It’s Holy Week, the high point of the church year. We began with shouts of Hosanna and end with a crucifixion and burial in the grave. Things culminated with the death of God on Friday—It is finished! And the new week will start with a bang as the seal of salvation is announced with, “He is risen!”

This was a week filled with stuff to do, at least on the back half. Colorado Confessional Lutherans, church cleaning, even a cookout highlighted the activities. However, they all happened Thursday or later.

Something busted this week. It can be fixed. It will be fixed. It’ll just take a little time...more like it’ll wait for the right time. Otherwise, this week has been pretty normal. I also got to barbecue again for the first time since January.

Admittedly, my opinion of Wil Wheaton has always been colored by the roles that I've seen him play—Wesley Crusher on Next Generation, Dr. Isaac Parrish on Eureka, occasionally "himself" on Big Bang Theory—arrogant, self-righteous, pompous; type-cast as unlikable. This video has changed that; I have new-found respect for the man.

Ahhh, lucky 13. Yeah, there really isn’t anything that happened to call this week lucky. There wasn’t anything that happened to call this week unlucky. It’s another week that happened, another week in the life of Geoffrey, another week as pastor at Christ Our Savior Lutheran Church.

I love Holy Baptism. There was one on Sunday. There is no greater joy in my job than to be the instrument through whom this means of grace is administered—to usher into the Kingdom of God a new person.

I finally bit the bullet this week. I had been authorized by the church to purchase a new computer for the office. I was hoping to find one with Windows 7 on it, before all I could find was Windows 8. My thought was that it would be easier for people to use as well as have the greater chance of being compatible with the other equipment in the office. I found one just over a month ago that would have worked, but I couldn’t get to a point where I could order it fast enough; the discount was dropped to $70 from $100. Then, on woot.com was a deal I couldn’t pass up, even though it had Windows 8 on it.

There was Happy Birthday at the hospital. There was a day at the pool. There was Happy Birthday at church. Lent and Mid-week Lent are in full swing. And still, I’d say it was a pretty ordinary week. You may get tired of reading that, bored by it even, but I really like it.

A question that I as a pastor hear many times is, “Why are all churches struggling right now?” or, “Why is my church dying out?”

Here is an answer. Not necessarily THE answer, but an answer.

As [Jesus] sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?” And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains. Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:3-14 ESV).

So, the busyness that is Lent has started. You can see the fruits of that work with the latest sermon posted to the site. All-in-all, I think it was a pretty normal week, normal for a week in Lent, that is.