#39 - Hymn 723 - When In the Hour of Utmost Need

Perhaps you are someone who enjoys the physicality and storytelling ability of professional wrestling. Maybe you watched the classics like The Crusher, Baron von Raschke, or George the Animal Steele. Or maybe you enjoyed the superstars of WWF like Hulk Hogan, Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat, and Randy “Macho Man” Savage.  

Pro wrestlers have great character names like Sting, The Rock, The Undertaker, and Stone Cold Steve Austin. They are creative characters, perfect for television. 

In this week’s Old Testament lesson, Jacob wrestled with God all evening. In the beginning of his life, Jacob was quite the character. His pro wrestling name would have been The Heel-Grabber. But after his wrestling match with God was over, the Lord changed Jacob’s name to Israel because he “fought with God and won.”  

Moses records the event for us. “Jacob was left alone, and he wrestled with a man there until daybreak. When the man saw that he could not defeat him, he touched the socket of his thigh, and the socket of Jacob’s thigh was dislocated as he wrestled. The man said, ‘Let me go. It’s daybreak.’ Jacob said, ‘I will not let you go, unless you bless me.’ Then he said to him, ‘What is your name?’ He said, ‘Jacob.’ Then he said, ‘Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have fought with God and with men, and you have won’” (Genesis 32:24-28). 

God wants us to wrestle with him – to wrestle with him in prayer. God wants you to be his professional wrestlers – wrestling like Jacob at Jabbok.   

Our Hymn of the Day speaks about wrestling with God in prayer. Verse one: When in the hour of utmost need we know not where to look for aid, when days and nights of anxious thought no help or counsel yet have brought. 

We often find ourselves in an hour of utmost need. We don’t know where to turn. Our days and nights are filled with anxious thoughts. We can’t find aid or help, comfort or counsel anywhere else. We could approach God in prayer. But most of us struggle with prayer. 

We forget to pray. And when we remember, we hurry through our woefully short prayers with hollow words. We give God a shopping list of things we want him to do for us, instead of praying for his name to be hallowed, his kingdom to come, and his will to be done.  

Instead, God wants us to struggle in prayer. Verse two: Then is our comfort this alone that we may meet before your throne; to you, O faithful God, we cry for rescue in our misery. 

We learn the power of prayer from God, his prophets, apostles, and saints. Jesus is the Son of God. Yet, he prayed in the desert, in Gethsemane, and on the cross. We seek God’s face like Moses, are bold like Abraham, and wrestle with God like Jacob. We are persistent like the widow before the judge in Jesus’ parable in this Sunday’s Gospel lesson. We can approach God with confidence. We find comfort in speaking to our heavenly Father. We trust that God listens to our cries for rescue and relief.  

Verse three: For you have promised, Lord, to heed your children’s cries in time of need through him whose name alone is great, our Savior and our advocate. 

Our passionate prayers move the heart of God. James reminds us, “The prayer of a righteous person is able to do much because it is effective” (James 5:16). Join your heart-felt prayers to those of other saints. Receive comfort in the knowledge that Jesus Christ is your High Priest in heaven, perfecting your prayers, serving as your Advocate before the throne of the Almighty God.  

Verse four: And so we come, O God, today and all our woes before you lay; be with us in our anguish still, free us at last from ev’ry ill. 

Be bold in prayer. Know what you need and ask God for it. Talk to him about it. Speak to your Father. Paul encourages, “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Don’t give up. Be persistent. Be courageous. God wants to bless you through Christ. Wrestle with God in prayer. Learn the lesson Jacob finally learned - quit your own cunning and make use of God’s almighty power. Cling to God’s promises. Win God’s blessing. 

Verse five: So that with all our hearts we may to you our glad thanksgiving pay, then walk obedient to your Word and now and ever praise you, Lord. 

Satan trembles when God’s saints pray. Paul reminds us, “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds” (2 Corinthians 10:4). When God’s faithful saints pray, miracle children are born, raging waters are parted, angels attack, lives are spared, and heaven is opened. When God’s people approach his throne in prayer, tumors shrink, blindness turns to sight, strength is received, jobs are reclaimed, evil is thwarted, death is overcome, and God’s kingdom comes.  

So, wrestle with God in prayer. Pray, praise, and give thanks.  

#38 - Hymn 624 – Praise to the Lord, the Almighty

In the Gospel for this Sunday, Jesus is beginning his last, long journey to Jerusalem. In just a few short weeks, a crown of thorns would be thrust upon his head, a scourge would tear into his back, and a hammer would drive nails into his hands and feet. The condemning judgment of all the world’s sin would be placed upon him. 

As Jesus heads south to Jerusalem, he comes to a village near the border between Galilee and Samaria. Just as he is about to enter the village, ten men suffering from leprosy call out to him from a distance. 

In Jesus’ day, a person who suffered from leprosy was forced to live far away from family and friends and everyone else in leper colonies. There, the lepers slowly die an excruciating death. 

St. Luke records Jesus’ encounter with ten lepers. “When [Jesus] entered a certain village, ten men with leprosy met him. Standing at a distance, they called out loudly, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!’ When he saw them, he said, ‘Go, show yourselves to the priests.’ As they went away they were cleansed” (Luke 17:12-14).  

These ten lepers who were healed had every reason to sing praises to their almighty God. They could have sung the first verse of our Hymn of the Day, “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty.” 

Verse one: Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation! O my soul, praise him, for he is your health and salvation! Let all who hear now to his temple draw near, joining in glad adoration! 

After Jesus told the lepers to show themselves to the priest, all ten of the lepers left. Can you imagine what it must have been like as the lepers went to the priest? They notice their joints no longer hurt. Their skin clears up. Their voices return. They are healed. Can you see them pick up the pace and begin to run to the temple? They could have been singing verse two on their way to the temple. 

Verse two: Praise to the Lord, who o’er all things is wondrously reigning and, as on wings of an eagle, uplifting, sustaining. Have you not seen how all that’s needful has been sent by his gracious ordaining? 

But then one of the healed lepers stops in his tracks. He turns around and runs back the way he came, praising God in a loud voice. He falls at Jesus’ feet and thanks him. He could have sung a solo of verse three. 

Verse three: Praise to the Lord, who has fearfully, wondrously, made you, health has bestowed and, when heedlessly falling, has stayed you. What need or grief ever has failed of relief? Wings of his mercy did shade you. 

This lone leper didn’t make it to the priest. He could have been arrested for that, but he couldn’t help it. He had to go back to the source. He had to thank his Savior and God. And he was a Samaritan. He wasn’t even from the Jewish nation. He didn’t have the benefit of growing up in the Jewish worship and temple life. But boy was he thankful! He wanted everyone to see — everyone to hear — what God had done for him. He could have shouted verse four.  

Verse four: Praise to the Lord, who will prosper your work and defend you; surely his goodness and mercy shall daily attend you. Ponder anew what the Almighty can do as with his love he befriends you. 

Consider all the physical blessings, health, and healing your Lord Jesus has granted you in response to your pleas of “Lord Jesus, have mercy on me!” You recovered from a stroke. You underwent surgery to spare you from a massive heart attack. You had a hip or knee or heart valve replaced. You were cured after a long illness. Your life was spared after a horrific accident. At one time, you were destined for pain and misery like those ten lepers. But by God’s mercy, you were healed and made whole again. 

Sing praises to God on your way to the temple. Sing praises to Jesus as you return to give him thanks. Praise God when you are in a crowd. Praise Jesus when you are singing solo. Whatever you do, whenever you can, however you have the ability, sing praises to the Lord. 

Verse five: Praise to the Lord! O let all that is in me adore him! All that has life and breath, come now with praises before him! Let the amen sound from his people again; gladly forever adore him! 

#37 - Hymn 748 – Brothers, Sisters, Let Us Gladly

The Christian church in Thessalonica was young. It needed maturing. But the apostle Paul was not able to spend a lot of time visiting with the Christians in Thessalonica. Shortly after his arrival in the city, he was forced to leave because of persecution. The young church had to grow up quickly.   

The same people who opposed Paul and his missionary team also opposed the Christians who remained in the city. These new Christians were verbally and physically abused. They suffered financial loss. They were hated because of their connection to Jesus.  

But a remarkable thing happened. Instead of abandoning their faith in Jesus, a deeper relationship with Jesus was developed. When just about everything else in their lives was taken away, they realized that what they had in Jesus far outweighed what they lost in the world. Not only did the faith of these individuals survive, it thrived. They took advantage of the many opportunities to show love for God and one another (WELS Devotion 1 Thess 1:3). 

In our epistle lesson for this Sunday, the apostle Paul reflects on the journey of faith of these young Christians as they put their faith into action. The Hymn of the Day is “Brothers, Sisters, Let Us Gladly.” It also reflects on the stewardship of our faith as we put our faith into service to the Lord and our brothers and sisters in the Christian faith.   

Verse one: Brothers, sisters, let us gladly give to God our all, our best: service hearty, thorough, honest, with a living love impressed. All our duty, all our striving, all our time to him belong; praise him, then, with true devotion, come before him with a song. 

Through baptism, God us brought us into his holy family as brothers and sisters. God has given us his best. Now we want to return our best to God with hearty, honest, and thorough service. Our love is alive in our duty and service to God and his family of believers. 

In his second epistle to the Thessalonian Christians, Paul mentions that he is grateful for their Christian love towards one another. “We are always obligated to thank God for you, brothers, as is fitting, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love that each and every one of you has for one another is increasing” (2 Thessalonians 1:3). 

Verse two: By his mercy, by his bounty, by the gift of Christ, his Son, what great goodness he has shown us, what high marvels he has done! Let us to him promptly, freely, yield our bodies and our souls, thankful that his love protects us, that his wisdom all controls. 

As we serve the Lord, God warns us that persecution will come on us. Jesus tells us numerous times to expect our family to hate us, the government to oppose us, and culture to disown us. We yield our bodies and souls to God, thankful that his love protects us in the face of all this persecution.  

