Lent 2013

Saturday, First Week of Lent

Today the Lord has obtained your agreement; to be treasured people, as he promised you, and to keep his commandments; for him to set you high above all nations that he has made, in praise and in fame and in honor; and for you to be a people holy to the Lord your God.  Deuteronomy 26:18-19

Through baptism we become part of a family much larger than our biological family.  It is a family of people "set apart" by God to be light in the darkness.  These set-apart people are called saints.  Although we tend to think about saints as holy and pious, and picture them with halos above their heads, true saints are much more accessible.  They are men and women, youth and children,  like us, who live ordinary lives and struggle with ordinary problems.  What makes them saints is their clear and unwavering focus on God and God's people. 

The saints are our brothers and sisters, calling us to become like them.

Action:  When you think about saints, who comes to mind?  Where do you locate yourself in the set-apart people"?  What reminds you that you are one of the "set-apart people"  called to be holy? 

If it has been awhile since you heard or read the Service of Baptism, take some time to do so today.  These words (or similar words) were spoken over you at your baptism.  When you read this, read it out loud, and say your name boldly when you get to the appropriate places.  

From the Service for Holy Baptism (ELW 227-231)

In baptism our gracious heavenly Father frees us from sin and death by joining us to the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.  We are born children of a fallen humanity; by water and the Holy Spirit we are reborn children of God and made members of the church, the body of Christ.  Living with Christ and in the communion of saints, we grow in faith, love, and obedience to the will of God.

You belong to Christ, in whom you have been baptized.  Alleluia!

Let us pray,  We give you thanks, O God, that through water and the Holy Spirit you give your daughters and sons new birth, cleanse them from sin, and raise them to eternal life.  Sustain __________ with the gift of your Holy Spirit:  the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord, the spirit of joy in your presence, both now and forever.  Amen.

_____________, child of God, your have been sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked with the cross of Christ forever.  Amen.