CW 703 I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say

CW 703 – I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say

These verses were penned by Horatius Bonar and it is one of his eight hymns contained in Christian Worship Hymnal 2021. Published in 1846, he had written it with children in mind which is evident with the concepts that he used: rest, water, and light. Such simple concepts that even a young child can understand them.

Of course, the author was simply taking his cue from the Master Teacher himself. Jesus used concepts in his teaching that transcend the generations. Each verse of the hymn is, in part, a paraphrase of an invitation or encouragement of Jesus and how the Christian benefits from it.

Verse 1: I heard the voice of Jesus say, “Come unto me and rest; lay down, O weary one, lay down your head upon my breast.” I came to Jesus as I was, so weary, worn, and sad; I found in him a resting place, and he has made me glad.

Jesus’ well-known invitation for rest is recorded in Matthew 11:28. What is it that wears us down? You name it. We are worn down by the daily drumbeat of bad news. Our bodies are wracked with pain caused by illness and disease. Disappointment heaped on disappointment greet us regularly.

All these things come as a result of living in a sinful world and having hearts full of sin. There is only one place we can truly get rest from the sin in our lives and in our world, and that’s Jesus. Jesus has overcome sin through his sacrifice on the cross. He promises that he will not hold our sin against us anymore. That news is so important that it needs to be repeated over and over. We need to regularly go to Jesus to make our hearts glad.

Verse 2: I heard the voice of Jesus say, “Behold, I freely give the living water, thirsty one; stoop down and drink and live.” I came to Jesus, and I drank of that life-giving stream; my thirst was quenched, my soul revived, and now I live in him.

In John chapter 4, Jesus encounters the Samaritan woman at the well and uses the prop of water to drive his point across. Read verses 1-42 to see that exchange.

A person can live up to three weeks without food, as long as they have water. Survival time plummets without water. A person can only survive 3 days without it. In terms of our soul, Jesus is like water. What he provides us is life-giving. Jesus even includes the substance of water when he brought us into his kingdom through Baptism. And his Word is a well of fresh water where we can quench our soul’s thirst. Without the water Jesus provides, we cannot have life in his kingdom. That’s why it is so important that we daily drink from that life-giving stream.

Verse 3: I heard the voice of Jesus say, “I am this dark world’s light. Look unto me; your morn shall rise and all your day be bright.” I looked to Jesus, and I found in him my star, my sun; and in that light of life I’ll walk till trav’ling days are done.

Imagine that you are placed into the middle a forest you’ve never been to before. It’s the middle of the night and it’s pitch black. You don’t know what dangers lurk nor do you know your way out. What do you need? For starters, you need light. Light from a flashlight or your phone; light from the moon; or light from the sun.

When we are born into this world, that’s the way life was for us. We were in an unknown place that is completely dark. But Christ enlightened our hearts and made us want to turn to him in good days and bad days. It is the light of his Word that helps us navigate through each day. When we have choices to make, we shine the light of Christ on them to help guide us to what best serves to glorify God. And Jesus clearly shows us that our only way safely to the other side of this life and to the glories of heaven is through him.

There are many voices that compete for our attention each day. Remember to regularly to listen to the voice of Jesus. Not only does he have a whole lot to say, but he tells us everything that we truly need to know.

CW 586 Come, Holy Ghost, Creator Blest

CW 586 - Come, Holy Ghost, Creator Blest

“Come, Holy Ghost, Creator Blest” is an ancient hymn. It dates to the tenth century as a Latin hymn entitled “Veni, Creator Spiritus.”

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. That response is in the form of a doxology – a verse of praise to the Triune God. 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.

Verse three 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.

Verse four 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 – the Gospel in Word and Sacraments. 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 Sunday as we celebrate the Holy Trinity – and every ordinary day as we live in the mercy of our Triune God – let us pray, “Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest.”

CW 585 Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord

CW 585 Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord

This coming Sunday is the Day of Pentecost. Along with Christmas and Easter, it is one of the great festivals of the Church Year. These three festivals focus on the three persons of our Triune God. Christmas is a celebration of the Father who sent his Son into the world. Easter is a celebration of the Son who with his resurrection from the dead proved he had won salvation for us. Pentecost is the festival of the Holy Spirit who gives us faith in what Christ has accomplished for us.

Pentecost was originally a harvest festival in Old Testament times that came 50 days after the Passover observance. Today, we mark a different harvest when we mark Pentecost. We celebrate the harvest of souls by the Holy Spirit in a miraculous way as he worked through Jesus’ apostles, enabling them to speak in the various languages of the people gathered in Jerusalem for the Pentecost festival. This hymn encourages the Holy Spirit to continue to his harvest today.

Verse 1: 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!

While we commonly refer to the third person of the Triune God as Holy Spirit, this hymn uses the title that was formerly used, Holy Ghost. This hymn is credited to Martin Luther. While he wrote verses 2 and 3, the first verse is a rework of an antiphon – originally composed in Latin – for the vigil of Pentecost, which took place the evening before Pentecost. The antiphon is roughly translated: “Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful, and kindle the fire of your love in them.”

“Come, Holy Spirit” was certainly on the hearts and minds of the apostles on Pentecost. When Jesus ascended into heaven, he promised that he would send his Holy Spirit to them. And now, ten days after Jesus gave that promise, he delivered in a big way. By allowing the apostles to speak in different languages, 3000 souls were harvested that day into God’s kingdom.

The Holy Spirit continues that harvest today as he gathers groups of saints together in local congregations throughout the country and throughout the world. Through faith, you and I are a part of that harvest too. And what does the Holy Spirit do? He pours out his “graces,” his gifts. He gives us his Means of Grace, the gospel in Word and Sacraments through which he gives us forgiveness, life, and salvation. May God be praised!

Verse 2: 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!

If you were dropped into the middle of a national park, how would you see your way through it? At the very least you’d need a map, but even better would be a guide who knows his way around. The Holy Spirit is our guide through this life. He causes Jesus, the Word of life, to shine in our lives so that we come to understand all Jesus has done to save us. The Spirit teaches all about our heavenly Father so that we are delighted to follow his lead. And even when we stray from him, he brings us back to God and keeps us with Jesus who is the way, the truth, and the life.

Verse 3: 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!

Think about why “holy Fire” is the name given to the Holy Spirit. We are reminded of the tongues of fire that rested on the disciples that first Pentecost. It is the fire of the Holy Spirit that keeps the fire of faith lit in our hearts. When trials enter our lives, Satan attempts to use them to get us to turn away from God and instead serve him. But we are encouraged to team up with the Holy Spirit during these times. No matter what we go through on this earth, we are to rely only on the strength that comes to us through the Holy Spirit.

Paul reminds us: “Through the Holy Spirit, who lives in us, guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you.” (2 Timothy 1:14) What is that good deposit? The Holy Spirit deposited in your heart the seed of faith in Jesus your Savior. Every time you hear or read the Word of God, the Spirit makes that deposited seed grow. That’s a deposit that not only yields a benefit during our lifetime, but even in death when our Lord welcomes us into his heavenly kingdom.

It is no wonder we set aside a festival which especially honors the Holy Spirit! May it be a regular prayer of each Christian heart to say or sing: Come, Holy Spirit!

CW 728 This Is My Will

CW 728 – This is My Will

The sixth Sunday in Easter has one clearly defined theme that is noticeable the second you start reading the gospel lesson (John 15:9-17): love! Jesus uses that word nine times in just eight verses! So it’s with good reason that we spend an entire Sunday thinking about love.

The entirety of God’s Word can be summed up in the command to love. “Love the Lord your God with all your heart…” and “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37,39) God’s people are defined by their love, which Paul identifies as the greatest virtue in the church. “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:13)

So we know love is important. But how are we supposed to show that love? The hymn for this week is a musical version of Jesus’ words from John 15. In this hymn, the hymn writer helps us understand how we show love to one another.

Verse 1: This is my will, my one command, that love should dwell among you all. This is my will, that you should love as I have shown that I love you.

Often times people will talk about a “bucket list.” That’s a list of things people want to do before they “kick the bucket,” that is, to die. Maybe it’ll be something like see the Grand Canyon, or swim with dolphins, or go skydiving. Jesus didn’t really have a “bucket list” when he died. It was more of a single wish or a request for his followers. And his request wasn’t as big or grand as skydiving or the Grand Canyon. Quite the contrary, it was something simple and easy for anyone and everyone to do. The wish was that his followers love one another. The way Jesus describes this is important too! By loving one another, we aren’t supposed to just love every now and then. Instead, love is supposed to dwell among us. This means that our love for one another doesn’t come and go, but it stays for good. But what does that love look like? How are we supposed to do that? Verse 2 explains what Jesus means by that.

Verse 2: No greater love can be than this: To choose to die to save one’s friends. You are my friends if you obey what I command that you should do.

What’s the difference between an acquaintance and a friend? Generally, an acquaintance is someone we know of and maybe have spoken to a few times, but that’s it. A friend is much more. A friend is someone you have a bond with. They’re someone that you know you can go to if you need something and they’ll help you. We can all think of people we have formed close friendships with, but would you be willing to die for that friend? It’s the ultimate test of one’s friendship, and thankfully most of the time we aren’t asked to die for our friends. But that’s exactly what Jesus did for us. Jesus willingly laid down his life for his friends by going to the cross so that they might be with him forever. Talk about dedication! But that begs the question, then: who are Jesus' friends? Jesus gives the answer: those who listen to him and show that same love and dedication to others! Jesus doesn’t expect his friends to die for him, he’s done that already. All he asks is that his friends listen to him. It doesn’t have to be difficult. By looking at how Jesus cares for us, it’s a natural response to want to respect him and listen to him.

Verse 3: I call you now no longer slaves; no slave knows all his master does. I call you friends, for all I hear my Father say you hear from me.

It’s been said before “There are no secrets between true friends.” Part of having a strong friendship is confiding your secrets to one another. By doing this, we express our trust in our friends and look to them for help in carrying our burdens. As our true friend, Jesus doesn’t have any secrets he keeps from us. Instead, Jesus has revealed to us his will, his word, and his plans for our future. Before Jesus came, we were enslaved to our sinful natures. We didn’t have the freedom to go before God or for God to speak so freely to us. We didn’t have the hope of the future. Jesus changed that. Through his teaching, Jesus told us what God was really like. He showed how much God cared for us and what he was willing to sacrifice his only son to have us back not as slaves, but as friends. Through his death, Jesus showed us that God is love. This amazing truth shows us what love is really like. No secrets. No barriers. Just a wonderful friendship between God and humans.

Verse 4: You chose not me, but I chose you, that you should go and bear much fruit. I chose you out that you in me should bear much fruit that will abide.

