I can finally breathe again. Not only because the viral infection in my chest and sinuses, which so afflicted me during Holy Week, was finally spent in the first week of the Resurrection. Nor only because my daily routine has returned somewhat to normal after the very hectic and demanding pace of Lent and Holy Week and the beginning of Eastertide. I know that the entire Church on earth is breathing her "Alleluias!" again, after holding her breath throughout the Lenten fast — and I rejoice in that, too, of course — but even that is not precisely what I have in mind.
In part I am breathing easier because it seems evident that my dear eldest son, Zachary, is doing fine and well and good. After a couple MRIs and a spinal tap and multiple visits to neurologists and neural surgeons, it appears that the trauma he suffered in his cerebellum when he passed out and fell and hit his head after giving blood, way back in January, was temporary after all. Multiple Sclerosis and Lymphoma were ruled out by the spinal tap, and it is unlikely that the images appearing on the MRIs will prove to be anything of lasting substance. He will have another MRI in June, in order to verify that his brain has returned to its normal healthy condition, but in the meantime we have been given no reason to suppose that anything is wrong. So, my heart has beat a little slower and more evenly again since receiving that news.
But now I can breathe again because I have heard and received the precious comfort of the Gospel for the death of my youngest son, Job, from the womb of my dear wife to the courts of his Father in heaven. Certainly, LaRena and I were given the Word of the Gospel at the time of Job's death, the 20th of February in this Year of Our Lord 2008. But this evening — in the courts of the Lord's House, in the midst of His Jerusalem, in the congregation of the faithful — we remembered our Job with thanksgiving (and others who have died in the womb or shortly after their earthly birth) in connection with the Feast of the Annunciation of Our Lord. Thus did we mourn our son's departure as those who hope in the Cross and Resurrection of that same Lord, Jesus Christ, who was conceived and born of the Blessed Virgin Mary for this very purpose.
With nine other children, our gracious Lord had previously spared us this particular loss and sorrow, though we have grieved with friends and loved ones over miscarriages and still births and infant deaths. To experience this grief and heartache ourselves was yet a new thing for us, and we sought the comfort and wisdom and guidance of our pastor to help us. From the start, he spoke the Word of God to us, particularly the comfort of the Gospel, and in this we were strengthened and sustained in our faith. We wanted also to confess that faith, in order to solicit the support of the Body of Christ, and at the same time to serve and support our neighbor in the sure and certain hope of the Resurrection.
My own immediate instinct was to have a memorial service of some kind. Not only for the sake of our own grief and mourning, but especially for the sake of confessing that our little Job, whom our eyes shall never see in this vale of tears, was nonetheless a person, a human being, created by God for life with Himself; that he and his life have mattered, and still do, to the One whose almighty Word establishes and upholds all things in heaven and on earth; that none of this was by arbitrary chance, but according to the good and gracious will of God in Christ. I desired to hear, and for others to hear, the Word of Christ, who was Himself conceived as true Man in the womb of His Mother, and who has therefore also redeemed and sanctified the bodies and souls of even His smallest and weakest and most hidden children.
LaRena was also very open and receptive to the prospect of a memorial service for our Job. And we were strongly encouraged in this regard by a very dear friend and colleague, who called with loving concern and fraternal advice. Yet, for all of that, we were both somewhat hesitant and unsure of the best way to proceed. Knowing many others who had suffered miscarriages, who had preferred and chosen to bear that loss quietly and discretely, we were reluctant to do anything that would somehow suggest a criticism of those brothers and sisters in Christ. It was surely not our goal to burden consciences, nor to add a weight upon the hearts and minds and souls of those who had grieved in their own way. As a pastor, the reality is that my decisions and actions are never entirely private, but sustain a public significance because of my office. In that same capacity, we did not want to imply that the death of our unborn son was more important, or more deserving of acknowledgment, than the similar circumstances of any other Christian.
But we did want to do what was good and best and right. And in doing so, we wanted to provide a positive example and encouragement to others, whether those who have suffered miscarriages and the like in the past, or those who will yet have this cross laid upon them in the future. It should not be the case that any Christian is ever ashamed or embarrassed to seek out the mutual conversation and consolation of the brethren. And just because the world has nothing to say or do in response to a miscarriage, because the world does not have its bearings in Christ Jesus, all the more reason for the Christian Church and Christian pastors to say something of Christ and His Gospel at precisely such a time as this. My own pastoral experience in the past has been that a good many mothers and fathers, especially mothers, are hungry for some word of comfort and encouragement — for someone to say something, for anyone to say anything — rather than acting as though nothing of significance had occurred in the loss of an unborn child.
So it seemed to LaRena and me that we ought to do something to acknowledge the death of our tiny unborn son, in order to be strengthened and sustained in our faith, and in order to confess our faith in the Lord's good works of Creation and Redemption. It likewise seemed right to us that we should seek the counsel of our own pastor, as we would want to urge others to seek out their pastor's help and advice and guidance. Thus, we asked our pastor to help us determine how and when to mourn Job's death in faith and hope and with thanksgiving for his life. LaRena was especially eager, and I agreed, that the occasion ought to be an opportunity for others to remember and grieve rightly for their own departed little ones (whether known or unknown).
In consultation with our pastor, then, we arrived at a most agreeable decision. We would allow the Feast of the Annunciation of Our Lord to serve as a memorial service for those children, including our Job, who were given life in the womb but died prior to (or shortly after) birth.
Having made that decision, I mentally set it aside, patiently waited for the day to come, and went about doing the work that I am given to do for the people of God in this place. In some ways, it felt as though the matter had been laid to rest; in other ways, though, I now realize, there was a restlessness at work in my heart and mind, until I should finally be given to rest in the particular peace of the Gospel spoken to the particular loss of my son. Although I knew the comfort of the Gospel, and confessed it, and found great solace in the Body and Blood of Christ throughout Lent and Holy Week and in the Feast of the Resurrection of Our Lord, there was also this spot of sadness and deep sorrow that waited quietly but insistently for a more specific Word of the Lord, for a preaching of the risen Son of God and His empty tomb to the stark fact of my departed son and an empty womb. I needed the warmth of that Gospel to dispel the coldness I had felt after seeing the ultrasound that showed that emptiness where my tiny child used to be.
There is nothing so precious as the preaching of the Gospel. It is not often that I am privileged to be preached to, though I am fortunate to have that opportunity more often than most of my colleagues. What a blessing it is to have an assistant pastor at Emmaus, who is such a good pastor to me, who speaks the Word of God to me and preaches the Gospel to me. I basked in that preaching this evening, and it washed over me and through me with the very warmth of Christ Himself. I do not believe that I have ever felt so tangibly the comfort and peace of the Gospel; nor do I expect that I shall often, if ever, feel it so profoundly in the future. Feelings are not necessary; the Gospel does not depend upon them, nor does faith. But feelings are not to be despised, either; for they belong to God's good gifts, and they also are redeemed and sanctified unto our good by the Word of God and prayer. There is a beautiful tenderness to our dear Lord Jesus Christ, and a tremendous sweetness to His Gospel, His forgiveness of sins, His gracious gift of life and salvation. Oh, how wonderful it is to be thus caught up in His strong arms of love. Oh, how good and pleasant it is to be thus supported by the One who is the Savior of many brethren.
We celebrated the Feast of the Annunciation this evening, the 31st of March, because the proper day of the Feast (25 March) coincided with Easter Tuesday. So important is the Incarnation of our Lord, so significant His conception in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary by the Word and Spirit of God, that the Church prefers to tranfer this Feast of His Annunciation rather than leaving it go by the wayside when it would otherwise conflict with Holy Week or the first Octave of Eastertide. Despite that slight "inconvenience," I am glad for its proximity to the celebration of the Paschal Mystery. Like the Feast of St. Thomas the Apostle on the 21st of December, only days before Christmas, the celebration of the Annunciation so close to Easter helps to accentuate the close connection between the Incarnation and the Redemption of our Lord Jesus Christ. His holy body and precious blood are conceived in the womb of the Blessed Virgin to be a sacrifice upon the Cross, to become the firstfruits of the Resurrection from the dead, and to be the Passover Meal of life and salvation for the people of God. Thus, in the midst of suffering and in the face of death, we hide ourselves in the sacred wounds of Christ, in His very flesh, and there find true peace and Sabbath rest.
Pastor Grobien said exactly what I needed to hear this evening. He preached the Gospel to me. Some of what he said I already "knew," I've heard it before and I've spoken it to others. That is as it should be, and it is good and right. Other things he said were new to me, new thoughts and new expressions of the same eternal Gospel, brought to bear upon this time and place and circumstance by the called and ordained servant of Christ. In this Word, the Lord Jesus speaks to me and serves me with His divine love and mercy and compassion. What a precious treasure it is to have the Gospel preached to me. How humbling it is, and yet encouraging, that I am also called, ordained and sent to preach this Gospel unto others. There is no merit or worthiness in me for any of this, neither to hear nor to speak this divine Word. But there is precisely this worthiness, this mercy and this glory in Christ Jesus, that He so chooses to speak His Gospel, His Word of forgiveness, that we may all believe in Him and have life in Him.
After we first shared the news that our little Job had died, there were many dear people of God, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, who did exactly the right thing in reaching out to us and speaking to us the comfort of the Gospel. They assured us of their prayers, and they confessed to us their faith in the Cross and Resurrection of Christ Jesus. In doing so, many of them were apologetic for speaking things to me that, as a pastor, of course I already know. Please, dear friends, do not apologize! The Gospel is never just a matter of knowing, but of hearing and receiving the Word. Do not be embarrassed to speak of Jesus to your pastor, but know that he is also served and blessed by your speaking. So to speak, and so to hear, these are the greatest privilege and the most blessed good work of every Christian, the best and most important things that any of us can do. I will tell you honestly that I could hardly hear the Gospel too much or too often after Job died, and I was deeply comforted by the simple speaking of that Gospel by my fellow Christians.
That simple speaking of the Gospel was not made obsolete by the preaching of my pastor, but reached its crescendo in the sermon that he preached to me this evening. For the rest of my life on this earth, I shall remember and give thanks for that sweet and precious Word. If I never feel the comfort of the Gospel so personally again, until the resurrection of my own body at the last, that will be alright. I savor the fact that it is still true: that all has been accomplished in the Body and Blood of Christ, the incarnate Son of God. It was completed in His death upon the Cross; it has been manifested in His Resurrection from the dead; and it is given to me in His Ministry of the Gospel. Indeed, He brings life and immortality to light by that Gospel.
Behold, I am a servant of the Lord, the son of His maidservant. Now here I am, and the children He has given me. Let it be to me according to His Word, that is, the Word that He has preached to me, which is in my ears and in my heart and in my mouth. The grass whithers, the flowers fade, and even the young men grow weary and faint, but that Word of the Lord abides forever.
31 March 2008
30 March 2008
Hymns for Proper 3-7 Series A
First Sunday after Holy Trinity
Proper 3 (Sunday on May 24–28)
Isaiah 49:8–16a
Romans 1:8–17
Matthew 6:24–34
Hymn of Invocation
In the very midst of life (LSB 755)
Hymn of the Day / Catechetical Hymn of the Week
All depends on our possessing (LSB 732)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
O God, my faithful God (LSB 696)
Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father (LSB 809)
Jesus, priceless treasure (LSB 743)
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty (LSB 790)
Hymn of Departure
Sing praise to God, the highest good (LSB 819)
Alternative Hymns
By grace I’m saved, grace free and boundless (LSB 566)
Children of the heav’nly Father (LSB 725)
Consider how the birds above (LSB 736)
Creator Spirit, by whose aid (LSB 500)
Entrust your days and burdens (LSB 754)
Father most holy, merciful and tender (LSB 504)
In God, my faithful God (LSB 745)
Jesus, Thy boundless love to me (LSB 683)
My soul, now praise your maker (LSB 820)
Praise, my soul, the King of heaven (LSB 793)
The Gospel shows the Father’s grace (LSB 580)
What is the world to me (LSB 730)
Second [1–2] Sunday after Holy Trinity
Proper 4 (Sunday on May 29—June 4)
Deuteronomy 11:18–21, 26–28
Romans 3:21–28
Matthew 7:15–29
Hymn of Invocation
These are the holy Ten Commands (LSB 581)
Hymn of the Day / Catechetical Hymn of the Week
To God the Holy Spirit let us pray (LSB 768)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
If Your beloved Son, O God (LSB 568)
Lord Jesus Christ, with us abide (LSB 585)
Thy strong word did cleave the darkness (LSB 578)
Lord Jesus Christ, the Church’s head (LSB 647)
Hymn of Departure
Abide, O dearest Jesus (LSB 919)
Alternative Hymns
All mankind fell in Adam’s fall (LSB 562)
Built on the Rock the Church shall stand (LSB 645)
By grace I’m saved, grace free and boundless (LSB 566)
God’s Word is our great heritage (LSB 582)
I know my faith is founded (LSB 587)
Lord, help us ever to retain (LSB 865)
Lord, keep us steadfast in Your Word (LSB 655)
My hope is built on nothing less (LSB 575)
Seek where you may to find a way (LSB 557)
The Church’s one foundation (LSB 644)
The Gospel shows the Father’s grace (LSB 580)
The Law of God is good and wise (LSB 579)
Third [1–3] Sunday after Holy Trinity
Proper 5 (Sunday on June 5–11)
Hosea 5:15—6:6
Romans 4:13–25
Matthew 9:9–13
Hymn of Invocation
A mighty fortress is our God (LSB 656)
Hymn of the Day / Catechetical Hymn of the Week
If God Himself be for me (LSB 724)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
Christ Jesus lay in death’s strong bands (LSB 458)
Hope of the world, Thou Christ of great compassion (LSB 690)
I walk in danger all the way (LSB 716)
Come, you faithful, raise the strain (LSB 487)
Hymn of Departure
Let me be Thine forever (LSB 689)
Alternative Hymns
"As surely as I live," God said (LSB 614)
Chief of sinners though I be (LSB 611)
"Come, follow Me," the Savior spake (LSB 688)
In the shattered bliss of Eden (LSB 572)
Jesus sinners doth receive (LSB 609)
Jesus, Thy boundless love to me (LSB 683)
My soul, now praise your maker (LSB 820)
Rise, shine, you people (LSB 825)
The gifts Christ freely gives (LSB 602)
Today Your mercy calls us (LSB 915)
What is the world to me (LSB 730)
When in the hour of deepest need (LSB 615)
Fourth [1–4] Sunday after Holy Trinity
Proper 6 (Sunday on June 12–18)
Exodus 19:2–8
Romans 5:6–15
Matthew 9:35—10:8 (9–20)
Hymn of Invocation
God loved the world so that He gave (LSB 571)
Hymn of the Day
O God, O Lord of heaven and earth (LSB 834)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
Oh, how great is Your compassion (LSB 559) (Catechetical)
In the shattered bliss of Eden (LSB 572)
