These are the five sermons preached over the course of the five Wednesdays of Lent, not including Ash Wednesday or Holy Wednesday. Rather than posting them individually, I post them together because they are connected by a theme, which are the five wounds of Christ in His Passion, the Stigmata: His Back, His Head, His Hands, His Feet, and His Side.

I have long wanted to do something like this for Lent, but could never get myself into gear early enough to have it completely planned. This year, I started thinking about this and putting it together in January. You can see the supplied lessons for the services and the suggested hymns for each evening by reading this .pdf file.

Πάλιν δὲ τοῦ Ξέρξου γράψαντος, Πέμψον τὰ ὅπλα, ἀντέγραψε, Μολὼν λάβε.

Sermon Audio

Today’s Gospel reading is a two-part story on blindness. It tells us about the two types of blindness with which the world is or can be afflicted. And, in both cases, it shows us the cure to the blindness.

Would it surprise you to know that the reason Jesus spoke in parables was to keep the hidden things of God hidden from unbelievers? Would it surprise you to learn that the reason Jesus wanted to keep the hidden things of God hidden from unbelievers is so that they would not become believers? This is a very hard saying, and one which should give you pause, even as you contemplate how it is that God is merciful and gracious. It would seem to go against the very notion that God desires all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth (cf. 1 Timothy 2:4)—to come to understand the hidden things of God.

Here’s the thing about God: when He deals with His creation—when He deals with you—He’s not fair, but He is just. That should be welcome good news to your ears, dear listeners. If God were to deal with you fairly, He would deal with you solely by the law; in His fairness, you would receive from His hand exactly what you deserve, in fullest measure. But, He deals with you justly—out of His divine righteousness, which is His Son, Jesus Christ—with all grace and mercy. If what God had to give you depended on His fairness, then what you receive from Him depends solely on you—not the least of which concerns your eternal salvation. But, since He deals with you out of His divine justice, you are declared forgiven and given all the benefits of salvation for the sake of Jesus Christ.