The way most friendships work, you choose who your friends are. As two people grow closer to each other, generally what will happen is the two will naturally start choosing to spend more time with that person, to joke around with them, and to do things with them. It’s not like you can become someone’s friend against your will. It’s a natural choice that happens as you get to know someone. Our friendship with Jesus was the exception to that rule. We didn’t choose to love Jesus or to be friends with him. We didn’t choose to be his followers or his disciples. Instead, he chose us! The Holy Spirit worked faith in our hearts through our baptisms and through God’s word to call us to be Jesus’ friends. Out of all the people in the world, Jesus decided that he wanted us to be his friends! And as his friends, Jesus has a very important job for us: to go out and show others what true friendship and true love looks like. By bearing fruits of faith, we show others what it means to be a friend of Jesus.

Verse 5: All that you ask my Father dear for my name’s sake you shall receive. This is my will, my one command, that love should dwell in each, in all.

Part of showing love to our friends is we do things for them when they ask. If they ask us to help them with something, we go and help. When they ask for advice about something, we give it. And often times, we do this without expecting anything in return. That’s part of being a good friend and showing love to them. As our friend, Jesus promises to do just that. Jesus will freely give and expect nothing in return. Now that doesn’t mean that if we ask Jesus for a million dollars or a brand new car or the newest phone that he’ll give it to us. Jesus promises that what we ask “for his name’s sake” he will give. If we ask for help through times of trouble in our lives, he’ll give it, because that’s what friends do. If we ask him to help us show love to others he will, because that’s what friends do. Jesus does this all because he loves us. He loved us so much he died for us. And Jesus’ love doesn’t just end at the cross. It keeps on giving all the days of our lives. That love that he gives us is what empowers and enables us to show that same love to others. How are we supposed to do Jesus' will? How are we supposed to show love? By letting him be our friend and loving us first

In his first letter, the apostle John writes “We love because he [God] first loved us.” (1 John 4:19) Jesus came to this world and showed us what true love looks like. It’s a cross! On that cross, Jesus, our friend, gave his life so that we might live. And it’s on that cross that Jesus shows us what true love is: to serve others! Jesus is a lifelong friend who promised to help us and give us all that we need to love and serve others. May he always help us to show love to not just our friends, but to all who need to feel his love. Amen.

CW 446 Jesus Christ, My Sure Defense

CW 446: Jesus Christ, My Sure Defense 

The Seventh Sunday of Easter focuses on the victory we have in Jesus Christ. The Gospel text from John is a portion of Jesus’s High Priestly prayer. Jesus prayed this on Holy Thursday. In this prayer, Jesus reminds us that he has not lost any of those who belong to him. As Christians, we know that we will face many trials and temptations in this life. We will be hard-pressed on every side. Even though we are surrounded by many enemies our victory is assured. 

This is the hope and confidence we have in our resurrected Lord. Jesus has destroyed the power of sin, death, and hell. Even though we will face pain and even death in this life our victory is guaranteed. We know with absolute confidence the eternal joy of heaven that has been prepared for us. Jesus Christ, My Sure Defense reminds us of this glorious victory we have in Christ our Lord. 

 Verse 1: 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. 

Death is something that fills us with dread and fear. It is the ultimate consequence of sin. As Christians, we do not need to fear the sting of death because we know it is not the end of life, but the beginning of our eternal life with the Lord. The resurrection of our Lord assures us of our victory. Our hope is built on the solid foundation of Christ. This hope is more than just wishful thinking. Our hope is sure and absolute certainty that Christ has defeated all our enemies. He has shattered the gates of hell and removed the sting of death. 

Question: How does the hope of faith differ from the way we usually talk about hope? 

 Verse 2: 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? 

Jesus is our Redeemer. He paid the price that we could never pay and bought us out of the slavery of sin. Because Jesus rose victorious from the grave and defeated the power of death, we know that we too will rise. The writer of this hymn reminds us that through our baptism we are intimately connected to Christ. He is the head, and we are the body. Just as the head could not leave the members of his body behind so Christ will not leave us behind but will raise us to the eternity of glory that has been prepared for us. 

 Question: What does it mean to be a member of the body of Christ? 

 Verse 3: 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. 

We are intimately connected to our Savior. The Bible describes our close relationship in many different ways: Christ is the head and we are the body, Christ is a husband, and we are the bride, Christ is the foundation, and we are the building. All of these pictures show the intimate relationship we have with our Savior. Christ loved us so much that he was willing to die to save us. Because of this close relationship, we are also connected to the resurrection of our Savior. As he rose from the dead we too will rise from the dead. Christ has promised that when we die, we will join him in the glory of heaven. 

 Question: What is the rock-solid foundation of our faith? 

 Verse 4: 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. 

Death is the inevitable reality for all people. When sin entered the world in the Garden of Eden death came with it. As mortal beings, we will die. Our bodies eventually will decay and return to dust. We remember that God formed Adam from the dust of the earth and breathed life into him. In the same way on the Last Day, God will raise the bodies of all the dead. Those who believe in Jesus will be given glorified bodies that will be free from all sin, sorrow, and pain. Our Lord will gather us to his side and take us into his glorious and eternal kingdom. 

 Question: Why do Christians sometimes refer to death as “falling asleep?” 

 Verse 5: 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. 

This is the hope and confidence we have through faith in Christ Jesus. We know that on the Last Day, we will be raised from the dead. The writer of this hymn references the beautiful words of Job 19, “As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives and that at the end of time he will stand over the dust. Then, even after my skin has been destroyed, nevertheless, in my own flesh I will see God. I myself will see him. My own eyes will see him, and not as a stranger.” We will be raised from the dead and we will see the face of the Lord. Our joy and happiness in heaven will be never-ending. We will dwell in the eternal presence of our God. Our victory is assured. 

Jesus Christ, My Sure Defense is a beautiful hymn of praise to our resurrected Lord. It reminds us of the certainty of victory that we have in our Savior. Christ has defeated the power of death and hell. We do not need to fear death because we know that as Christians we will awake in the glory of heaven. But that is just the beginning. We also know that on the Last Day Christ will return in glory and raise all the dead. He will then judge the living and the dead. Unbelievers will be sent to the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels and believers will be given glorious, resurrected bodies that will dwell in the presence of God for all eternity. 

CW 469 Welcome, Happy Morning

CW 469 – Welcome, Happy Morning

“Welcome, Happy Morning” is an ancient hymn. It is one of the oldest in our hymnal. The words were written by an Italian named Venantius Fortunatus written around 590 A.D. That makes this Easter hymn over fourteen centuries old.

Consider the countless saints who have sung this hymn from various lands, in differing circumstances, of diverse cultures, over fourteen hundred years. In our hymn of the day this Sunday, we join our voices with the numerous saints who have come before us and are now celebrating Easter in heaven. Together the unified body of Christ celebrates the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ “from whom the entire family in heaven and on earth receives its name” (Ephesians 3:15).

Verse one: “Welcome, happy morning!” age to age shall say; “Hell today is vanquished; heav’n is won today!” Lo, the dead is living, God forevermore! Him, their true Creator, all his works adore. (Refrain) “Welcome, happy morning!” age to age shall say; “Hell today is vanquished; heav’n is won today!”

Recently I was blessed to be at the bedside of a 96-year-old World War II Navy veteran. His eyes were closed. His breathing was shallow. But his grip was still strong. I was there having a final devotion with this aged saint and his eldest son. As we talked, there was no fear of death. Only looking forward to being with Jesus. There were tears. But they were tears of joy that these last few difficult years would be over. There was pride at the accomplishments of the aged saint – with his military service, his decades of marriage, his raising of a strong Christian family. But the true pride came from receiving the grace of God through the saint’s baptism and confirmation as an adult after his children were born. It was pride in what Jesus Christ had made him to be and the reward Christ had won for him on the cross and out of the grave. A reward that was mere hours away from being given from Christ to his blood-bought saint.

We can sing with this aged saint, his family, and all the saints who have come before us and are now resting from their labors, “Welcome, happy morning!” Every morning as a child of God is a welcome one. Even when life is difficult, when work is hard, when health is poor, or when death steals another loved one away from us, we can still welcome each day as being a happy day. What could be bad about it?! Jesus Christ has crushed the Ancient Serpent. He has defeated death. He has conquered the grave. He has vanquished hell. And he has opened heaven to all who believe in him.

Verse two: Maker and Redeemer, life and health of all, God from heav’n beholding human nature’s fall, of the Father’s Godhead you, the only Son, mankind to deliver manhood did put on. (Refrain)

In the second verse, the author identifies who Jesus is. He is both our Maker and Redeemer. He is the One who made us and the One who bought us back when the devil stole us away from our Maker in the Garden (Colossians 1:16; Job 19:25). Jesus is a member of the Godhead, the

second person of the Holy Trinity. Together, our three-in-one God works to save sinful mankind. Through his incarnation the Son of God put on humanity to save sinful humans. “Since the children share flesh and blood, [Christ] also shared the same flesh and blood, so that through death he could destroy the one who had the power of death (that is, the Devil) and free those who were held in slavery all their lives by the fear of death” (Hebrews 2:14-15).

Verse three: Source of all things living, you came down to die, plumbed the depths of hell to raise us up on high. Come, then, true and faithful, come, fulfill your word; this is your third morning— rise, O buried Lord. (Refrain)

With beautiful imagery, the author describes how the Son of God descended first from heaven to earth. He came down to die. Then after his third day resurrection, he descended to the depths of hell to declare his victory to the face of the devil and his demons. He descended to hell and then forty days later ascended to heaven. He ascended so we might ascend to heaven upon our resurrection from the grave.

Verse four: Free the souls long prisoned, bound with Satan’s chain; all that now is fallen raise to life again. Show your face in brightness; shine in ev’ry land as in Eden’s garden when the world began. (Refrain) “Welcome, happy morning!” age to age shall say; “Hell today is vanquished; heav’n is won today!”

When the United States finally entered World War II, many people – including Winston Churchill – reveled in the outcome that the Allies’ victory was now certain. The Allies remembered what happened when America joined the conflict in World War I. “Welcome, Happy Morning” treats the resurrection of Christ in the same way. The souls imprisoned and bound by Satan will be freed and released. The victory is won. The outcome is certain. It’s just a matter of time when the victory is seen, felt, and experienced. So, celebrate this morning, celebrate every morning, saying, “Hell today is vanquished; heav’n is won today!”

CW 552 The King of Love My Shepherd Is

CW 552 - The King of Love My Shepherd Is

The Fourth Sunday of Easter is also known as Good Shepherd Sunday especially because of the appointed Gospel reading from John 10, the Good Shepherd chapter. The appointed psalm for the day is Psalm 23, the Good Shepherd Psalm. This hymn is what is known as a paraphrase. The author, Henry W. Baker, simply restates Psalm 23 in his own words.