Dear Christians, one and all, rejoice (LSB 556)
All people that on earth do dwell (LSB 791)
Hymn of Departure
God’s own child, I gladly say it (LSB 594)
Alternative Hymns
All mankind fell in Adam’s fall (LSB 562)
Christ, the Word of God incarnate (LSB 540)
Church of God, elect and glorious (LSB 646)
Come, ye thankful people, come (LSB 892)
Creator Spirit, by whose aid (LSB 500)
Jesus Christ, our blessed Savior (LSB 627)
O Christ, our true and only light (LSB 839)
O God of light, Your Word, a lamp unfailing (LSB 836)
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty (LSB 790)
The tree of life with ev’ry good (LSB 561)
Thy works, not mine, O Christ (LSB 565)
We all believe in one true God (LSB 954)
Fifth [1–5] Sunday after Holy Trinity
Proper 7 (Sunday on June 19–25)
Jeremiah 20:7–13
Romans 6:12–23
Matthew 10:5a, 21–33
Hymn of Invocation
Evening and morning (LSB 726)
Hymn of the Day / Catechetical Hymn of the Week
Lord of our life and God of our salvation (LSB 659)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
From God can nothing move me (LSB 713)
Entrust your days and burdens (LSB 754)
Salvation unto us has come (LSB 555)
Let us ever walk with Jesus (LSB 685)
Hymn of Departure
Once in the blest baptismal waters (LSB 598)
Alternative Hymns
Creator of the stars of night (LSB 351)
Father most holy, merciful and tender (LSB 504)
Hail, Thou once despised Jesus (LSB 531)
How clear is our vocation, Lord (LSB 853)
If thou but trust in God to guide thee (LSB 750)
Lift high the cross (LSB 837)
O God, my faithful God (LSB 696)
O God of light, Your Word, a lamp unfailing (LSB 836)
O Holy Spirit, enter in (LSB 913)
O little flock, fear not the foe (LSB 666)
The Head that once was crowned with thorns (LSB 532)
Why should cross and trial grieve me (LSB 756)
Proper 3 (Sunday on May 24–28)
Isaiah 49:8–16a
Romans 1:8–17
Matthew 6:24–34
Hymn of Invocation
In the very midst of life (LSB 755)
Hymn of the Day / Catechetical Hymn of the Week
All depends on our possessing (LSB 732)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
O God, my faithful God (LSB 696)
Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father (LSB 809)
Jesus, priceless treasure (LSB 743)
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty (LSB 790)
Hymn of Departure
Sing praise to God, the highest good (LSB 819)
Alternative Hymns
By grace I’m saved, grace free and boundless (LSB 566)
Children of the heav’nly Father (LSB 725)
Consider how the birds above (LSB 736)
Creator Spirit, by whose aid (LSB 500)
Entrust your days and burdens (LSB 754)
Father most holy, merciful and tender (LSB 504)
In God, my faithful God (LSB 745)
Jesus, Thy boundless love to me (LSB 683)
My soul, now praise your maker (LSB 820)
Praise, my soul, the King of heaven (LSB 793)
The Gospel shows the Father’s grace (LSB 580)
What is the world to me (LSB 730)
Second [1–2] Sunday after Holy Trinity
Proper 4 (Sunday on May 29—June 4)
Deuteronomy 11:18–21, 26–28
Romans 3:21–28
Matthew 7:15–29
Hymn of Invocation
These are the holy Ten Commands (LSB 581)
Hymn of the Day / Catechetical Hymn of the Week
To God the Holy Spirit let us pray (LSB 768)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
If Your beloved Son, O God (LSB 568)
Lord Jesus Christ, with us abide (LSB 585)
Thy strong word did cleave the darkness (LSB 578)
Lord Jesus Christ, the Church’s head (LSB 647)
Hymn of Departure
Abide, O dearest Jesus (LSB 919)
Alternative Hymns
All mankind fell in Adam’s fall (LSB 562)
Built on the Rock the Church shall stand (LSB 645)
By grace I’m saved, grace free and boundless (LSB 566)
God’s Word is our great heritage (LSB 582)
I know my faith is founded (LSB 587)
Lord, help us ever to retain (LSB 865)
Lord, keep us steadfast in Your Word (LSB 655)
My hope is built on nothing less (LSB 575)
Seek where you may to find a way (LSB 557)
The Church’s one foundation (LSB 644)
The Gospel shows the Father’s grace (LSB 580)
The Law of God is good and wise (LSB 579)
Third [1–3] Sunday after Holy Trinity
Proper 5 (Sunday on June 5–11)
Hosea 5:15—6:6
Romans 4:13–25
Matthew 9:9–13
Hymn of Invocation
A mighty fortress is our God (LSB 656)
Hymn of the Day / Catechetical Hymn of the Week
If God Himself be for me (LSB 724)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
Christ Jesus lay in death’s strong bands (LSB 458)
Hope of the world, Thou Christ of great compassion (LSB 690)
I walk in danger all the way (LSB 716)
Come, you faithful, raise the strain (LSB 487)
Hymn of Departure
Let me be Thine forever (LSB 689)
Alternative Hymns
"As surely as I live," God said (LSB 614)
Chief of sinners though I be (LSB 611)
"Come, follow Me," the Savior spake (LSB 688)
In the shattered bliss of Eden (LSB 572)
Jesus sinners doth receive (LSB 609)
Jesus, Thy boundless love to me (LSB 683)
My soul, now praise your maker (LSB 820)
Rise, shine, you people (LSB 825)
The gifts Christ freely gives (LSB 602)
Today Your mercy calls us (LSB 915)
What is the world to me (LSB 730)
When in the hour of deepest need (LSB 615)
Fourth [1–4] Sunday after Holy Trinity
Proper 6 (Sunday on June 12–18)
Exodus 19:2–8
Romans 5:6–15
Matthew 9:35—10:8 (9–20)
Hymn of Invocation
God loved the world so that He gave (LSB 571)
Hymn of the Day
O God, O Lord of heaven and earth (LSB 834)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
Oh, how great is Your compassion (LSB 559) (Catechetical)
In the shattered bliss of Eden (LSB 572)
Dear Christians, one and all, rejoice (LSB 556)
All people that on earth do dwell (LSB 791)
Hymn of Departure
God’s own child, I gladly say it (LSB 594)
Alternative Hymns
All mankind fell in Adam’s fall (LSB 562)
Christ, the Word of God incarnate (LSB 540)
Church of God, elect and glorious (LSB 646)
Come, ye thankful people, come (LSB 892)
Creator Spirit, by whose aid (LSB 500)
Jesus Christ, our blessed Savior (LSB 627)
O Christ, our true and only light (LSB 839)
O God of light, Your Word, a lamp unfailing (LSB 836)
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty (LSB 790)
The tree of life with ev’ry good (LSB 561)
Thy works, not mine, O Christ (LSB 565)
We all believe in one true God (LSB 954)
Fifth [1–5] Sunday after Holy Trinity
Proper 7 (Sunday on June 19–25)
Jeremiah 20:7–13
Romans 6:12–23
Matthew 10:5a, 21–33
Hymn of Invocation
Evening and morning (LSB 726)
Hymn of the Day / Catechetical Hymn of the Week
Lord of our life and God of our salvation (LSB 659)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
From God can nothing move me (LSB 713)
Entrust your days and burdens (LSB 754)
Salvation unto us has come (LSB 555)
Let us ever walk with Jesus (LSB 685)
Hymn of Departure
Once in the blest baptismal waters (LSB 598)
Alternative Hymns
Creator of the stars of night (LSB 351)
Father most holy, merciful and tender (LSB 504)
Hail, Thou once despised Jesus (LSB 531)
How clear is our vocation, Lord (LSB 853)
If thou but trust in God to guide thee (LSB 750)
Lift high the cross (LSB 837)
O God, my faithful God (LSB 696)
O God of light, Your Word, a lamp unfailing (LSB 836)
O Holy Spirit, enter in (LSB 913)
O little flock, fear not the foe (LSB 666)
The Head that once was crowned with thorns (LSB 532)
Why should cross and trial grieve me (LSB 756)
24 March 2008
A Most Surrealistic Holy Week
The observances of Holy Week are the most profound experience for me each year. Really, I live the rest of the year in anticipation of those days — which then sustain me in the faith of the Cross and Resurrection of Christ as I begin another year of waiting for Holy Week to come again.
I've often said that no one can imagine or understand Holy Week without experiencing it. There are all sorts of ways, I suppose, to mark this time and to remember the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, and my point is not to disparage the piety and practice of faithful Christians who may approach this differently than I do. But I do intend to say that hearing the Word of the Passion according to each of the holy evangelists over the course of the week, and receiving the fruits of the Passion in the Holy Communion each day, is truly meet, right and salutary. I hunger for this, and savor it, each and every year. For the Church sanctifies these days unto herself by the Word of God and prayer. The public reading of the Passion gives Christ crucified to His people. The eating and drinking of His Body and His Blood is a participation in the very salvation that He obtained for His Church by His death. There simply is no viable substitute for this Gospel of the Word and Sacrament.
Thus, we enter upon Holy Week with the Reading of our Lord's entry into Jerusalem. And we are led by His Cross to His Passion. In the three-year lectionary, a different evangelist is heard each year on Palm Sunday, but then each of the evangelists is heard during the week every year: St. Matthew on Monday, St. Mark on Tuesday, St. Luke on Wednesday, and St. John on Good Friday. At Emmaus, we hear the Passion during Matins on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and then celebrate the Divine Service with the Holy Gospel from St. John 12 or 13 on each of those three evenings. Maundy Thursday morning begins with the Litany and the Service of Corporate Confession and Absolution, corresponding with the way that Lent began on Ash Wednesday. The evening is a restrained festival of Christ, concluding with the very somber, solemn stripping of the altar. The chief service on Good Friday is held in the evening at Emmaus, as long and elaborate in its own right as the Easter Vigil on the following night. I am of a mind to think that a Christian could survive many days on the strength of the Triduum, like the food with which Elijah was fed before running forty days and forty nights to the Mountain of God. In addition to the Easter Vigil on the Eve of the Resurrection, the Paschal Feast is kept at Easter Sunrise (6:00 a.m.) and in the Hauptgottesdienst at 9:00 a.m. on Easter Sunday. Then we revel in the Resurrection with Divine Service each day throughout the first octave of Easter.
All of these observanes transpired again this year according to plan, but they took place in the midst of varying distractions, difficulties and discouragements, which made this perhaps the hardest Holy Week I have yet experienced. Not more difficult than for our Lord, but tough enough for me, His servant, to bear in the weakness and infirmity of my mortal flesh and blood. My spirit remained willing, though it sagged, but my poor body was reduced to dragging along.
An elder friend and colleague died on the evening of Palm Sunday. He had been quite ill for the past several weeks, so it did not come entirely as a surprise, but it was a sad shock to my system nonetheless. We didn't always see things eye to eye, but I looked up to him with admiration and respect, and I deeply appreciated his mentoring role in my life, as well as his sincere friendship. His death means that I have lost the chance to visit him again in this vale of tears; which is fine and good for him, Christ be praised, but I regret it for myself. Though he was a colleague and brother in Christ and in office, he was shaped by a significantly different personal history than I have been, and that gave us decidedly different perspectives on certain aspects of the Church's life on earth. I'm sorry to say there were times when we found it difficult to understand and appreciate those differences in one another. The last time we spoke to one another in person was one of those occasions when contrasting opinions caused each of us some consternation, despite the fact that, I really believe, many of our concerns were really much alike. We did not part in anger, but in faith and forgiveness; yet, I am sorry for a decade of good friendship to have marked its temporal conclusion in this world with tension and frustration. I am reminded of the need for greater patience and consideration in my dealings with others, for there are some regrets that time and opportunity will not permit to be amended. For this, then, I am all the more grateful for the Atonement wrought by Christ and the Peace that He bestows.
As it so happened, I was already feeling poorly on Palm Sunday morning, myself, and the flu symptoms became progressively worse in the ensuing days. It began with congestion in my chest that made it difficult for me to sing the hymns without gasping for breath. How sad, that I could barely croak my way through several of my most beloved Gerhardt hymns, without which Holy Week would not be the same. On several occasions, I simply had to be content to listen as the congregation sang the beautiful words so dear to my heart, and I was comforted in this.
On Holy Tuesday, along with feeling physically awful, I was sickened to learn along with the rest of the world that the radio program Issues, Etc., had been summarily disconnected, and that my good friends, Rev. Todd Wilken and Mr. Jeff Schwarz had been fired without warning and without cause. I've not had time to comment on those events, not least of all because of being ill, but I've also found myself at such a loss as to what I might possibly say. Putting the best construction on such things requires that I not attempt to read hearts and that I not impugne motivations, though the temptation has at times been very strong to do so. On the surface of it, though, the actions themselves were simply wrong. Pulling the plug on a broadcast that has so clearly and consistently confessed the Word of God, faithfully proclaiming the Gospel all over the world, was a diabolical sort of act, irrespective of the rationale and no matter how good the intentions may have been. To silence that preaching of the Gospel in the midst of Holy Week adds shame upon the shame. And to deal with faithful servants of the Word in the manner that appears to have been done is reprehensible; more than unbecoming of the Christian Church, it is the sort of thing that should not be tolerated even in the corporations of the world.
I've heard conflicting information regarding the financial viability of Issues, Etc. And of course, I do realize that running a radio station and airing a broadcast requires funding, that money does have to be taken into account. Nevertheless, the real value of the show should not have been measured by the amount of money it was making or losing. Shame on all of us for not keeping it afloat, if that really was the issue (I'm not convinced, and I'm not sure, one way or the other). But faithfulness and real success cannot be measured by numbers, whether it be a body count or the calculation of figures with dollar signs and decimal points at the bottom of a ledger. There is only one sort of diagnostic question the Church should ever be asking of herself and her practice: Is the Word of God being served and supported by this or that, so that the Law and the Gospel are properly divided unto repentance, the Gospel predominating with clarity and having free course in the world, unto faith and life in the forgiveness of sins? Issues, Etc. was serving that holy purpose beautifully, so that sinners were daily being called from death to life, from darkness to light. It is a scandal that the LCMS could not find a way to sustain that good work.
For my part, I have counted it a privilege to speak on Issues, Etc. from time to time, and have been proud to be associated in that small way with the show. Although I have only occasionally had the pleasure of meeting Rev. Wilken and Mr. Schwarz in person, I have been glad to number them among my friends. I hurt for them and for their families, and I pray that God the Lord, for Jesus' sake, will richly and daily provide for their needs of body and soul. With that, I also look forward to the new ways in which He will raise them up to serve His Church on earth in the future. I have no doubts that He will do so. He will ever continue to cause His Gospel to be preached, even to the ends of the earth, with or without the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod.
By Wednesday of Holy Week, I had no choice but to put myself to bed. In fact, one dear member of Emmaus, who also happens to be a physician, frankly told me that I needed to go to bed and sleep for as long as I could; otherwise, the infection in my body would hang on all the longer, getting worse instead of better. Being out of commission for the Triduum did not seem a desirable option, so I dutifully went back to bed after the Holy Wednesday Matins. Thankfully, Pastor Grobien was able to officiate the Wednesday evening Divine Service and the Thursday morning Service of Corporate Confession, while I rested and allowed my body a chance to fight off the viral infection that was wrecking havoc in my chest and sinuses. Sadly, the funeral for my elder friend and colleague who had died was held on Thursday afternoon, and there was no way for me to go; nor would it have been such a good thing for those who were there to be exposed to my coughing and sniffling nose. By that point, I was all but despairing, because I could not help but feel as though Holy Week were being taken from me, and that I was being hindered and prevented from performing the duties of my office for the people of God. In this the Lord's discipline was at work, that I should learn to place my faith and trust in Him and His Word, rather than relying on my own strength and ingenuity.