Paul encouraged the Thessalonian Christians amid the opposition they faced. He reminds them they were counted worthy to suffer as part of God’s kingdom. “So we ourselves boast about you in God’s churches in regard to your patient endurance and faith in all your persecutions and in the trials that you are enduring. This is evidence of God’s righteous verdict that resulted in your being counted worthy of God’s kingdom, for which you also suffer” (2 Thessalonians 1:9, 10). 

Verse three: Gracious Lord, accept our service for the sake of Christ, your Son; lo, our hope abides now only in the righteousness he won. Bless and save us, help and guide us, watch to comfort and restore, till in heav’n we rest rejoicing, praising you forevermore. 

Jesus Christ came from heaven to serve us here on earth. He blessed us by giving his righteousness to us. Now, we are blessed to live in Christ’s righteousness as we serve him here on earth. We pray that we will then be blessed to live and serve Christ one day in heaven.  

Paul prayed that the Thessalonian Christians would praise and glorify the Lord Jesus Christ in everything they did for him. “For this reason, we are always praying for you, that our God will make you worthy of your calling and use his power to fulfill every good desire and work of your faith, so that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you and you in him, in keeping with the grace of our God and Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thessalonians 1:11, 12).  

We pray to be like the Christians in Thessalonica. We pray that God uses us in service to others as we glorify him. Instead of abandoning our faith in Jesus, a deeper relationship with Jesus needs to be developed. Brothers, sisters, let us gladly give to God our all, our best. 

#36 - Hymn 817 - Lord, Thee I Love with All My Heart

Life without Jesus? How awful would that be?!  

David is a young man who is living without Jesus. His grandparents have shared his story with me and given me permission to share his story with you. Without Jesus in his life, David has become addicted to drugs, which has led him to being in and out of prison at least four times. He’s out now, but after trying for several months to remain clean, he is back to doing drugs. 

On top of that, he now has a daughter with his girlfriend. When the girlfriend goes to work, David’s family has to sit with him while he watches his daughter because they can’t trust him to be alone with her.  

That story is heartbreaking. It is especially heartbreaking to David’s grandparents. Every time I visit them, they tell me what’s going on in David’s life and ask me to pray with them for their grandson … and now their new great granddaughter. 

Life without Jesus is awful! That’s why we plead with our Savior in the Hymn of the Day for this week, “Ne’er from me depart!”  

Verse one: Lord, thee I love with all my heart; I pray thee, ne’er from me depart, with tender mercy cheer me. Earth has no pleasure I would share; yea, heav’n itself were void and bare if thou, Lord, wert not near me. And should my heart for sorrow break, my trust in thee can nothing shake. Thou art the portion I have sought; thy precious blood my soul has bought. Lord Jesus Christ, my God and Lord, my God and Lord, forsake me not! I trust thy Word. 

Without Jesus, life on this earth would be without hope and would hold no pleasure for us. We try to fill the hole in our lives where Jesus belongs with whatever our mind wants and our flesh desires. The hymn writer points out that even if we were in heaven, but Jesus wasn’t there, it wouldn’t be all that heavenly. With Jesus we learn to be grateful that God the Father had forsaken his only begotten Son so that he does not forsake us. Our souls have been bought by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. We belong to God. God does not want to be without us. We do not want to be without God.  

Verse two: Yea, Lord, ’twas thy rich bounty gave my body, soul, and all I have in this poor life of labor. Lord, grant that I in ev’ry place may glorify thy lavish grace and help and serve my neighbor. Let no false doctrine me beguile; let Satan not my soul defile. Give strength and patience unto me to bear my cross and follow thee. Lord Jesus Christ, my God and Lord, my God and Lord, in death thy comfort still afford. 

Without Jesus, there is no rhyme or reason, no purpose or point to life. But with Jesus, the hymn writer expounds upon the determination and direction our lives as Christians now have. The Lord’s riches of forgiveness, life, and salvation give bounty to our bodies, souls, and labors. Everything we do, we do to glorify God for the grace he has lavishly poured upon us. We understand and accept the crosses we are called to carry as Jesus’ followers. We accept these crosses with grace and patience. We even accept that death will come for us. But we prepare for death with the comfort of the resurrection Jesus Christ gives us.  

The hymnwriter then moves onto death with verse three: Lord, let at last thine angels come, to Abr’ham’s bosom bear me home that I may die unfearing; and in its narrow chamber keep my body safe in peaceful sleep until thy reappearing. And then from death awaken me that these mine eyes with joy may see, O Son of God, thy glorious face, my Savior and my fount of grace. Lord Jesus Christ, my prayer attend, my prayer attend, and I will praise thee without end. 

The hymnwriter is alluding to the Gospel lesson for this Sunday from Luke 16:19-31. Jesus tells a story: “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen, living in luxury every day. A beggar named Lazarus had been laid at his gate. Lazarus was covered with sores and longed to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Besides this, the dogs also came and licked his sores. Eventually the beggar died, and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In hell, where he was in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus at his side. He called out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me! Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in misery in this flame.’ 

“But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus received bad things. But now he is comforted here, and you are in misery. Besides all this, a great chasm has been set in place between us and you, so that those who want to cross from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’” 

Without Jesus, we are like the rich man in life, and we will be with that rich man in death. With Jesus, we are like Lazarus here on earth – poor, humble, unassuming, suffering. Yet, through faith in Jesus, when we die, we will be carried by Christ’s angels to Abraham’s bosom. We may fall asleep each night here on earth with pain and anxiety, suffering and worry. But through faith in Jesus, when we fall asleep in death, we will awaken in heaven to see Jesus’ glorious face. 

Today, pray for David and others like him who are living without Jesus. Pray that they may come to faith so they can pray the same petition we sing this Sunday, “Lord, thee I love with all my heart; I pray thee, ne’er from me depart.” 

#35 - Hymn 654 - Jesus Sinners Does Receive

The other day I had a member lament a large building project he’s overseeing. He had hired a crew to frame the walls for the building. When he looked at their progress, he noticed that their walls were not straight. Straight walls are rather important. When he mentioned it to the foreman, the foreman said it would be fine. 

Our member rightly said that it would not be fine. And he had the crew tear down the walls and start over.  

That’s what the hymn “Jesus Sinners Does Receive” teaches us. We are like the crew and the foreman who make mistakes … and then refuse to admit those mistakes, own up to them, or correct them. We would much rather overlook them, hide them, or blame the mistakes on others. But our Hymn of the Day places the blame squarely where it belongs … on us.  

Verse one: Jesus sinners does receive; oh, may all this saying ponder who in sin’s delusions live and from God and heaven wander. Here is hope for all who grieve: Jesus sinners does receive. 

None of us enjoys correction. Yet, when we admit that sin has deluded us and caused us to wander from God, our attitude changes to accept that correction. We are blessed to have a Savior who still receives us.  

Verse two: We deserve but grief and shame, yet his words, rich grace revealing, pardon, peace, and life proclaim; here their ills have perfect healing who with humble hearts believe: Jesus sinners does receive. 

Because of our sinful nature, our accidental sins, our purposeful sins, our sins of omission (what we fail to do right), and our sins of commission (what we do wrong), we deserve grief and shame, death and hell. Yet the Lord promises in Psalm 103: “The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in mercy. He will not always accuse. He will not keep his anger forever. He does not treat us as our sins deserve. He does not repay us according to our guilty deeds” (Psalm 103:8-10). He is the God who “pardons all your guilt and who heals all your diseases” (Psalm 103:3).   

Verse three: Sheep that from the fold did stray are not by the Lord forsaken; weary souls who lost their way are by Christ, the Shepherd, taken in his arms that they may live: Jesus sinners does receive. 

We are like the sheep that Jesus describes in the Gospel lesson for this Sunday in Luke 15. We wander from the rest. We stray from the Shepherd. We fail to remain with the flock. Yet Jesus leaves the rest of the sheep in the wilderness to go after the one that was lost until he finds it. “And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls together his friends and his neighbors, telling them, ‘Rejoice with me, because I have found my lost sheep’” (Luke 15:5-6).   

Verse four: I, a sinner, come to you with a penitent confession. Savior, show me mercy, too; grant for all my sins remission. Let these words my soul relieve: Jesus sinners does receive. 

In Psalm 32, King David describes how he felt while living as an impenitent hardened sinner. He says that his strength was sapped like in the heat of summer. He felt like his body had withered to the bones and all the moisture was sucked out of him. Yet, when he came to God with penitent confession, his Savior showed him mercy and granted the remission of his sins. Then he describes feeling blessed that his rebellion was forgiven, blessed that his sin was covered, and blessed that the Lord did not charge his guilt against him (Psalm 32:1-2).  

Verse five: Oh, how blest it is to know, were as scarlet my transgression, it shall be as white as snow by your blood and bitter passion, for these words I do believe: Jesus sinners does receive. 

When we unburden our sinful conscience by admitting our mistakes and giving our sins to God, then we receive a wonderful promise from God. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow. Though they are as red as crimson, they will be like wool” (Isaiah 1:18).  

Verse six: Now my conscience is at peace, from the law I stand acquitted. Christ has purchased my release and my ev’ry sin remitted. Naught remains my soul to grieve: Jesus sinners does receive. 

When your conscience torments you, take whatever is bothering you to Jesus. Admit your mistakes. Profess your accidental sins. Acknowledge your willful sins. Give them all to Jesus. He receives people whose consciences are weighed down. He delights in those who come to him with nothing but the admission that they’ve done wrong. He forgives. He fixes. He washes. He covers. He bleeds, dies, and rises from the dead to turn guilty sinners into righteous saints. Remember, Jesus sinners does receive.  

#34 - Hymn 694 - Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken

The words Jesus gives us in this Sunday’s Gospel are hard for us to hear. “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and follow me cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26, 27). Jesus is rejecting lukewarm Christianity. According to Jesus, there is no middle ground. You either are or you aren’t. You’re in or you’re out. You are his disciple or you’re not.  

The words the hymnwriter gives us in this Sunday’s Hymn of the Day are hard for us to sing. Verse one: Jesus, I my cross have taken, all to leave and follow you; destitute, despised, forsaken, you on earth once suffered, too. Perish ev’ry fond ambition, all I’ve ever hoped or known; yet how rich is my condition, God and heav’n are still my own! 