With that in mind, we will read the verse of Psalm 23 as is stated in the Bible – the Evangelical Heritage Version or EHV, followed by the corresponding hymn verse, and then we will meditate on it.

Psalm 23:1 The LORD is my shepherd. I lack nothing.

Hymn verse 1: The King of love my shepherd is, whose goodness fails me never; I nothing lack if I am his, and he is mine forever.

The picture of the shepherd is timeless. From David’s time in about 1000 B.C., to the time of Jesus, to today, people know what a shepherd is. It is someone who takes care of sheep. The shepherd, no matter what era of history we are talking about, is responsible for all the needs of the sheep.

The Christian’s shepherd is the LORD. It is Jesus. As the King of love, he is our Good Shepherd. He takes responsibility for all the needs of us, his sheep. He cares for us physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. While earthly shepherds sometimes fail in their responsibilities to care for their sheep, our Good Shepherd never fails to take care of us. He addresses every need.

While the Good Shepherd takes care of his flock as a whole, he takes care of each one of us individually. Yes, he takes care of me. The LORD is my Shepherd. Remember the personal relationship you have with him!

Psalm 23:2 He causes me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside quiet waters.

Hymn verse 2: Where streams of living water flow, my Savior gently leads me, and where the verdant pastures grow, with food celestial feeds me.

Food and water are essentials. Sheep need to graze and drink life-sustaining water. Shepherds will ensure their sheep have these things.

The Good Shepherd is no different. He provides you with those things that are necessary to nourish and sustain you. He gives you the life-giving and life-sustaining water of his Word. Psalm 46 reminds you what this water does: “There is a river – its streams bring joy to the city of God.” Joy comes from knowing that you have a Savior who loves you and forgives you, a Savior who lived and died for you.

CW 459 Christ the Lord is Risen Again

CW 459 Christ the Lord is Risen Again

The Season of Easter is a time of joyful celebration. We continue to praise God for the joyous proclamation that Christ has risen from the dead. Many hymns during the Easter season include refrains of hallelujah or alleluia. Both of these words come from the same Hebrew word which means, “Praise Yah!” Yah is a shortened form of God’s name Yahweh.

Christ the Lord is Risen Again reminds us of the joys we have in the resurrection of Christ. Jesus has freed us from the chains of sin and death. He has destroyed the power of the devil and won for us eternal life. We praise God for the joy and peace we now have in Christ our Savior who has risen victorious from the grave. Alleluia!

Verse 1: Christ the Lord is ris’n again; Christ has broken death’s strong chain. Hark, the angels shout for joy, singing evermore on high: Hallelujah!

Death was not supposed to be part of this world. God created this world free from sin and death. But when Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, they brought sin and death into the world. Death is a consequence of sin. Christ paid for the sins of the world by his death on the cross. Jesus offered his perfect life as a sacrifice that freed us from the slavery of sin. By his resurrection, Jesus destroyed the power of death. As his people, we know that we no longer need to fear the sting of death because death has been swallowed up in victory.

Verse 2: He who gave for us his life, who for us endured the strife, is our Paschal Lamb today. We too sing for joy and say: Hallelujah!

On the cross, Jesus offered his perfect life as a sacrifice for our sins. The paschal lamb was the lamb that was sacrificed during the celebration of the Passover. Each year the people of Israel remembered how the angel of the Lord passed over the houses where the doorframes were painted with the blood of the lamb and spared those inside from destruction. Christ is our perfect sacrificial Lamb. He was crucified during the celebration of Passover. We have been covered with his blood and washed clean from all our sins. The perfect blood of Jesus saves us from God’s wrath.

Question: Read the account of the Passover in Exodus. What similarities do you notice between the Passover lamb and Jesus?

Verse 3: He who bore all pain and loss comfortless upon the cross lives in glory now on high, pleads for us, and hears our cry: Hallelujah!

Jesus endured unspeakable torment on the cross. He was beaten and had a crown of thorns thrust on his head. He was humiliated and flogged. He was nailed to the cross for our sins. But more than all of that Christ endured all the torments of hell that our sins deserved. When Jesus cried out, “My God, my God. Why have you forsaken me,” he was separated from his heavenly Father because he became sin in our place. Hell is separation from God and Christ endured that agony for us. Christ is our great High Priest. He offered himself as a perfect sacrifice to pay for all of our sins and he now hears our prayers and brings our requests before God.

Question: What does it mean that Jesus intercedes for us?

Verse 4: He whose path no records tell has descended into hell; he the strong man armed has bound and in highest heav’n is crowned. Hallelujah!

On Easter morning Jesus rose from the dead. He then descended into hell. He did not go there to suffer or endure more punishment for our sins. Jesus descended into hell with all his glory, might, and majesty to declare his complete and total victory over Satan. The descent into hell was like a victory lap. Christ had crushed the head of the old evil Serpent and destroyed the power of death and hell. Satan no longer has any power to accuse us of our sins because we have been declared not guilty by the blood of Christ. Our risen Lord has ascended into the highest heavens and is now ruling as our great and glorious eternal King.

Question: What does it mean that the strong man, Satan, is bound?

Verse 5: He who slumbered in the grave is exalted now to save; now through Christendom it rings that the Lamb is King of kings. Hallelujah!

As Christians, we often refer to death as falling asleep. We do this because we know that death is not the end of our life, it is just the beginning. When we die it is like we fall asleep and then awaken in the glory of life in heaven. But even that is just the beginning. Jesus has given us that certain promise that on the Last Day, he will return and raise us from the dead. We will then be given glorious new resurrected bodies, and we will live for eternity with our God in a new heaven and new earth. This is why the entire kingdom of Christ in this world, the church, rejoices that our glorious Savior is the King of kings.

Question: Where is the kingdom of Christ located?

Verse 6: Now he bids us tell abroad how the lost may be restored, how the penitent forgiv’n, how we, too, may enter heav’n. Hallelujah!

The final verse of our hymn encourages us to share the message of Easter with others. We have a joyous message to share. Our sins have been forgiven by grace alone that is ours through faith alone in Christ alone. We don’t have to do anything to earn or deserve forgiveness for our sins. Christ has done it all for us on the cross. We can share this joy with others. We can tell them that God loves them and forgives them. We can tell them that they do not need to fear death because Christ has conquered death for us. What joy we have to know that through Jesus we too will enter the paradise of heaven.

Question: What are some ways you can tell others about Jesus?

Christ the Lord is Risen Again is a beautiful hymn of praise that reminds us of the glorious resurrection of our Lord from the dead. Oh, how we love to praise our God for this great and glorious message. The resurrection of Jesus fills us with peace and comfort because we know that our sins have been paid for in full. We know that an eternal life of happiness is waiting for us in heaven. We know that we no longer need to fear death. We eagerly desire to share this message with others so that they too can have peace in Christ. Hallelujah!

CW 456/457 - O Sons and Daughters of the King

CW 456/457 - O Sons and Daughters of the King

“O Sons and Daughters of the King” is a Latin poem from the 15th century. It was written in the style of a folk carol with refrain. It was designated to be sung for the “Salut” (solemn salutation of the Blessed Sacrament) on the evening of Easter Day. The first translation of this hymn appeared in London in 1851.

The hymn is marvelous Easter music that captures the exuberance and festivity of the events of Easter.

The hymn is essentially a retelling of the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ resurrection in Matthew 28 and John 20. The hymn begins at the tomb with the women on Easter morning. The angels curb the women’s fears with the announcement that Jesus is alive. Then the hymn continues in the room Easter evening as Jesus appears to the disciples and then a week later when he appears again to the disciples, but this time Thomas is with them.

A beautiful and poignant way to reflect upon this hymn is to read the Scripture verses from the Gospels of Matthew and John and then sing the corresponding hymn verses.

Verse one: O sons and daughters of the King, Whom heav’nly hosts in glory sing, today the grave has lost its sting! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

St. Matthew records the resurrection of Jesus Christ Easter morning in Matthew 28:1-7. After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. Suddenly, there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, and going to the tomb, he rolled away the stone and was sitting on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. The guards were so terrified of him that they shook and became like dead men.

Verse two: That Easter morn, at break of day, the faithful women went their way to seek the tomb where Jesus lay. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid! I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here. He has risen, just as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. Go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has risen from the dead! And look, he is going ahead of you to Galilee. There you will see him.’ See, I have told you!”

Verse three: An angel bade their sorrow flee, for thus he spoke unto the three, “Your Lord will go to Galilee.” Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

St. John records the appearance of Jesus Christ Easter evening in John 31:19-31. On the evening of that first day of the week, the disciples were together behind locked doors because of their fear of the Jews. Jesus came, stood among them, and said to them, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. So the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.

Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you! Just as the Father has sent me, I am also sending you.” After saying this, he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whenever you forgive people’s sins, they are forgiven. Whenever you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

Verse four: That night th’ apostles met in fear; among them came their Lord most dear. And said, “My peace be with you here.” Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

But Thomas, one of the Twelve, the one called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples kept telling him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands, and put my finger into the mark of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will never believe.”

Verse five: When Thomas afterwards had heard that Jesus had fulfilled his word, he doubted if it was the Lord. Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

After eight days, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and look at my hands. Take your hand and put it into my side. Do not continue to doubt, but believe.”

Verse six: “Thomas, behold my side,” said he, “my hands, my feet, my body see; and doubt not, but believe in me.” Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Verse seven: No longer Thomas then denied; he saw the feet, the hands, the side; “You are my Lord and God,” he cried. Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Verse eight: Blessed are they that have not seen and yet whose faith has constant been; in life eternal they shall reign. Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Jesus, in the presence of his disciples, did many other miraculous signs that are not written in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Verse nine: On this most holy day of days to God your hearts and voices raise in laud and jubilee and praise. Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

CW 442 - Christ the Lord is Risen Today

The sounds of death are frightening. They can be loud, public sounds of police and fire sirens heading to a huge accident on the freeway. They can also be the quiet and private sounds of a dying person’s slow breaths in the hospice home.

The sounds are all around us. They are unpleasant. Upsetting. Disturbing.

This is the way Jesus’ followers felt as they heard the stone being rolled in front of Jesus’ tomb. Their friend was crucified. Their rabbi had been killed. Their Savior was dead. It was all so final. There was no hope anymore. The only thing the disciples could do was hide from the enemies, so they didn’t end up in the grave, too. The only thing the women could do was prepare Jesus’ corpse for a proper burial.

But Jesus is not dead! The stone has been rolled away! The tomb is empty! Jesus Christ is alive!

The silence of the cemetery is broken. The mourning has turned to rejoicing. The muted praise of Lent is over. The Alleluias have returned with Easter.