By the grace and mercies of God, I persevered for the Maundy Thursday Divine Service that evening, which I would not have missed for anything less than my own deathbed. But my voice was ragged and weak, and I had to resort to speaking the eucharistic rite. My head was foggy and I had no energy, but at least I was able to keep the Feast with my congregation. It was all I could do to keep from weeping with frustration at the frailty of my flesh. Yet, for good or ill, I pushed myself to write one of two Good Friday sermons that night, before I went back to bad.
That sermon was for my portion of a local Tre Ore on Good Friday afternoon. I preached on the Word of Jesus, "Today you shall be with Me in Paradise." Although I love that passage, and I was relatively pleased with my sermon, I was again lacking in energy, and my head was foggy and fuzzy (whether from congestion or the decongestants, I can't say for sure). One member of Emmaus who attended the Tre Ore later told me that she didn't even recognize my voice at first, and she could hardly believe that it was me preaching. Such things are very aggravating and discouraging. Then again, Good Friday was not more difficult or worse for me than for our dear Lord Jesus, not even remotely so. Christ be praised for the depths of His loving compassion!
Happily, the Good Friday Hauptgottesdienst that evening went very well, and my voice seemed finally to be resuming some degree of strength and dependability. I credit the solemn power of the day, and of that uniquely poignant Service, with invigorating my body, soul and spirit. In any case, I was very grateful to be able to serve my office and the preaching of the Gospel; not as though it ever depends upon me, but in the very sense that I and my people depend upon it.
Holy Saturday morning has become another aspect of Holy Week that I treasure and anticipate each year. A simplified Matins sanctifies the Sabbath Rest of Christ in the tomb unto His people at Emmaus, and there is such quietness and peace about it. The Old Testament Reading of Daniel in the lions' den is particularly well-suited to the occasion, and a delight to preach in view of the accomplished victory of the Cross. Remembering that our Lord's rest in the tomb has sanctified the graves of His saints was especially comforting in the wake of my friend's death at the beginning of the week, all the more so having missed his funeral.
The celebration of the Resurrection began marvelously with the Easter Vigil. After a decade of keeping the Vigil, it has thankfully become somewhat less stressful and more a relaxing entry upon Eastertide. Still, it is such a complex and powerful Service, it can't be taken for granted or approached casually. At 42, my eyes are getting a bit dim, which made it difficult to read the text and music of the Exsultet. By the end of the Vigil, my voice was also wearing thin again. There were a couple points, too, where my fuzzy head took my poor body in the wrong direction, though not to any lasting harm of the Service. Christ is risen indeed, Alleluia!
The Services of the Resurrection on Easter Sunday both went very well, better than I would have dared to hope when I was feeling so rotten on Wednesday and Thursday. Pastor Grobien preached one of the most beautiful sermons I have ever been privileged to hear, at the Sunrise Service. It is such a blessing to be thus served by the preaching of the Gospel, so that I am both strengthened in my own faith and life, and thereby assisted in my own preaching of the Gospel unto others. Yet, the one real frustration of the day came when I got up to preach for the Easter Hauptgottesdienst. My wireless microphone started going nuts, spewing crazy, loud obnoxious static, and no amount of subtle (or not so subtle) fiddling with the thing could get it to stop. The devil is in the details, and sometimes the devil is in the electronics. My own children and others were amused when I declared that such electronics would not prevent the preaching of the Gospel. With a momentary pause, I took the microphone off and set it aside and preached without any amplification. I hope my voice was sufficiently strong and clear enough to be heard, even if not in the nursery or on any recording.
Through much toil and tribulation do we enter the Kingdom of God. Sometimes it is a lot just to get through Holy Week in this vale of tears. But I'm pleased to say that our Lord has triumphed and prevailed; both by His Cross and in His Resurrection, and through the preaching of these good things that He has accomplished for us. His power continues to be made perfect in weakness.
There was one other melancholy aspect of the week for me, which had nothing to do with anything gone wrong. Neither of my two oldest children could be here for any of the Services of Holy Week or Easter, and I really missed having them around to share those observances with us. Not because I view these things as "family affairs," leastwise not in the usual sense. We belong to the family of Christ. But I have greatly treasured the privilege of serving my children with the things of Christ in His Church, and have rejoiced at their confession of the faith and their beautiful piety in receiving His gifts. For that very reason, I am so profoundly grateful that DoRena and Zachary are both well served by the Gospel in the places where they are living. No amount of thanks would adequately repay the faithful pastors who now care for them.
Although there are no substitutions for my Zach and Bean, I do enjoy seeing Nicholai grow into the position of oldest child at home. He is pious and faithful in his own right, and he will not be outdone or outshone by his elder siblings in this regard. His younger siblings likewise seem to be following in the same pattern of piety, which causes much encouragement to my paternal heart. I was similarly buoyed in my spirit by the enthusiastic Emmaus Youth, many of whom gathered spontaneously for spirited Easter hymn singing after the Divine Service yesterday. We had not managed to sing the final distribution hymn, and they deemed it necessary to do so on their own; and then from there they could not bring themselves to stop any time soon. Their voices rang out clearly and beautifully throughout the church for quite a while, bringing joy and gladness to my heart at the end of an exhausting week. Their radiant smiles and even their good-natured teasing (which I know conveys their youthful affection for their pastor) cheer my weary soul and lift my countenance, even when I might otherwise be tempted to despair.
And then I did get to have my Beanie Belle and her Sam home for the afternoon and evening, which made for a delightful and relaxing conclusion to the day. My lovely young bride, LaRena, prepared us quite a feast in honor of the occasion, for which we also had my Mom and Dad on hand. Such a gathering is surrealistic in its own way. How and when did I become a patriarch in the midst of such a family? I'm still a little boy at heart, yet here I am with all these little (and not so little) boys of my own. Better just enjoy it while I can. These days will come and go too fast.
I've often said that no one can imagine or understand Holy Week without experiencing it. There are all sorts of ways, I suppose, to mark this time and to remember the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, and my point is not to disparage the piety and practice of faithful Christians who may approach this differently than I do. But I do intend to say that hearing the Word of the Passion according to each of the holy evangelists over the course of the week, and receiving the fruits of the Passion in the Holy Communion each day, is truly meet, right and salutary. I hunger for this, and savor it, each and every year. For the Church sanctifies these days unto herself by the Word of God and prayer. The public reading of the Passion gives Christ crucified to His people. The eating and drinking of His Body and His Blood is a participation in the very salvation that He obtained for His Church by His death. There simply is no viable substitute for this Gospel of the Word and Sacrament.
Thus, we enter upon Holy Week with the Reading of our Lord's entry into Jerusalem. And we are led by His Cross to His Passion. In the three-year lectionary, a different evangelist is heard each year on Palm Sunday, but then each of the evangelists is heard during the week every year: St. Matthew on Monday, St. Mark on Tuesday, St. Luke on Wednesday, and St. John on Good Friday. At Emmaus, we hear the Passion during Matins on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and then celebrate the Divine Service with the Holy Gospel from St. John 12 or 13 on each of those three evenings. Maundy Thursday morning begins with the Litany and the Service of Corporate Confession and Absolution, corresponding with the way that Lent began on Ash Wednesday. The evening is a restrained festival of Christ, concluding with the very somber, solemn stripping of the altar. The chief service on Good Friday is held in the evening at Emmaus, as long and elaborate in its own right as the Easter Vigil on the following night. I am of a mind to think that a Christian could survive many days on the strength of the Triduum, like the food with which Elijah was fed before running forty days and forty nights to the Mountain of God. In addition to the Easter Vigil on the Eve of the Resurrection, the Paschal Feast is kept at Easter Sunrise (6:00 a.m.) and in the Hauptgottesdienst at 9:00 a.m. on Easter Sunday. Then we revel in the Resurrection with Divine Service each day throughout the first octave of Easter.
All of these observanes transpired again this year according to plan, but they took place in the midst of varying distractions, difficulties and discouragements, which made this perhaps the hardest Holy Week I have yet experienced. Not more difficult than for our Lord, but tough enough for me, His servant, to bear in the weakness and infirmity of my mortal flesh and blood. My spirit remained willing, though it sagged, but my poor body was reduced to dragging along.
An elder friend and colleague died on the evening of Palm Sunday. He had been quite ill for the past several weeks, so it did not come entirely as a surprise, but it was a sad shock to my system nonetheless. We didn't always see things eye to eye, but I looked up to him with admiration and respect, and I deeply appreciated his mentoring role in my life, as well as his sincere friendship. His death means that I have lost the chance to visit him again in this vale of tears; which is fine and good for him, Christ be praised, but I regret it for myself. Though he was a colleague and brother in Christ and in office, he was shaped by a significantly different personal history than I have been, and that gave us decidedly different perspectives on certain aspects of the Church's life on earth. I'm sorry to say there were times when we found it difficult to understand and appreciate those differences in one another. The last time we spoke to one another in person was one of those occasions when contrasting opinions caused each of us some consternation, despite the fact that, I really believe, many of our concerns were really much alike. We did not part in anger, but in faith and forgiveness; yet, I am sorry for a decade of good friendship to have marked its temporal conclusion in this world with tension and frustration. I am reminded of the need for greater patience and consideration in my dealings with others, for there are some regrets that time and opportunity will not permit to be amended. For this, then, I am all the more grateful for the Atonement wrought by Christ and the Peace that He bestows.
As it so happened, I was already feeling poorly on Palm Sunday morning, myself, and the flu symptoms became progressively worse in the ensuing days. It began with congestion in my chest that made it difficult for me to sing the hymns without gasping for breath. How sad, that I could barely croak my way through several of my most beloved Gerhardt hymns, without which Holy Week would not be the same. On several occasions, I simply had to be content to listen as the congregation sang the beautiful words so dear to my heart, and I was comforted in this.
On Holy Tuesday, along with feeling physically awful, I was sickened to learn along with the rest of the world that the radio program Issues, Etc., had been summarily disconnected, and that my good friends, Rev. Todd Wilken and Mr. Jeff Schwarz had been fired without warning and without cause. I've not had time to comment on those events, not least of all because of being ill, but I've also found myself at such a loss as to what I might possibly say. Putting the best construction on such things requires that I not attempt to read hearts and that I not impugne motivations, though the temptation has at times been very strong to do so. On the surface of it, though, the actions themselves were simply wrong. Pulling the plug on a broadcast that has so clearly and consistently confessed the Word of God, faithfully proclaiming the Gospel all over the world, was a diabolical sort of act, irrespective of the rationale and no matter how good the intentions may have been. To silence that preaching of the Gospel in the midst of Holy Week adds shame upon the shame. And to deal with faithful servants of the Word in the manner that appears to have been done is reprehensible; more than unbecoming of the Christian Church, it is the sort of thing that should not be tolerated even in the corporations of the world.
I've heard conflicting information regarding the financial viability of Issues, Etc. And of course, I do realize that running a radio station and airing a broadcast requires funding, that money does have to be taken into account. Nevertheless, the real value of the show should not have been measured by the amount of money it was making or losing. Shame on all of us for not keeping it afloat, if that really was the issue (I'm not convinced, and I'm not sure, one way or the other). But faithfulness and real success cannot be measured by numbers, whether it be a body count or the calculation of figures with dollar signs and decimal points at the bottom of a ledger. There is only one sort of diagnostic question the Church should ever be asking of herself and her practice: Is the Word of God being served and supported by this or that, so that the Law and the Gospel are properly divided unto repentance, the Gospel predominating with clarity and having free course in the world, unto faith and life in the forgiveness of sins? Issues, Etc. was serving that holy purpose beautifully, so that sinners were daily being called from death to life, from darkness to light. It is a scandal that the LCMS could not find a way to sustain that good work.
For my part, I have counted it a privilege to speak on Issues, Etc. from time to time, and have been proud to be associated in that small way with the show. Although I have only occasionally had the pleasure of meeting Rev. Wilken and Mr. Schwarz in person, I have been glad to number them among my friends. I hurt for them and for their families, and I pray that God the Lord, for Jesus' sake, will richly and daily provide for their needs of body and soul. With that, I also look forward to the new ways in which He will raise them up to serve His Church on earth in the future. I have no doubts that He will do so. He will ever continue to cause His Gospel to be preached, even to the ends of the earth, with or without the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod.
By Wednesday of Holy Week, I had no choice but to put myself to bed. In fact, one dear member of Emmaus, who also happens to be a physician, frankly told me that I needed to go to bed and sleep for as long as I could; otherwise, the infection in my body would hang on all the longer, getting worse instead of better. Being out of commission for the Triduum did not seem a desirable option, so I dutifully went back to bed after the Holy Wednesday Matins. Thankfully, Pastor Grobien was able to officiate the Wednesday evening Divine Service and the Thursday morning Service of Corporate Confession, while I rested and allowed my body a chance to fight off the viral infection that was wrecking havoc in my chest and sinuses. Sadly, the funeral for my elder friend and colleague who had died was held on Thursday afternoon, and there was no way for me to go; nor would it have been such a good thing for those who were there to be exposed to my coughing and sniffling nose. By that point, I was all but despairing, because I could not help but feel as though Holy Week were being taken from me, and that I was being hindered and prevented from performing the duties of my office for the people of God. In this the Lord's discipline was at work, that I should learn to place my faith and trust in Him and His Word, rather than relying on my own strength and ingenuity.
By the grace and mercies of God, I persevered for the Maundy Thursday Divine Service that evening, which I would not have missed for anything less than my own deathbed. But my voice was ragged and weak, and I had to resort to speaking the eucharistic rite. My head was foggy and I had no energy, but at least I was able to keep the Feast with my congregation. It was all I could do to keep from weeping with frustration at the frailty of my flesh. Yet, for good or ill, I pushed myself to write one of two Good Friday sermons that night, before I went back to bad.
That sermon was for my portion of a local Tre Ore on Good Friday afternoon. I preached on the Word of Jesus, "Today you shall be with Me in Paradise." Although I love that passage, and I was relatively pleased with my sermon, I was again lacking in energy, and my head was foggy and fuzzy (whether from congestion or the decongestants, I can't say for sure). One member of Emmaus who attended the Tre Ore later told me that she didn't even recognize my voice at first, and she could hardly believe that it was me preaching. Such things are very aggravating and discouraging. Then again, Good Friday was not more difficult or worse for me than for our dear Lord Jesus, not even remotely so. Christ be praised for the depths of His loving compassion!
Happily, the Good Friday Hauptgottesdienst that evening went very well, and my voice seemed finally to be resuming some degree of strength and dependability. I credit the solemn power of the day, and of that uniquely poignant Service, with invigorating my body, soul and spirit. In any case, I was very grateful to be able to serve my office and the preaching of the Gospel; not as though it ever depends upon me, but in the very sense that I and my people depend upon it.
Holy Saturday morning has become another aspect of Holy Week that I treasure and anticipate each year. A simplified Matins sanctifies the Sabbath Rest of Christ in the tomb unto His people at Emmaus, and there is such quietness and peace about it. The Old Testament Reading of Daniel in the lions' den is particularly well-suited to the occasion, and a delight to preach in view of the accomplished victory of the Cross. Remembering that our Lord's rest in the tomb has sanctified the graves of His saints was especially comforting in the wake of my friend's death at the beginning of the week, all the more so having missed his funeral.
The celebration of the Resurrection began marvelously with the Easter Vigil. After a decade of keeping the Vigil, it has thankfully become somewhat less stressful and more a relaxing entry upon Eastertide. Still, it is such a complex and powerful Service, it can't be taken for granted or approached casually. At 42, my eyes are getting a bit dim, which made it difficult to read the text and music of the Exsultet. By the end of the Vigil, my voice was also wearing thin again. There were a couple points, too, where my fuzzy head took my poor body in the wrong direction, though not to any lasting harm of the Service. Christ is risen indeed, Alleluia!
