Aardvark Alley

Confessional Lutheran theology, hagiography, philosophy, music, culture, sports, education,
and whatever else is on the fevered mind of Orycteropus Afer
Good Friday
Friday in Holy Week, New Testament

The Father chose to sacrifice His Son rather than banish sinful mankind to an eternity of suffering. Also, Christ died because the Scriptures which point to the coming Savior "require" his suffering and death.
The most noted of these prophecies is probably
Isaiah 52:13-53:12. Through the prophet, the Lord predicts what would happen to His faithful Servant: "He was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities. (
53:5)" He was "like a lamb that is led to the slaughter (
53:7)" and "was cut off out of the land of the living. (
53:8)" Finally, "They made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. (
53:9)"
God cannot go back on His Word. From Creation's dawn, He warned that sin always results in death. Someone had to die, either one innocent Man or millions and billions of guilty people. Through Paul, God said, "The wages of sin is death (
Romans 6:23a)"
However, God applied the life-giving "wages" earned by His sinless Son as payment in full on our accounts and credited us with Jesus' perfection. Likewise, the deadly wages that were our due were paid in full to Jesus in His suffering and death. Because of this, "the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (
23b)" (Adapted from
Jesus' Death at
Ask the Pastor; used by permission.)
Lection — Three Year Cycle
Psalm 22 or Psalm 31
Isaiah 52:13-53:12
Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9
John 18:1-19:42 or John 19:17-30
Lection — One Year Cycle
Psalm 22 or Psalm 31
Isaiah 52:13-53:12
2 Corinthians 5:14-21
John 18:1-19:42
Collects
Almighty God, Your Son Jesus Christ was lifted high upon the cross so that He might draw the whole world to Himself. Grant that we who glory in His death for our salvation may also glory in His call to take up our cross and follow Him; through Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Almighty God, graciously behold this Your family for whom our Lord Jesus Christ was willing to be betrayed, to be given into the hands of sinners, and to suffer death on the cross; through the same Jesus Christ, who now lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Labels: christ, christology, crucifixion, death, feasts, festivals, good friday, holy week, jesus, series a, series b, series c, suffering
Good Friday
Friday in Holy Week, New Testament

The Father chose to sacrifice His Son rather than banish sinful mankind to an eternity of suffering. Also, Christ died because the Scriptures which point to the coming Savior "require" his suffering and death.
The most noted of these prophecies is probably
Isaiah 52:13-53:12. Through the prophet, the Lord predicts what would happen to His faithful Servant: "He was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities. (
53:5)" He was "like a lamb that is led to the slaughter (
53:7)" and "was cut off out of the land of the living. (
53:8)" Finally, "They made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. (
53:9)"
God cannot go back on His Word. From Creation's dawn, He warned that sin always results in death. Someone had to die, either one innocent Man or millions and billions of guilty people. Through Paul, God said, "The wages of sin is death (
Romans 6:23a)"
However, God applied the life-giving "wages" earned by His sinless Son as payment in full on our accounts and credited us with Jesus' perfection. Likewise, the deadly wages that were our due were paid in full to Jesus in His suffering and death. Because of this, "the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (
23b)" (Adapted from
Jesus' Death at
Ask the Pastor; used by permission.)
Lection — Three Year Cycle
Psalm 22 or Psalm 31
Isaiah 52:13-53:12
Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9
John 18:1-19:42 or John 19:17-30
Lection — One Year Cycle
Psalm 22 or Psalm 31
Isaiah 52:13-53:12
2 Corinthians 5:14-21
John 18:1-19:42
Collects
Almighty God, Your Son Jesus Christ was lifted high upon the cross so that He might draw the whole world to Himself. Grant that we who glory in His death for our salvation may also glory in His call to take up our cross and follow Him; through Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Almighty God, graciously behold this Your family for whom our Lord Jesus Christ was willing to be betrayed, to be given into the hands of sinners, and to suffer death on the cross; through the same Jesus Christ, who now lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Labels: christ, christology, crucifixion, death, feasts, festivals, good friday, holy week, jesus, series a, series b, series c, suffering
Holy Thursday
or Maundy Thursday, New Testament

The Church uses this fifth day of Holy Week to remember the institution of the Lord's Supper. From the account of the Upper Room in
John 13:1-15, some have called it the Day of Foot Washing.
"Maundy" may come from the Latin Bible's rendering of
John 13:34, where Jesus gave the disciples a new
mandatum (commandment) in the upper room: "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another."
Another idea is that it grew out from an ancient custom of carrying gifts to the poor in hand baskets (known as "maunds" or "maund baskets") on that day.
Of much more importance than the name of the day is the gift Jesus gave. For on this night on which He was betrayed, our Savior gave first to His disciples
His very body and blood for them to eat and to drink. Under bread and wine, He continues to give this gift, that we also might eat His flesh, drink His blood, and receive forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation.
Lection — Three Year Cycle
Option I
Psalm 116:12-19
Jeremiah 31:31-34
Hebrews 10:15-25
Luke 22:7-20
Option II
Psalm 116:12-19
Exodus 12:1-14
1 Corinthians 11:23-32
John 13:1-17, 31b-35
Lection — One Year Cycle
Psalm 116:12-19
Exodus 12:1-14 or Exodus 24:3-11
1 Corinthians 11:23-32
John 13:1-15 (34-35)
Collect
O Lord, in this wondrous Sacrament You have left us a remembrance of Your passion. Grant that we may so receive the sacred mystery of Your body and blood that the fruits of Your redemption may continually be manifest in us; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Labels: christ, feasts, festivals, holy thursday, holy week, jesus, judas, last supper, lord's supper, maundy thursday, series c
First Sunday in Advent
29 November AD 2015
Out with the Old Year, in with the New

Today begins the solemn season of Advent, a preparatory period as Christians ready themselves for both the celebration of Christ's coming at Bethlehem and His Second Coming on Judgment Day.
Purple has traditionally been the primary color of Advent, symbolizing repentance and fasting. Purple is also the color of royalty, demonstrating the anticipation and reception of the coming King celebrated during Advent. Today, however, many churches have begun to use
blue instead of purple, as a means of distinguishing Advent from Lent.
Rose (pink) often replaces purple on the Third Sunday in Advent. It represents dawn, hopeful anticipation, and joy and begins a shift away from repentance toward celebration.
For more on this part of the Church Year, the so-called "three-fold coming of Christ," and Advent as a tonic for improper celebration of Christmas, please see
Happy New Year! at
Ask the Pastor.
Series C Lectionary
Psalm 25:1-10
Jeremiah 33:14-16
1 Thessalonians 3:9-13
Luke 19:28-40 or Luke 21:25-36
One Year Lectionary
Psalm 24
Jeremiah 23:5-8
Romans 13:(8-10) 11-14
Matthew 21:1-9
Collect
Stir up Your power, O Lord, and come, that by Your protection we may be rescued from the threatening perils of our sins and saved by Your mighty deliverance; for You live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Labels: advent, christ, christmas, christology, church year, jesus, lectionary, second coming, series c