How often don’t we find ourselves lazy and lukewarm in our Christianity? We are mushy in the middle Christians, bored Christians, neutered Christians, quiet Christians, timid Christians, unsalty Christians. None of that is true Christianity. Not the kind of Christianity Jesus calls for. That’s why we sing and pray that God help us perish our mushiness, boredom, and laziness. We ask him to help us be bold, strong, firm, loud, fearless, and salty Christians who carry our crosses as Jesus’ faithful disciples. 

Verse two: Let the world despise and leave me; they have left my Savior, too. Human hearts and looks deceive me; you are not, like them, untrue. And, since you have smiled upon me, God of wisdom, love, and might, foes may hate and friends may shun me; show your face, and all is bright. 

God’s Law exposes what abject failures we are as Christ’s followers. The Law reveals that the Enemy and his army are too strong for us. The Law points out we will always prefer convenience over the cross.  The Law establishes that we are bound for hell because of our many and varied sins. But then the Gospel exposes God’s grace in Christ Jesus. The Gospel tells us that Jesus, the Son of God, counted the cost of your salvation, and considered you worth the price of his blood. He went into battle outnumbered by the forces of Satan, the world, and our sinful flesh against him alone. The world despised and left him. But Jesus knew that would happen. Still, he renounced his life, laying it down for sinful humanity who wanted nothing to do with him. All so that he would do everything for them.   

Verse three: Go, then, earthly fame and treasure! Come, disaster, scorn, and pain! In your service pain is pleasure, with your favor loss is gain. I have called you Abba, Father; you my all in all shall be. Storms may howl, and clouds may gather, all must work for good to me. 

Though storms may howl and clouds may gather, your Abba, Father works everything out for your eternal benefit. Jesus knows you have a heart that wanders where it ought not; a love that is fickle and fades. And he dies for it. He forgives it with his own life-giving blood and innocent suffering and death. Where we are faithless, he is faithful – to make us faithful. We, who have hearts that wander, have a Lord, whose heart is steadfast and resolute – so that we never wander away from him. He gave up divine treasure and heavenly glory to come to earth for you. Now you are ready to give up earthly fame and treasure as you follow your Lord and Savior. Jesus became like you, so that you, through faith in him, might become like him.  

Verse four: Haste, my soul, from grace to glory, armed by faith and winged by prayer; all but heav’n is transitory, God’s own hand shall guide you there. Soon shall end this earthly story, swift shall pass the pilgrim days, hope soon change to heav’nly glory, faith to sight and prayer to praise. 

We are pilgrims and strangers here on earth, heaven is our real home. Everything we have, everything we own in this life, everything we work for, strive for, and hold onto is only temporary. We have a greater and permanent inheritance waiting for us in eternal life. Our earthly story will soon come to an end. As we carry our crosses as Christ’s faithful followers, Jesus will lead us to a heavenly glory that will never end. There Christ will turn our faith to sight and our prayer to praise.  

#33 - Hymn 729 – Son of God, Eternal Savior

Humility is a hard concept for us to grasp in our culture. Politicians try to gain your vote by puffing up their accomplishments and downgrading their opponent. Parents yell from the sideline for their child to be the star on the athletic team. Your employer notices that you brought your project in ahead of schedule and under budget only if you put yourself in the spotlight.  

We want praise. We crave recognition. We desire for people to tell us how good we are. But the lesson Jesus teaches about humility in the Gospel lesson stands in stark contrast to the way we think.   

In Luke 14:1-16, Jesus is at the house of a prominent Pharisee. He notices how the guests played a game of choosing chairs of honor at the table. So, Jesus stops the game of musical chairs to teach them a lesson that not only applies to dinner parties, but also to the kingdom of God. “Go sit in a seat that’s not important. When the host comes to you, he may say, ‘Friend, move up to a more important place. Then all the other guests will honor you.’” He then summarizes the point of his parable by explaining, “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”  

Jesus is teaching a lesson about humility. We learn true humility from Jesus Christ. He is, as our hymn of the day properly states, the “Son of God, eternal Savior.” 

Verse one: “Son of God, eternal Savior, source of life and truth and grace, Word made flesh, whose birth among us, hallows all our human race, you our head, who, throned in glory, for your own will ever plead: fill us with your love and pity, heal our wrongs and help our need.” 

Jesus Christ was born among us. He is the Word of God who humbled himself by taking on human flesh and blood. He is the eternal God who entered the realm of time and space. He became incarnate as the Son of Man to be made like us in every way. The writer to the Hebrews explains the reasoning for the incarnation like this: “Since the children share flesh and blood, [Christ] also shared the same flesh and blood” (Hebrews 2:14). As God and man together in one now “grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17). Because the Son of God was now human, he could suffer the greatest humiliation of all – death. Not just any death, but death on a Roman cross.  

Verse two: “Bind us all as one together in your Church’s sacred fold, weak and healthy, poor and wealthy, sad and joyful, young and old. Is there want or pain or sorrow? Make us all the burden share. Are there spirits crushed and broken? Teach us, Lord, to soothe their care.” 

Jesus unites us into the sacred sheepfold of the Christian Church. He brings people together from every nation, tribe, people, and language (Revelation 7:9). The Church is made up of the humble – those who are weak and strong, poor and wealthy, sick and healthy. When we humble ourselves to Christ, we realize that we have no reason to boast in ourselves. Instead, we join with St. Paul in announcing, “The cross of our Lord Jesus Christ is my only reason for boasting” (Galatians 6:14). This boasting in the cross of Christ allows us to share in the crosses and burdens of others.   

Verse three: “As you, Lord, have lived for others, so may we for others live. Freely have your gifts been granted; freely may your servants give. Yours the gold and yours the silver, yours the wealth of land and sea; we but stewards of your bounty held in solemn trust will be.” 

We are stewards and managers of everything God has given us. We are managers of the gold and silver God has gifted us. We use that wealth to further God’s kingdom. We also use that wealth to care for the physical and spiritual needs of those around us. We are God’s stewards who use whatever wealth we have from God to do good for God’s people. St. Paul encourages us, “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who belong to the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10). 

Verse four: “Son of God, eternal Savior, source of life and truth and grace, Word made flesh, whose birth among us hallows all our human race, by your praying, by your willing that your people should be one, grant, O grant our hope’s fruition: here on earth your will be done.” 

Solomon gives us this wise advice in the Old Testament lesson: “Do not honor yourself in a king’s presence. Do not stand in a place reserved for great people, because it is better to be told, “Come up here,” than for you to be humiliated before a ruler whom your eyes have seen” (Proverbs 25:6, 7). Do you feel a need for affirmation? Does your self-esteem need attention? You don’t need to drop names or show off. You need only pause at the base of the cross and be reminded of this – the Maker of the stars would rather die for you than live without you. And that’s a fact. So, if you need to brag — brag about that! Jesus gives us this good advice, “Yes, everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 14:11). 

Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners.  He established his church as the body of his followers to spread his message of salvation to a lost and dying world. It is our goal to share with others the love of Christ that was first shared with us. We exalt in our humility. We rejoice in our unity. We invite others to share this humility and unity. As sons and daughters, we go about the business of him who is the “Son of God, Eternal Savior.” 

#32 - Hymn 800 - How Firm a Foundation

“How Firm a Foundation” became a very popular hymn with the soldiers of both the North and the South during the Civil War. It was a favorite hymn of President Theodore Roosevelt. Andrew Jackson requested that it be sung at his deathbed. Confederate General Robert E. Lee asked that it be sung at his funeral. 

This hymn is still a favorite today because of its scriptural promises of divine strength during times of trouble and tribulation. The first verse acts almost as an introduction to the rest of the text, giving us cause to pause and ponder the assurances our God gives in his Word. These assurances are laid out in greater detail in the following four verses. For this devotion, after the first verse is read, a scriptural promise will be made, followed by the hymn verse that rephrases and reemphasizes that promise. 

Verse one: How firm a foundation, you saints of the Lord, is laid for your faith in his excellent Word! What more can he say than to you he has said, to you who for refuge to Jesus have fled? 

In a world of real fears and real concerns, God reminds us, “Do not fear” and “Do not be dismayed.” Isaiah 41:10: “Do not fear, for I am with you. Do not be overwhelmed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” 

Verse two: “Fear not, I am with you, O be not dismayed, for I am your God and will still give you aid; I’ll strengthen you, help you, and cause you to stand, upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand. 

Isaiah 43:2 gives a beautiful comfort in every danger – whether physical or spiritual. “When you cross through the waters, I will be with you. When you cross the rivers, they will not sweep you away. When you walk through fire, you will not be burned, and the flame will not set you on fire.”  

Verse three: “When through the deep waters I call you to go, the rivers of sorrow shall not overflow, for I will be with you, your troubles to bless, and sanctify to you your deepest distress. 

St. Paul promises that there is not a single thing in the physical or spiritual realm that can separate us from God’s love in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:38-39: “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor rulers, neither things present nor things to come, nor powerful forces, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” 

The prophet Zechariah assures that God’s people will suffer, but that suffering will produce God’s intended glorious outcome – like gold refined in fire. Zechariah 13:9: “I will put that third into the fire, and I will refine them as silver is refined, and I will test them as gold is tested. They will call on my name, and I will answer them. I will say, “This is my people.” And they will say, “The Lord is my God.” 

Verse four: “When through fiery trials your pathway shall lie, my grace all-sufficient shall be your supply; the flames will not hurt you; I only design your dross to consume and your gold to refine. 

Moses announced this promise to the children of Israel as they were about to enter the Promised Land, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid and do not be terrified before them, because the Lord your God is going with you. He will not abandon you and he will not forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6). 

Verse five: “The soul that on Jesus has leaned for repose I will not, I will not, desert to its foes; that soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake, I’ll never, no never, no never forsake!” 

#31 - Hymn 820 - O God, Our Help in Ages Past

Isaac Watts composed over 600 hymns, including “Joy to the World,” “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” and “O God, Our Help in Ages Past.” Today Isaac Watts is rightfully known as the “Father of English Hymnody.” 

