Lent is coming to an end, and Passiontide is upon us. Passiontide includes the last two weeks of Lent, guiding us toward the cross of Jesus. Over the next two weeks, allow the liturgy, readings, and hymns to open your heart not only to the seriousness of your sin but also to the love of Christ, who died on the cross and rose on the third day for you.

One aspect of the season of Lent is that we often come face to face with the deep darknesses that dwell within us. But the joy is that we have the opportunity to pray and ask God to remove the evils and sins of this life.

As the season of Lent goes on, we start singing some of the most theologically deep hymns in the hymnal that tell the story of Jesus’ Passion, death, and resurrection.

Our hymn of the week, “A Lamb Goes Uncomplaining Forth,” written by Paul Gerhardt, exemplifies this as the author reflects on Jesus's humble obedience in going to the cross for us.

But when you know more of the story behind the hymn’s author, the hymn begins to speak to the one singing it more deeply.

Last night, we began our Lenten Midweek services, focusing this year on Confession and Absolution. While we continue to use the Vespers service during Lent, a key feature of our services this season is that we will start with the rite of Confession and Absolution from the Compline service. One aspect I appreciate about the rite of Confession and Absolution in the service of Compline is that I also get to confess my sins to you and receive your forgiveness, which is an act of reconciliation between the pastor and his flock.

This Lenten season, we will use Wednesday evening services to meditate on Confession and Absolution. Over the years, and as we grow older, we often forget the significance of true confession and absolution, the practices that lead us as Christians to reconciliation.

Last Sunday, in the sermon, you were encouraged to prepare for Lent by reading the Scriptures and deepening your faith. As we approach the season of Lent, I want to share some options for use in your devotional life. The goal is to open our ears to hear God’s Word and not block it from entering our ears and reaching our hearts.

The Sunday School children will sing again this Sunday, and sometimes I need to remind myself to pause and listen to their voices, as they not only sing praises to God but also help lead us in song!

This is a wonderful gift and privilege we have at Good Shepherd.

As we prepare for Easter, we remember that our liturgical journey unfolds in three distinct periods. The first is the Gesimas, followed by Lent, and finally Passiontide. The three Sundays before Lent known as the Gesimas mainly focus on God’s grace and explore it from three different angles.

Pastor Benish will lead the Divine Service this Sunday.

Looking back at the last quarter of 2025, Good Shepherd successfully supported many initiatives through their offerings and talents.

One tradition as the Church approaches Christmas is to pray the Great “O” Antiphons that accompany the hymn “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.”

Through Christ, let us offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving, the offering of lips confessing His name. But, do not forget to do good and distribute, for with such sacrifices, God is well pleased.

This passage helps to remind ourselves that we do all things through Jesus Christ, and we can only do good in our prayers and the confession of our faith because of His death and the forgiveness we receive from Him.

This passage also serves as a reminder of the discipline we should practice to do good within the church and among our neighbors. It’s a call to be good stewards of the gifts entrusted to us.

A frequent question on the lips of children is, “Is it Christmas yet?” No, rather it’s Advent! It’s a time of waiting. And be reminded by Bonhoeffer, “For the greatest, most profound, tenderest things in the world, we must wait.” This Advent, look to Jesus and wait.

The Apostle Paul wrote,
I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. (Philippians 1:3-5)

Looking back on the past year, there is much to be thankful for at Good Shepherd.

Sometimes we make inviting others to church more difficult than it needs to be, but trust me, you don’t need a Master of Divinity to do it. In fact, research shows that 86% of people come to a church because a friend invited them, and only 6% come because a pastor invites them. As we gather with family and friends in the coming days for Thanksgiving or prepare to exchange pleasantries with neighbors as we shovel the snow that will soon fall on our sidewalks, don’t be afraid to be a disciple of Christ and invite your family, friends, and neighbors to church.

My hope is that last week’s brief article demonstrated the importance for men, specifically fathers, to be in church. But the other side of this image above is the crying babies. Yes, the little voices of toddlers and the tears of newborns can be distracting. But the solution should not be simply to remove the children from the Divine Service. What a serious consequence it is to remove a child from God’s sanctuary, from God’s family. We remember how these little voices are being trained to sing the song of heaven, even now.

An article published by Touchstone Magazine years ago revealed that research showed children often do not stay in the Christian faith if their father does not regularly attend and participate in church. What’s even more alarming is that only 2-3 percent of children raised attending church with their mother continue in the faith. However, if the father attends and participates, the likelihood of a child remaining in the faith increases to nearly 50 percent.

All Saints Day is traditionally observed every year on the first Sunday in November. One of the traditions of many congregations is to read the names of congregational members who died since the previous All Saints Day during the Prayer of the Church and ring the bell.

Throughout this past month, we have explored not only the Scriptures but also the history of music in the Church, discovering that singing, chanting, and various forms of song have been used in the Church since the beginning of time, stretching from the Garden of Eden to the new song of heaven revealed in the book of Revelation.

Today marks our third week in the series on singing in the church. Today, we explore the use of song and music throughout the Scriptures. But even beyond the temple, people learned to pray the Psalms and make them meaningful by singing them.