Okay, say it with me as fast as you can: "Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi!"  Good! We just passed a confirmation class review on the final portion of the Old Testament—some of the Minor Prophets.  But let’s dive a little deeper. What do we know about Zechariah, other than that he penned the second-to-last book of the Old Testament?
 
If you have been worshiping at Trinity for our Midweek Lenten services, you know this year’s theme is "It Is Finished!" You also know that theme is linked to Zechariah, who has earned the nickname "The Holy Week Prophet." But why?
 
A Name with a Promise
It starts with his name. In Hebrew, Zechariah means "Yahweh remembers," or "The LORD has remembered."  This isn't just a fun fact.  It’s the heartbeat of the prophet's message.  Zechariah was writing to the Jewish remnant who were returning to Judah and Jerusalem after the 70 years of Babylonian Captivity!  Everything had to be started anew.  Homes rebuilt.  Fields plowed again.  Vineyards and orchards replanted.  Jerusalem rebuilt.  The temple rebuilt.  Lives rebuilt.  It's easy to see why God's people would get discouraged!  But Zechariah reminded them that God had not forgotten His covenant. At the appointed time, the Lord would act.  How?  Through the Promised One! 
                    
Tracing the Steps of the Messiah
Zechariah’s visions provide a vivid "road map" of Jesus’ final week, written over 500 years before the events took place! Consider how specifically the prophet foretells the Passion.
 

• Palm Sunday: He sees the King coming not on a warhorse, but "gentle and riding on a donkey" (Zechariah 9:9).

 

• The Betrayal: He predicts the Messiah would be valued at a mere 30 pieces of silver—the price of a slave (Zechariah 11:12–13). He even mentions the money being thrown into the house of the Lord to be given to the potter, exactly as Judas did (Matthew 27:3–10).

 

• The Struck Shepherd: He hears the divine command: "Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered." (Zechariah 13:7). Jesus quoted this very verse in the Garden of Gethsemane to explain why His disciples would flee (Matthew 26:31).

 

• It Is Finished:  He is allowed to glimpse into the divine courtroom, where the High Priest, Joshua, stands on trial.  Satan is the prosecutor.  "The Angel of the Lord," Jesus is the Judge.  Despite the overwhelming evidence of Joshua's sin (filthy clothes), the Lord Jesus shuts down all of Satan's accusations.  All because the Lord looks ahead to Good Friday:  the day the sun stopped shining; the day our Savior cried out in hell-caused agony; "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me;" the day when Zechariah's prophecy became forever true.  "I will remove the guilt of this land (the entire earth) in a single day."  (Zechariah 3:9)

 

• The Piercing: In one of the most haunting prophecies, we hear the Holy Week Prophet tell us, “They will look on me, the one they have pierced."   This foretells the spear that would enter Christ's lifeless body on Good Friday (Zechariah 12:10; John 19:37).

 
The Fountain of Grace
Why does all this matter for us today? Because Zechariah doesn't end with a pierced Savior!  He ends with a cleansing fountain.  He writes, "On that day a fountain will be opened... for sin and uncleanness."  (Zechariah 13:1) This refers to the blood of Christ that cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1:7. See also the hymn “There is a fountain filled with blood” by William Cowper.)
 
When Jesus cried out "It is finished!" from the cross, that fountain was opened for you, for me. The "Holy Week Prophet" invites us to look upon the One we pierced and realize that we aren't looking at a victim, but at a Righteous King who remembers His people and has come to bring them home.
 
As we continue our Lenten journey, let’s remember: God has remembered us.
 
A Closing Prayer
Lord God, Heavenly Father, we thank You that You are a God who remembers. In our moments of doubt or wandering, remind us of the promises You kept through Your "Holy Week Prophet," Zechariah. We thank You for the King who came in humility on a donkey, the Shepherd who was struck for the sake of the sheep, and the Savior who was pierced for our transgressions. As we look upon Him this Lent, open the fountain of Your grace in our hearts. Cleanse us from our sins and lead us to the foot of the cross, where we can truly shout with joy, “It is finished!” In the name of Jesus, our Righteous King, Amen.
 
Privileged to Serve, 
Rev. Glenn Schwanke

I’ll be brief since I hope to see many of you later this afternoon – and for the next five Wednesdays.
 