Watts lived at a time when it was considered an insult to God to sing any words that were not directly from the Bible. That’s why the hymns Watts and others wrote were paraphrases of the Psalms. 

“O God, Our Help in Ages Past” is a paraphrase of Psalm 90. Psalm 90 is the only psalm of Moses in the psalter. The other psalms of Moses are recorded in Exodus 15 and Deuteronomy 32 and 33. Psalm 90 focuses on death as a judgment upon sin, but it also points to the Lord as the one whose power extends beyond death. For this reason, Psalm 90 is one of the psalms most frequently heard at funerals. 

For this devotion, verses of Psalm 90 will be read, along with corresponding notes from the EHV Study Bible, followed then wih the words of “O God, Our Help in Ages Past.” 

“Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born, before you gave birth to the earth and the world, from eternity to eternity you are God” (Psalm 90:1-2).  

The opening verses of the psalm briefly proclaim the eternity of God so that it may be contrasted with the mortality of mankind. The psalmist is not interested in a philosophical discussion of God’s eternity, but in the practical application of God’s eternity for us. Since God is immortal and eternal, he can be a dwelling place for his people throughout all generations. 

Verse one: O God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come, our shelter from the stormy blast, and our eternal home: 

Verse two: Under the shadow of your throne your saints have dwelt secure; sufficient is your arm alone, and our defense is sure. 

Verse three: Before the hills in order stood or earth received its frame, from everlasting you are God, to endless years the same. 

“You grind people to dust, and you say, ‘Return, children of Adam.’ For a thousand years in your sight are like a day, like yesterday that has gone by, or like a watch in the night” (Psalm 90:4). 

God’s eternity is not just endless time but independence from time. For God “one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day” (2 Peter 3:8). Though we suffer change and decay, God remains unchanged. Before the earth was created, as long as it endures, and after it is gone, God is always the same. 

Verse four: A thousand ages in your sight are like an evening gone, short as the watch that ends the night before the rising sun. 

“You sweep them away like a flood. They are like sleep in the morning, like grass which changes quickly. In the morning it sprouts and grows. By evening it is cut down, and it withers” (Psalm 90:5-6). 

This psalm is not concerned only with man’s mortality but with the cause of that mortality. The real cause of death is not natural weakness, sickness, or human violence. All of these may be secondary causes, but the real cause of death is God’s judgment against sin.  

Verse five: Time, like an ever-rolling stream, soon bears us all away; we fly forgotten, as a dream dies at the op’ning day. 

“The days of our lives add up to seventy years, or eighty years if we are strong. Yet the best of them are trouble and sorrow, for they disappear quickly, and we fly away. … Teach us to number our days in such a way that we bring a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:10, 12). 

The sorrows and difficulties that sin has introduced into the world fill the whole span of human life. For those with spiritual insight, the evils of life are a daily reminder of the seriousness of sin and the greatness of God’s anger against sin. The only solution to sin and death is God’s grace. Since we have only one life and that one life is short, we should use it to gain the wisdom that comes from God so that we will be ready to appear before him. That wisdom is the message of the gospel, through which we gain forgiveness of sins and salvation (1 Corinthians 1:18–2:14). 

Verse six: O God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come, still be our guard while troubles last and our eternal home! 

#30 - Hymn 721 - What a Friend We Have in Jesus

All of us need friends. Last weekend, we had strong storms come through our area that knocked down lots of trees. A good friend volunteers to bring his chainsaw and kids over to help clean up the downed trees. A good friend is a widow who sits next to another recent widow in church to keep her company. When you’re moving to a new house, a good friend is anyone with a pickup truck.  

God created us to be social creatures and enjoy the companionship and friendship of others. Our Hymn of the Day celebrates a friend like no other: "What a Friend we have in Jesus."  

Verse one: What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry ev’rything to God in prayer! Oh, what peace we often forfeit, oh, what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry ev’rything to God in prayer! 

A good friend is someone you can lean on, trust, count on, be there for you. Hopefully you are just as good of a friend to others. Friendship should be mutually advantageous to both people involved. Friendships are usually established through common interests or experiences. Friendships happen through being together as classmates, neighbors, teammates, etc.  

That’s not the way it is with our friendship with Jesus. We are not equals. Jesus is our Savior. He is the Son of God who came from heaven to earth to rescue us from our sins. He is much greater than the friend who helps you move stuff in his pickup truck. Jesus carries all your sins and griefs. You can give him all your cares and worries in your prayers. He’ll replace them with peace and joy.  

Verse two: Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged— take it to the Lord in prayer. Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our ev’ry weakness— take it to the Lord in prayer. 

All of us go through troubles. Everyone of us is tempted. Everybody will experience sorrows. Too often we try to deal with the troubles, temptations, and sorrows on our own. And it ends badly for us. The troubles overwhelm us. The temptations overpower us. The sorrows overtake us. We aren’t strong enough on our own to stand up to the pressures of life. 

But our friend Jesus is. He is a faithful friend who “knows our ev’ry weakness.” So take those weaknesses to the Lord in prayer. In our Gospel lesson for this week, Jesus teaches his disciples about the value of prayer. He says, ““I tell you, keep asking, and it will be given to you. Keep seeking, and you will find. Keep knocking, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives. The one who seeks finds. And to the one who knocks, it will be opened” (Luke 11:9-10).  

Verse three: Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care? Precious Savior, still our refuge— take it to the Lord in prayer. Do your friends despise, forsake you? Take it to the Lord in prayer. In his arms he’ll take and shield you; you will find a solace there. 

Jesus knows every sin and every shattered friendship we have ever experienced. He knows how weak we how we are often carting a load of care around with us wherever we go. That’s probably one of the reasons we’re tired all the time. We’re trying to do it all alone. We need a friend to lighten our load. 

Our friend Jesus comes along and removes that heavy load. But first he wants us to pray to him to lighten the load. Jesus knows the right gifts at the right time in the right place. That’s why he teaches, “What father among you, if your son asks for bread, would give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, would give him a snake instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, would give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him" (Luke 11:11-13)? 

You may have chosen your friends. Your friends may have chosen you. Because of our sinfulness, we were born enemies of God. By nature, we wanted nothing to do with Jesus. Still, Jesus has chosen us to be his friends. We have the privilege of taking everything, every need, every hope, to him in prayer. As our hymn reminds us, we forfeit peace and sleep, we bear needless pain, carry heavy loads, all when we do not seek our Lord's help in prayer.  
We value our earthly friends. They are gifts of God for us, and we enjoy the love and trust we share with them. Yet at times even the best of earthly friends might be too busy to hear from us. They may have other plans, but our Friend Jesus never tires of our friendship and trust. He is always beside us and waiting to hear from us. In joy or discouragement, in weakness and in hope, in pain or in peace, our refrain must always be, "Take it to the Lord in prayer." 

#29 - Hymn 645 - One Thing’s Needful

The bread is baking, the roast is cooking, the vegetables are boiling, the temperature in the kitchen is rising … and so is Martha’s temper.  

Jesus has arrived with his disciples at the Bethany home of Mary, Martha, and their brother Lazarus. Martha and Mary gave Jesus a big hug and showed him and his disciples into the living room. Martha had excused herself and went back into the kitchen.  After a few minutes she noticed that Mary wasn’t in the kitchen with her. She peaked into the living room and was upset to see Mary sitting there at Jesus’ feet, listening to Jesus tell stories.   

She finally snaps. She slams her spoon down on the counter and storms out of the kitchen. And who does she lash out at? Not her sister! No. Her guest! The reason for all her preparations. She lashes out at Jesus! She came over to Jesus and said, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her to help me” (Luke 10:40). 

Our Hymn of the Day for this week, “One Thing’s Needful” is directly based on the account of Jesus in the home of Mary and Martha.  

Verse one: One thing’s needful; Lord, this treasure teach me highly to regard. All else, though it first give pleasure, is a yoke that presses hard. Beneath it the heart is still fretting and striving, no true, lasting happiness ever deriving. This one thing is needful; all others are vain— I count all but loss that I Christ may obtain. 

The Lord said to Martha, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but one thing is needed. In fact, Mary has chosen that better part, which will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:41-42). Strong words. Stinging words. But words that reveal much about Martha’s – and our relationship – with the Savior.  

There is a lot of Martha in every one of us. We want to serve our Lord so badly. We try to be good parents by getting our kids involved in sports or taking them on vacation. But we get so wrapped up in having fun with them, that we forget that our first responsibility as parents is to bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4). We try to provide for our families by working long hours and even working overtime so that we can pass on all the things we never had as kids. But we forget that our first priority is to pass on our faith to our children so that we will see them in heaven with us someday. We serve the Lord and our fellow members by being involved in various church and school groups, or serving as leaders of various boards and committees, or volunteering to move furniture in the school or helping out in a classroom. Those things are all great and necessary. But they aren’t as great or as necessary as being in worship to hear God’s Word, or receive his absolution, or taste his Sacrament, or sing his praises.  

We wish to serve Jesus, which is great! It is very Martha-like. But Jesus wishes to serve you! Which is what he did for Mary.  

Verse two: How were Mary’s thoughts devoted her eternal joy to find as intent each word she noted, at her Savior’s feet reclined! How kindled her heart, how devout was its feeling, while hearing the lessons that Christ was revealing! All earthly concerns she forgot for her Lord and found her contentment in hearing his Word. 

It was not Martha’s service that Jesus wanted. It was Martha. Jesus came not to be served but to serve. He came to give, not to get. He came not to be the guest, but to be the Host, to lay down his life as a sacrifice for sinful humanity, to offer himself up for the life of the world, to be the Bread of Life and wine from heaven to bring refreshment, forgiveness, life, and salvation to all. As far as Jesus was concerned, Martha’s house could have been a wreck, she could have laid out cold cuts and sandwich bread, she could have simply offered a loaf of bread and a dried fish. What mattered most to Jesus was that she have communion with him, that she hear his Word. 