The Services of the Resurrection on Easter Sunday both went very well, better than I would have dared to hope when I was feeling so rotten on Wednesday and Thursday. Pastor Grobien preached one of the most beautiful sermons I have ever been privileged to hear, at the Sunrise Service. It is such a blessing to be thus served by the preaching of the Gospel, so that I am both strengthened in my own faith and life, and thereby assisted in my own preaching of the Gospel unto others. Yet, the one real frustration of the day came when I got up to preach for the Easter Hauptgottesdienst. My wireless microphone started going nuts, spewing crazy, loud obnoxious static, and no amount of subtle (or not so subtle) fiddling with the thing could get it to stop. The devil is in the details, and sometimes the devil is in the electronics. My own children and others were amused when I declared that such electronics would not prevent the preaching of the Gospel. With a momentary pause, I took the microphone off and set it aside and preached without any amplification. I hope my voice was sufficiently strong and clear enough to be heard, even if not in the nursery or on any recording.
Through much toil and tribulation do we enter the Kingdom of God. Sometimes it is a lot just to get through Holy Week in this vale of tears. But I'm pleased to say that our Lord has triumphed and prevailed; both by His Cross and in His Resurrection, and through the preaching of these good things that He has accomplished for us. His power continues to be made perfect in weakness.
There was one other melancholy aspect of the week for me, which had nothing to do with anything gone wrong. Neither of my two oldest children could be here for any of the Services of Holy Week or Easter, and I really missed having them around to share those observances with us. Not because I view these things as "family affairs," leastwise not in the usual sense. We belong to the family of Christ. But I have greatly treasured the privilege of serving my children with the things of Christ in His Church, and have rejoiced at their confession of the faith and their beautiful piety in receiving His gifts. For that very reason, I am so profoundly grateful that DoRena and Zachary are both well served by the Gospel in the places where they are living. No amount of thanks would adequately repay the faithful pastors who now care for them.
Although there are no substitutions for my Zach and Bean, I do enjoy seeing Nicholai grow into the position of oldest child at home. He is pious and faithful in his own right, and he will not be outdone or outshone by his elder siblings in this regard. His younger siblings likewise seem to be following in the same pattern of piety, which causes much encouragement to my paternal heart. I was similarly buoyed in my spirit by the enthusiastic Emmaus Youth, many of whom gathered spontaneously for spirited Easter hymn singing after the Divine Service yesterday. We had not managed to sing the final distribution hymn, and they deemed it necessary to do so on their own; and then from there they could not bring themselves to stop any time soon. Their voices rang out clearly and beautifully throughout the church for quite a while, bringing joy and gladness to my heart at the end of an exhausting week. Their radiant smiles and even their good-natured teasing (which I know conveys their youthful affection for their pastor) cheer my weary soul and lift my countenance, even when I might otherwise be tempted to despair.
And then I did get to have my Beanie Belle and her Sam home for the afternoon and evening, which made for a delightful and relaxing conclusion to the day. My lovely young bride, LaRena, prepared us quite a feast in honor of the occasion, for which we also had my Mom and Dad on hand. Such a gathering is surrealistic in its own way. How and when did I become a patriarch in the midst of such a family? I'm still a little boy at heart, yet here I am with all these little (and not so little) boys of my own. Better just enjoy it while I can. These days will come and go too fast.
21 March 2008
Today You Shall Be with Me in Paradise
Do you not fear God?
You should. For God threatens to punish all those who break His commandments. Therefore, you should fear His wrath and not disobey Him.
But how is it, actually, with you?
Do you fear the Lord your God above all things? Or do you fear for your mortal body and your temporal life, without regard for your soul and where you stand before God?
Are you more concerned about keeping your stuff, your power and position in this world, your health and home and family, than you are about keeping the Ten Commandments?
Do you not fear God? Do you not suppose that He will hold you accountable for the wrong that you have done, and for all the good that you have neglected to do?
Or maybe you think it doesn’t matter. Or maybe you don’t care.
But if you want to know what God thinks of your sin, and how seriously He takes it, consider the Cross of Christ. For there He has suffered the condemnation and punishment that you rightly deserve for your sins.
Do not presume to say that, since He is the Christ and He has suffered for you, now you can go about doing whatever you like with impunity and without consequence. Do not blaspheme the Lord and His Passion with such wicked notions!
The Lord Jesus Christ has not suffered and died so that you may go on sinning, but that you might be brought to repentance and newness of life in Him.
For that, however, you must be crucified and put to death with Him.
Because the proclivity of your sinful old Adam is to covet and crave what is not yours, to take what has not been given to you, to rob and to steal. You are, by sinful nature, selfish and self-serving. You do not think in terms of right and wrong, but what’s in it for you.
Just as your first parents took and ate the forbidden fruit, and suffered the consequences for it. The Lord removed them from the Garden and barred them from the Tree of Life. Not to be petty and vindictive, but to spare them from the living hell of an eternal death.
For life apart from God is really death and damnation. And to live in sin is to live and die apart from God.
Thus, what you need is not some miracle drug, nor a fountain of youth, nor a handful of magic beans, but what you need is forgiveness of sins, repentance, and reconciliation with God.
It is for this that Christ has come, and in this way that He has saved you: not for a life of sinning, but He has saved you from your sins, from death, and from the power of the devil.
He was numbered with transgressors and hung between two criminals, for the same reason that He submitted Himself to St. John’s Baptism of repentance, and for the same reason that He received publicans, prostitutes and other sinners, and ate with them: not because He condones sin, nor even that He looks the other way with a wink and a nod, but in order to redeem the lost.
To do so, He takes their sin and death upon Himself. Indeed, He takes the sin of the world and all its curse and consequence upon Himself — yes, including all of your sin and its punishment — and He bears it all in His Body on the Cross. There He suffers the sentence of condemnation that was leveled against you (and all the world).
Which is why, for you to go on sinning, is to make a mockery of His Cross and Passion.
But for you, nonetheless, and for all, He did this. And by His death He has redeemed you from the curse of the Law, from the curse of sin and death.
Not only that, but He has opened up the way of righteousness and life, which is by grace through faith in Him.
For not only has He suffered all the punishment of the Law against the sins of the whole world, but He has also fulfilled the entire Law of God in perfect faith and love. All that the Law requires, He has done: on your behalf, and for your benefit.
Which is why He is vindicated in His Resurrection from the dead (and all those who believe and are baptized into Him are vindicated with Him in His Resurrection). But in fact, already in His Cross and Passion, the satisfaction and fulfillment of the Law are accomplished and completed. Here is not only the punishment due, but also the pinnacle of faith and love: steadfast faith in God, and fervent love for all His neighbors (including you).
As such, it is precisely by His Cross that Christ Jesus comes into His Kingdom as the Savior of mankind. And He still reigns in love over His Kingdom from His Cross.
It is by His Cross that you, also, enter with Him into His Kingdom. For His Cross is the shape and power of Holy Baptism, and His Cross is the way of repentance unto life. Thereby the old Adam in you is crucified with all your sinful lusts and desires, but so also are you raised up a new man in Christ through the forgiveness of His Cross.
The Cross does lay bare your sins and nails you for them. But it does so for the sake of calling you to repentance, to confession, to the free and full forgiveness of your sins. For the Cross is also the proclamation of the Gospel unto all who believe, the very power of God unto salvation.
Indeed, the Tree of the Cross is the true Tree of Life, which stands in the midst of the Garden.
And because the Lord Jesus has atoned for all your sins and accomplished your redemption by that Tree, its life-giving fruit is not forbidden, but given and poured out for you to eat and drink.
That is how Jesus remembers you: by acting in love to feed you with Himself, His Body and His Blood, for the forgiveness of your sins, for the strengthening of your faith, for life and salvation.
As often as you eat these fruits of His Cross, you are truly with Him in Paradise; as He is truly with you in His Supper.
No longer are you a robber or a thief, but a beloved child and a welcome guest at your Father’s Table. You need not steal to get what you want, when you are so richly fed and given every good and perfect gift in Christ Jesus.
You should still fear God, because He is God and you are not. But so also, love and trust in Him. He cares for you and well provides for you. Do not go on sinning for your supper, but receive the good things that Christ has obtained for you. For His Cross is the Tree of Life for you, and He has saved you from sin and death forever.
In the Name + of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
You should. For God threatens to punish all those who break His commandments. Therefore, you should fear His wrath and not disobey Him.
But how is it, actually, with you?
Do you fear the Lord your God above all things? Or do you fear for your mortal body and your temporal life, without regard for your soul and where you stand before God?
Are you more concerned about keeping your stuff, your power and position in this world, your health and home and family, than you are about keeping the Ten Commandments?
Do you not fear God? Do you not suppose that He will hold you accountable for the wrong that you have done, and for all the good that you have neglected to do?
Or maybe you think it doesn’t matter. Or maybe you don’t care.
But if you want to know what God thinks of your sin, and how seriously He takes it, consider the Cross of Christ. For there He has suffered the condemnation and punishment that you rightly deserve for your sins.
Do not presume to say that, since He is the Christ and He has suffered for you, now you can go about doing whatever you like with impunity and without consequence. Do not blaspheme the Lord and His Passion with such wicked notions!
The Lord Jesus Christ has not suffered and died so that you may go on sinning, but that you might be brought to repentance and newness of life in Him.
For that, however, you must be crucified and put to death with Him.
Because the proclivity of your sinful old Adam is to covet and crave what is not yours, to take what has not been given to you, to rob and to steal. You are, by sinful nature, selfish and self-serving. You do not think in terms of right and wrong, but what’s in it for you.
Just as your first parents took and ate the forbidden fruit, and suffered the consequences for it. The Lord removed them from the Garden and barred them from the Tree of Life. Not to be petty and vindictive, but to spare them from the living hell of an eternal death.
For life apart from God is really death and damnation. And to live in sin is to live and die apart from God.
Thus, what you need is not some miracle drug, nor a fountain of youth, nor a handful of magic beans, but what you need is forgiveness of sins, repentance, and reconciliation with God.
It is for this that Christ has come, and in this way that He has saved you: not for a life of sinning, but He has saved you from your sins, from death, and from the power of the devil.
He was numbered with transgressors and hung between two criminals, for the same reason that He submitted Himself to St. John’s Baptism of repentance, and for the same reason that He received publicans, prostitutes and other sinners, and ate with them: not because He condones sin, nor even that He looks the other way with a wink and a nod, but in order to redeem the lost.
To do so, He takes their sin and death upon Himself. Indeed, He takes the sin of the world and all its curse and consequence upon Himself — yes, including all of your sin and its punishment — and He bears it all in His Body on the Cross. There He suffers the sentence of condemnation that was leveled against you (and all the world).
Which is why, for you to go on sinning, is to make a mockery of His Cross and Passion.
But for you, nonetheless, and for all, He did this. And by His death He has redeemed you from the curse of the Law, from the curse of sin and death.
Not only that, but He has opened up the way of righteousness and life, which is by grace through faith in Him.
For not only has He suffered all the punishment of the Law against the sins of the whole world, but He has also fulfilled the entire Law of God in perfect faith and love. All that the Law requires, He has done: on your behalf, and for your benefit.
Which is why He is vindicated in His Resurrection from the dead (and all those who believe and are baptized into Him are vindicated with Him in His Resurrection). But in fact, already in His Cross and Passion, the satisfaction and fulfillment of the Law are accomplished and completed. Here is not only the punishment due, but also the pinnacle of faith and love: steadfast faith in God, and fervent love for all His neighbors (including you).
As such, it is precisely by His Cross that Christ Jesus comes into His Kingdom as the Savior of mankind. And He still reigns in love over His Kingdom from His Cross.
It is by His Cross that you, also, enter with Him into His Kingdom. For His Cross is the shape and power of Holy Baptism, and His Cross is the way of repentance unto life. Thereby the old Adam in you is crucified with all your sinful lusts and desires, but so also are you raised up a new man in Christ through the forgiveness of His Cross.
The Cross does lay bare your sins and nails you for them. But it does so for the sake of calling you to repentance, to confession, to the free and full forgiveness of your sins. For the Cross is also the proclamation of the Gospel unto all who believe, the very power of God unto salvation.
Indeed, the Tree of the Cross is the true Tree of Life, which stands in the midst of the Garden.
And because the Lord Jesus has atoned for all your sins and accomplished your redemption by that Tree, its life-giving fruit is not forbidden, but given and poured out for you to eat and drink.
That is how Jesus remembers you: by acting in love to feed you with Himself, His Body and His Blood, for the forgiveness of your sins, for the strengthening of your faith, for life and salvation.
As often as you eat these fruits of His Cross, you are truly with Him in Paradise; as He is truly with you in His Supper.
No longer are you a robber or a thief, but a beloved child and a welcome guest at your Father’s Table. You need not steal to get what you want, when you are so richly fed and given every good and perfect gift in Christ Jesus.
You should still fear God, because He is God and you are not. But so also, love and trust in Him. He cares for you and well provides for you. Do not go on sinning for your supper, but receive the good things that Christ has obtained for you. For His Cross is the Tree of Life for you, and He has saved you from sin and death forever.