Remember when Wednesdays were sacred? A generation ago (and earlier), schools and government entities (cities, towns) refrained from filling Wednesdays with activities. Wednesday was considered “church night,” a mid-week oasis reserved for youth religious instruction and worship for all.
 
Today, no days or nights are sacred. Even Sunday mornings are filled with activities, especially for youth.
 
The next six Wednesdays (beginning today) are opportunities for worship and renewal.  What better way to offset the busyness and stress of the day (of life, honestly!) than to de-stress and recharge in the Savior’s house!
 
Here are the high points:

• Midweek Lenten worship (six weeks) begins today (Feb 18th). One service each week at 4 PM.
• Today’s service – Ash Wednesday – offers the opportunity to receive the Sacrament.
• Theme: It Is Finished
• Overview: Explore the prophecies of Zechariah, an enriching look at our Savior Jesus, particularly as these prophecies relate to the events of Jesus’ Holy Week passion, death, and resurrection.
• Six weeks, six different preachers from five area WELS churches. Oh, the variety!

 
Make every effort to attend. Your Lenten journey with Jesus is already meaningful and personal. It is even more so when we hear his voice and see his love.
 
“Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, who is the author of our faith and the one who brings it to its goal. In view of the joy set before him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of God’s throne.” (Hebrews 12:2)
 
In Christ Jesus,
Pastor Stephen Luchterhand

The "High Beam" Problem
​
It happened again this past week, when I drove home after the Wednesday Public School Confirmation Class.  I was navigating the slalom course that is Country Trunk J.  Up ahead, around the curve, came a sedan, being tailgated by full-size pickup with aftermarket LED lights, stacked three-vertical.  So bright they could have blinded pilots trying to land over at the Minocqua airport.  For a few seconds, I was blinded, and I thought, “DIM YOUR LIGHTS!"  I wanted to flash my headlights, but I couldn't without blinding the driver of the sedan being tailgated by the pick-up.
 
As I navigated the next bend, I was still fuming at the driver of the pick-up.  How could he be so insensitive?  So clueless?  So stupid?  Blinding me.  Blinding the driver he was tailgating.  My thoughts steamed.  And the air inside of my Traverse may also have been clouded by a few things I said. 
 
It was then I realized that the pick-up driver failed to him his lights, but I had dimmed mine.
 
The Dimming Effect of Sin
 
I dimmed my lights with my angry thoughts and some nasty words. Even though no one else could know my thoughts or hear those words, my Father in Heaven did.  (1 Chronicles 28:9) And in that moment, he knew that I had dimmed the light of my faith. 
 
That happens to all of us--whenever we allow sin to take root in our heart, our mind, our mouth, or our hands and our feet. The Apostle John wrote, "If we say we have fellowship with him but still walk in darkness, we are lying and do not put the truth into practice."  (1 John 1:6) It’s as if our sin acts like a layer of dust on the lamp of our faith.  The bulb is still burning, but the glow can’t pierce through the grime.
 
Fortunately, we don't have to stay dimmed.  In the very next verses, John explains, "But if we walk in the light, just as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."  (1 John 1:7-9)
 
The Dimming Effect of Fear
 
At other times, we dim our lights intentionally because we are afraid of how others will react. We don’t want to be "that holier-than-thou Christian" at the office or in the neighborhood who comes on too strong. We worry that if our faith shines out on high-beam, we will annoy people, make them squint, or even be completely rejected. So, we click our spiritual high beams down to the lowest setting. We blend in.
 
Maybe we ought to confer with the Apostle Paul, the next time we are tempted to dim our faith because of fear!  Arguably, Pail endured far more pressure to dim the light of his faith than any of us ever will.  (See 2 Corinthians 11:23-32!)  And yet Paul could shout, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes―to the Jew first, and also to the Greek."  (Romans 1:16)   Paul also shares this encouragement, “For God did not give us a timid spirit, but a spirit of power and love and sound judgment."  (2 Timothy 1:7)
 
Don't Dim Your Lights!
 
Jesus, in his Sermon on the Mount, shared this high-beam encouragement.  “You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill cannot be hidden. People do not light a lamp and put it under a basket. No, they put it on a stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. In the same way let your light shine in people’s presence, so that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16).
 