Mary enjoyed this communion with her Lord as she sat in Bible study with the Son of God in her living room. She forgot the earthly concerns about feeding Jesus and his band of disciples. She was content to have her guests go hungry and her house be a mess – just as long as she could recline at the feet of her Savior and learn from the lips of the Lord.  

Verse three: Wisdom’s highest, noblest treasure, Jesus, is revealed in you. Let me find in you my pleasure; make my will and actions true, humility there and simplicity reigning, in paths of true wisdom my steps ever training. If I learn from Jesus this knowledge divine, the blessing of heavenly wisdom is mine. 

We need to repent of our busyness. We’ve let many things get ahead of the one needful thing. We’ve let many things get between us and Jesus. The symptoms are all there. Frustration, anger, snapping at each other, complaining, griping, pointing the finger, accusing. When you sense that in yourself, read the symptoms of busyness and hear the words of Jesus, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Just be quiet for a while and listen. I know it’s hard to do, because we are tuned to being busy. The way of our world is Martha, not Mary. Be about the business of Jesus. Jesus’ business is easy. All it takes is sitting and listening. That’s it. Jesus is here to give to you. He wants to spend time with you. There’s plenty of opportunity to serve, but what good is our service if it simply burns us out on the Lord and on each other? 

There are many things to occupy you. But there is only one thing that is needful, necessary, and indispensable. That one thing is sitting at Jesus’ feet. It is listening to him speak to you. It is setting aside everything else in your life and making Jesus your priority. It is not working or vacationing, but it is resting in Jesus. It is not giving to Jesus, but being given to. It is not finding pleasures or spending your treasures. It is enjoying the pleasures of forgiveness and the treasures discovered in God’s Word. That is the one thing needful.  

#28 - Hymn 768 - Lord of All Nations, Grant Me Grace

Jesus desires you to be a Good Samaritan. Find the injured, pour oil on their wounds, bandage up their injuries, and provide for any additional medical expenses.  

But that’s difficult. We often don’t have the time, or money, or patience to be a Good Samaritan to every injured person we find lying in the ditch. That’s why we pray our Hymn of the Day for this Sunday: “Lord of All Nations, Grant Me Grace.”  

Verse one: Lord of all nations, grant me grace to love all people, ev’ry race; and in each person help me view my kindred, loved, redeemed by you. 

Though there are many reasons the devil, our culture, and our minds can dream up to separate us from one another, we realize the Lord has created every nation from Adam. “From one man, he made every nation of mankind to live over the entire face of the earth” (Acts 17:26). There may be much that separates, but the blood of Adam flows through our veins and the blood of the second Adam – Jesus – covers and redeems us.  

We are not to let physical appearances, wealth, popularity, skin color, or anything else divide us. There is only one race – the human race. It should never be controversial to say that all lives matter – the unborn, the elderly, those with lots of melanin and those with little melanin. Jesus came to save all of humanity, not a select few. “The Lord has made his salvation known. He has revealed his righteousness to the eyes of the nations” (Psalm 98:2).  

Verse two: Break down the wall that would divide your children, Lord, on ev’ry side. My neighbors’ good let me pursue; bind them to me and all to you. 

We often build walls to separate, fences to divide, and barriers to isolate. We pray that God would tear down these walls and build bridges. Sin magnifies our division. But in Christ that sin is forgiven and removed. Now our unity can be magnified. We pray for God’s help in the pursuit of helping our neighbors’ good. “This is how we know that we love the children of God: when we love God and keep his commands” (1 John 5:2). 

Verse three: Forgive me, Lord, where I have erred by loveless act and thoughtless word. Make me to see the wrong I do will hurt my neighbor, Lord, and you. 

We beg for mercy when we have been like the priest or the Levite passing by on the other side, appearing as if we don’t notice the need. We confess that we have sinned in “thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone.” We plead for forgiveness for our sins of omission where we have left the love of our neighbors undone. We have erred by not performing acts of love or by saying a helpful word.   

Verse four: Give me your courage, Lord, to speak whenever strong oppress the weak; and should I be a victim, too, help me forgive, rememb’ring you. 

Too often we seek revenge, flee from conflict, remain silent in the corner, or curl up in the fetal position. We pray for the courage to be advocates speaking for those who cannot speak for themselves, defending those who are defenseless, standing up for those who are weak, bringing about a victory for the victims. We seek justice for those who have been harmed. We bind up the wounds of the brokenhearted. We bring peace and unity in all we say and do. We allow the fruit of the Spirit to blossom in our words and actions: “the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22, 23)  

Verse five: With your own love may I be filled and by your Holy Spirit willed, that all I touch, whate’er I do, may be divinely touched by you. 

We were once half-dead, lying by the side of the road. Jesus is the Good Samaritan who comes in our misery and mess to save us. He got down into the ditch with his incarnation to rescue us. He binds up our wounds with the divine blood that flowed from his wounds on the cross. He cures our suffering by taking that suffering upon himself.  

As we look to Jesus as our Good Samaritan, we can then be Good Samaritans to those around us. We love others as Jesus has loved us. We share the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. We touch others with the healing touch Jesus has placed on us. We are to be the lights in this dark world, shining the glory of Christ in all we think, say, and do. We are the means God can use to tear down the walls that divide, forgive as we have been forgiven, and love as we have been loved first.  

To do this, we pray and sing, “Lord of all nations, grant me grace.”  

#27 - Hymn 901 – O Christians, Haste

Rick and Mandy lived in the apartments behind our church in Kentucky. Their lives were a total mess. The two of them were constantly arguing. They drank and smoked. They had anger issues. Their home life was so bad that Social Services became involved. Before I left Kentucky, I met with them in the courthouse to try to get custody of their children back. 

To be honest, I thought they were a lost cause. But God had other plans.   

Mandy connected with me on Facebook years ago. She told me that her name is changed because God had changed her life. She gave me permission to share her story. We may not agree with all the choices that Mandy made in her life, but we can see God at work in her life. I thought Mandy’s story fit well with our hymn for this Sunday, “O Christians, Haste.” 

The first verse: “O Christians, haste, your mission high fulfilling, to tell to all the world that God is light, that he who made all nations is not willing one soul should perish, lost in shades of night.” Then the refrain: “Publish glad tidings, tidings of peace, tidings of Jesus, redemption and release.” 

Since the last time I saw Mandy, she divorced Rick after he abandoned her. She has remarried and has three children. She made the most difficult of decisions by allowing another family to adopt her two children from her previous marriage. The children were younger and had been in foster care with Social Services for so long that Mandy thought it would be best for them to live with another family. Presently, she is involved in her church, owns a daycare and a wrecker company with her husband and now they serve as foster parents to other children. She has also given up smoking and drinking. In her message to me she wrote, “I’m not proud of my past, obviously, but thanks to God I am at peace with it.”  

I thought that all the assistance, counseling, and friendship that we had given to Mandy and Rick had fallen on deaf ears and hard hearts. But the harvest is plentiful! I am reminded of the apostle Paul who wrote: “[We] are servants, through whom you came to believe – as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow” (1 Corinthians 3:5-6). God used me and the other members of our congregation to plant the faith and others helped it grow. Or I am reminded of the promises of the Lord: “[My word] will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11).  

In Luke 10, Jesus sends out his larger group of 72 disciples to do mission work in his name. There is haste in Jesus’ sending. The harvest field of the nations is ripe. But the workers are few. No time to waste. God is not willing to lose one single soul.  

Verse two: “Behold how many thousands still are lying bound in the dreary prison-house of sin 
with none to tell them of the Savior's dying or of the life he died for them to win.” 

Jesus sends these 72 as laborers into the harvest field to grab what is ripe for the picking. There is danger. They will be like defenseless lambs among ravenous wolves. But they are not going alone. The perfect Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, goes with them. He sends them out empty handed, dependent, nothing of their own to offer the world. No purse, no backpack, no extra pair of sandals. For in this battle in which they are about to engage, they will not need those things. The Lord will provide. The people to whom the Lord is sending them have nothing, either. Even if they are physically wealthy, they are spiritually poor, trapped in the dreary prison-house of their sin.  

Verse three: “Proclaim to ev'ry people, tongue, and nation that God, in whom they live and move, is love; tell how he stooped to save his lost creation and died on earth that they might live above.” 

The disciples go. We go. We go to people of every nation, tribe, people, and language. We go to those who are hurting and crying, to those whose marriages are broken and lives are destitute, to those whom we make uncomfortable … and to those who make us uncomfortable.  

We go. We speak. Not our words, but Jesus’ words. Not our authority, but his authority. Not our strength, but his strength. We are like lambs before the wolves. We are not there to fight the wolves … but to feed them the Word of God. We preach peace, heal the sick, and proclaim the kingdom of God. We tell how the King looked like a criminal; the Creator died for his creation; the Lord loved the lost that they might live with him forever.  

Verse four: “Send heralds forth to bear the message glorious, give of your wealth to speed them on their way; pour out your soul for them in prayer victorious; O Christians, haste to bring the brighter day!” 

We often think that Jesus has called certain individuals as heralds to do this mission work. We pay pastors and teachers to share the Word from the pulpit and in the classroom and make evangelism calls on new families. But we learn in this hymn and Gospel that Jesus appoints and sends ordinary people to share his Kingdom. He gives ordinary people the opportunity to be a part of his plan to bring his Kingdom near to all people.  

I shared the story of Mandy with you because all of us have at one point been Mandy. And all of us know a Mandy somewhere in our lives. A broken marriage. Anger out of control. Too much alcohol. Escalating debt. Dead-end job. In and out of the hospital. Messed up family life. Nowhere to go. Nowhere to turn. In need of assistance.  

But then one of the nameless, countless 72 came along and told you about Jesus. They told you about the innocent Lamb who lived among ravenous wolves. He felt the fangs, suffered the worst the world had to offer, entered the abyss of death and rose to life again. He appeared conquered by sin, but is now the Conqueror. He appeared devoured by death, but is now the Devourer. He is the crucified who is now the Victor. Not for himself, but for you. That his death be your death and his life be your life. To reach out to you. To forgive you in his name. To wash you in is his baptismal waters. To cover you in his blood. To nourish you with his body and blood. To convert you, change you, save you. To write your name in heaven. To send you as heralds as part of his nameless, countless 72.  