In the Name + of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
17 March 2008
Hymns for the Octave of Pentecost Series A
Pentecost Eve
Exodus 19:1–9
Romans 8:12–17 (22–27)
John 14:8–21
Hymn of Invocation
Hear us, Father, when we pray (LSB 773)
Hymn of the Day
Creator Spirit, by whose aid (LSB 500)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
Come down, O Love divine (LSB 501)
Jesus, Thy boundless love to me (LSB 683)
The Lord, my God, be praised (LSB 794)
Hymn of Departure
Now rest beneath night’s shadow (LSB 880)
Alternative Hymns
Children of the heav’nly Father (LSB 725)
Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord (LSB 497)
Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest (LSB 499)
Eternal Spirit of the living Christ (LSB 769)
Lord Jesus Christ, with us abide (LSB 585)
Lord, support us all day long (LSB 884)
O blessed Light, O Trinity (LSB 890)
O Christ, who art the Light and Day (LSB 882)
O Holy Spirit, enter in (LSB 913)
O light whose splendor thrills and gladdens (LSB 891)
Our Father, by whose name (LSB 863)
To God the Holy Spirit let us pray (LSB 768)
The Day of Pentecost
Numbers 11:24–30
Acts 2:1–21
John 7:37–39
Divine Service, Setting Five (LSB 213–218)
Entrance Hymn
Hail thee, festival day (LSB 489)
Kyrie Hymn
Kyrie! God, Father in heav’n above (LSB 942)
Gloria Hymn
All glory be to God alone (LSB 948)
Gradual Hymn / Catechetical Hymn of the Week
O Holy Spirit, enter in (LSB 913)
Hymn of the Day
Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord (LSB 497)
Creedal Hymn
We all believe in one true God (LSB 954)
Offertory Hymn
Triune God, be Thou our stay (LSB 505)
Sanctus Hymn
Isaiah, mighty seer in days of old (LSB 960)
Agnus Dei
O Christ, Thou Lamb of God (LSB 198)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
O day full of grace that now we see (LSB 503)
O splendor of God’s glory bright (LSB 874)
To God the Holy Spirit let us pray (LSB 768)
Lord, Thee I love with all my heart (LSB 708)
Post-Communion Hymn
O Lord, we praise Thee (LSB 617)
Processional Out
O God, O Lord of heaven and earth (LSB 834)
Alternative Hymns
Come down, O Love divine (LSB 501)
Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest (LSB 499)
Creator Spirit, by whose aid (LSB 500)
Father most holy, merciful and tender (LSB 504)
O day of rest and gladness (LSB 906)
Water, blood, and Spirit crying (LSB 597)
Pentecost Monday
Isaiah 57:15–21
Acts 10:34a, 42–48
John 3:16–21
Processional Hymn
Holy Spirit, ever dwelling (LSB 650)
Sequence Hymn
Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest (LSB 499)
Hymn of the Day
The Gospel shows the Father’s grace (LSB 580)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
O Holy Spirit, enter in (LSB 913)
God loved the world so that He gave (LSB 571)
Baptized into Your name most holy (LSB 590)
Processional Out
May God bestow on us His grace (LSB 823)
Alternative Hymns
Built on the Rock the Church shall stand (LSB 645)
From God can nothing move me (LSB 713)
Holy God, we praise Thy name (LSB 940)
Lord Jesus Christ, with us abide (LSB 585)
My soul, now praise your maker (LSB 820)
Now rest beneath night’s shadow (LSB 880)
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty (LSB 790)
Rejoice, my heart, be glad and sing (LSB 737)
Pentecost Tuesday
Isaiah 32:14–20
Acts 8:14–17
John 10:1–10
Processional Hymn
O Holy Spirit, enter in (LSB 913)
Sequence Hymn
Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest (LSB 499)
Hymn of the Day
To God the Holy Spirit let us pray (LSB 768)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
Come down, O Love divine (LSB 501)
My soul, now praise your maker (LSB 820)
Have no fear, little flock (LSB 735)
Processional Out
O day full of grace that now we see (LSB 503)
Alternative Hymns
Creator Spirit, by whose aid (LSB 500)
Grant peace, we pray, in mercy, Lord (LSB 777)
I am Jesus’ little lamb (LSB 740)
O little flock, fear not the foe (LSB 666)
Voices raised to You we offer (LSB 795)
The Holy Trinity
Genesis 1:1—2:4a
Acts 2:14a, 22–36
Matthew 28:16–20
Processional Hymn
I bind unto myself today (LSB 604)
Hymn of the Day
Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest (LSB 498)
Offertory Hymn
O blessed, holy Trinity (LSB 876)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
We all believe in one true God (LSB 954)
Alleluia! Sing to Jesus (LSB 821)
To Jordan came the Christ, our Lord (LSB 406)
Father most holy, merciful and tender (LSB 504)
Processional Out / Catechetical Hymn of the Week
All Christians who have been baptized (LSB 596)
Alternative Hymns
All glory be to God on high (LSB 947)
All praise to Thee, for Thou, O King divine (LSB 815)
All who believe and are baptized (LSB 601)
Alleluia! Let praises ring (LSB 822)
At the name of Jesus (LSB 512)
Christ sits at God’s right hand (LSB 564)
Creator Spirit, by whose aid (LSB 500)
Eternal Father, strong to save (LSB 717)
From God can nothing move me (LSB 713)
Holy God, we praise Thy name (LSB 940)
Kyrie! God, Father in heav’n above (LSB 942)
Let all mortal flesh keep silence (LSB 621)
Look, ye saints, the sight is glorious (LSB 495)
O day of rest and gladness (LSB 906)
O God, O Lord of heaven and earth (LSB 834)
The Church’s one foundation (LSB 644)
Thy strong word did cleave the darkness (LSB 578)
Triune God, be Thou our stay (LSB 505)
We know that Christ is raised (LSB 603)
With high delight let us unite (LSB 483)
Exodus 19:1–9
Romans 8:12–17 (22–27)
John 14:8–21
Hymn of Invocation
Hear us, Father, when we pray (LSB 773)
Hymn of the Day
Creator Spirit, by whose aid (LSB 500)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
Come down, O Love divine (LSB 501)
Jesus, Thy boundless love to me (LSB 683)
The Lord, my God, be praised (LSB 794)
Hymn of Departure
Now rest beneath night’s shadow (LSB 880)
Alternative Hymns
Children of the heav’nly Father (LSB 725)
Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord (LSB 497)
Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest (LSB 499)
Eternal Spirit of the living Christ (LSB 769)
Lord Jesus Christ, with us abide (LSB 585)
Lord, support us all day long (LSB 884)
O blessed Light, O Trinity (LSB 890)
O Christ, who art the Light and Day (LSB 882)
O Holy Spirit, enter in (LSB 913)
O light whose splendor thrills and gladdens (LSB 891)
Our Father, by whose name (LSB 863)
To God the Holy Spirit let us pray (LSB 768)
The Day of Pentecost
Numbers 11:24–30
Acts 2:1–21
John 7:37–39
Divine Service, Setting Five (LSB 213–218)
Entrance Hymn
Hail thee, festival day (LSB 489)
Kyrie Hymn
Kyrie! God, Father in heav’n above (LSB 942)
Gloria Hymn
All glory be to God alone (LSB 948)
Gradual Hymn / Catechetical Hymn of the Week
O Holy Spirit, enter in (LSB 913)
Hymn of the Day
Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord (LSB 497)
Creedal Hymn
We all believe in one true God (LSB 954)
Offertory Hymn
Triune God, be Thou our stay (LSB 505)
Sanctus Hymn
Isaiah, mighty seer in days of old (LSB 960)
Agnus Dei
O Christ, Thou Lamb of God (LSB 198)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
O day full of grace that now we see (LSB 503)
O splendor of God’s glory bright (LSB 874)
To God the Holy Spirit let us pray (LSB 768)
Lord, Thee I love with all my heart (LSB 708)
Post-Communion Hymn
O Lord, we praise Thee (LSB 617)
Processional Out
O God, O Lord of heaven and earth (LSB 834)
Alternative Hymns
Come down, O Love divine (LSB 501)
Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest (LSB 499)
Creator Spirit, by whose aid (LSB 500)
Father most holy, merciful and tender (LSB 504)
O day of rest and gladness (LSB 906)
Water, blood, and Spirit crying (LSB 597)
Pentecost Monday
Isaiah 57:15–21
Acts 10:34a, 42–48
John 3:16–21
Processional Hymn
Holy Spirit, ever dwelling (LSB 650)
Sequence Hymn
Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest (LSB 499)
Hymn of the Day
The Gospel shows the Father’s grace (LSB 580)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
O Holy Spirit, enter in (LSB 913)
God loved the world so that He gave (LSB 571)
Baptized into Your name most holy (LSB 590)
Processional Out
May God bestow on us His grace (LSB 823)
Alternative Hymns
Built on the Rock the Church shall stand (LSB 645)
From God can nothing move me (LSB 713)
Holy God, we praise Thy name (LSB 940)
Lord Jesus Christ, with us abide (LSB 585)
My soul, now praise your maker (LSB 820)
Now rest beneath night’s shadow (LSB 880)
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty (LSB 790)
Rejoice, my heart, be glad and sing (LSB 737)
Pentecost Tuesday
Isaiah 32:14–20
Acts 8:14–17
John 10:1–10
Processional Hymn
O Holy Spirit, enter in (LSB 913)
Sequence Hymn
Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest (LSB 499)
Hymn of the Day
To God the Holy Spirit let us pray (LSB 768)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
Come down, O Love divine (LSB 501)
My soul, now praise your maker (LSB 820)
Have no fear, little flock (LSB 735)
Processional Out
O day full of grace that now we see (LSB 503)
Alternative Hymns
Creator Spirit, by whose aid (LSB 500)
Grant peace, we pray, in mercy, Lord (LSB 777)
I am Jesus’ little lamb (LSB 740)
O little flock, fear not the foe (LSB 666)
Voices raised to You we offer (LSB 795)
The Holy Trinity
Genesis 1:1—2:4a
Acts 2:14a, 22–36
Matthew 28:16–20
Processional Hymn
I bind unto myself today (LSB 604)
Hymn of the Day
Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest (LSB 498)
Offertory Hymn
O blessed, holy Trinity (LSB 876)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
We all believe in one true God (LSB 954)
Alleluia! Sing to Jesus (LSB 821)
To Jordan came the Christ, our Lord (LSB 406)
Father most holy, merciful and tender (LSB 504)
Processional Out / Catechetical Hymn of the Week
All Christians who have been baptized (LSB 596)
Alternative Hymns
All glory be to God on high (LSB 947)
All praise to Thee, for Thou, O King divine (LSB 815)
All who believe and are baptized (LSB 601)
Alleluia! Let praises ring (LSB 822)
At the name of Jesus (LSB 512)
Christ sits at God’s right hand (LSB 564)
Creator Spirit, by whose aid (LSB 500)
Eternal Father, strong to save (LSB 717)
From God can nothing move me (LSB 713)
Holy God, we praise Thy name (LSB 940)
Kyrie! God, Father in heav’n above (LSB 942)
Let all mortal flesh keep silence (LSB 621)
Look, ye saints, the sight is glorious (LSB 495)
O day of rest and gladness (LSB 906)
O God, O Lord of heaven and earth (LSB 834)
The Church’s one foundation (LSB 644)
Thy strong word did cleave the darkness (LSB 578)
Triune God, be Thou our stay (LSB 505)
We know that Christ is raised (LSB 603)
With high delight let us unite (LSB 483)
16 March 2008
Hymns for April-May Festivals
St. Mark, Evangelist (25 April)
Isaiah 52:7–10
2 Timothy 4:5–18
Mark 16:14–20
Processional Hymn
I bind unto myself today (LSB 604)
Hymn of the Day
All Christians who have been baptized (LSB 596)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
Christ sits at God’s right hand (LSB 564)
O God of light, Your Word, a lamp unfailing (LSB 836)
For all the saints who from their labors rest (LSB 677)
Processional Out
Sing with all the saints in glory (LSB 671)
Alternative Hymns
All who believe and are baptized (LSB 601)
Alleluia! Sing to Jesus (LSB 821)
By all Your saints in warfare (LSB 518)
Dear Christians, one and all, rejoice (LSB 556)
Lord of our life and God of our salvation (LSB 659)
O God, O Lord of heaven and earth (LSB 834)
O little flock, fear not the foe (LSB 666)
Rise, shine, you people (LSB 825)
See, the Lord ascends in triumph (LSB 494)
Sing, my tongue, the glorious battle (LSB 454)
We know that Christ is raised (LSB 603)
With high delight let us unite (LSB 483)
St. Philip and St. James, Apostles (1May)
Isaiah 30:18–21
Ephesians 2:19–22
John 14:1–14
Processional Hymn
By all Your saints in warfare (LSB 518)
Hymn of the Day
Christ be my leader by night as by day (LSB 861)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
You are the way; through You alone (LSB 526)
What God ordains is always good (LSB 760)
Christ is made the sure foundation (LSB 909)
Processional Out
Jerusalem the golden (LSB 672)
Alternative Hymns
Built on the Rock the Church shall stand (LSB 645)
Christ is our cornerstone (LSB 912)
Church of God, elect and glorious (LSB 646)
Dear Christians, one and all, rejoice (LSB 556)
How sweet the name of Jesus sounds (LSB 524)
Jerusalem, my happy home (LSB 673)
Jerusalem, O city fair and high (LSB 674)
O splendor of God’s glory bright (LSB 874)
Oh, what their joy and their glory must be (LSB 675)
Sing with all the saints in glory (LSB 671)
Thy strong word did cleave the darkness (LSB 578)
Wide open stand the gates (LSB 639)
The Visitation (31 May)
Isaiah 11:1–5
Romans 12:9–16
Luke 1:39–45 (46–56)
Processional Hymn
My soul, now praise your maker (LSB 820)
Hymn of the Day
From east to west (LSB 385)
Offertory Hymn
Crown Him with many crowns (LSB 525)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
All my heart again rejoices (LSB 360)
Let all mortal flesh keep silence (LSB 621)
Savior of the nations, come (LSB 332)
Processional Out
Praise the Almighty, my soul, adore Him (LSB 797)
Alternative Hymns
By all Your saints in warfare (LSB 518)
From God the Father, virgin-born (LSB 401)
Holy God, we praise Thy name (LSB 940)
Lo, how a rose e’er blooming (LSB 359)
My soul now magnifies the Lord (LSB 934)
O come, O come, Emmanuel (LSB 357)
O Jesus Christ, Thy manger is (LSB 372)
O Lord, we praise Thee (LSB 617)
O Morning Star, how fair and bright (LSB 395)
Of the Father’s love begotten (LSB 384)
The only Son from heaven (LSB 402)
Ye watchers and ye holy ones (LSB 670)
Isaiah 52:7–10
2 Timothy 4:5–18
Mark 16:14–20
Processional Hymn
I bind unto myself today (LSB 604)
Hymn of the Day
All Christians who have been baptized (LSB 596)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
Christ sits at God’s right hand (LSB 564)
O God of light, Your Word, a lamp unfailing (LSB 836)
For all the saints who from their labors rest (LSB 677)
Processional Out
Sing with all the saints in glory (LSB 671)
Alternative Hymns
All who believe and are baptized (LSB 601)
Alleluia! Sing to Jesus (LSB 821)
By all Your saints in warfare (LSB 518)
Dear Christians, one and all, rejoice (LSB 556)
Lord of our life and God of our salvation (LSB 659)
O God, O Lord of heaven and earth (LSB 834)
O little flock, fear not the foe (LSB 666)
Rise, shine, you people (LSB 825)
See, the Lord ascends in triumph (LSB 494)
Sing, my tongue, the glorious battle (LSB 454)
We know that Christ is raised (LSB 603)
With high delight let us unite (LSB 483)
St. Philip and St. James, Apostles (1May)
Isaiah 30:18–21
Ephesians 2:19–22
John 14:1–14
Processional Hymn
By all Your saints in warfare (LSB 518)
Hymn of the Day
Christ be my leader by night as by day (LSB 861)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
You are the way; through You alone (LSB 526)
What God ordains is always good (LSB 760)
Christ is made the sure foundation (LSB 909)
Processional Out
Jerusalem the golden (LSB 672)
Alternative Hymns
Built on the Rock the Church shall stand (LSB 645)
Christ is our cornerstone (LSB 912)
Church of God, elect and glorious (LSB 646)
Dear Christians, one and all, rejoice (LSB 556)
How sweet the name of Jesus sounds (LSB 524)
Jerusalem, my happy home (LSB 673)
Jerusalem, O city fair and high (LSB 674)
O splendor of God’s glory bright (LSB 874)
Oh, what their joy and their glory must be (LSB 675)
Sing with all the saints in glory (LSB 671)
Thy strong word did cleave the darkness (LSB 578)
Wide open stand the gates (LSB 639)
The Visitation (31 May)
Isaiah 11:1–5
Romans 12:9–16
Luke 1:39–45 (46–56)
Processional Hymn
My soul, now praise your maker (LSB 820)
Hymn of the Day
From east to west (LSB 385)
Offertory Hymn
Crown Him with many crowns (LSB 525)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
All my heart again rejoices (LSB 360)
Let all mortal flesh keep silence (LSB 621)
Savior of the nations, come (LSB 332)
Processional Out
Praise the Almighty, my soul, adore Him (LSB 797)
Alternative Hymns
By all Your saints in warfare (LSB 518)
From God the Father, virgin-born (LSB 401)
Holy God, we praise Thy name (LSB 940)
Lo, how a rose e’er blooming (LSB 359)
My soul now magnifies the Lord (LSB 934)
O come, O come, Emmanuel (LSB 357)
O Jesus Christ, Thy manger is (LSB 372)
O Lord, we praise Thee (LSB 617)
O Morning Star, how fair and bright (LSB 395)
Of the Father’s love begotten (LSB 384)
The only Son from heaven (LSB 402)
Ye watchers and ye holy ones (LSB 670)
Hymns for March Festivals
St. Joseph, Guardian of Our Lord (19 March)
2 Samuel 7:4–16
Romans 4:13–18
Matthew 2:13–15, 19–23
Processional Hymn
By all Your saints in warfare (LSB 517)
Hymn of the Day
Our Father, by whose name (LSB 863)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
If thou but trust in God to guide thee (LSB 750)
I lie, O Lord, within Your care (LSB 885)
Oh, blest the house whate’er befall (LSB 862)
Processional Out
I walk in danger all the way (LSB 716)
Alternative Hymns
By grace I’m saved, grace free and boundless (LSB 566)
Children of the heav’nly Father (LSB 725)
Eternal Father, strong to save (LSB 717)
Hail to the Lord’s anointed (LSB 398)
No temple now, no gift of price (LSB 530)
O Jesus Christ, Thy manger is (LSB 372)
Once in royal David’s city (LSB 376)
Open now thy gates of beauty (LSB 901)
Salvation unto us has come (LSB 555)
Savior of the nations, come (LSB 332)
The Annunciation of Our Lord (25 March)
Isaiah 7:10–14
Hebrews 10:4–10
Luke 1:26–38
Processional Hymn
Savior of the nations, come (LSB 332)
Hymn of the Day
The angel Gabriel from heaven came (LSB 356)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
Lo, how a rose e’er blooming (LSB 359)
The infant priest was holy born (LSB 624)
Of the Father’s love begotten (LSB 384)
Processional Out
O Jesus Christ, Thy manger is (LSB 372)
Alternative Hymns
All my heart again rejoices (LSB 360)
By all Your saints in warfare (LSB 518)
Creator of the stars of night (LSB 351)
From east to west (LSB 385)
From God the Father, virgin-born (LSB 401)
Jesus! Name of wondrous love (LSB 900)
Let all together praise our God (LSB 389)
O come, O come, Emmanuel (LSB 357)
O Lord, we praise Thee (LSB 617)
The only Son from heaven (LSB 402)
2 Samuel 7:4–16
Romans 4:13–18
Matthew 2:13–15, 19–23
Processional Hymn
By all Your saints in warfare (LSB 517)
Hymn of the Day
Our Father, by whose name (LSB 863)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
If thou but trust in God to guide thee (LSB 750)
I lie, O Lord, within Your care (LSB 885)
Oh, blest the house whate’er befall (LSB 862)
Processional Out
I walk in danger all the way (LSB 716)
Alternative Hymns
By grace I’m saved, grace free and boundless (LSB 566)
Children of the heav’nly Father (LSB 725)
Eternal Father, strong to save (LSB 717)
Hail to the Lord’s anointed (LSB 398)
No temple now, no gift of price (LSB 530)
O Jesus Christ, Thy manger is (LSB 372)
Once in royal David’s city (LSB 376)
Open now thy gates of beauty (LSB 901)
Salvation unto us has come (LSB 555)
Savior of the nations, come (LSB 332)
The Annunciation of Our Lord (25 March)
Isaiah 7:10–14
Hebrews 10:4–10
Luke 1:26–38
Processional Hymn
Savior of the nations, come (LSB 332)
Hymn of the Day
The angel Gabriel from heaven came (LSB 356)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
Lo, how a rose e’er blooming (LSB 359)
The infant priest was holy born (LSB 624)
Of the Father’s love begotten (LSB 384)
Processional Out
O Jesus Christ, Thy manger is (LSB 372)
Alternative Hymns
All my heart again rejoices (LSB 360)
By all Your saints in warfare (LSB 518)
Creator of the stars of night (LSB 351)
From east to west (LSB 385)
From God the Father, virgin-born (LSB 401)
Jesus! Name of wondrous love (LSB 900)
Let all together praise our God (LSB 389)
O come, O come, Emmanuel (LSB 357)
O Lord, we praise Thee (LSB 617)
The only Son from heaven (LSB 402)
15 March 2008
Have the Mind of Christ in You
Have the same heart and mind in you as in Christ Jesus. That is what it means to be His disciple (a Christian): Faith and trust in the Word of God; humble submission to His will; obedience, even unto death. That is what Jesus does in fulfilling the Holy Scriptures, all the words and promises of God, according to His grace and mercy, His love, His desire for your salvation (and the salvation of the world).