Verse one: Christ the Lord is ris’n today; Alleluia! Christians, hasten on your way; Alleluia! see the place where he was laid; Alleluia! praise him for the ransom paid. Alleluia!

The angel told the women at the tomb, “Don't be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him” (Mark 16:6). Through his third day resurrection, Jesus has reversed the irreversible. Jesus controls the uncontrollable. We run to the open tomb to see where he was laid. Now we know with confidence that the ransom for our salvation was paid.

Verse two: For the sheep the Lamb has bled, Alleluia! sinless in the sinners’ stead. Alleluia! “Christ is ris’n,” today we cry; Alleluia! now he lives, no more to die. Alleluia!

Scripture repeatedly calls Christ’s followers sheep. It also calls Jesus the sacrificial Lamb. The perfect, sinless Lamb sacrificed himself so we sinful, scared sheep might be saved. Now we no longer have any reason to be afraid of the prowling lion of the devil or his demonic dogs. By his resurrection, Jesus has destroyed the power of the devil. By his resurrection, Jesus has demolished the devil’s ability to keep us afraid of death. Christ promises us, “Because I live, you will live” (John 14:19).

Verse three: Christ, the victim undefiled, Alleluia! God and sinners reconciled, Alleluia! while, in strange and awe-full strife, Alleluia! met together death and life. Alleluia!

The rolling away of the stone revealing the empty tomb has changed everything. By taking upon himself the curse of sin and the sting of death, the dying process loses its fear for us. Now a little girl can say with all confidence to her Christian mother who is dying of cancer, “I’ll see

you in heaven, Mommy.” Now the family gathering together at the ER after their father’s unexpected heart attack can repeat with Job, “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. May the name of the Lord be praised” (Job 1:21). Now the elderly Christian can repeat with his pastor the words of the twenty-third Psalm with his dying breaths.

Here are sweet words from a man in his 90s: “Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. ... Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Revelation 2:10). You can go gently when you know the resurrected Christ is waiting for you.

Because Jesus Christ is risen today, we have hope on the day we stand at the coffin of a Christian loved one. Because Jesus Christ is risen today and that garden tombstone was rolled away, we have complete confidence when we lay down our head upon our own death bed. This is because Jesus, who appeared as a Victim on the cross proved he is the Victor out of the grave. With his crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus has reconciled sinners with God.

Verse four: Christ, who once for sinners bled, Alleluia! now the firstborn from the dead, Alleluia! throned in endless might and pow’r, Alleluia! lives and reigns forevermore. Alleluia!

For the Easter Christian, the sound of the sirens has been replaced with the sound of the angels’ trumpets. The sound of silence has been replaced with the song of the saints. The sound of mourning tears has been replaced with the sound of eternal laughter. For the sound of the rolling stone has reverberated through time and eternity. It not only opened the entrance to the tomb of Jesus, but also opened the gates to God’s heaven. When you hear the rolling stone, you know that the sounds of death have been replaced with the sounds of life.

The sound of our Alleluias have once again returned to our churches. We will sing these triumphant Alleluias this Easter season in God’s house here on earth. One day, we will sing these Alleluias for all eternity there in God’s heavenly house.

CW 817 Lord, Thee I Love with All My Heart

CW 817 Lord, Thee I Love with All My Heart

When my wife and I were raising our sons, we would routinely tell them “I love you, but Jesus loves you most of all.” As great as a parent’s love is for a child or a child’s love is for a parent, there is no greater love than what Jesus has for us. Jesus’ love for us is evident by what he was willing to do for us. He even died a cruel death on a cross for us.

This hymn is a response to the love of Jesus. The Bible reminds us that we love because he first loved us. Because Jesus loves us most of all, we want to love Jesus most of all.

Verse 1a: 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.

Why would we need cheering up? Life does not always go as we plan. In fact, life can be difficult. It can especially be difficult as a Christian. Because we believe in Jesus, other people may reject us. And that is exactly why we continue to focus our attention on Jesus. There is no one and nothing that can cheer our burdened hearts like Jesus can. People without Jesus know that they are missing something, but they do not know what. If Jesus was not in our lives, we would be missing the one who can cheer our weary souls.

Verse 1b: 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.

The man in the Bible named Job knew what it meant to have a broken heart. In one day, he lost all his wealth – his animals and the servants who cared for them. That was not the worst of it. That same day, his sons and daughters were dining together when the house they were in collapsed on them and they all died. Job was deeply hurt by this. Yet, he said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will return. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. May the name of the Lord be blessed.” (Job 1:21) May we learn to model Job’s trust in the Lord. This is not a baseless trust. Jesus spilled his holy precious blood to buy back our souls from eternal condemnation. We can trust everything he tells us in his Word!

Question: What things have you experienced that have shaken your trust in the Lord?

Verse 2a: 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.

Job knew that everything he had, came from the Lord – all his material blessings and all his spiritual blessings. And God is not skimpy with his blessings, especially the blessings for our souls. The hymnwriter echoes that truth by calling the Lord’s grace lavish. Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines lavish as “expending or bestowing profusely.” The Lord is constantly giving

gifts of his grace in abundance. May it be our prayer that in response to this lavish grace, we help and serve our neighbor.

Question: In what ways can you help and serve your neighbor? Keep in mind that everyone is your neighbor.

Verse 2b: 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.

When we suffer, it is tempting for us to say something that God does not say. When Job lost his children and possessions, his friends came to him and told him that he must have done something wrong to deserve this. The friends did not know what they were talking about because God allowed Satan to bring this on Job precisely because, as the Bible says: “there was no one like him on the earth, a man who is blameless and upright, who fears God and turns away from evil.” (Job 1:8) When we are suffering, Satan is also very ready to accuse us and to make us think that God does not care about us. It is then that we need our Lord to strengthen us so that we can patiently bear up under our cross and continue to follow him.

Question: What is the key to preventing you from spreading false doctrine?

Verse 3a: 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.

This verse is often sung at the Service of Darkness (or Tenebrae) on Good Friday when we recount Jesus’ death and burial. It is sung at that time to remind us of our own mortality. Each one of us will face death one day, but we can find comfort in what God’s Word says about it. In Luke 16, Jesus tells a story about a rich man and poor Lazarus. When Lazarus died, his soul was carried by angels to Abraham’s side. Abraham is known as the father of believers. Heaven is where the souls of all believers go when they die. What happens to the body at death? It is Jesus himself who assures us that death is like a peaceful sleep that we will one day wake up from. When will we awake? When Jesus reappears! What a comfort all this is as we bear our cross here on earth.

Verse 3b: 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.

When is Christ coming back? He does not tell us the day or the hour. But we are confident that he will indeed return. When he does, he will raise up all who have died in him and bring them into his presence. Imagine what it will be like to see Jesus! We will want to praise him without end for bringing us there.

Question: When a person dies, people often do not know what to say to their loved ones. Based on this hymn verse (and really the entire hymn), what would you tell them?

This hymn is really a prayer written by a Christian man to our Lord Jesus Christ. At the end of the hymn, he pleads that Jesus will pay attention to his prayer. When we are enduring a hardship because we follow Christ, we can turn to Jesus for help. You and I can be confident that whenever we pray to the Lord, he will listen to us. Why can we be so confident? Because Jesus loves us most of all!

CW 324 - O Lord, How Shall I Meet You

CW 324 - O Lord, How Shall I Meet You

Traditionally, the third Sunday of Advent has been called Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete is the Latin word for “rejoice!” During the season of Advent, we focus on the coming of Christ. We think about his coming in the flesh at Christmas and his glorious coming when he returns on the Last Day. Both of these events fill us with joy. We rejoice that our God would take on human flesh to save us and that our Lord will come again to rescue us from this world of sin and sorrow. O Lord, How Shall I Meet You echoes these themes of Advent. We rejoice in our salvation. We marvel that God sent his one and only Son to save us from our sins. Our hearts are filled with the joyful knowledge that our sins and guilt have been washed away. Because of Christ's death, we look forward in joyful anticipation to the great and glorious day of our Lord’s return. Verse 1: O Lord, how shall I meet you, how welcome you aright? Your people long to greet you, my hope, my heart’s delight. O Jesus, let your Word be a lamp to light my way, to show me how to please you, to guide me ev’ry day. Verse one reminds us that, as Christians, we want to be ready to meet our King. We look forward to his return and want our hearts to be prepared to greet him. But how do we prepare our hearts? We cannot make our hearts free from sin; instead, we cling to the promise of God. We cling to the assurance in his Word that our sins have been paid for by the blood of Christ. Because we have been born again through water and the Word, we desire to live lives that please our Lord. Question: What are some ways that we can please God? Verse 2: Love caused your incarnation; love brought you down to me. Your thirst for my salvation procured my liberty. Oh, love beyond all telling that led you to embrace in love, all love excelling, our lost and fallen race! 1 John 4:8 tells us that “God is love.” We see the love of God echoed in the life of Christ. Jesus loved each one of us so much that he came down from heaven and was born of the Virgin Mary. This is the mystery of Christmas that God became man and made his dwelling among us. Jesus loved us so much that he willingly offered his perfect life as a sacrifice to pay for our sins. Jesus endured the shame and agony of the cross for us. He suffered the torments of hell that we deserved and was punished in our place. All this he did because he loved us and wanted to save us from our sins. Question: What does it mean that Jesus “thirsted” for our salvation? Verse 3: Rejoice, then, you sad-hearted, who sit in deepest gloom, who mourn o’er joys departed and tremble at your doom. Despair not; he is near you, he’s standing at the door who best can help and cheer you and bids you weep no more. This world is full of sin and sorrow. We all face times of trial and hardship, like sickness or the loss of a loved one. It can be easy to fall into deep, dark sadness and wonder if God is really watching over us as he promised. This verse reminds us that even on our deepest and gloomiest days, when all seems lost, Jesus is still there right beside us. Jesus understands what it is like to feel pain and sadness. He lived and suffered as one of us. Christ is always there, ready to comfort us with his Word and with his promises. Question: Think of some sections of Scripture that provide comfort to you when you are sad. Verse 4: Sin’s debt, that fearful burden, let not your souls distress; your guilt the Lord will pardon and cover by his grace. He comes, for you procuring the peace of sin forgiv’n, his children thus securing eternal life in heav’n. As Christians, we must daily struggle against the temptations of the devil, the world, and our own sinful natures. Every day, we give in to temptation, sin, and break the Lord’s commandments. Satan loves to accuse and remind us of our sins. We want to burden us with guilt and shame and convince us that God does not love us. This hymn verse reminds us that we do not need to be weighed down by the terrible burden of our sins. Our sins have been completely forgiven by the blood of Christ. We have been washed clean and pure by the blood of Christ. We do not need to be burdened with a load of guilt because we have been covered by God’s amazing grace. This is the joyous message of the Gospel. This is why Christians rejoice. We know we have been forgiven. We know Christ has won us the glorious reward of eternal life with him. Question: Why does Satan want us to doubt God’s grace and mercy? Verse 5: He comes to judge the nations, a terror to his foes, a light of consolation and blessèd hope to those who love the Lord’s appearing. O glorious Sun, now come, send forth your beams most cheering, and guide us safely home. The final verse of this hymn shows the great contrast between believers and unbelievers. As believers, we look forward with joy to the day of the Lord’s return. We do not need to be afraid when Jesus comes again in all his glory to judge the living and the dead because we know we have been forgiven. We have been declared not guilty by the blood of Christ before the Almighty Judge. For unbelievers, the return of Jesus fills them with dread. Deep down, they know that because of their sins, they cannot stand before the throne of God. On the Last Day, their time of grace will be over, and they will be thrown into the lake of fire that was prepared for the devil and all his angels. Question: How can you share the message of salvation with others? O Lord, How Shall I Meet You is a joyous hymn of Advent praise. We rejoice and praise the Lord for our salvation and forgiveness in Christ. We give thanks to God for sending his Son to be born of a woman, born under the law, to free us from our sins. And we look forward in joyful anticipation to the great and glorious day when our Lord will return in all his radiant splendor and take us to our eternal home.