#26 - Hymn 695 – Take My Life and Let It Be

Frances Havergal created one of the classic hymns of discipleship in “Take My Life and Let It Be.” Havergal was the daughter of an Anglican clergyman. She began her discipleship early by memorizing Bible verses at age four and writing hymn verses by age seven.  

“Take My Life and Let It Be” is a prayer that God would consecrate us – set us apart – from the world. It is also a prayer that as we grow in our sanctification – our holy living to our holy God – we be more and more like our God. Each of the six verses begins with the verb “Take,” giving the sense of a continuing petition of service to the Lord.  

Verse one: Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to thee; take my moments and my days, let them flow in ceaseless praise. 

In ancient Israel, kings and high priests were anointed with oil, an act that consecrated them, setting them apart for a holy purpose. We were consecrated to the Lord as we were anointed with water, Word, and Spirit in our Baptism. We were set apart as holy, consecrated for God’s sacred purpose. Verse one asks the Lord to take our moments and our days and let them flow to the holy Lord in ceaseless praise.  

Verse two: Take my hands and let them move at the impulse of thy love; take my feet and let them be swift and beautiful for thee. 

Our old sinful self has hands and feet that naturally only serve ourselves. But as we are consecrated to our Lord, we are made alive in the waters of Baptism. We die to sin and are buried with Christ. We rise to a new life in him. We ask the Lord to take our hands to humbly serve others in love. We ask the Lord to make our feet swift and beautiful, like those described by the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 52:7), as they carry us into the world with the message of forgiveness and hope in Christ. 

Verse three: Take my voice and let me sing always, only for my King; take my lips and let them be filled with messages from thee. 

As we belong to the body of Christ, we ask the Lord to use our whole bodies in service to him and those who belong to him. We ask him to take our voice that we may continue to sing his praises with the saints on earth and saints in heaven. St. James warns that the tongue cannot be tamed (James 3:8). Yet, we ask the Lord to consecrate our mouths and tongues so our lips may be turned from unholy speech that denigrates God to holy speech that glorifies our God.  

Verse four: Take my silver and my gold, not a mite would I withhold; take my intellect and use ev’ry pow’r as thou shalt choose. 

Martin Luther once said, “People go through three conversions: The conversion of their head, their heart, and their pocketbook. Unfortunately, not all at the same time.” We pray in this verse that the Lord would convert our pocketbooks, purses, bank accounts and 401Ks. The Lord has not withheld anything physically or spiritually from us. We ask the Lord to use our intellect and money, so we do not withhold anything from him.  

Verse five: Take my will and make it thine, it shall be no longer mine; take my heart, it is thine own, it shall be thy royal throne. 

The madness we see in our current culture is because people are living only for themselves. The feelings of the heart and desires of the flesh are all that matter. To protect us from our culture and shield us from ourselves, we ask the Lord to take our will and make it his and no longer ours. We pray the Lord crucify our sinful nature to make room for his throne in our hearts.  

Verse six: Take my love, my Lord, I pour at thy feet its treasure store; take myself, and I will be ever, only, all for thee. 

We join with Frances Havergal in asking the Lord to consecrate our love, feet, and whole selves in service to him. In this way we are different and set apart from the world and set apart to the Lord. Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to thee. 

#25 - Hymn 744 – Rise, Shine, You People

The man was just hanging out naked in the cemetery. He was too strong to be held with chains or shackles. He possessed the strength of demons since a legion of demons possessed him.  

But then Jesus stepped ashore. Christ the Lord entered this poor possessed man’s human story. Then everything changed!  

Our Hymn of the Day for this Sunday is “Rise, Shine, You People.” It fits well with the Gospel lesson of the Gerasenes demon-possessed man in Luke 8:26-39. “Rise, Shine, You People” was written by Ronald Allan Klug. Klug was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and studied at Dr. Martin Luther College in New Ulm, Minnesota.  

Verse one: Rise, shine, you people! Christ the Lord has entered our human story; God in him is centered. He comes to us, by death and sin surrounded, with grace unbounded. 

Christ the Lord entered the human story of this poor possessed man in the region of the Gerasenes. He was surrounded by death and sin – literally. He dwelt in the cemetery. Demons dwelt inside of him. But grace unbounded in the literal person of the Son of God came to this poor possessed man that day. 

We are literally surrounded by death and sin in our daily lives. We can still rise and shine because Christ the Lord entered our human story with his incarnation in the womb of his mother Mary. He continues to enter our human stories with the waters of Baptism, the Sacrament of the Altar, and the written, read, and spoken Word of God in our homes, schools, churches, devotions, and podcasts. Grace unbounded comes to us through these Means of Grace in Word and Sacrament.  

Verse two: See how he sends the pow’rs of evil reeling; he brings us freedom, light and life and healing. All men and women, who by guilt are driven, now are forgiven. 

It seems as if the devil and his demonic forces were putting in overtime during Jesus’ ministry. You can be sure that wherever the doctrine of Christ is being taught, the devil and his demons will be hard at work. There’s nothing the devil despises more than the preaching of Christ crucified for sinners. The devil and his demons love vague spiritualities, nebulous praise and cross-less, bloodless gospels that are really no gospel at all. But preach Christ and all hell lets loose. 

But see how Christ sent the power of evil reeling – straight out of the Gerasenes demoniac and right into a herd of pigs – pigs that tried flying … but didn’t even float.  

Satan does battle with you every day. He hates that you follow the truth. He wants to create disorder and dysfunction in your life. He wants to keep you in the chains of your sinful desires. He wants you to remain ignorant of God’s Word and will, so you lash out with your will and words. Satan needs you to stay dead in your sin, plagued by false pride and inflating your ego with independence.  

But Jesus comes to release you. He sets the captives free. He breaks the chains of your sin. He busts open the prison of your guilt. He brings us freedom, light and life and healing.  Let Jesus drive out the demons that plague you. All men and women, who by guilt are driven, now are forgiven. 

Verse three: Come, celebrate, your banners high unfurling, your songs and prayers against the darkness hurling. To all the world go out and tell the story of Jesus’ glory. 

Luke tells us in this week’s Gospel: “As Jesus got into the boat and started back, the man from whom the demons had gone out begged to be with him. But Jesus sent him away, saying, ‘Return to your home and tell how much God has done for you.’ Then he went through the whole town proclaiming what Jesus had done for him” (Luke 8:37-39). The formerly demon-possessed man wanted to go with Jesus to tell the world the story of Jesus’ glory. But Jesus instructed the healed man to tell his story of salvation to the people who lived on that side of the Sea of Galilee. 

You were born possessed by your sinful nature and belonging to the devil. Jesus freed you through the waters of Baptism. He converted you through his spoken Word. He keeps you free through his Body and Blood. Celebrate your freedom this Sunday with songs and prayers. Then go into the world of your school, community, workplace, coffee shop, diner, or wherever you encounter people and tell the story of Jesus’ glory in your life.  

What is the story you need to share? 

Verse four summarizes it for you: Tell how the Father sent his Son to save us. Tell of the Son, who life and freedom gave us. Tell how the Spirit calls from ev’ry nation his new creation. 

#24 - Hymn 714 – Jesus, Your Boundless Love to Me

The Gospel lesson for this coming Sunday is from Luke 7:36–50. Jesus is in the home of Simon the Pharisee. Somehow a prostitute snuck into Simon’s house. Crashed this respectable Pharisee’s party.  

Why did this woman come? Why did she take such a chance? Luke tells us, “She learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house that day.” She came to see her God – her God who came down to earth in the person of this man, Jesus of Nazareth. She came to spend time with the Christ. She came to have her greater debt cancelled. She came with perfume, kisses, and tears because she loved more. 

The Hymn of the Day ties in beautifully with the Gospel. It is Paul Gerhardt’s great hymn of love to Christ, “Jesus, Your Boundless Love to Me.” Gerhardt’s original hymn has 16 verses. Christian Worship contains four of those verses.  

There is a lot of talk in Christian circles, churches and songs about loving God. Of course, we are to love God. But Gerhardt’s hymn, like our Gospel lesson, teaches that Christian’s love as a response to God’s love for us in Christ Jesus. Without this, we are unable to grasp God’s boundless love. Without this, we are unable to love God in return. 

Verse one: Jesus, your boundless love to me no thought can reach, no tongue declare; dwell in my heart eternally, and reign without a rival there. O Jesus, nothing may I do, but seek my joy in serving you. 

Why did this sinful woman come to Simon’s house that night? In the home, sitting at the dinner table is the one Man who understands her, who accepts her as she is, who loves her as no other man in her life. Here is a Man who will not hurt her or use her or abuse her. Here is the Man who would not judge her or reject her, but who had come specifically for her. He came to seek and save the lost. To redeem sinners. To be the Great Physician of body and soul. To be the Canceller of debts, both great and small.  

Just as important a question as “why did this woman come” is … “why do you come?” Why do you come to sit in your church’s pews instead of a deer stand or on the beach? Why do you come with tears trickling from your eyes and guilt pouring from your pores? Why do you empty your hard-earned money over Jesus and into the offering plates? Why do you serve him in humility and kiss his feet in reverence? 

It is so you can receive Jesus’ boundless love. So he can dwell in your heart. So he can reign supreme in your life. And so you can seek joy in serving your Savior.  

Verse two: O grant that nothing in my soul may dwell but your pure love alone; oh, may your love possess me whole, my joy, my treasure, and my crown! All coldness from my heart remove; my ev’ry act, word, thought be love. 

Why did this sinful woman come to Simon’s house? She came to know who Jesus is. Jesus has been proclaiming his message that God loves sinners. This is quite different than the message she was hearing from the Pharisees – that God cares for the righteous who keep the Law. But Jesus is different. Jesus is not a prophet who avoids sinners, but who searches them out, and cares for them, and even eats with them. She heard from Jesus that God not only loves sinners, but that his grace and forgiveness is available for them - for her! - even though she could not make compensation for her sins. She believed this! The Word of God from the mouth of Jesus had worked faith in her heart. Yes, she is forgiven! Thanks be to God! She is now at peace! 