Everything unfolds and happens as it has been written, as the Lord has spoken, and as He fully intends. Nothing is by chance or accident. Nor is it really Judas or the chief priests, scribes and elders, who hand Jesus over to death. It is first of all God the Father, who sacrifices His Son for the world; and the Son willingly submits to the Cross. He lays down His own life voluntarily; and He will take it up again.
He is alone in doing so. He alone accomplishes the salvation of the world, of His disciples and His enemies, His friends and foes (who sometimes happen to be the same!). When the Shepherd is struck down for the sheep, to save them, the sheep are scattered in fear and denial.
How is it for you? Do you have the mind of Christ?
Or do you think and act like Judas, or Peter, or the other disciples who fled? Or like the fickle crowds of people, tossed about by every gust of popular opinion? Or like the leaders of the people, afraid for your position?
Do you know this Man, Jesus Christ of Nazareth? Or have you forgotten Him and His Word to you? Do you still not understand?
As you could not be converted by your own reason or strength, neither can you persevere by your own reason and strength. It’s not simply that you’re not trying hard enough. You can’t do it. It is not given you to make a disciple of yourself. That is the Lord’s gracious good work, and His gift to you, by His Word and Holy Spirit.
It is the Word of Christ that has made you a disciple: in the waters of your Baptism, and by the catechesis of all that Jesus has taught and commanded you.
That same catechesis of His Word is the way of ongoing discipleship. It is by the catechesis of His Word that you are and remain a Christian. By the catechesis of His Word that you think and speak and act as Jesus does. Not that you become the Savior of the world, but that you live by faith within your own God-given vocation. And in that vocation, by such faith, you love and serve your neighbor.
You love and serve with mercy and kindness, anointing the body of Jesus, washing His feet and drying them, by caring for His little ones, His brethren (be they big or small, young or old, rich or poor).
You love and serve your neighbor, also, with the Word of a disciple. For you speak as God speaks to you by His Son, and thereby you sustain the weak and weary with that Word of the Gospel (forgiveness).
You, too, are poor and weak and little. Sometime faithful, sometimes faithless and afraid. You are not called to sustain yourself, nor to stand on your own. (You cannot.) You are not given to speak your own word, but that of Christ, which He speaks to you in love.
Follow Him, and live in Him, by listening to what He says. Not only a command, but especially a promise. Not only a rebuke, but free and full forgiveness of all your sins.
How often have you denied Him, betrayed Him, or fled from Him? But He has not forsaken you, and He has not fled from serving you. He has saved you, in grace, mercy and peace, by His steadfast obedience and His innocent suffering and death.
Where you have failed Him, repent. If you have fled, return to Him. He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, speedy to help and save, eager to forgive you, abounding in steadfast love for you.
He has known ahead of time that you would stumble and fall, but He has come to save you anyway. He knows your sins, and that you are a sinner, but He is the Savior of sinners. And He has done it.
He has voluntarily taken your sin and death upon Himself. Therefore, as He has been vindicated by God the Father in His Resurrection from the dead, so are you vindicated, declared righteous, and set free from sin and death forever. Not a single charge against you will stick. You are "not guilty." Not because you have done so well and managed to keep your nose clean, but for Jesus’ sake, because He has done all things well.
And here He is for you. Do not be afraid. Here is His Blood poured out for you to drink, which reconciles you to God, and makes peace for you with God. Here is His Body, given for you upon the Cross to atone for all your sins, and given to you now for life and salvation in Him.
Here, then, have the same Lord Jesus Christ in you: in your hand and mouth, in your body and soul. And the Peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, will keep your heart and mind in this Christ Jesus — through life and death and everything in between — unto life everlasting.
In the Name + of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Everything unfolds and happens as it has been written, as the Lord has spoken, and as He fully intends. Nothing is by chance or accident. Nor is it really Judas or the chief priests, scribes and elders, who hand Jesus over to death. It is first of all God the Father, who sacrifices His Son for the world; and the Son willingly submits to the Cross. He lays down His own life voluntarily; and He will take it up again.
He is alone in doing so. He alone accomplishes the salvation of the world, of His disciples and His enemies, His friends and foes (who sometimes happen to be the same!). When the Shepherd is struck down for the sheep, to save them, the sheep are scattered in fear and denial.
How is it for you? Do you have the mind of Christ?
Or do you think and act like Judas, or Peter, or the other disciples who fled? Or like the fickle crowds of people, tossed about by every gust of popular opinion? Or like the leaders of the people, afraid for your position?
Do you know this Man, Jesus Christ of Nazareth? Or have you forgotten Him and His Word to you? Do you still not understand?
As you could not be converted by your own reason or strength, neither can you persevere by your own reason and strength. It’s not simply that you’re not trying hard enough. You can’t do it. It is not given you to make a disciple of yourself. That is the Lord’s gracious good work, and His gift to you, by His Word and Holy Spirit.
It is the Word of Christ that has made you a disciple: in the waters of your Baptism, and by the catechesis of all that Jesus has taught and commanded you.
That same catechesis of His Word is the way of ongoing discipleship. It is by the catechesis of His Word that you are and remain a Christian. By the catechesis of His Word that you think and speak and act as Jesus does. Not that you become the Savior of the world, but that you live by faith within your own God-given vocation. And in that vocation, by such faith, you love and serve your neighbor.
You love and serve with mercy and kindness, anointing the body of Jesus, washing His feet and drying them, by caring for His little ones, His brethren (be they big or small, young or old, rich or poor).
You love and serve your neighbor, also, with the Word of a disciple. For you speak as God speaks to you by His Son, and thereby you sustain the weak and weary with that Word of the Gospel (forgiveness).
You, too, are poor and weak and little. Sometime faithful, sometimes faithless and afraid. You are not called to sustain yourself, nor to stand on your own. (You cannot.) You are not given to speak your own word, but that of Christ, which He speaks to you in love.
Follow Him, and live in Him, by listening to what He says. Not only a command, but especially a promise. Not only a rebuke, but free and full forgiveness of all your sins.
How often have you denied Him, betrayed Him, or fled from Him? But He has not forsaken you, and He has not fled from serving you. He has saved you, in grace, mercy and peace, by His steadfast obedience and His innocent suffering and death.
Where you have failed Him, repent. If you have fled, return to Him. He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, speedy to help and save, eager to forgive you, abounding in steadfast love for you.
He has known ahead of time that you would stumble and fall, but He has come to save you anyway. He knows your sins, and that you are a sinner, but He is the Savior of sinners. And He has done it.
He has voluntarily taken your sin and death upon Himself. Therefore, as He has been vindicated by God the Father in His Resurrection from the dead, so are you vindicated, declared righteous, and set free from sin and death forever. Not a single charge against you will stick. You are "not guilty." Not because you have done so well and managed to keep your nose clean, but for Jesus’ sake, because He has done all things well.
And here He is for you. Do not be afraid. Here is His Blood poured out for you to drink, which reconciles you to God, and makes peace for you with God. Here is His Body, given for you upon the Cross to atone for all your sins, and given to you now for life and salvation in Him.
Here, then, have the same Lord Jesus Christ in you: in your hand and mouth, in your body and soul. And the Peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, will keep your heart and mind in this Christ Jesus — through life and death and everything in between — unto life everlasting.
