Zion Lutheran Church
Pastor's Page
Dear Friends in Christ,
Quite some time ago at one of my previous congregations, someone asked me what “Ember Days” were and/or when they occurred in the Church Year. I had no clue. Well, confessing my ignorance I promised to research it. Oddly enough (or perhaps not) I found the information in a book that I sometimes use for my daily devotions. It’s called: Treasury of Daily Prayer. As you might expect, I highly recommend doing your daily Bible reading and prayers and this book is a wonderful tool to inspire you to do so. In it, I found a brief but clear explanation about Ember Days. Maybe you’ve never heard of them or you indeed have but didn’t know the story behind them. Anyway, here’s what I discovered:
The Ember Days comprise the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday of: - the week following the first Sunday in Lent; - the week between Pentecost and Trinity Sunday; - the week following the Feast of the Holy Cross (September 14);
and -the week following the Commemoration of St. Lucia (December 13).
Traditionally, the Western Church observed four periods, roughly one for each of the natural seasons of the year, seeking God’s blessings upon the fruits of the earth and acknowledging that all food comes from Him. Fasting, prayer, and almsgiving as prescribed by the Church marked the three days of each Embertide.
In the Church of the Reformation, these days marked a season of piety especially devoted to preaching on the catechism. Today the Ember Days can be a time to give special attention to the elements and fundamentals of Christian knowledge and life found in the catechism.
The Ember Days were originally days of prayer, repentance, and fasting. After the Reformation, the Ember Days themselves became for Lutherans one of the roots of the evangelical “days of repentance.” The traditional themes of repentance can be used in one’s daily prayer in a way that is already familiar, as a Day of Supplication and Prayer. Hymns of confession and absolution would be suitable.
Hopefully you can see that Ember Days were anchored in the seasons of an agricultural year. And therein lies the reason why most of us haven’t got a clue about these special days in the Church Year. Fewer and fewer of our members are farmers. As a result, we’ve lost our direct connection to the land and our reliance on God’s blessing of favorable weather. For most of us, if it doesn’t rain we just turn on the sprinkler for our garden or lawn. For most farmers, though, that’s not an option when they look at their crops in the field. All they can do is get on their knees and ask God to send the sun and rain as needed and according to His will. Ember Days would meet that need within the Church. This wasn’t superstition, nor were the prayers and fasting a good luck charm to somehow ward off bad weather. No, it was God’s people recognizing what Psalm 145:15-16 says: The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing.
One last bit of trivia in regard to Ember Days: The name has nothing to do with hot coals (embers.) Most likely it comes from an old Anglo-Saxon word which meant “revolutions” as in revolutions of the seasons.
Perhaps it would be a good idea for us to reintroduce Ember Days again. Because even though you may not farm for a living, we all certainly do rely upon the food that is produced in abundance around us which is a gracious blessing from God’s hand.
Before I close, please take note of the announcements about the Seder Meal which we are offering once again this year on April 15th. More importantly, I would encourage you to take advantage of the remaining midweek Lenten Services as well as the additional services during Holy Week. Please consider inviting your family and friends to join you in attending these as we prepare to celebrate Christ’s glorious Resurrection on Easter morn. Remember that statistically people are more likely to accept an invitation to attend worship on this special day than any other Sunday! May God bless you as we continue our Lenten meditation on Christ’s suffering and death on our behalf in preparation for the celebration of His rising from the dead in victory.
In Christ,
Pastor Meyer