In a world that is increasingly cold and shadowed, people don’t need us to blend into the darkness.  They need us to help them see. Christ's light--pure, radiant, glorious, gracious—isn’t meant to blind people; it’s meant to save them, guide them.  Don't dim your lights. Someone might just be using your glow to find their way home.
 
Privileged to Serve,
Rev. Glenn Schwanke

You’re a careful reader, right? What’s E.D.D.? A term I use for “Expression Deficit Disorder.” You have it. I have it. Everyone on the planet has it. EDD is failing to communicate clearly. Such communication breakdowns are one of the things that have people on edge. And really, EDD/failure to communicate well affects every aspect of life, every relationship we have.
 
Communication can be verbal and non-verbal, written and spoken. Let’s talk about words. How many words come out of your mouth each day? The average person speaks about 25,000 words day. That’s about 50 pages in print, which means that every week you speak the equivalent of a John Grisham novel. If all your words were put on paper, each year you would compile a personal library of 50 such novels. That’s a big stack of books. That’s a lot of words, a lot of communicating. Plenty of opportunities for communication breakdowns, for EDD.
 
Every time there’s a conversation, you’ve got one sinner talking to another sinner – whether it’s in person, on the phone, e-mail, texting, via endless apps. Each sinner/participant has his/her own set of perceptions, realities, frames of reference, protective mechanisms. It’s so easy to be reckless and hurtful in our speech, to try to justify careless words: Hey, I just call ‘em the way I see ‘em. If you can’t handle the truth, you shouldn’t have asked. Hey, I didn’t mean anything by that – you’re way too sensitive – lighten up. I was only kidding. Can’t you take a joke?
 
We prove over and over again what Jesus said in Matthew 12:34 – “Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.” (NIV84) Sinful hearts and thoughts yield sinful, hurtful words and actions. No amount of earthly training or therapy can fix the condition of our hearts.
    
This problem goes deeper than EDD with other people. We’re at odds with God by nature. We’re opposed to his Word by nature. The problem not with God and his Word. His Word is clear. The problem is with you and me. If I’m driving without my glasses on and the signs look blurry. Is it the signs’ fault? No, the problem is with me. Likewise God’s Word is abundantly clear, but our sinful nature and mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law nor can it do so.
 
Think of all the obstacles God had to overcome in order to communicate to us: sin, hostility, unwillingness and outright inability to listen. But he did it through his Son, Jesus Christ. Peter, who had trouble with EDD himself – outbursts of denial and pride for starters – records this in his second letter: “To be sure, we were not following cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the powerful appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.” (2 Peter 1:16).
 
The “majesty” of his ministry, the “majesty” and power of his redeeming work. By virtue of his perfect sacrifice, his perfect life, his bloody death and glorious resurrection, he earned forgiveness of sins for us, for all. And he brought this to us in a very personal way – through the Gospel God made our hearts clean and able to receive his many blessings.
 
God’s Word doesn’t just help us with communication. God’s Word IS communication. And when Christ redeemed us, he redeemed our speech/communication as well. God’s Word brings families – all of us – back from the edge when it comes to EDD. And Peter, who personally struggled with communication, offers a bonanza of spiritual encouragement to combat EDD. “All of you, live in harmony with one another. Show sympathy, brotherly love, compassion, and humility. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. Instead, speak a blessing, because you were called for the purpose of inheriting a blessing.” (1 Peter 3:8,9)
 
And this: “But regard the Lord, the Christ, as holy in your hearts. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that is in you. But speak with gentleness and respect, while maintaining a clear conscience, so that those who attack your good way of life in Christ may be put to shame because they slandered you as evildoers.” (1 Peter 3:15,16)
 
Fight EDD. Drop the sarcasm when inappropriate. Purge the urge to put others down. Instead, build others up. Copy Jesus on the e-mails and the text messages. Remember that he’s listening in on phone conversations and watching when you surf the internet. Let your conversation – every personal interaction – be seasoned with salt. God help us to communicate clearly, lovingly, compassionately in Christ.
 
In Christ Jesus,
Pastor Stephen Luchterhand