Ember Days

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✠ Psalmody: Psalm 25:6, 2b, 22; 1–2a; Psalm 25:17-18; Psalm 25:17b–18, 1–3; Psalm 119:47–48a; Psalm 5:1b–2 ✠ Lection: Exodus 24:12-18; 1 Kings 19:3b-8 ; Matthew 12:38-50 In the Name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. On this cold February evening, let us head south, south with the prophet Elijah. In 1 Kings 19, we hear that he went to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah. He was coming from the northern kingdom of Israel, southward to Beersheba, which lay on the edge of the desert wilderness. Beersheba has much biblical significance in itself, but we shall first consider the frigid,Read More →

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✠ Psalmody: Isaiah 45:8a;Psalm 19:1;24:7, 3-4a;145:18, 21;Isaiah 35:4b;7:14b ✠ Lection: Isaiah 2:2-5;Isaiah 7:10-15;Luke 1:26-38a In the Name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. It is by the prophet Isaiah that we have the prophetic sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel, a name that is especially popular around this time of year as we ponder upon the Advent of our King. It’s a name so popular that countless children have received it as their own over the past millennia, as well as a multitude of schools and churches, causing itRead More →

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(printed on bulletin insert on December 15, 2024) The name “Ember Days” has nothing to do with how we commonly use the word ember in modern-day English, meaning hot-burning coals or remnants of a fire. The origin of the Church’s use of the word for these days comes from Old English Ymbrendaeg, which translated simply means recurring days. For the Church, these are quarterly sets of “Ember” days that are set aside every year with a focus on the Christian disciplines of prayer and fasting for the sake of godly preparation. Ember Days happen four times per year on the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday after:Read More →