This fourth Sunday in Lent is a significant one. It was hinted at in the Gospel lesson for the day which is that of the Prodigal son. One of the prominent themes of this lesson is that when we are repentant, God goes out to meet us before we even get down on our knees and fully verbalize that contrition. From God's perspective, repentance is a time of celebration, "Rejoice with me" (Luke 15:6), "Rejoice with me" (Luke 15:9), "...let us eat and celebrate" (Luke 15:23) and "...celebrate and rejoice." The whole of chapter 15 is about rejoicing and celebration being directly connected to repentance and being embraced and kissed by the God who meets us in our sorrow over realizing what we have done and attempting to mend that broken relationship. There is a historical significance to the usage of this theme for this particular Sunday. In the early Christian church, the period of Lent was a time for penitence for both those who had been separated from the Christian fellowship of the church by grave sins as well as for those seeking fellowship for the first time with the Church. This particular Sunday has traditionally been one of rejoicing in the penitence of sinners (and we all fit that bill). The Introit from the SBH (Service Book and Hymnal, 1958) on page 85 reflects this theme, "Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her: all ye that love her. Rejoice with joy with her: all ye that mourn for her." That is also the traditional introit of the Roman Catholic Church. In Isaiah 66:10, "Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad because of her, all you who love her; rejoice with her in joy, all you who mourn over her---" Hmmm, that IS the introit for this Sunday.