CW 388: Down from the Mount of Glory

CW 388: Down from the Mount of Glory

Two events serve as bookends for the season of Epiphany. At the beginning of Epiphany, we celebrate the beginning of Jesus’s ministry with the Baptism of our Lord, and now at the end, we celebrate the Transfiguration of our Lord. Down from the Mount of Glory is a hymn that recalls the wonderous and amazing events of the Transfiguration of our Lord. Shortly before the events of Holy Week, Jesus went up on a high mountain with his disciples Peter, James, and John. While they were on this mountain Jesus was transfigured before the eyes of his disciples. Jesus is both true God and true man, but during his time on earth, he did not make full use of his divine powers. At the Transfiguration Jesus revealed his divine nature to his disciples briefly. Peter, James, and John saw the awesome power of the Lord revealed in Christ. The Gospels tell us that the face of Jesus became as bright as the sun and his clothes became whiter than snow. While they were on the mountain Moses and Elijah appeared with Jesus and a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him.” These are the same words that God the Father spoke at the baptism of the Lord. The Transfiguration was a powerful revelation of our Lord’s power. It would be a powerful comfort to the disciples during the dark days after the arrest and crucifixion of Christ. As we begin the season of Lent the Transfiguration reminds us that only the death of God on the cross could make full payment for the sins of the world. The Transfiguration assures that Jesus is true God and that all authority on heaven and on earth has been given to him. Verse 1: Down from the mount of glory came Jesus Christ, our Lord. Recall the wondrous story, rich gem in sacred Word. Again your faith will view him in double glory here; the greater homage due him will in your life appear. Verse 1 of our hymn asks us to recall the wonderous story of the Transfiguration. As we think about the marvelous details of this event, we remember the great act of love that Jesus performed on our behalf. Jesus was true God from eternity. He had all the power and majesty of God, and yet for a time he chose to willingly set aside that power to live as a human being. The Creator became the creature. Christ clothed himself with human flesh so that he could suffer and die in our place. When we think about the love that our Savior showed us, we are moved to live our lives according to his will. Question: What are some ways that you can honor Jesus in your life? Verse 2: Transfigured, Christ, the lowly, stood radiant in the light, light found in Godhead solely, for human eyes too bright. Then came a voice from heaven, confirmed what here we see; the words “my Son” were given to seal his deity. Verse 2 of our hymn reminds us that even as Christ lived as a lowly human, he was still true God. We worship Jesus because he is a member of the Trinity. We worship one God who is three Persons and three Persons who are one God. This is a profound mystery that is beyond our ability to understand. The two natures of Christ, that he is true God and true man, are also beyond our ability to understand. These are the truths that Scripture teaches us, so we accept them by faith. Scripture is clear that Jesus needed to be true God and true man to save us. Jesus was true man so he could place himself under the law for us and die for us. He was true God so he could live a life free from sins and by the death of God pay for the sins of the whole world. Question: Why is the holiness of God too bright for human eyes? Verse 3: Yet mark this glory hidden! See him the mount descend and, by the Father bidden, his willing footsteps bend to seek humiliation in deepest depths of woe, to suffer degradation no mind can probe or know. Verse 3 reminds us of the amazing truth that Christ endured all his humiliation and suffering for us willingly. When we speak of the humiliation of Christ, we mean both the humiliation he endured as he was tortured and suffered on the cross and the humiliation of setting aside the full use of his divine power for a time. Think of the mystery of the almighty God living as a tiny baby or of the Creator of the universe feeling pain and fatigue. All of these things Christ endured willingly because of his great love for us. Christ did all this in perfect obedience to the will of the Father. Jesus knew precisely what was going to happen to him that first Holy Week. He knew he would be flogged and beaten, he knew that he would be nailed to a cross, and he knew that he would endure the torments of hell and be forsaken by the Father. Yet he endured all this willingly so that by his perfect sacrifice the world could be reconciled to God. Question: What does it mean that we cannot know the sufferings that Christ endured? Verse 4: Strange how his journey ended! In love that is his fame our Lord again ascended a mount—the hill of shame. Upon the cross he proffered himself to agony; his holy soul he offered to set the guilty free. In verse 4 the hymn writer contrasts the Mount of Transfiguration and the Mount of the Crucifixion. Transfiguration shows the awesome glory and majesty of our Lord, while Calvary shows us the ultimate agony and shame that our Lord endured. Christ died to save us. This is why Jesus came to the world. Christ had a single purpose. He came to fulfill the promise that God had made to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. By his death and resurrection, Christ crushed the head of Satan and paid for the sins of the entire world. He destroyed the power of sin, death, and hell and set God’s people free. Question: Why did God need to die on the cross? Verse 5: Then hail the double glory of Jesus Christ, our Lord, and let the wondrous story full peace and joy afford! The holy mount acclaims him the majesty divine; Mount Calvary proclaims him Redeemer— yours and mine. Our hymn this week emphasizes the unique and double glory that belongs to Christ alone. Jesus is true God and true man. The glory of his divine nature was revealed on the Mount of Transfiguration. It assured his disciples and assured us that Jesus is indeed the holy Son of God. He came to this world to suffer and die to set all people free from the horrors of sin and death. By faith in Christ, these glorious blessings become ours. By the death of Christ, we have been redeemed. We have been purchased by the holy, precious blood of Christ. All of our sins have been washed away. Our guilt has been paid for. Praise be to God for our glorious Redeemer who died to save us! Question: Why do we say that Jesus has double glory? Down from the Mount of Glory is a beautiful hymn that reminds us of the glory of our Savior. We are humbled when we consider how Christ in his great love for us set aside the full use of his divine power for a time so that he could be tempted in every way that we are and yet be without sin. We see glimpses of the divine nature of Christ when he healed the sick, calmed the storm, and performed other miracles. We see a greater glimpse on the Mount of Transfiguration. We will see the full revelation of our Savior’s power when he returns on the last day in all his glory to judge the living and the dead. We look forward to that great and glorious day with joyful anticipation as we await the coming of our Savior.

CW 377 - To Jordan’s River Came Our Lord (Zarling)

CW 377 - To Jordan’s River Came Our Lord

This Sunday is the first Sunday after the Epiphany. It is a yearly celebration of Christ’s baptism. This week’s Hymn of the Day is “To Jordan’s River Came Our Lord.”

Verse one: “To Jordan’s river came our Lord, The Christ, whom heav’nly hosts adored, The God from God, the Light from Light, The Lord of glory, pow’r, and might.”

Jesus began his ministry by coming to the Jordan River to be baptized by John the Baptizer. As we recite in the Nicene Creed, Jesus is “God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one being with the Father.” The season of Epiphany is about Jesus revealing his glory to the world. Throughout the Sundays in Epiphany, we will catch glimpses of Jesus’ hidden glory, power, and might. The first sighting of Jesus’ hidden glory is in the water of his baptism.

Why does Jesus deserve glory?

Verse two: “The Savior came to be baptized—The Son of God in flesh disguised—To stand beneath the Father’s will And all his promises fulfill.”

Jesus is God’s Son covered in human flesh and blood. Because Jesus is perfect, he doesn’t need to be baptized. Instead, he submits to his Father’s will by accepting a sinner’s baptism upon the holy Son of God.

What is one reason why Jesus was baptized?

Verse three: “As Jesus in the Jordan stood And John baptized the Lamb of God, The Holy Spirit, heav’nly dove, Descended on him from above.”

Already in the waters of the Jordan River, Jesus is fulfilling his role as the sacrificial and substitutionary Lamb of God. He did not inherit any sin, nor commit any sins. In fact, Jesus should have been repulsed by that water! It was a cesspool of sin! That water was filled with every sin imaginable. Sins washed off the multitude of sinners. You name the sin and Jesus is hip-deep in it. Idolatry, hypocrisy, immorality, disobedience, hatred, murder, lust, adultery, theft, lying, coveting, pride, greed – and Jesus wades right into that toxic, putrid water! He lets it be poured all over him! The grime of guilt and the dregs of damnation. Jesus is getting dirty with humanity’s sins in the dirty waters of the Jordan River.

What is another reason why Jesus was baptized?

Verse four: “Then from God’s throne with thund’rous sound Came God’s own voice with words profound: ‘This is my Son,’ was his decree, ‘The one I love, who pleases me.’”

Upon Jesus’ baptism, the Father announces for all his heavenly host to hear, “You are my Son, whom I love. I am well pleased with you” (Luke 3:22). God the Father is pleased with his Son’s divine vocation as the world’s Redeemer. God loves this Man Jesus. And he loves what Jesus is doing, standing there at the Jordan, taking his place among sinners. The Father knows what his Son is going to do for them all, starting here at the Jordan. And God just loves that.

Why was God the Father pleased with his Son?

Verse five: “The Father’s word, the Spirit’s flight Anointed Christ in glorious sight As God’s own choice, from Adam’s fall To save the world and free us all.”

It is the mystery of the Triune God that all three persons are present at Jesus’ baptism – yet they remain distinct – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God the Father is speaking from heaven. God the Son is in the water. God the Holy Spirit is hovering over the waters in the form of a dove. All three persons of the Trinity delight in their unity of working to save the world from sin and free us from slavery to the devil.

How did each person of the Triune God display himself at Jesus’ baptism?

Then comes our Christian response to Christ in the water. The sixth and final verse: “Now rise, faint hearts: be resolute! This man is Christ, our substitute! He was baptized in Jordan’s stream, Proclaimed Redeemer, Lord supreme.”

