When we hear the Divinely-inspired Gospel accounts multiple lengthy chapters narrating our Lord Jesus Christ’s Passion, we can easily lose sight of the fact that, in less than 24 hours, Jesus goes through a series of almost dizzying events, essentially in five different locations. The changes in those locations have long been used as natural divisions in the narrative, and so this year, as Pilgrim again uses its five Midweek Lenten Vespers Services to hear and reflect on the Passion as reported by St. Luke, the services’ Special Sermon Series is themed “Places of the Passion according to St. Luke”.

  • Midweek Lent I (03/12): Upper Room (Luke 22:1-38)
  • Midweek Lent II (03/19): Mount of Olives (Luke 22:39-53)
  • Midweek Lent III (03/26): High Priest’s House (Luke 22:54-71)
  • Midweek Lent IV (04/02): Before Pilate (Luke 23:1-25)
  • Midweek Lent V (o4/09): The Skull (Luke 23:26-56)

(Pastor Galler will likely discuss the Sermon Series at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church as that congregation’s “Soup and Sermon” on Wednesday, March 19.)

The 40-day season of Lent is based in part on special 40-day periods known from the Bible, such as Jesus’s 40 days in the wilderness after His baptism resisting the devil’s temptation (for example, Luke 4:1-13, the Gospel Reading for The First Sunday in Lent). Lent is often said to be a time to reflect on baptism, a time for rebirth and renewal, for the discipline of learning and growing in faith, and for repentance and prayer. (The purple paraments used during Lent in part symbolize penitence and self-discipline.) More than anything, however, Lent prepares us for the Holy Week and Easter celebrations of the mystery of our redemption by the death and resurrection of the God-man Jesus Christ.

Lent begins with Ash Wednesday, with its special emphasis on repentance. At Pilgrim, we observe Ash Wednesday on March 5, with a special Divine Service at 7:00 p.m. The imposition of ashes is offered for all those who wish to receive them. Ashes are a rich Biblical symbol of judgment and condemnation of sin, frailty, our total dependence upon God for life, humiliation, repentance, cleansing, and renewal. We were created from dust and, on account of sin, return to dust, and so we repent in dust and ashes. The ashes also remind us of our need for cleansing, scrubbing, and purifying, and the season of Lent provides such a time for renewal.

The following five weeks after Ash Wednesday, we offer special Midweek Lenten Vespers services at 7:00 p.m. Between Lenten and Evening hymns, we also sing and pray penitential Psalms, consider one of the “Places of the Passion according to St. Luke” given above by way of the Scripture Reading and Sermon Series, and pray the Great Litany, especially suited to Lent, given its penitential character. The Midweek Lenten Vespers services likely will be preceded by a light supper served at 6:00 p.m.

The last week of Lent is Holy Week, during which we offer a Holy (Maundy) Thursday Divine Service on April 17 at 7:00 p.m. and a Good Friday Divine Service on April 18 at 7:00 p.m. The Holy (Maundy) Thursday Divine Service notably includes a treasured form of confessional examination and ends with the Stripping of the Altar, and the Good Friday Divine Service includes the historic Bidding Prayer, Procession of the Cross, Reproaches, and Adoration of Christ.

Although not strictly-speaking a part of Lent, the following are the intervening Sundays in Lent 2025 and their Gospel Readings (appointed by Lutheran Service Book’s three-year lectionary series C, which largely uses the Holy Gospel according to St. Luke).

  • First Sunday (03/09): Jesus is tempted by the devil for 40 days  in the wilderness (Luke 4:1-13)
  • Second Sunday (3/16): Jesus weeps over unrepentant Jerusalem (Luke 13:31-35)
  • Third Sunday (3/23): Jesus calls all to repent (Luke 13:1-9)
  • Fourth Sunday (3/30): Jesus tells a parable about a repentant son (Luke 15:1-3, 11-32)
  • Fifth Sunday (4/06): Jesus tells a parable about unrepentant tenants who kill the vineyard owner’s son (Luke 20:9-20)
  • Palm Sunday (4/13): the hour comes for Jesus to be glorified in His crucifixion (John 12:20-43)

During Lent, as always, Pastor Galler is regularly available for private confession and individual absolution (see Lutheran Service Book 292-293 and use the Study Hours at right or contact him for a special appointment). Lutherans come to confess privately not because they have to come in order to confess each and every sin (which is impossible, as Psalm 19:12 makes clear), but Lutherans come because they want to come to confess the sins that trouble them most in order to receive individually the comfort and peace that individual absolution gives (John 20:19-23).

You may want to mark April 20 on your calendars for our Easter Divine Service at 10:45 a.m., which likely will be preceded by an Easter Breakfast at 8:00 a.m., an Egg Hunt at 9:00 a.m., and Sunday School and a special Adult Bible Class at 9:30 a.m.

All are invited and welcome to any of our activities either in person or on line (as available). For example, you can read (and usually hear) the sermons at Pilgrim from any and every season of the Church Year here.

The banner graphic at the top of this page and the corresponding slider graphic on the front page were composed by Katy Myers, whom we hereby thank, using photographer Lisa Forkner’s picture from the Way of Sorrows in Jerusalem found online here and used intending to be in accord with the Creative Commons license there.