Fifth Sunday in Lent (26 March 2023)

Fifth Sunday in Lent, 26 March 2023, Ezekiel 37:1-14 Psalm 130 (sermon text) Romans 8:1-11 John 11:17-27, 38-53 Worship is not about us doing some ritual actions every Sunday. Worship is about actively living in the grace of God and receiving the forgiveness and resurrection of Christ Jesus. In worship, we cry out from the depths of a fallen world unto the Lord to save us. We do not merit or deserve His help for we have ourselves fallen in sin, but we know the Lord has still sent Christ into the world to save us regardless. For this, we fear Him. It is not a fear of His punishment of our sins but a fear of respect where we realize He knows all our failures and wickedness yet desires to forgive us anyways. Therefore, our souls wait for the Lord like Lazarus waited in the grave. We await when Christ comes to us to bring us up from the deadness of sin and places us in new life--in the spirit and in the flesh. This we receive in worship when Christ comes through Word and Sacrament to forgive our sins and give us eternal life.