In the Name + of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
14 March 2008
Hymns for Easter 3-7 Series A
Third Sunday of Easter
Acts 2:14a, 36–41
1 Peter 1:17–25
Luke 24:13–35
Hymn of Invocation
Send, O Lord, Your Holy Spirit (LSB 681)
Hymn of the Day
With high delight let us unite (LSB 483)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
Christ Jesus lay in death’s strong bands (LSB 458)
Now, my tongue, the myst’ry telling (LSB 630)
Why should cross and trial grieve me (LSB 756)
At the Lamb’s high feast we sing (LSB 633)
Hymn of Departure / Catechetical Hymn of the Week
All who believe and are baptized (LSB 601)
Alternative Hymns
All Christians who have been baptized (LSB 596)
Feed Thy children, God most holy (LSB 774)
Jesus, grant that balm and healing (LSB 421)
Lord Jesus Christ, with us abide (LSB 585)
Lord, keep us steadfast in Your Word (LSB 655)
Lord, open now my heart to hear (LSB 908)
O God of God, O Light of Light (LSB 810)
Once in the blest baptismal waters (LSB 598)
The gifts Christ freely gives (LSB 602)
Thee we adore, O hidden Savior (LSB 640)
Thy strong word did cleave the darkness (LSB 578)
Who are you who walk in sorrow (LSB 476)
Fourth Sunday of Easter
Acts 2:42–47
1 Peter 2:19–25
John 10:1–10
Hymn of Invocation
O little flock, fear not the foe (LSB 666)
Hymn of the Day
The King of love my shepherd is (LSB 709)
Offertory Hymn
Sing praise to God, the highest good (LSB 819)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
Rejoice, my heart, be glad and sing (LSB 737)
Shepherd of tender youth (LSB 864) (Catechetical)
Behold a host, arrayed in white (LSB 676)
Jesus, Thy boundless love to me (LSB 683)
Hymn of Departure
I am Jesus’ little lamb (LSB 740)
Alternative Hymns
Crown Him with many crowns (LSB 525)
Hail, Thou once despised Jesus (LSB 531)
Have no fear, little flock (LSB 735)
Jesus, grant that balm and healing (LSB 421)
Let us ever walk with Jesus (LSB 685)
Lord, enthroned in heav’nly splendor (LSB 534)
Lord Jesus Christ, life-giving bread (LSB 625)
O Holy Spirit, grant us grace (LSB 693)
The gifts Christ freely gives (LSB 602)
Water, blood, and Spirit crying (LSB 597)
Where charity and love prevail (LSB 845)
Why should cross and trial grieve me (LSB 756)
Fifth Sunday of Easter
Acts 6:1–9; 7:2a, 51–60
1 Peter 2:2–10
John 14:1–14
Hymn of Invocation
To God the Holy Spirit let us pray (LSB 768)
Hymn of the Day / Catechetical Hymn of the Week
At the Lamb’s high feast we sing (LSB 633)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest (LSB 498)
Built on the Rock the Church shall stand (LSB 645)
O Holy Spirit, grant us grace (LSB 693)
Lord, Thee I love with all my heart (LSB 708)
Hymn of Departure
Oh, how blest are they whose toils are ended (LSB 679)
Alternative Hymns
Alleluia! Let praises ring (LSB 822)
Awake, my heart, with gladness (LSB 467)
Christ is made the sure foundation (LSB 909)
Christ is our cornerstone (LSB 912)
Christ sits at God’s right hand (LSB 564)
Church of God, elect and glorious (LSB 646)
Evening and morning (LSB 726)
Jesus, Thy boundless love to me (LSB 683)
Praise the Almighty, my soul, adore Him (LSB 797)
The Church’s one foundation (LSB 644)
The Son of God goes forth to war (LSB 661)
You are the way; through You alone (LSB 526)
Sixth Sunday of Easter
Acts 17:16–31
1 Peter 3:13–22
John 14:15–21
Hymn of Invocation
Lord, keep us steadfast in Your Word (LSB 655)
Hymn of the Day
Dear Christians, one and all, rejoice (LSB 556)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
Sing with all the saints in glory (LSB 671)
Rise, my soul, to watch and pray (LSB 663)
Our Father, who from heav’n above (LSB 766)
O Lord, we praise Thee (LSB 617)
Hymn of Departure / Catechetical Hymn of the Week
Thanks to Thee, O Christ, victorious (LSB 548)
Alternative Hymns
Alleluia! Sing to Jesus (LSB 821)
Come down, O Love divine (LSB 501)
Eternal Spirit of the living Christ (LSB 769)
Father most holy, merciful and tender (LSB 504)
God’s own child, I gladly say it (LSB 594)
Hear us, Father, when we pray (LSB 773)
Jesus, Thy boundless love to me (LSB 683)
Once in the blest baptismal waters (LSB 598)
Seek where you may to find a way (LSB 557)
The day is surely drawing near (LSB 508)
Thy strong word did cleave the darkness (LSB 578)
We know that Christ is raised (LSB 603)
The Ascension of Our Lord
Acts 1:1–11
Ephesians 1:15–23
Luke 24:44–53
Processional Hymn
Hail thee, festival day (LSB 489)
Hymn of the Day / Catechetical Hymn of the Week
Up through endless ranks of angels (LSB 491)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
A hymn of glory let us sing (LSB 493)
Christ sits at God’s right hand (LSB 564)
The gifts Christ freely gives (LSB 602)
Alleluia! Sing to Jesus (LSB 821)
Processional Out
See, the Lord ascends in triumph (LSB 494)
Alternative Hymns
All praise to Thee, for Thou, O King divine (LSB 815)
At the name of Jesus (LSB 512)
Christ is the world’s Redeemer (LSB 539)
Crown Him with many crowns (LSB 525)
Draw us to Thee (LSB 701)
Look, ye saints, the sight is glorious (LSB 495)
Lord, enthroned in heav’nly splendor (LSB 534)
O Christ, our hope, our hearts’ desire (LSB 553)
Praise be to Christ in whom we see (LSB 538)
Sing with all the saints in glory (LSB 671)
The Head that once was crowned with thorns (LSB 532)
Thine the amen, Thine the praise (LSB 680)
Seventh Sunday of Easter
Acts 1:12–26
1 Peter 4:12–19; 5:6–11
John 17:1–11
Hymn of Invocation / Catechetical Hymn of the Week
Christ sits at God’s right hand (LSB 564)
Hymn of the Day
Christ is the world’s Redeemer (LSB 539)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
O love, how deep, how broad, how high (LSB 544)
O Morning Star, how fair and bright (LSB 395)
I walk in danger all the way (LSB 716)
God’s own child, I gladly say it (LSB 594)
Hymn of Departure
Since our great High Priest, Christ Jesus (LSB 529)
Alternative Hymns
Alleluia! Sing to Jesus (LSB 821)
Awake, my heart, with gladness (LSB 467)
Draw us to Thee (LSB 701)
Entrust your days and burdens (LSB 754)
Hear us, Father, when we pray (LSB 773)
I know my faith is founded (LSB 587)
If God Himself be for me (LSB 724)
O Christ, our hope, our hearts’ desire (LSB 553)
O God, my faithful God (LSB 696)
The Head that once was crowned with thorns (LSB 532)
Up through endless ranks of angels (LSB 491)
What is the world to me (LSB 730)
Acts 2:14a, 36–41
1 Peter 1:17–25
Luke 24:13–35
Hymn of Invocation
Send, O Lord, Your Holy Spirit (LSB 681)
Hymn of the Day
With high delight let us unite (LSB 483)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
Christ Jesus lay in death’s strong bands (LSB 458)
Now, my tongue, the myst’ry telling (LSB 630)
Why should cross and trial grieve me (LSB 756)
At the Lamb’s high feast we sing (LSB 633)
Hymn of Departure / Catechetical Hymn of the Week
All who believe and are baptized (LSB 601)
Alternative Hymns
All Christians who have been baptized (LSB 596)
Feed Thy children, God most holy (LSB 774)
Jesus, grant that balm and healing (LSB 421)
Lord Jesus Christ, with us abide (LSB 585)
Lord, keep us steadfast in Your Word (LSB 655)
Lord, open now my heart to hear (LSB 908)
O God of God, O Light of Light (LSB 810)
Once in the blest baptismal waters (LSB 598)
The gifts Christ freely gives (LSB 602)
Thee we adore, O hidden Savior (LSB 640)
Thy strong word did cleave the darkness (LSB 578)
Who are you who walk in sorrow (LSB 476)
Fourth Sunday of Easter
Acts 2:42–47
1 Peter 2:19–25
John 10:1–10
Hymn of Invocation
O little flock, fear not the foe (LSB 666)
Hymn of the Day
The King of love my shepherd is (LSB 709)
Offertory Hymn
Sing praise to God, the highest good (LSB 819)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
Rejoice, my heart, be glad and sing (LSB 737)
Shepherd of tender youth (LSB 864) (Catechetical)
Behold a host, arrayed in white (LSB 676)
Jesus, Thy boundless love to me (LSB 683)
Hymn of Departure
I am Jesus’ little lamb (LSB 740)
Alternative Hymns
Crown Him with many crowns (LSB 525)
Hail, Thou once despised Jesus (LSB 531)
Have no fear, little flock (LSB 735)
Jesus, grant that balm and healing (LSB 421)
Let us ever walk with Jesus (LSB 685)
Lord, enthroned in heav’nly splendor (LSB 534)
Lord Jesus Christ, life-giving bread (LSB 625)
O Holy Spirit, grant us grace (LSB 693)
The gifts Christ freely gives (LSB 602)
Water, blood, and Spirit crying (LSB 597)
Where charity and love prevail (LSB 845)
Why should cross and trial grieve me (LSB 756)
Fifth Sunday of Easter
Acts 6:1–9; 7:2a, 51–60
1 Peter 2:2–10
John 14:1–14
Hymn of Invocation
To God the Holy Spirit let us pray (LSB 768)
Hymn of the Day / Catechetical Hymn of the Week
At the Lamb’s high feast we sing (LSB 633)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest (LSB 498)
Built on the Rock the Church shall stand (LSB 645)
O Holy Spirit, grant us grace (LSB 693)
Lord, Thee I love with all my heart (LSB 708)
Hymn of Departure
Oh, how blest are they whose toils are ended (LSB 679)
Alternative Hymns
Alleluia! Let praises ring (LSB 822)
Awake, my heart, with gladness (LSB 467)
Christ is made the sure foundation (LSB 909)
Christ is our cornerstone (LSB 912)
Christ sits at God’s right hand (LSB 564)
Church of God, elect and glorious (LSB 646)
Evening and morning (LSB 726)
Jesus, Thy boundless love to me (LSB 683)
Praise the Almighty, my soul, adore Him (LSB 797)
The Church’s one foundation (LSB 644)
The Son of God goes forth to war (LSB 661)
You are the way; through You alone (LSB 526)
Sixth Sunday of Easter
Acts 17:16–31
1 Peter 3:13–22
John 14:15–21
Hymn of Invocation
Lord, keep us steadfast in Your Word (LSB 655)
Hymn of the Day
Dear Christians, one and all, rejoice (LSB 556)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
Sing with all the saints in glory (LSB 671)
Rise, my soul, to watch and pray (LSB 663)
Our Father, who from heav’n above (LSB 766)
O Lord, we praise Thee (LSB 617)
Hymn of Departure / Catechetical Hymn of the Week
Thanks to Thee, O Christ, victorious (LSB 548)
Alternative Hymns
Alleluia! Sing to Jesus (LSB 821)
Come down, O Love divine (LSB 501)
Eternal Spirit of the living Christ (LSB 769)
Father most holy, merciful and tender (LSB 504)
God’s own child, I gladly say it (LSB 594)
Hear us, Father, when we pray (LSB 773)
Jesus, Thy boundless love to me (LSB 683)
Once in the blest baptismal waters (LSB 598)
Seek where you may to find a way (LSB 557)
The day is surely drawing near (LSB 508)
Thy strong word did cleave the darkness (LSB 578)
We know that Christ is raised (LSB 603)
The Ascension of Our Lord
Acts 1:1–11
Ephesians 1:15–23
Luke 24:44–53
Processional Hymn
Hail thee, festival day (LSB 489)
Hymn of the Day / Catechetical Hymn of the Week
Up through endless ranks of angels (LSB 491)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
A hymn of glory let us sing (LSB 493)
Christ sits at God’s right hand (LSB 564)
The gifts Christ freely gives (LSB 602)
Alleluia! Sing to Jesus (LSB 821)
Processional Out
See, the Lord ascends in triumph (LSB 494)
Alternative Hymns
All praise to Thee, for Thou, O King divine (LSB 815)
At the name of Jesus (LSB 512)
Christ is the world’s Redeemer (LSB 539)
Crown Him with many crowns (LSB 525)
Draw us to Thee (LSB 701)
Look, ye saints, the sight is glorious (LSB 495)
Lord, enthroned in heav’nly splendor (LSB 534)
O Christ, our hope, our hearts’ desire (LSB 553)
Praise be to Christ in whom we see (LSB 538)
Sing with all the saints in glory (LSB 671)
The Head that once was crowned with thorns (LSB 532)
Thine the amen, Thine the praise (LSB 680)
Seventh Sunday of Easter
Acts 1:12–26
1 Peter 4:12–19; 5:6–11
John 17:1–11
Hymn of Invocation / Catechetical Hymn of the Week
Christ sits at God’s right hand (LSB 564)
Hymn of the Day
Christ is the world’s Redeemer (LSB 539)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
O love, how deep, how broad, how high (LSB 544)
O Morning Star, how fair and bright (LSB 395)
I walk in danger all the way (LSB 716)
God’s own child, I gladly say it (LSB 594)
Hymn of Departure
Since our great High Priest, Christ Jesus (LSB 529)
Alternative Hymns
Alleluia! Sing to Jesus (LSB 821)
Awake, my heart, with gladness (LSB 467)
Draw us to Thee (LSB 701)
Entrust your days and burdens (LSB 754)
Hear us, Father, when we pray (LSB 773)
I know my faith is founded (LSB 587)
If God Himself be for me (LSB 724)
O Christ, our hope, our hearts’ desire (LSB 553)
O God, my faithful God (LSB 696)
The Head that once was crowned with thorns (LSB 532)
Up through endless ranks of angels (LSB 491)
What is the world to me (LSB 730)
13 March 2008
The Sign of the Cross in the Holy Place
For the Sixth Friday in Lent (St. Matthew 24:15-31)
Everything hinges on the Cross. Life, the universe and everything. All of time and space center in the Cross and find their heart and meaning there. Heaven and earth and all that is in them, all of creation, and your life, too, depend upon the Cross.
None of these things can properly be understood apart from the Cross. Nor will any of it survive apart from the Cross. Every bit of it is either put to death by the Cross, in order to live, or judged forever outside of the Cross, unto eternal death. You either die to live, or you're living to die.
The sign of the Cross is a mark of the Church on earth and of the Christian life. Not simply as artwork or jewelry, nor only as a pious personal ceremony, but tribulation and suffering within and without. It is the daily death of the old Adam by contrition and repentance, and relentless persecution by the devil and the world.
You have been taught to love and adore the Cross of Christ, and rightly so. But it remains an abomination of desolation in the Temple of God; for it is the full realization of the curse of sin and death, and of God's righteous wrath and judgment. It is the Cross that descrates the old, in order to make all things new.
That is the paradox of Christianity — the paradox of God Himself — which is entirely foolish and utterly counter-intuitive to the wisdom of sinful man. It makes no sense at all to you apart from the preaching of the Gospel, which is the forgiveness of sins by the Word and Spirit of Christ Jesus.
That is why Christ sends His messengers to you now — as He will send out His angels then — to gather His elect from the four winds, to call disciples from all the nations — by the ways and means of the Cross. By the Word of the Cross, which is the preaching of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
But there are also a host of false christs and false prophets, who go out into all the world preaching a false "gospel," one that is not defined and shaped by the painful Cross, but by impressive signs and wonders.
Do not listen to them. Do not be misled.
What is more, do not horde or grasp or cling to any of the wealth and wisdom of this world. Even the Lord's good gifts and blessings of your home and family must finally give way and be let go. Indeed, all of nature, the heavens and the earth, the sun, moon and stars, all of it will pass away.
Therefore, repent of your misplaced fear, love and trust in whatever is not God. Repent of whatever is not Christ. For only Christ and His Word of the Cross remain forever and ever.
It is His Cross, remember that. Your life and salvation do not depend upon your suffering and death, but His; not what you bear and carry, but Him. It is His Cross and Passion, His suffering and death, which have fulfilled and established all of creation, and your salvation.
His Cross is laid upon you, then, not to crush you and destroy you, but to save you, to give you life. So does He here feed you with the fruits of His Cross. Here your sins are forgiven, so that, by His tribulation, you abide in His House forever.
In the Name + of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Everything hinges on the Cross. Life, the universe and everything. All of time and space center in the Cross and find their heart and meaning there. Heaven and earth and all that is in them, all of creation, and your life, too, depend upon the Cross.
None of these things can properly be understood apart from the Cross. Nor will any of it survive apart from the Cross. Every bit of it is either put to death by the Cross, in order to live, or judged forever outside of the Cross, unto eternal death. You either die to live, or you're living to die.
The sign of the Cross is a mark of the Church on earth and of the Christian life. Not simply as artwork or jewelry, nor only as a pious personal ceremony, but tribulation and suffering within and without. It is the daily death of the old Adam by contrition and repentance, and relentless persecution by the devil and the world.
You have been taught to love and adore the Cross of Christ, and rightly so. But it remains an abomination of desolation in the Temple of God; for it is the full realization of the curse of sin and death, and of God's righteous wrath and judgment. It is the Cross that descrates the old, in order to make all things new.
That is the paradox of Christianity — the paradox of God Himself — which is entirely foolish and utterly counter-intuitive to the wisdom of sinful man. It makes no sense at all to you apart from the preaching of the Gospel, which is the forgiveness of sins by the Word and Spirit of Christ Jesus.
That is why Christ sends His messengers to you now — as He will send out His angels then — to gather His elect from the four winds, to call disciples from all the nations — by the ways and means of the Cross. By the Word of the Cross, which is the preaching of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
But there are also a host of false christs and false prophets, who go out into all the world preaching a false "gospel," one that is not defined and shaped by the painful Cross, but by impressive signs and wonders.
Do not listen to them. Do not be misled.
What is more, do not horde or grasp or cling to any of the wealth and wisdom of this world. Even the Lord's good gifts and blessings of your home and family must finally give way and be let go. Indeed, all of nature, the heavens and the earth, the sun, moon and stars, all of it will pass away.
Therefore, repent of your misplaced fear, love and trust in whatever is not God. Repent of whatever is not Christ. For only Christ and His Word of the Cross remain forever and ever.
It is His Cross, remember that. Your life and salvation do not depend upon your suffering and death, but His; not what you bear and carry, but Him. It is His Cross and Passion, His suffering and death, which have fulfilled and established all of creation, and your salvation.
His Cross is laid upon you, then, not to crush you and destroy you, but to save you, to give you life. So does He here feed you with the fruits of His Cross. Here your sins are forgiven, so that, by His tribulation, you abide in His House forever.
