial” founding father of the Bavarian side of the LCMS.   The LCMS was founded in 1847 as a coming together of northern German Lutherans with Bavarian Lutherans.    In a book that was often used by early LCMS pastors before the establishment of regular LCMS publishing Loehe wrote of Lutheran identity and the Divine Service:

The Lutheran Liturgy is an outgrowth from the Roman. The Lutheran Church itself is not a new building, but the old, cleansed from the unauthorized additions. For more than three centuries the Church has advanced no new doctrines, but on the contrary has been purifying the old systems from added perversions. In a liturgical way, likewise, no new path has been marked out; but after the removal of inexpedient innovations, that which has proved valuable from the beginning has been preserved. It is for this reason that our Church possesses in common with the Roman the principal parts of the Communion Service. For the same reason it was possible for the framers of the Augustana [Augsburg Confession] to assert: –“Nor has any perceptible change taken place in the public ceremonies of the mass.” Also: — “It is well known that the mass is,

without boasting, celebrated with greater devotion and sincerity among us than among our adversaries.” If anyone is inclined to charge this Order with a Romanizing tendency, the same must then be brought against every Lutheran Order, if not against the whole Church. It would, however, be more correct to say, that the Romish Church had a tendency to Catholicize in those parts of the Liturgy which it holds in common with us, because in those parts the Romish Church stands high above its own standard, and agrees with that which is truly universal [catholic]. [Wilhelm Loehe. Liturgy for Christian Congregations of the Lutheran Faith – Third Edition. Translated by F.C. Longaker (Newport, KY, 1902 – Reprinted by Repristination Press, 1993); p.ix]

It is not we who call ourselves Lutherans. Rather, our adversaries call us that. We allow this to the extent that this title is an indication of the consensus that our churches have with the orthodox and catholic doctrine that Luther set forth from Holy Writ. Therefore we allow ourselves to be named after Luther, not as the inventor of a new faith but as the asserter of the old faith and the cleanser of the church from the stains of Papist dogmas. Consequently, we also do not reject the names “Christian” and “catholic,” nor do we render ourselves unworthy of them by the approval of any heretical dogma, as did the Arians, Nestorians, Eutychians, etc. Rather, we are called “Christians” from Christ as the only Author and Teacher of our faith. We are called “catholics” from our consensus with the catholic faith. We are called “Lutherans” from Luther as the asserter and defender of that faith, but especially as the reformer whom God raised up.

+ Johann Gerhard, On the Church (Theological Commonplace XXV), § 156.