Because Jesus carried out and completed his work, what happens at your baptism? At your baptism, all your sins are washed away in those Christ-filled waters. God says the same thing about you that he said about Jesus: “You are my beloved child. I am well pleased with you for Jesus’ sake.” And the Spirit descends upon you, making you a new creation in Christ and empowering you for a life of service in God’s Kingdom. The gates of hell are slammed shut and the doors of heaven are torn open for you. Let your faint heart be resolute.

Why can your faint heart now be resolute?

CW 301 - Savior of the Nations, Come (Zarling)

CW 301 - Savior of the Nations, Come

We are now in the season of Advent. The word “Advent” means “coming.” So, during Advent we focus on the coming of Jesus.

In Advent, we are directed to watch for Jesus to come again from the sky at the end of the world. This is why the altars, pulpits, and lecterns in our churches have blue cloths on them for the blue sky during the Advent season. This time Jesus will come in power and glory. Jesus says of his return, “Then you will see the Son of Man coming on clouds with great power and glory” (Mark 13:26). We lift our heads during Advent to watch for our Savior to return: “Look, he is coming with clouds, and every eye will see him, including those who pierced him” (Revelation 1:7).

We also celebrate another Advent of Jesus. This is the one most people in our culture are preparing for right now – Jesus coming to earth as a baby wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger (Luke 2:12). With this first coming, the Son of God comes in humility and very few people see him or celebrate him.

Our hymn of the day for the first Sunday in Advent begins with the first coming of Jesus. “Savior of the Nations Come” is a very ancient hymn written in the 4th century by an early church father named Ambrose of Milan and translated by Martin Luther in the 16th century.

Verse one: Savior of the nations, come; Virgin’s Son, make here your home. Marvel now, O heav’n and earth, that the Lord chose such a birth.

Our culture may want Christmas to come with all the decorations, parties, and presents. But do they really want Jesus Christ to come? They might feel that his presence would ruin their parties since he would expect certain behaviors that would curb their sinful desires. But we Christians want Christ to come. We want Jesus to make his home here on earth with his birth. More than that, we want Jesus to make his home in our hearts by faith. It is a faith that marvels that the royal, divine Son of God would choose such a lowly birth.

Question: Why do you want Christ to come?

Verse two: Not by human flesh and blood, by the Spirit of our God was the Word of God made flesh, woman’s offspring, pure and fresh.

Verse three: Wondrous birth! O wondrous Child of the virgin undefiled, though by all the world disowned, yet to be in heav’n enthroned!

Jesus could not be tainted by sin when he was born. That’s why he was born of a virgin and conceived by the Holy Spirit. Jesus is the Word of God made flesh. Jesus is the same Word that God the Father used to call creation into existence. Now he is that Word who takes on the flesh

and blood of a little human baby. A perfect human baby to save sinful babies, children, and adults. Though the world disowns and opposes Jesus, we love him and make him our king.

Question: Why did Jesus need to be born of a virgin and conceived by the Holy Spirit?

Verse four: From the Father’s throne he came and ascended to the same, captive leading death and hell. High the song of triumph swell!

The Son of God could have stayed in heaven, never taking on human flesh. But he came to be born, live, die, rise, and ascend. In doing this, Jesus defeated sin, death, and hell.

Question: Why did Jesus come to earth?

Verse five: Praise to God the Father sing, praise to God the Son, our King, praise to God the Spirit be ever and eternally.

We finish the hymn with a doxology of praise to the Triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

With Advent we pray for Jesus to come in the past in the manger, in the present in Word and Sacraments, and in the future in the clouds. Together we pray, “Savior of the Nations Come.”

Question: Why do we praise the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for Jesus coming to earth?

We are now in the season of Advent. The word “Advent” means “coming.” So, during Advent we focus on the coming of Jesus.

In Advent, we are directed to watch for Jesus to come again from the sky at the end of the world. This is why the altars, pulpits, and lecterns in our churches have blue cloths on them for the blue sky during the Advent season. This time Jesus will come in power and glory. Jesus says of his return, “Then you will see the Son of Man coming on clouds with great power and glory” (Mark 13:26). We lift our heads during Advent to watch for our Savior to return: “Look, he is coming with clouds, and every eye will see him, including those who pierced him” (Revelation 1:7).

We also celebrate another Advent of Jesus. This is the one most people in our culture are preparing for right now – Jesus coming to earth as a baby wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger (Luke 2:12). With this first coming, the Son of God comes in humility and very few people see him or celebrate him.

Our hymn of the day for the first Sunday in Advent begins with the first coming of Jesus. “Savior of the Nations Come” is a very ancient hymn written in the 4th century by an early church father named Ambrose of Milan and translated by Martin Luther in the 16th century.

Verse one: Savior of the nations, come; Virgin’s Son, make here your home. Marvel now, O heav’n and earth, that the Lord chose such a birth.

Our culture may want Christmas to come with all the decorations, parties, and presents. But do they really want Jesus Christ to come? They might feel that his presence would ruin their parties since he would expect certain behaviors that would curb their sinful desires. But we Christians want Christ to come. We want Jesus to make his home here on earth with his birth. More than that, we want Jesus to make his home in our hearts by faith. It is a faith that marvels that the royal, divine Son of God would choose such a lowly birth.

Question: Why do you want Christ to come?

Verse two: Not by human flesh and blood, by the Spirit of our God was the Word of God made flesh, woman’s offspring, pure and fresh.

Verse three: Wondrous birth! O wondrous Child of the virgin undefiled, though by all the world disowned, yet to be in heav’n enthroned!

Jesus could not be tainted by sin when he was born. That’s why he was born of a virgin and conceived by the Holy Spirit. Jesus is the Word of God made flesh. Jesus is the same Word that God the Father used to call creation into existence. Now he is that Word who takes on the flesh

and blood of a little human baby. A perfect human baby to save sinful babies, children, and adults. Though the world disowns and opposes Jesus, we love him and make him our king.

Question: Why did Jesus need to be born of a virgin and conceived by the Holy Spirit?

Verse four: From the Father’s throne he came and ascended to the same, captive leading death and hell. High the song of triumph swell!

The Son of God could have stayed in heaven, never taking on human flesh. But he came to be born, live, die, rise, and ascend. In doing this, Jesus defeated sin, death, and hell.

Question: Why did Jesus come to earth?

Verse five: Praise to God the Father sing, praise to God the Son, our King, praise to God the Spirit be ever and eternally.

We finish the hymn with a doxology of praise to the Triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

With Advent we pray for Jesus to come in the past in the manger, in the present in Word and Sacraments, and in the future in the clouds. Together we pray, “Savior of the Nations Come.”

Question: Why do we praise the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for Jesus coming to earth?

CW 531 The Head That Once Was Crowned with Thorns by Pastor Roekle

CW 531 The Head That Once Was Crowned with Thorns

While the calendar year ends on December 31st, this coming Sunday marks the end of the church year. While the church year developed over time, it has its roots back in New Testament times. Lutherans have joined many other church bodies in following the church year.

On Sunday, we will celebrate Christ the King. This Sunday was added to the church calendar in 1925 and we Lutherans have been marking it since 1993. Christ the King reminds us that Christ is at the center of the entire church year, and Christ our King rules over our hearts now and forever.

The hymn we consider today is the hymn of the day for Christ the King festival. It reminds us that Christ is a truly unique king.

Verse one: The head that once was crowned with thorns is crowned with glory now;

a royal diadem adorns the mighty victor’s brow.

The Gospel reading for Christ the King (Matthew 27:27-31) may seem out of place. The events described in Matthew’s Gospel take place on Good Friday when Jesus was in the custody of Pontius Pilate. It was here that Pilate’s soldiers recognized Jesus as a king by putting a scarlet robe around him; placing a staff in his hands; and thrusting a crown, a crown of thorns, that is, into his head. Then they mockingly called him a king. The soldiers didn’t take Jesus seriously. Many in our world do not take Jesus seriously either.

But the things that Jesus endured before Pilate and on the cross were done for the sake of all sinners. Jesus no longer wears a crown of thorns. His crown now is a ‘royal diadem.’ Last fall, my wife and I visited the Tower of London where the crown jewels are located. The glorious crowns of the various kings and queens of the past were on display. The power that those crowns represent is nothing compared to Christ’s power. In coming back to life, Christ proved that he has won the victory over our worst enemies.

Question: What enemies did Christ our king defeat? (See 1 Corinthains 15:56,57; Hebrews 2:14; John 18:36,37)

Verse two: The highest place that heav’n affords is his, is his by right,

the King of kings and Lord of lords and heav’n’s eternal light;

At the end of the Easter season, we celebrate the Ascension of our Lord. Forty days after Jesus rose from the dead, he ascended into heaven before his disciples’ very eyes. Ephesians 1 tells us that Jesus is now seated at the right hand of God. This is the highest seat of honor. It is the seat of all power and glory. Jesus, the Son of God, has returned to his rightful place. There is no one greater in power than King Jesus.

The fact that Jesus is pictured as being seated does not mean he is doing nothing. He continues his rule in heaven. In fact, he is the very light that illumines heaven (Revelation 21:23).

Question: The catechism reminds us that Jesus threefold office is Prophet, Priest, and King. How does Jesus still serve those roles today? (See Question 204 in the blue catechism.)

Verse three: The joy of all who dwell above, the joy of all below

to whom he manifests his love and grants his name to know.

Christ the King does not rule with an iron fist. His rule is a loving one. In fact, he showed that love by what he did in suffering and dying for us. He continues to show that love by bringing us into his kingdom and making us his royal subjects. Nothing gives believers in heaven and believers still on earth greater joy than when Christ makes himself known to more people so that they too are brought into his kingdom. It gives us joy when we see the petition “thy kingdom come” answered as Christ’s rule reaches new hearts.

Question: In what ways does Jesus show us his love?

Verse four: To them the cross, with all its shame, with all its grace, is giv’n; their name, an everlasting name, their joy, the joy of heav’n.

The cross was reserved for only the worst of criminals. Jesus, though completely innocent, became sin for us and endured the shame of the cross, the shame we should have endured. As a result, we will not suffer eternal punishment for our sins. Instead, we are eternally pardoned. However, because we bear the Savior’s name, we are called on to take up the cross and follow Jesus. Following Christ the King means that we can expect to be persecuted for our faith. But Christians know that it all turns out well in the end. This causes us to rejoice because as Jesus said: “your names have been written in heaven.” (Luke 10:20)

Question: In what ways are Christians across the globe persecuted? In what ways might you be persecuted?

Verse five: They suffer with their Lord below, they reign with him above, their profit and their joy to know the myst’ry of his love.