Why do we come to Jesus? We do not come because we have anything of worth to offer God. Our hearts are naturally filled with coldness and our acts and thoughts filled with malice. We don’t come because God needs us. We come because we need God. We are the guilty who need forgiveness. The weak who need strength. The dirty who need cleansing. The broken who need to be restored. The poisoned who need to be rescued. The lost who need to be found. The dead who need to be raised. The debtors who need cancellation. The poor who need a treasure. The paupers who need the crown. The cold who need warmth. And the loveless who need love.  

Verse three: This love unwearied I pursue and dauntlessly to you aspire; oh, may your love my hope renew, burn in my soul like heav’nly fire! And day and night be all my care to guard this sacred treasure there. 

Why did this woman come? She came to Jesus with nothing he needs but needing everything from him. If she brings anything, it is faith — faith which itself is a gift of God. She is defiled and unclean, with her heart’s closet full of skeletons, yet still she came. She is a pariah in polite society, shunned by the religious do-gooders, yet still she came. She has no good works to place upon the altar of God, yet still she came. 

Why do we come? We come with nothing. Nothing except our sins. We come to hear the message that Simon the Pharisee needed to hear, that the prostitute at the table needed to hear, and that we need to hear – every day at home, every week in worship. It is the message of Law and Gospel, sin and grace, hell and heaven, the commandments and the cross. We come because we often weary of giving love to others, yet God never wearies of loving us. We come to renew our love in God’s boundless love. We come to rekindle the fire of our love in Christ’s love on the cross. Day and night we come to receive from God’s sacred treasure.  

Verse four: In suff’ring be your love my peace, in weakness be your love my pow’r; and when the storms of life shall cease, O Jesus, in that final hour, be then my rod and staff and guide and draw me safely to your side. 

We can learn a lot about worship from Paul Gerhardt and the forgiven prostitute. We come to worship to meet Jesus because unlike Simon, we realize that we are just like this sinful woman. We come to our respective houses of worship because we have learned that Jesus has come there. We come to receive peace when we are suffering and calm when the storms are raging. We come because we have dwelt all week in the dominion of darkness, but in God’s house Jesus brings us into the kingdom of light. We come because we have spent the last few days squirming in Satan’s clutches, but Jesus has released us to live a new life as a child of God. We come now so that we have confidence in the end to pray, “O Jesus, in that final hour, be then my rod and staff and guide and draw me safely to your side.” 

#23 - Hymn 586 - Come, Holy Ghost, Creator Blest

“Come, Holy Ghost, Creator Blest” is the Hymn of the Day for Holy Trinity Sunday. This is an ancient hymn. It dates to the tenth century as a Latin hymn entitled “Veni, Creator Spiritus.” In fact, it is hailed as the greatest Latin hymn composed next to the “Te Deum Laudamus” that we sing in the Matins in the new Christian Worship hymnal.  

The earliest use of this hymn was at Vespers – the evening worship service – during the week of Pentecost. In the late tenth century, “Veni, Creator Spiritus” was also used at Terce – the 9 a.m. service connecting to the hour that the apostles received the Holy Spirit at the first Pentecost. The singing of this hymn in medieval services was apparently done with great dignity, accompanied by the use of incense, lights, bells, and rich vestments.  

The hymn originally had six stanzas, but soon a doxology was added. Martin Luther wrote a seven-stanza version entitled “Komm, Gott Schopfer, heiliger Geist.” Luther’s melody uses the chant style of the original Latin hymn.  

Verse one: Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest, and make our hearts your place of rest; come with your grace and heav’nly aid, and fill the hearts which you have made. 

This hymn poetically lays out the work of the Holy Spirit in six verses. It isn’t until the final verse when there is a response from the Christian as to the work of the Holy Spirit. It is a wonderful prayer about the work of the Holy Spirit.  

Verse one references that the Holy Spirit was active in creation, along with the Father and the Son. As the Holy Spirit made the turbulent waters of creation calm, so we ask him to make our turbulent hearts places of rest.  

Verse two: To you, the Counselor, we cry, to you, the gift of God most high, the fount of life, the fire of love, the soul’s anointing from above. 

Perhaps you have sought the help of a counselor to repair your marriage, or a counselor to overcome your addiction, or a counselor to help you find peace with your troubled childhood. As beneficial as those counselors may be, the Holy Spirit is the Counselor to whom we can always cry out. Through his counseling, he brings into our lives the fruits of the Spirit: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22, 23). 

Verse three: In you, with graces sevenfold, we God’s almighty hand behold while you with tongues of fire proclaim to all the world his holy name. 

The hymn references the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit. Isaiah 11 references the seven gifts the Holy Spirit gives to the coming Messiah. “The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him: the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. He will be delighted with the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, nor will he render decisions based on what he hears with his ears, but with righteousness he will judge the poor” (Isaiah 11:2-4). The sevenfold gifts of the Spirit are wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, fear of the Lord, and righteousness. As the Spirit gave these gifts to the Messiah, we pray for these same sevenfold gifts to come upon the followers of the Messiah. To come upon us with the same fire and fervor that these gifts were given to the first apostles that first Pentecost as tongues of fire rested on their heads.  

Verse four: Your light to ev’ry thought impart, and shed your love in ev’ry heart; the weakness of our mortal state with deathless might invigorate. 

The hymn poetically emphasizes the work of the Holy Spirit to do what we cannot do for ourselves – have light, have love, or even have true life. Martin Luther summarizes the work of the Holy Spirit in the explanation of the third article in his Small Catechism: “The Holy Spirit has called me by the gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith.” 

Verse five: Drive far away our wily foe, and your abiding peace bestow; with you as our protecting guide, no evil can with us abide. 

We are weak. We easily fall into temptation by the wily foe of Satan. We are feeble and easily become troubled. We are pathetic and get lost. We need the Holy Spirit to drive away the devil, abide with us in peace, and be our protecting guide. He does this, as Luther explains by “daily and fully [forgiving] all sins to me and all believers.” 

Verse six: Teach us to know the Father, Son, and you, from both, as Three in One that we your name may ever bless and in our lives the truth confess. 

We do not know the Triune God on our own. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to bring us to faith and then keep us in that faith through the Means of Grace. As Luther explains, “I believe that I cannot by my own thinking or choosing believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to him.” 

Verse seven: Praise we the Father and the Son and Holy Spirit, with them One, and may the Son on us bestow the gifts that from the Spirit flow! 

After laying out the work of the Holy Spirit, now we burst forth with a joyous doxology to the Trinity in response to what our Triune God has done in bestowing the gifts of the Spirit on us. This Trinity feast day – and every ordinary day – let us pray, “Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest.”  

#22 - Hymn 585 - Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord

This Sunday we celebrate the third high festival of the Christian Church year – Pentecost. Christmas is the celebration of God the Father’s gift of his Son to the world. Easter is the celebration of Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the grave. Pentecost is the celebration of the Holy Spirit coming upon the apostles with wind and fire, and the birth of the Christian Church. 

The Hymn of the Day for Pentecost is “Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord.” Martin Luther was fond of this hymn and in his table talks spoke of both the words and the music as having been composed by the Holy Ghost. Luther altered the first stanza and added two original stanzas of his own.  

Verse one: Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord! May all your graces be outpoured on each believer’s mind and heart; your fervent love to them impart. Lord, by the brightness of your light you gather and in faith unite your Church from ev’ry land and tongue: this to your praise, O Lord our God, be sung. Alleluia, alleluia! 

The Lord had once descended upon Mt. Sinai with the sound of thunder, with lightning displaying his presence. At Pentecost the Holy Spirit descended upon Jerusalem with the sound of wind, with tongues of fire displaying his presence. The Lord descended upon Mt. Sinai in fire and spoke to Moses. The Holy Spirit descended upon Jerusalem and filled Peter and the disciples with the ability to speak in other languages. Those gathered around Mt. Sinai trembled in fear and stood in place. Those gathered in Jerusalem came together in bewilderment. The Old Testament Feast of Pentecost was a harvest of wheat and firstfruits. The New Testament Festival of Pentecost was a harvest of souls with the firstfruits being 3,000 baptized that day.  

We are so often lukewarm, tepid, apathetic Christians. We pay lip-service to the Lord in our prayers. We cheat God out of the firstfruits of our offerings. We give God the bare minimum of effort in our various vocations. We despise the preaching and his Word with our infrequent worship attendance.  

We pray for the Holy Spirit to descend on us in fire. It is a fire that motivated Peter who had fifty days earlier been afraid to open his mouth when asked by a servant girl if he was one of Jesus’ disciples. But now with the fire of the Holy Spirit, Peter speaks openly and boldly before thousands. Two things embolden Peter. He had seen the risen Lord. And he had the Holy Spirit. Two things will embolden us to open our mouths – seeing the risen Lord with the eyes of faith and receiving the faith and power of the Holy Spirit.  

Verse two: Come, holy Light, guide divine, and cause the Word of life to shine. Teach us to know our God aright and call him Father with delight. From ev’ry error keep us free; 
let none but Christ our master be that we in living faith abide, in him, our Lord, with all our might confide. Alleluia, alleluia! 

There was wind at the first Pentecost. Those who heard it were bewildered, amazed, and astonished. They asked a very Lutheran question, “What does this mean?” The sound of the Holy Spirit’s presence had called them all to the apostles’ meeting place. 

The wind of the Holy Spirit still blows, calling us to the meeting place of the prophets and the apostles at our churches. But sadly, many of us choose to ignore the sound of the Holy Spirit calling us to gather in his presence. The wind of the Holy Spirit blows in the sermon, Scripture lessons, sacraments, liturgy, and hymns, but we so often block ourselves from the wind and ignore the Holy Spirit’s message. 

It is the Holy Spirit working through the wind of the pastor’s voice, the songs of the saints, and the spoken word of Scripture that teaches us to know God aright and keeps us from every error that befalls fallen mankind. We need to be in our churches continually receiving the wind of the Holy Spirit. 

