Septuagesima

The “Gesima” Season

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

We have the joy of a Confirmation this Sunday as Max Thompson will confess his faith during the Divine Service. Please be here to support Max on this special day.

This Sunday also begins the three-week season of pre-lent, also known as the Gesima Sundays. During the Gesima season, we already begin to see some changes in the liturgy like the omission of the Gloria in Excelsis and the “Alleluia.” But we should see these three weeks as training and preparation for the challenges of Lent. I invite you to learn more about each Gesima Sunday below.

Septuagesima (meaning, for us, “about 70 days”)—Grace is undeserved.  The collect for this Sunday implores God to graciously hear us, who are justly punished for our sin, so that we may be delivered by His goodness.  The goodness of God is emphasized in the parable of the vineyard workers in the day’s Gospel, Matthew 20:1-16. All the laborers receive the reward because of the goodness of the landowner and not because of their own labor or merit.  We prepare for Easter by remembering that is good and Christ has borne the heat and burden of the day for us so that we might have that goodness for free.

Sexagesima (meaning , for us, “about 60 days”)—Grace is passively received. In the collect for this Sunday we pray that God would see that we put not our trust in anything that we do and that He would mercifully defend us by His power.  The parable of the sower is read as the Gospel from Luke 8:4-15. The seed of God’s Word is passively received. It transforms bad soil into good and noble hearts. We pray that this would happen this also to and for us.

Quinquagesima (meaning , for us, “about 50 days”) —Grace is not easily understood. On the Sunday before Ash Wednesday we hear in the Gospel, Luke 18:34, Jesus predict His passion, death, and resurrection. We also hear that the disciples “understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.” We pray then that God would be gracious and patient with us and grant faith and understanding to us despite our many sins.

In Christ,
Pastor Rogness