Believers on earth belong to the Church Militant. One day, believers will join the Saints Triumphant in heaven. What is it that keeps believers going while suffering here? “The mystery of his love.” God’s love is certainly mysterious. From the time that Adam and Eve fell into sin, God’s plan of love to restore people to himself was set into motion. A great mystery in all this is: why didn’t God simply scrap his creation that was now completely tainted with sin? Equally mysterious is this: why did the Son of God agree to the plan? This love of God is so mysterious that the Bible gives it a special name: grace. It is this mysterious concept of grace that enables us

to reign with Christ forever in heaven where we can speak to our Savior who alone can give us answers to these mysteries.

Question: Which definition of grace do you find most helpful?

Verse six: The cross he bore is life and health, though shame and death to him:

his people’s hope, his people’s wealth, their everlasting theme.

Do you fully know the impact that Jesus’ cross has had on your life? None of us can fully know. But there are things we can understand. Jesus’ cross means that instead of suffering the consequences of sin in hell – which Jesus did for you – you have an eternity in heaven waiting for you. Jesus’ cross means that even now your life has purpose and meaning as you seek to serve God, and as you share the wealth of God’s grace to others. Jesus’ cross not only gives us certain hope for the future, but it will be the centerpiece of our existence now and forever.

Question: How does Jesus’ cross represent ‘wealth’ for you?

The theme of Jesus as ‘King’ comes up frequently throughout the church year. Advent anticipates the coming of the newborn King, while Christmas celebrates the King’s arrival. Epiphany reveals more and more details about Christ the King. Lent reminds us that this King is very different than any other because he is a suffering servant. Easter proclaims the great victory that this risen King has won for us. Finally, the season of Pentecost shows how this king rules our hearts.

This hymn beautifully lays out why Christ the King is so important to us by stressing his uniqueness in his suffering and dying for our eternal welfare. Let’s join in singing praises to this King on Sunday in anticipation of singing his praises around the throne of God!

CW 751: O God, Your Hand the Heavens Made by Pastor Klusmeyer

CW 751 - O God, Your Hand the Heavens Made

The Gospel lesson for this week is the Parable of the Talents from Matthew 25:14-30. In this parable, Jesus tells the story of a rich man who entrusts his wealth to three servants based on their abilities. To one man, he gave five talents of silver (a talent was a unit of measurement of about seventy-five pounds); to the second, he gave two talents; and to the third, he gave one talent. Then, the rich man left on an extended journey. The first two servants immediately went and put their lord’s money to work, but the third man buried the talent in a hole. After a long time, the rich man returned and demanded an accounting from his servant. The first two came and reported that they had doubled their lord’s wealth. He was well pleased with them and rewarded them for their faithful service. The third man admitted he had done nothing with the talent entrusted to him. The lord harshly punished him for his faithlessness.

This parable is a reminder for us to be faithful with the gifts God has given to each of us. We have all been blessed by the Lord in different ways. Everything we have is a gift given to us by God. The Lord expects us to use our gifts and talents in faithful service to his kingdom. As children of God, we want to serve our heavenly Father and show gratitude for what we have been given. We do good works by using our talents and gifts by supporting the work of the church and serving our neighbors in love. Our service to God is unique to each one of us. We have all been given different gifts in different amounts, but each of us can use those gifts in unique ways to serve our Lord. This is what faithful service to our God looks like.

O God, Your Hand the Heavens Made is a hymn that reminds us of this truth. Everything in our lives (our clothes, money, various gifts and talents) are gifts from God. Stewardship is wisely using these gifts in service to our Lord. This means returning a portion of our gifts to the Lord in the form of offerings, but it also means doing everything in our lives to the best of our ability in service to our God. If we have the ability to do math well, we should do math well to the glory of God. If we have the ability to show kindness to others, then we should do that in service to God. At each stage of our lives, we are given unique opportunities to serve God. This is called our vocation. Everything we do in our lives, we do as if we were doing it for God.

Verse 1: O God, your hand the heavens made and all that they contain; the world appeared at your command, and in it now you reign. The restless sea, the land, the sky your handiwork declare; the touch of your creative power is present everywhere.

Verse one reminds us that all of creation is a gift from God. God created this world and everything in it as a blessing to humanity. The Apostle Paul in Romans 1:20 tells us that creation itself declares that God exists and that he is powerful. We call this the natural knowledge of God. The beauty of creation only tells us part of the story. It does not tell us about God’s love or how he sent his one and only Son, Jesus Christ, to suffer and die for the sins of the world. As we

look at the wonder of creation, the stars in the sky, the multitude and diversity of animals, and all the other wonders of creation, we rejoice and praise God for the wonders of his creation.

Question: List some of the most spectacular things you have seen in God’s creation and give thanks to the Lord for them.

Verse 2: To us are given gifts divine, all talents you have sent; inspire us now to use them well your kingdom to extend. We hold each gift a trust for you nor claim it as our own; we gratefully acknowledge, Lord, all things are yours alone.

Verse two reminds us that all of our gifts and talents have been given to us by God. Our abilities are not our own; they are gifts of mercy that have been given to us to use in service to our Lord. We use these gifts to extend the kingdom of God. We have all been given different gifts, talents, and abilities, so our service in God’s kingdom will look different and unique. This is a wonderful blessing of God! Each of us can serve in our own special way using the abilities we have been given. This lets us serve in ways that allow us to grow in our strengths and augment the strengths and weaknesses of our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Question: Take a few moments and list your unique gifts and how you can use them in service to our Lord.

Verse 3: Deliver us from selfish aims, true stewards we would be; endow us with a deep desire to live unselfishly. A full accounting we must give and see you face to face; let us approach your throne with joy, supported by your grace.

It is easy to take our gifts for granted and use them for our own selfish ends. This is the point of Jesus’s parable of the Talents. The wicked servant selfishly hid his talent and did not use it in service to his Lord. On Judgment Day, God will demand an accounting from us on how faithfully we have used the gifts and abilities he has blessed us. While we are saved by faith in Jesus Christ alone, it is still necessary for Christians to do good works. The Book of James reminds us that faith without works is dead. An apple tree that is alive and well will produce apples. The same is true of our faith. If we have faith, we will produce fruits of faith. This final verse of our hymn encourages us to use the gifts we have been given in faithful service to our Lord so that we can stand before him on the Last Day and hear those wonderful words of blessing that are ours through Christ, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Question: What are some ways that you can be a better steward of the gifts God has given to you?

O God, Your Hand the Heavens Made is a beautiful reminder that God has gifted us with so many blessings. We praise God for the heavens and the earth that were created by his almighty Word. We praise him for the unique talents and abilities he has given to each of us. And we ask God to

help us be better stewards of these gifts so that we can use them to the best of our ability in service to him.

CW 493 – Rejoice, Rejoice Believers by Pastor Zarling

CW 493 – Rejoice, Rejoice Believers

When you’re young, you want to stay up late. When you’re older, you enjoy going to bed earlier. In fact, I found a meme the other day that wonderfully summarizes this change. 1. Going to bed early; 2. Not leaving my house; 3. Required naps. … My childhood punishments are now my adult goals.

Jesus tells a parable about ten young ladies who stayed up late to attend a party – actually a wedding feast. In Jesus’ story in Matthew 15:1-13, ten young bridesmaids are waiting for the bridegroom to arrive. They wait a very long time. They wait until midnight. (Who starts a wedding reception at midnight!)

They have fallen asleep in the late evening hours. Suddenly, they awaken to hear that the bridegroom is finally coming. All ten ladies have brought their oil lamps along. Only five were prepared for a long wait. They must have looked foolish in their beautiful wedding dresses, carrying a Mason jar of extra oil in their purses. They must have looked as silly as Linus from the old Peanuts’ cartoon, sitting in the pumpkin patch, waiting for the Great Pumpkin to arrive.

The other young ladies looked downright sophisticated with their cute little wedding lamps nestled in their perfectly manicured fingers. They were confident and carefree. Going to the wedding was just another item on their busy social calendar.

But in Jesus’ parables, things are not always as they seem. The five ladies who looked sophisticated for not bringing any oil – because it would have clashed with their dresses – ended up being foolish because they weren’t ready when the bridegroom came. They never expected him to be so late in coming. They had run out of oil. These five young ladies look so cool, but they turn out to be foolish. The five young ladies who bring the extra jar of oil with them may have looked foolish, but they turn out to be wise. The five wise ladies who have their lights shining rejoice because they are welcomed into the wedding feast. Our hymn for this week – that our WLS students are singing in our churches – speaks about rejoicing.

Verse one: Rejoice, rejoice, believers, and let your lights appear; the evening is advancing, and darker night is near. The Bridegroom is arising and soon is drawing nigh. Up, pray and watch and wrestle; at midnight comes the cry.

You look foolish to your neighbors when you get up early on a Sunday morning to go to church, while everyone else is sleeping. You look foolish when you tell your coach your daughter is going to miss basketball practices on Wednesday nights because of midweek Advent services. All the other girls will be there. You look foolish with the confident smile on your face at Grandma’s funeral because you know she had prepared her faith for the marriage feast of heaven. The rest of your family who aren’t Christians are bawling their eyes out. But in these ways, you are letting your light shine. You know the Bridegroom of Jesus is coming soon. It’s getting late. The midnight of the Marriage Feast of Jesus is approaching fast. Since we are prepared, we shine our lights of faith to encourage others to be prepared.

Question: What are some things your family does that look “foolish” to the world but is “wise” in Jesus’ eyes?

Verse two: The watchers on the mountain proclaim the Bridegroom near; go forth, as he approaches, with alleluias clear. The marriage feast is waiting; the gates wide open stand. Arise, O heirs of glory; the Bridegroom is at hand.

The marriage feast in heaven is near. Prepare to enter the gates to glory. How do you prepare yourself and your family? Read and listen to devotions like this. Attend your church’s Bible study. Go to church. Sit in the pews, hear God’s Word explained and applied to you. Teach your children the Christian faith. Listen to Martin Luther when he instructs you to begin and end each day with his Morning and Evening Prayers, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Apostles’ Creed. These are all ways you can fill up the oil jar of your faith, so you are prepared with the Bridegroom comes.

Question: What are you and your family doing to be prepared for Jesus’ return on Judgment Day?

Verse three: You saints, who here in patience your cross and suff’rings bore, shall live and reign forever when sorrow is no more. Around the throne of glory the Lamb you shall behold, in triumph lay before him your shining crowns of gold.