Verse three: Come, holy Fire, comfort true, grant us the will your work to do and in your service to abide; let trials turn us not aside. Lord, by your pow’r prepare each heart, and to our weakness strength impart that bravely here we may contend, through life and death to you, our Lord, ascend. Alleluia, alleluia! 

John the Baptist had told the people, “I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come ... He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire” (Luke 3:16). In the eyes of the world, God’s Word is not powerful. It isn’t burning brightly. To the outside world, Christians and Christianity is a fire that has gone out.  

Perhaps we contribute to that concept because we are not letting our faith burn brightly for all to see. But look at what the fire of the Gospel does in the hearts of God’s people. Peter had been afraid to speak about his relationship to Jesus in front of a servant girl. The disciples had run away when Jesus was arrested. They hid in a locked room. But fifty days later, they are no longer afraid. They are preaching to thousands. And three thousand are converted on that single day of Pentecost. 

That is the power of the Holy Spirit’s fire, wind, and words – “it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16). Our baptized children are not afraid of illness. Our confirmed teenagers are not afraid to live boldly in a non-Christian environment. Our faithful members are not afraid to give a clear witness of their faith in the workplace. Our devoted elderly are not afraid to die. That is the fulfillment of these words: “Lord, by your pow’r prepare each heart, and to our weakness strength impart that bravely here we may contend, through life and death to you, our Lord, ascend.” 

#21 - Hymn 446 - Jesus Christ, My Sure Defense

I have been blessed to be at the bedside of saints as they draw their last breath. As these saints are closing their eyes to the sleep of death, they are not afraid. They have a quiet, calm confidence in Jesus Christ and the certain hope of his resurrection from the grave. That confidence emanates from our final Hymn of the Day for the Easter season, “Jesus Christ, My Sure Defense.” 

Verse one: Jesus Christ, my sure defense and my Savior, now is living! Knowing this, my confidence rests upon the hope he’s giving, though the night of death be fraught still with many’ an anxious thought. 

The sure and certain confidence the Christian has when facing death is that Jesus Christ faced death … and won! He was dead and now is living! Though our time on this world will be filled with loneliness, fear, hurts, and anxiety – ultimately, those are all subjective feelings. We trust in the objective, historical fact of Jesus Christ’s bodily resurrection from the grave. This is our assurance that we, too, will rise from our graves. That knowledge drives all anxious thoughts from our minds.  

Verse two: Jesus, my Redeemer, lives; I, too, unto life shall waken. Endless joy my Savior gives; shall my courage then be shaken? Shall I fear, or could the head rise and leave his members dead? 

In 1 Corinthians 12, St. Paul describes our relationship with Christ in terms of body parts. Jesus Christ is the head and Christians are the body (1 Corinthians 12:12-27). Since Jesus, our Redeemer lives, then we will live, too. Since the head rises, then the rest of the body must rise, too.  

Verse three: No, too closely am I bound unto him by hope forever; faith’s strong hand the rock has found, grasped it, and will leave it never. Even death now cannot part from its Lord the trusting heart. 

By God’s grace, the Holy Spirit gives us the gift of faith. That faith is like a hand that grasps the solid rock of Jesus Christ. Though our faith may weaken, and our grasp might lessen, still the rock of Christ is secure. Still the Holy Spirit strengthens our grip through his Word and Sacraments, so we never let go. Even death cannot cause us to lose our grip on Christ and the victory of death and the grave he won for us.  

Verse four: I am flesh and must return unto dust, whence I am taken; but by faith I now discern that from death I shall awaken with my Savior to abide in his glory, at his side. 

When I teach on death, I often talk about a young boy who is afraid of dying. His mother assures him by reminding her son of how he often falls asleep curled up on the sofa watching a movie with his parents. Sometime during the night, big strong arms lift him up so that he wakes up the next morning in his own room. She assures her son that’s what death is like. It’s falling asleep, then big, strong, angelic arms pick up the Christian child of God so that he or she wakes up in their own room in heaven.  

Verse five: Glorified, I shall anew with this flesh then be enshrouded; in this body I shall view God, my Lord, with eyes unclouded; in this flesh I then shall see Jesus Christ eternally. 

The other day, the third graders in our Lutheran elementary school were asking me what we will look like in heaven. They were wondering if babies remain babies and old people remain old people. One student asked me if he died as a child, would he become an adult in heaven. I asked him if he wanted to be an adult in heaven. He replied emphatically, “No! Adults are boring!” 

I answered the students that the Bible doesn’t tell us exactly what our bodies will be like. St. Paul teaches in 1 Corinthians 15 that our bodies will be different (1 Corinthians 15:35-49). Our resurrected bodies will be imperishable, glorious, powerful, and spiritual. We aren’t told precisely what heaven will be like, but we are assured there will be no more hunger, thirst, heat, or tears (Revelation 7:16, 17).  

I ended my conversation with the third graders saying that I don’t know precisely what our resurrected bodies will be like … but they will be perfect. So, I told them I’m confident that my color-blindness and tone-deafness will be gone, and I’ll be able to see the brilliance of the glories of paradise and sing with the saints. And they will, too.  

Death is not our end. It is our glorious beginning. So, we end the Easter season with the confidence of singing, “Jesus Christ, my sure defense and my Savior, now is living!” 

#20 - Hymn 557 - Dear Christians, One and All, Rejoice

Martin Luther composed “Dear Christians, One and All, Rejoice," as a ballad. A ballad is a story that is set to music. This ballad is apparently Luther’s first congregational hymn. It was written in 1523 with the long title, “A Christian hymn of Dr. Martin Luther, setting forth the unspeakable grace of God and the true faith.”  

Because of its clear doctrinal statements, this hymn became popular with the German people. In the preface to Johannes Magdeburg’s Psalter of 1565, it was written, “I do not doubt that through this one hymn of Luther many hundreds of Christians have been brought to the true faith, who before could not endure the name of Luther; but the noble, precious words of the hymn have won their hearts, so that they are constrained to embrace the truth; so that in my opinion the hymns have helped the spread of the Gospel not a little.”  

Verse one: Dear Christians, one and all, rejoice, with exultation springing, and, with united heart and voice and holy rapture singing, proclaim the wonders God has done, 
how his right arm the vict’ry won. How dearly it has cost him! 

As the ballad begins, Luther calls all Christians to unite heart and voice in joy and exultation to proclaim the wonders of salvation he has won. That victory was great for us, but costly to God.  

Verse two: Fast bound in Satan’s chains I lay; death brooded darkly o’er me. Sin was my torment night and day; in sin my mother bore me. Yet deep and deeper still I fell; life had become a living hell, so firmly sin possessed me. 

Luther’s ballad tells the story how we sinners were held captive by Satan. We were bound by the chains of sin – inborn sins we inherited from our parents and sins we committed with our own minds, hearts, and hands. We are unable to free ourselves from this living hell. It is a prison we cannot escape no matter how much we struggle, fight, or try to dig our way out.  

Verse three: My own good works availed me naught, no merit they attaining; my will against God’s judgment fought, no hope for me remaining. My fears increased till sheer despair left only death to be my share and hell to be my sentence. 

We cannot break these chains by sinning less or escape this prison with good works. Fear and despair reign as we realize that we are trapped – for time and eternity.  

Verse four: But God beheld my wretched state before the world’s foundation, and, mindful of his mercies great, he planned for my salvation. A father’s heart he turned to me, sought my redemption fervently; he gave his dearest treasure. 

From eternity our Triune God had planned our escape. Even before the foundation of the world, God saw how wretched we would become and how hopeless would be our situation. Though we would become prisoners of Satan, God still considered us his children and he our Father. 

Verse five: He spoke to his belovèd Son: “It’s time to have compassion. Then go, bright jewel of my crown, and bring to all salvation. From sin and sorrow set them free; 
slay bitter death for them that they may live with you forever.” 

When the time was right, the Father sent his Son to free his children from Satan’s prison. Jesus was sent from heaven to earth to slay bitter death by his own bitter death.  

Verse six: The Son obeyed his Father’s will, was born of virgin mother, and, God’s good pleasure to fulfill, he came to be my brother. No garb of pomp or pow’r he wore; 
a servant’s form like mine he bore to lead the devil captive. 

To accomplish this victory, the King became a servant; the divine Lord covered himself with lowly humanity. The Son of God put on flesh and blood to free flesh and blood from Satan’s captivity.  

Verse seven: To me he spoke, “Hold fast to me, I am your rock and castle. Your ransom I myself will be; for you I strive and wrestle. For I am yours, your friend divine, and evermore you shall be mine; the foe shall not divide us. 

In the closing verses of this ballad, Luther has the Son of God speak directly to his brothers and sisters. He explains that as long as we hold on to him as our rock and castle; as long as we accept the ransom he paid; as long we stop striving and wrestling, but trust in Jesus’ striving and wrestling, then we are united to Christ. He is ours and we are his. Then the old evil foe cannot separate us.  

Verse eight: “The foe will shed my precious blood, me of my life bereaving; all this I suffer for your good; be steadfast and believing. Life will from death the vict’ry win; 
my innocence shall bear your sin, and you are blest forever. 

Jesus speaks of his victory over sin and Satan on the cross. Jesus allowed himself to be bound with nails to the cross to save all those bound by Satan’s chains of sin and death.  

Verse nine: “Now to my Father I depart, the Holy Spirit sending and, heav’nly wisdom to impart, my help to you extending. He will a source of comfort be, teach you to know and follow me, and in all truth will guide you. 

Jesus explains that after his victory over sin and Satan on the cross, he won another victory over death with his resurrection from the grave. After his fortieth day ascension, Jesus then sent the Holy Spirit to be the Comforter, Counselor, and Paraclete.  

Verse ten: “What I on earth have lived and taught be all your life and teaching; so shall my kingdom’s work be wrought and honored in your preaching. Take care that no one’s man-made laws should e’er destroy the gospel’s cause; this final word I leave you.” 

Luther finishes his ballad with Jesus reminding us not to allow any man-made laws to place the chains around us once again. We are freed, once and for all. So, dear Christians, one and all rejoice.