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Dear People of God:
The first Christians observed with great devotion the days of our Lord's passion and resurrection, and it became the custom of the Church to prepare for them by a season of penitence and fasting... I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church, to the observance of a holy Lent, by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God's holy Word.
(Book of Common Prayer, p. 264-265)
Lent begins with Ash Wednesday next week. We will hear again the above invitation to the observance of a holy Lent. One way to think about Lent is Spring Training for followers of Jesus. It is a more intense time of discipline and training in basic Christian practices of “self-examination and repentance; prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God's holy Word.” Traditionally, Lent is a season when we deliberately increase our giving to those in need. Like Spring Training, Lent helps us refocus and get back in shape.
Most baseball players do not show up to Spring Training totally out of shape. They exercise and work on their game throughout the year. Similarly, it is good not to think of Lenten discipline as something we only tend to for a season. We do well to practice year-round the disciplines of prayer, generosity toward the poor, self-denial, etc.
Unlike Spring Training, the observance of a holy Lent has nothing to do with “making the roster.” Jesus has secured our place on the roster, and the quality of our Lenten observance will not change that one way or another. But it might open us to a fuller experience of God’s grace and orient us to more fully living in light of it.
Here are a few more thoughts on the particular discipline of fasting. I believe fasting is good and beneficial. And not just in Lent. But especially in Lent as we prepare for Holy Week and Easter. It does not necessarily mean going altogether without food, but eating less and abstaining from some food and drink that you might otherwise enjoy. And it need not be only food. One can fast from music or other entertainment or other things.
Do not fast:
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To prove something to God (whose love is enduring regardless)
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To prove something to yourself
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To prove something to others
If it will cause you to compare your strictness to the relative laxity of others
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If doing without whatever you are doing without will be detrimental to your physical or mental health
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To lose weight or achieve some other ‘earthly’ goal
Do fast:
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To discipline your appetites and orient them toward God
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To reduce distractions so you can attend more fully to God and others
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To make space in your heart and life for God and others
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As penance for sin that is weighing on your heart and preventing you from experiencing God’s mercy and delight
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Because it is the wisdom of the Church that it is good for your soul whether you understand it or not
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As a reminder that you do not live by bread alone and that Jesus is your only true satisfaction and nourishment
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To prepare for baptism or in solidarity with those who are
Whatever disciplines you take over the next several weeks, fasting or otherwise, I pray you have a good and holy Lent.
The Right Reverend Matthew Gunter
Bishop of Wisconsin
CVASING Concert
Sunday, March 2nd
2pm and 7pm
“All Nature Sings” is the 2025 CVASING concert theme. We bring voices and instrumentalists together from across the Chippewa Valley to experience and share the power of music to bring joy, healing, and inspiration from our life experiences with all of creation. All proceeds go directly to the Feed My People organization. Concerts are on Sunday, March 2, at 2:00 and 7:00 pm at Trinity Lutheran Church, 1314 E. Lexington Blvd., Eau Claire, WI. Tickets are $10.00 and are available from choir members and at the door.
Adopting a Medical Center: The Value of Charitable Gift Annuities
If you haven't heard Mike Bundy's life story, invite him out for coffee sometime. You're in for a treat.
Mike spent his childhood in Eau Claire and later graduated from Shattuck School (now Shattuck- St. Mary's) in Faribault, Minn. He attended Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, where he was a Classics major studying Latin and Greek language and culture. He also was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation's oldest academic honor society.
He spent a year in France as a Fulbright scholar and was later stationed in Germany with the U.S. Army during the Korean War, which again afforded him opportunities to return to France on occasion.
After being invited back to Kenyon to teach in its Classics Department for a year, Mike migrated to New York City, getting a master's of arts degree from Columbia University and teaching Latin and Greek at Trinity School, a college preparatory school. He then spent 18 years as head of the Classics Department at The Chapin School, a prestigious girls' school in Manhattan's upper east side.
And now, he's back in Eau Claire.
"It was a hard decision to leave New York after I retired since I'd been there for 35 years," says Mike. "But I go back to New York every year, take in the opera and ballet, and see all my friends." In Eau Claire, he's rekindled friendships with people he grew up with, too.
In the last few years, Mike sold his childhood home, a large, four-story house built in the 1920s. He had already named his beneficiaries in his will, but realized that the money was available now.
"Since I don't have kids, I've adopted the Metropolitan Opera, New York City Ballet, Shattuck- St. Mary's, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Luther Midelfort (twice) and others," says Mike. "I had the capital, and I wasn't using it, so I thought, 'Why not give it away now?'"
Mike "adopted" these organizations using charitable gift annotates, which guarantee his investment and provided an income as long as Mike is living.
And how does Luther Midelfort - Mayo Health System fit on the same list as the opera and ballet? "These are all institutions that are close to me, that I've gotten to know and respect," Mike says. "They all represent milestones in my life, and I want to recognize them."
Mike's connection to Luther Midelfort is probably the one that goes farthest back. "The Midelfort Clinic has always been a big part of my life," he says. "The doctors who founded the Clinic were all friends of our family as I was growing up. If I ever had a sore throat, one of them would stop by the house to examine, medicate and dispense TLC. They were like family."
These were the days before the clinic and hospital were one institution, but Mike's family also had connection to Luther Hospital. "My dad and grandfather were both on the board of trustees of the hospital, and my mother was a volunteer for years and years over there," he says.
And although Mike's parents both received care at Luther Midelfort over the years, Mike has been fortunate. "Luckily, I've never spent a day in the hospital," he says. "But I know that Luther Midelfort is greatly respected nationwide, and I feel very lucky to be here when I do need the care that they can offer. Then, of course, their connection with Mayo Clinic cements the whole thing."
Mike's decision to support Luther Midelfort with a charitable gift annuity was an easy one for him. "All of these organizations were in my will as part of my estate when I died," he said. "With the annuities, they're still getting the funds I'd designated, it's guaranteed, and I get an income from it as well. As a practical matter, it's worked out very well."
Service Schedule
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Rite II with Eucharist service – 9:00 AM;
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Holy Days – Eucharist as announced in the Weekly Update