To be one of the five wise young ladies in Jesus’ parable, you need to be preparing and waiting every day. Jesus can return any time. Then is Judgment Day. You can die any day. Then is your Judgment Day. Whether that Day is today, tomorrow or a million tomorrows from today. You can live and sleep and die in the confidence of him who once came for you by crib and cross, who comes to you now by Word and Sacrament, who will come in glory on the Last Day to raise you from the dead to eternal life with the rest of his saints triumphant. He will take you into his glorious paradise. You will be seated as a guest of honor at his marriage feast. You will be around the throne of Jesus as the sacrificial and victorious Lamb. You will be handed a white robe by a saint and a golden crown by an angel. You shall live in Jesus’ home where there is no more sorrow, tears, or sadness.

Question: What difficulties are you going through now that Jesus will put an end to in heaven?

Verse four: Our hope and expectation, O Jesus, now appear; arise, O Sun so longed for, above this shadowed sphere. With hearts and hands uplifted we plead, O Lord, to see the day of earth’s redemption that sets your people free.

The wise bridesmaids knew in whom they hoped and for whom they waited. They lived and slept in the confidence of their bridegroom’s coming. They knew he was coming; they just didn’t know when. You know who you are waiting for; and he knows you. He is the

Bridegroom who died on the cross for you; who rose from the grave for you; who sits enthroned in majesty for you. He is the Bridegroom who baptized you; who forgives you; who feeds you his body and blood; who anoints you with his Holy Spirit. He is your hope and expectation.

Prepare your hearts and hands with plenty of extra oil. That means hearing God’s Word in church, remembering your Baptism, receiving the Lord’s Supper. That means letting your faith light shine. The Bridegroom is taking a “long” time to come. Be prepared to stay up late.

Question: Are you ready to stay up late to meet Jesus?

CW 573 – Jesus, Your Blood and Righteousness by Pastor Michael Zarling

CW 573 – Jesus, Your Blood and Righteousness

When we are going somewhere important, we want to dress appropriately. A suit or dress for homecoming. A tuxedo or gown for a wedding.

God is our King. He invites us to something eternally important. He invites us to the wedding feast of his Son. We need to wear the proper clothes to be in our King’s presence. In the Gospel for this Sunday, Jesus tells a parable about a wedding (Matthew 22:1-14). In his story, the King has a man thrown out of the feast for not wearing the proper wedding clothes (Matthew 22:12).

By his grace, God provides us with his Son’s righteousness as “our glorious dress” as our hymn for this week says.

Verse one: Jesus, your blood and righteousness my beauty are, my glorious dress; mid flaming worlds, in these arrayed, with joy shall I lift up my head.

By nature, we are not dressed appropriately to be in our God and King’s presence. Isaiah 64:6 states that “All of us have become like something unclean, and all our righteous acts are like a filthy cloth.” Even our best attempts at righteousness – being right with God – are tainted by sinful motives (Romans 8:7-11).

How gracious then, that our God and King provides us with the proper clothing to wear to his own feast. St. Paul assures us that “all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ” (Galatians 3:27).

Verse two: Bold shall I stand in that great day; who can a word against me say? Fully absolved through these I am from sin and fear, from guilt and shame.

St. Paul writes in Romans 8:33-34: “Who will bring an accusation against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies! Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus, who died and, more than that, was raised to life, is the one who is at God’s right hand and who is also interceding for us!” Satan and his allies will continually attempt to accuse of sin. But all those accusations are silenced by Christ’s absolution.

Verse three: Lord, I believe your precious blood, which at the very throne of God pleads for the captives’ liberty, was also shed in love for me.

Our sin has trapped us in a prison of lies, shame, and guilt. It damns us to a dungeon in hell. Yet Jesus’ precious blood has freed us from our captivity. Isaiah speaks in prophecy of the work of the coming Christ: “He sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release for those who are bound” (Isaiah 61:1).

Verse four: Lord, I believe, were sinners more than sands upon the ocean shore, you have for all a ransom paid, for all a full atonement made.

We are so sinful that we could not begin to count our many and varied sins. They are more numerous than “sands upon the ocean shore.” Yet Jesus paid the ransom price for all these sand-like sins. He keeps no record of our sins but replaces sin with his divine forgiveness. The psalmist asks a great question, “If you, LORD, kept a record of guilt, O Lord, who could stand?” Then he receives an awesome answer, “But with you there is pardon, so you are feared” (Psalm 130:3, 4).

Verse five: When from the dust of death I rise to claim my mansion in the skies, this then shall be my only plea: Jesus has lived and died for me.

Our sins cause us to die and our bodies to decay and eventually return to dust. “For you are dust, and to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:19). Yet because Jesus lived, died, rose, and reigns, now those who live and believe in him as the King’s Son and their Savior, they will die, rise, and reign with Christ in his heavenly mansions he has prepared for his believers. Jesus assures his believers, “In my Father’s house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I am going to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to be with me, so that you may also be where I am” (John 14:2, 3).

Verse six: Jesus, be worshiped endlessly! Your boundless mercy has for me, for me and all your hands have made, an everlasting ransom paid.

“Jesus, Your Blood and Righteousness” is one of more than 2000 hymns written by Nicholas Ludwig von Zinzendorf. Zinzendorf originally wrote this hymn in 1739 during or shortly after his return from visiting a Moravian mission on the island of St. Thomas in the West Indies. Our hymnal has six English stanzas. Zinzendorf’s original German version had 33 stanzas! Whew!

Perhaps when we are wearing our wedding clothes purchased for us by Christ’s blood and righteousness, and we are enjoying the King’s eternal feast, we’ll sing those 33 German verses to our King and Christ. We’ll have plenty of time because Jesus will be worshiped endlessly.

Questions:

Why is it important to spiritually put on Jesus’ beauty and glorious dress every morning?

How does it feel to be forgiven and free?

How can you live confidently today and every day knowing that you have a home in God’s mansion waiting for you?

CW 863: A Mighty Fortress Is Our God by Pastor Nathan Klusmeyer

CW 863: A Mighty Fortress Is Our God

Fall has always been one of my favorite times of the year. I love the bright colors as the leaves change. I love the smell of crisp Autumn mornings. I also look forward to the end of October and the celebration of the Reformation. I love history, and I love learning about and celebrating the life of Martin Luther. On October 31, we remember the day Luther nailed the 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. Luther was not looking for fame or notoriety. Nor was he looking to start a revolution. Instead, Luther was concerned about the souls of Christians. His heart had been moved by the power of the Gospel to challenge the system of salvation through good works taught by the church of the Middle Ages. Luther wanted to restore the message of the Gospel to the people. He wanted all people to know that we are saved by faith in Christ alone.

As the Reformation spread through Europe, Luther faced attacks and threats of death for what he was teaching. Instead of giving into despair, Luther put his trust in the Lord. A Mighty Fortress Is Our God was written by Luther during these times of danger and hardship. It is based on the words of Psalm 46. Luther and his friends would sing this hymn when troubled or discouraged. A Mighty Fortress has continued to be a favorite hymn of Lutherans in the 500 years after the Reformation. It serves as a reminder that even when it seems like the forces of evil are winning, Christ has already defeated the power of Satan by his death on the cross.

Verse 1: A mighty fortress is our God, a trusty shield and weapon; he helps us free from every need that has us now o’ertaken. The old evil foe now means deadly woe; deep guile and great might are his dread arms in fight; on earth is not his equal.

Luther takes the title for this hymn from verses 7 and 11 of Psalm 46, “The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.” When we face times of trial and hardship, we can flee to the Lord. Our God is like a mighty fortress built on an unshakeable rock. Satan may launch many attacks against that fortress, but nothing can ever shake the power of our God. We are safe and secure in the palm of our Father’s hand. He will guard and protect us.

Question: What weapons does the Lord give us to resist the attacks of Satan? (Hint: look at Ephesians 6:10-18).

Verse 2: With might of ours can naught be done, soon were our loss effected; but for us fights the valiant one whom God himself elected. You ask, “Who is this?” Jesus Christ it is, the almighty Lord, and there’s no other God; he holds the field forever.

On our own, we are powerless to resist the temptations of the devil. We were born enslaved to sin and hostile to God. It is only through the power of the Gospel working through Word and Sacraments that we have been brought to faith. We now have Christ, the almighty Lord, fighting on our side. By his death and resurrection, Christ defeated the power of the devil. Satan has been cast down, and we have been freed from his power. Christ is victorious. He holds the field of battle for eternity. Sometimes, it may seem like Satan is winning as we see evil run rampant through this world, but we know Christ has won. Our eternal victory is certain, and Satan’s time is short.

Question: How do we know Christ has won the battle once and for all? (Read 1 Corinthians 15:12-34).

Verse 3: Though devils all the world should fill, all eager to devour us, we tremble not, we fear no ill; they shall not overpow’r us. This world’s prince may still scowl fierce as he will, he can harm us none. He judged; the deed is done; one little word can fell him.

Our enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion looking to devour us. Satan hates Christ, and he hates his followers. He wants nothing more than to destroy our faith and condemn us to an eternity in hell with him. Satan wants us to believe that he is a great and terrible enemy. But we know that he has been defeated. Satan cannot harm those God has called to be his own. We are safe in the fortress of our God. Satan cannot accuse us of our sins any longer because our sins have been paid for with the blood of Christ. Christ has defeated Satan once and for all by his death on the cross. He crushed the head of the Old Serpent, who led the world astray.

Question: Why can Christians live their lives free of guilt and shame?

Verse 4:The Word they still shall let remain, nor any thanks have for it; he’s by our side upon the plain with his good gifts and Spirit. And take they our life, goods, fame, child, and wife, though all may be gone, our victory is won; the kingdom’s ours forever.

During the years of conflict following the Reformation, many German rulers who supported Luther adopted the motto Verbum Domini Manet in Aeternum, which means “The Word of the Lord endures forever.” This is a confident expression of the enduring power and authority of God’s Word based on 1 Peter 1:24-25. They understood that it is only through God’s enduring Word that we learn about salvation through Jesus Christ. The final verse of A Mighty Fortress reminds us that we will face times of trial and persecution during our lives of faith. Christ promised that the world would hate us because it hated him first. Luther and his followers faced intense persecution during their lives. But they never compromised the Word of God. They knew that the troubles of this life are temporary, but the glorious kingdom of God is ours forever!

Question: What trials and persecutions do you face in your life, and how do you overcome them?

A Mighty Fortress Is Our God is a powerful hymn of trust in the power of our God. We know that we are engaged in a great spiritual battle. Satan, the world, and our own sinful natures are constantly fighting against us and trying to lead us away from God. When we look at all the evil in the world, we may be tempted to doubt the power of God. In those moments of doubt, we fix our eyes on the cross and remember Christ has already won the battle. Satan has been defeated! The head of the Serpent has been crushed! Christ has defeated all his enemies by his death and resurrection and holds the field forever. We are safe in the mighty fortress of our God, and nothing can ever snatch us from his hand.