"Morning and Evening Prayer" - Sermon for Ash Wednesday

Morning and Evening Prayer
Ash Wednesday
March 1, 2017
Grace, Mankato, MN
Luke 4.1-13; 9.51-62

I give thanks to you, heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ your dear Son that you have protected through the night from all danger and harm. I ask that you would preserve and keep me this day also from all sin and evil and that in all of my thoughts, words and deeds I may serve and please you. Into your hands I commend my body and soul and all that is mine. Let your holy angels have charge concerning me that the wicked one has no power over me. Amen.

For many of us, our faith journeys started in baptism. A large part of that journey involves something called Confirmation. At its best, Confirmation prepares a person to take responsibility for their life of faith. As a pastor, it’s been interesting to work with Confirmation students and their parents. Lately, I’ve been inviting the youth to ask their parents about their Confirmation experience. Confirmation is a lot different in most churches now from when I was (and they were) growing up. I’ve heard almost wistful stories about arduous Saturday mornings with stern pastors that were unyielding task masters.

The basis of most Confirmation programs, then and now, is Luther’s Small Catechism. Back then, Confirmation was a lot of memorization and when the actual Confirmation service time came, it meant facing the congregation like a firing squad and having to recite whatever was requested of them. I honestly don’t remember much about Confirmation and if I had to memorize. If so, I either dodged it or have forgotten all of it.

Then I got to seminary (after a 16 year business career) and read the Small Catechism again for the first time. I started memorizing parts of it, not because I had to do so but because I wanted to do so. I only got as far as the explanations to articles of the Apostles’ Creed and Morning and Evening Prayer. The explanation to the Third Article on the Holy Spirit was especially important to explain my faith journey (and still is). I believe that I cannot by my own reason and strength believe in Jesus Christ or come to him, but the Holy Spirit has called me through the Gospel, enlightened me with his gifts and sanctified and preserved me in true faith, just as he calls, gathers, enlightens and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth and preserves it in the one true faith. …  Surprisingly, however, it has been Morning and Evening Prayer that has become more so.

In seminary you learn about the history of the Reformation, how the Small Catechism came into being. (The Small Catechism was written for parents to teach their children the basics of faith and the Large Catechism, an expanded version of said basics, was written for pastors to teach adults.) You also learn about Martin Luther’s faith journey, which included fantastic bouts with the devil. Now, whether it was by suggestion or whether I was just vulnerable, along the way I had some awfully devilish dreams that disturbed me deeply.

Somewhere along the line, I memorized Luther’s Morning and Evening Prayer and began reciting them every morning and evening. I think my intention was simply to add these prayers to my faith life. I recite the Morning Prayer the first thing after waking (well, second; I kiss my wife first). And it’s one of the last things I pray after turning out the light, right before the Lord’s Prayer. Now, I’m not superstitious, but ever since I’ve done this, I’ve had no more devilish dreams. That’s probably been 15 or 20 years. I can’t explain it, but I am very grateful.

Now, this isn’t the time or place to discuss the existence of the devil or angels, but 500 years after Luther wrote these prayers and commended them to people I think they still provide a valuable resource for our life of faith. I do know that there are powers in this world that defy and stand against God. As we heard in the scripture passages, Jesus encountered them in the presence of and testing from Satan in the wilderness (traditionally, a place of spiritual growth). And he will encounter them again on his journey to Jerusalem and cross. But I also know that God commands great resources to support and sustain us in our lives of faith. So, as you make your Lenten journey, I encourage you to use these prayers each day. Know that through Jesus Christ, there are no powers that stand between us and God’s love. Amen.

I give thanks to you, heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ your dear Son that you have this day so graciously protected me. I ask that you forgive me all my sins and all the wrong that I have done. By your great mercy, defend me from the perils and dangers of this night. Into your hands I commend my body and soul and all that is mine. Let your holy angels have charge concerning me, that the wicked one has no power over me. Amen.