In the Name + of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Hymns for the First Octave of Easter Series A
The Resurrection of Our Lord
Easter Vigil
Genesis 1:1—2:3 (The Creation)
Genesis 7:1–5, 11–18; 8:6–18; 9:8–13 (The Flood)
Genesis 22:1–18 (The Testing of Abraham)
Exodus 14:10—15:1 (Israel’s Deliverance at the Red Sea)
Canticle: Song of Moses and Israel (LSB 925)
Isaiah 55:1–11 (Salvation Offered Freely to All)
Ezekiel 36:24–28 (A New Heart and a New Spirit)
Job 19:20–27 (Job Confesses the Redeemer)
Jonah 3:1–10 (Jonah Preaches to Nineveh)
Daniel 3:1–30 (The Fiery Furnace)
Canticle: All You Works of the Lord (LSB 931)
Romans 6:1–11 (Remembrance and Affirmation of Holy Baptism)
Hymn of Praise: Gloria in Excelsis Deo (LSB 154; 170; or 187)
Mark 16:1–8
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
Come, you faithful, raise the strain (LSB 487)
Our Paschal Lamb, that sets us free (LSB 473)
At the Lamb’s high feast we sing (LSB 633)
Processional Out
All the earth with joy is sounding (LSB 462)
Alternative Hymns
Christ is arisen (LSB 459)
Christ Jesus lay in death’s strong bands (LSB 458)
He is arisen! Glorious Word (LSB 488)
Jesus lives! The vict’ry’s won (LSB 490)
Now all the vault of heav’n resounds (LSB 465)
The day of resurrection (LSB 478)
The strife is o’er, the battle done (LSB 464)
With high delight let us unite (LSB 483)
The Resurrection of Our Lord
Easter Sunrise
Exodus 14:10–15:1
1 Corinthians 15:1–11
John 20:1–18
Divine Service, Setting Five (LSB 213–218)
Entrance Hymn
Christ the Lord is risen today; Alleluia (LSB 463)
Kyrie Hymn
Kyrie! God, Father in heav’n above (LSB 942)
Gloria Hymn
All glory be to God on high (LSB 947)
Gradual Hymn
He is arisen! Glorious Word (LSB 488)
Hymn of the Day / Catechetical Hymn of the Week
Awake, my heart, with gladness (LSB 467)
Creedal Hymn
We all believe in one true God (LSB 954)
Offertory Hymn
The day of resurrection (LSB 478)
Sanctus Hymn
Isaiah, mighty seer in days of old (LSB 960)
Agnus Dei
O Christ, Thou Lamb of God (LSB 198)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
Come, you faithful, raise the strain (LSB 487)
I know that my Redeemer lives (LSB 461)
This joyful Eastertide (LSB 482)
I am content! My Jesus ever lives (LSB 468)
Post-Communion Hymn
Thanks to Thee, O Christ, victorious (LSB 548)
Processional Out
The strife is o’er, the battle done (LSB 464)
Alternative Hymns
All the earth with joy is sounding (LSB 462)
Christ is arisen (LSB 459)
Christ Jesus lay in death’s strong bands (LSB 458)
Jesus Christ is ris’n today (LSB 457)
Jesus Christ, my sure defense (LSB 741)
Jesus lives! The vict’ry’s won (LSB 490)
Now all the vault of heav’n resounds (LSB 465)
With high delight let us unite (LSB 483)
The Resurrection of Our Lord
Easter Day
Acts 10:34–43
Colossians 3:1–4 (5–7)
Matthew 28:1–10
Processional Hymn
Hail thee, festival day (LSB 489)
Sequence Hymn
Christians, to the Paschal Victim (LSB 460)
Hymn of the Day
Christ Jesus lay in death’s strong bands (LSB 458)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
Awake, my heart, with gladness (LSB 467) (Catechetical)
With high delight let us unite (LSB 483)
Jesus Christ, my sure defense (LSB 741)
At the Lamb’s high feast we sing (LSB 633)
Processional Out
Jesus Christ is ris’n today (LSB 457)
Alternative Hymns
All the earth with joy is sounding (LSB 462)
Christ has arisen, Alleluia (LSB 466)
Jesus lives! The vict’ry’s won (LSB 490)
Now all the vault of heav’n resounds (LSB 465)
O love, how deep, how broad, how high (LSB 544)
Thanks to Thee, O Christ, victorious (LSB 548)
This joyful Eastertide (LSB 482)
We know that Christ is raised (LSB 603)
The Resurrection of Our Lord
Easter Monday
Daniel 12:1c–3
1 Corinthians 5:6b–8
Luke 24:13–35
Processional Hymn / Hymn of Invocation
Come, you faithful, raise the strain (LSB 487)
Hymn of the Day
Christ the Lord is risen today; Alleluia (LSB 463)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
Who are you who walk in sorrow (LSB 476)
Our Paschal Lamb, that sets us free (LSB 473)
The day of resurrection (LSB 478)
Processional Out / Hymn of Departure
Lord Jesus Christ, with us abide (LSB 585)
Alternative Hymns
Abide with me, fast falls the eventide (LSB 878)
All people that on earth do dwell (LSB 791)
All the earth with joy is sounding (LSB 462)
Awake, my heart, with gladness (LSB 467)
Christ Jesus lay in death’s strong bands (LSB 458)
Now rest beneath night’s shadow (LSB 880)
O love, how deep, how broad, how high (LSB 544)
Oh, what their joy and their glory must be (LSB 675)
Thanks to Thee, O Christ, victorious (LSB 548)
The strife is o’er, the battle done (LSB 464)
The Resurrection of Our Lord
Easter Tuesday
Daniel 3:8–28
Acts 13:26–33
Luke 24:36–49
Processional Hymn / Hymn of Invocation
Awake, my heart, with gladness (LSB 467)
Hymn of the Day
Jesus lives! The vict’ry’s won (LSB 490)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
I am content! My Jesus ever lives (LSB 468)
All praise to Thee, for Thou, O King divine (LSB 815)
All you works of God, bless the Lord (LSB 930)
Processional Out / Hymn of Departure
With high delight let us unite (LSB 483)
Alternative Hymns
All who believe and are baptized (LSB 601)
Baptismal waters cover me (LSB 616)
Feed Thy children, God most holy (LSB 774)
Grant peace, we pray, in mercy, Lord (LSB 777)
Jesus, grant that balm and healing (LSB 421)
Now all the vault of heav’n resounds (LSB 465)
The strife is o’er, the battle done (LSB 464)
This joyful Eastertide (LSB 482)
We are called to stand together (LSB 828)
We know that Christ is raised (LSB 603)
The Resurrection of Our Lord
Easter Wednesday
Acts 3:1–10
1 Corinthians 11:23–26
John 21:1–14
Processional Hymn / Hymn of Invocation
Christ Jesus lay in death’s strong bands (LSB 458)
Hymn of the Day
Long before the world is waking (LSB 485)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
Now, my tongue, the myst’ry telling (LSB 630)
All the earth with joy is sounding (LSB 462)
At the Lamb’s high feast we sing (LSB 633)
Processional Out / Hymn of Departure
The strife is o’er, the battle done (LSB 464)
Alternative Hymns
Awake, my heart, with gladness (LSB 467)
Feed Thy children, God most holy (LSB 774)
In Thee is gladness (LSB 818)
Let all mortal flesh keep silence (LSB 621)
Lord Jesus Christ, life-giving bread (LSB 625)
Lord Jesus Christ, with us abide (LSB 585)
Once in the blest baptismal waters (LSB 598)
Soul, adorn yourself with gladness (LSB 636)
Wide open stand the gates (LSB 639)
With high delight let us unite (LSB 483)
The Resurrection of Our Lord
Easter Thursday
Psalm 8:1–8 (antiphon: v. 9)
Acts 3:11–26
John 21:15–19
Hymn of the Day
At the Lamb’s high feast we sing (LSB 633)
Alternative Hymns
Awake, my heart, with gladness (LSB 467)
Feed Thy children, God most holy (LSB 774)
In Thee is gladness (LSB 818)
Jesus, grant that balm and healing (LSB 421)
Jesus, Thy boundless love to me (LSB 683)
Let us ever walk with Jesus (LSB 685)
Shepherd of tender youth (LSB 864)
Since our great High Priest, Christ Jesus (LSB 529)
Son of God, eternal Savior (LSB 842)
The gifts Christ freely gives (LSB 602)
The Resurrection of Our Lord
Easter Friday
Psalm 118:22–29 (antiphon: vv. 1–2)
Acts 4:1–12
Luke 24:1–12
Hymn of the Day
Awake, my heart, with gladness (LSB 467)
Alternative Hymns
All hail the pow’r of Jesus’ name (LSB 549)
All the earth with joy is sounding (LSB 462)
At the Lamb’s high feast we sing (LSB 633)
Christ has arisen, Alleluia (LSB 466)
Hail, Thou once despised Jesus (LSB 531)
Jesus Christ is ris’n today (LSB 457)
Jesus Christ, my sure defense (LSB 741)
Now all the vault of heav’n resounds (LSB 465)
This joyful Eastertide (LSB 482)
With high delight let us unite (LSB 483)
The Resurrection of Our Lord
Easter Saturday
Psalm 118:14–21 (antiphon: vv. 1, 5)
Acts 4:13–21
Mark 16:9–18
Hymn of the Day
Thanks to Thee, O Christ, victorious (LSB 548)
Alternative Hymns
All Christians who have been baptized (LSB 596)
All who believe and are baptized (LSB 601)
Awake, my heart, with gladness (LSB 467)
May God bestow on us His grace (LSB 823)
O God, O Lord of heaven and earth (LSB 834)
Once in the blest baptismal waters (LSB 598)
Rise, shine, you people (LSB 825)
We are called to stand together (LSB 828)
We know that Christ is raised (LSB 603)
With high delight let us unite (LSB 483)
Second Sunday of Easter
Acts 5:29–42
1 Peter 1:3–9
John 20:19–31
Processional Hymn
All Christians who have been baptized (LSB 596)
Sequence Hymn
Christians, to the Paschal Victim (LSB 460)
Hymn of the Day / Catechetical Hymn of the Week
O sons and daughters of the King (LSB 470)
Offertory Hymn
Thee we adore, O hidden Savior (LSB 640)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
These things did Thomas count as real (LSB 472)
Jesus, grant that balm and healing (LSB 421)
Awake, my heart, with gladness (LSB 467)
Come, you faithful, raise the strain (LSB 487)
Processional Out
Lo! He comes with clouds descending (LSB 336)
Alternative Hymns
"As surely as I live," God said (LSB 614)
Baptismal waters cover me (LSB 616)
Christ sits at God’s right hand (LSB 564)
I know my faith is founded (LSB 587)
In Thee is gladness (LSB 818)
Jesus Christ, my sure defense (LSB 741)
Jesus lives! The vict’ry’s won (LSB 490)
Jesus, priceless treasure (LSB 743)
O Christ, our hope, our hearts’ desire (LSB 553)
O God, O Lord of heaven and earth (LSB 834)
The strife is o’er, the battle done (LSB 464)
This joyful Eastertide (LSB 482)
Easter Vigil
Genesis 1:1—2:3 (The Creation)
Genesis 7:1–5, 11–18; 8:6–18; 9:8–13 (The Flood)
Genesis 22:1–18 (The Testing of Abraham)
Exodus 14:10—15:1 (Israel’s Deliverance at the Red Sea)
Canticle: Song of Moses and Israel (LSB 925)
Isaiah 55:1–11 (Salvation Offered Freely to All)
Ezekiel 36:24–28 (A New Heart and a New Spirit)
Job 19:20–27 (Job Confesses the Redeemer)
Jonah 3:1–10 (Jonah Preaches to Nineveh)
Daniel 3:1–30 (The Fiery Furnace)
Canticle: All You Works of the Lord (LSB 931)
Romans 6:1–11 (Remembrance and Affirmation of Holy Baptism)
Hymn of Praise: Gloria in Excelsis Deo (LSB 154; 170; or 187)
Mark 16:1–8
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
Come, you faithful, raise the strain (LSB 487)
Our Paschal Lamb, that sets us free (LSB 473)
At the Lamb’s high feast we sing (LSB 633)
Processional Out
All the earth with joy is sounding (LSB 462)
Alternative Hymns
Christ is arisen (LSB 459)
Christ Jesus lay in death’s strong bands (LSB 458)
He is arisen! Glorious Word (LSB 488)
Jesus lives! The vict’ry’s won (LSB 490)
Now all the vault of heav’n resounds (LSB 465)
The day of resurrection (LSB 478)
The strife is o’er, the battle done (LSB 464)
With high delight let us unite (LSB 483)
The Resurrection of Our Lord
Easter Sunrise
Exodus 14:10–15:1
1 Corinthians 15:1–11
John 20:1–18
Divine Service, Setting Five (LSB 213–218)
Entrance Hymn
Christ the Lord is risen today; Alleluia (LSB 463)
Kyrie Hymn
Kyrie! God, Father in heav’n above (LSB 942)
Gloria Hymn
All glory be to God on high (LSB 947)
Gradual Hymn
He is arisen! Glorious Word (LSB 488)
Hymn of the Day / Catechetical Hymn of the Week
Awake, my heart, with gladness (LSB 467)
Creedal Hymn
We all believe in one true God (LSB 954)
Offertory Hymn
The day of resurrection (LSB 478)
Sanctus Hymn
Isaiah, mighty seer in days of old (LSB 960)
Agnus Dei
O Christ, Thou Lamb of God (LSB 198)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
Come, you faithful, raise the strain (LSB 487)
I know that my Redeemer lives (LSB 461)
This joyful Eastertide (LSB 482)
I am content! My Jesus ever lives (LSB 468)
Post-Communion Hymn
Thanks to Thee, O Christ, victorious (LSB 548)
Processional Out
The strife is o’er, the battle done (LSB 464)
Alternative Hymns
All the earth with joy is sounding (LSB 462)
Christ is arisen (LSB 459)
Christ Jesus lay in death’s strong bands (LSB 458)
Jesus Christ is ris’n today (LSB 457)
Jesus Christ, my sure defense (LSB 741)
Jesus lives! The vict’ry’s won (LSB 490)
Now all the vault of heav’n resounds (LSB 465)
With high delight let us unite (LSB 483)
The Resurrection of Our Lord
Easter Day
Acts 10:34–43
Colossians 3:1–4 (5–7)
Matthew 28:1–10
Processional Hymn
Hail thee, festival day (LSB 489)
Sequence Hymn
Christians, to the Paschal Victim (LSB 460)
Hymn of the Day
Christ Jesus lay in death’s strong bands (LSB 458)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
Awake, my heart, with gladness (LSB 467) (Catechetical)
With high delight let us unite (LSB 483)
Jesus Christ, my sure defense (LSB 741)
At the Lamb’s high feast we sing (LSB 633)
Processional Out
Jesus Christ is ris’n today (LSB 457)
Alternative Hymns
All the earth with joy is sounding (LSB 462)
Christ has arisen, Alleluia (LSB 466)
Jesus lives! The vict’ry’s won (LSB 490)
Now all the vault of heav’n resounds (LSB 465)
O love, how deep, how broad, how high (LSB 544)
Thanks to Thee, O Christ, victorious (LSB 548)
This joyful Eastertide (LSB 482)
We know that Christ is raised (LSB 603)
The Resurrection of Our Lord
Easter Monday
Daniel 12:1c–3
1 Corinthians 5:6b–8
Luke 24:13–35
Processional Hymn / Hymn of Invocation
Come, you faithful, raise the strain (LSB 487)
Hymn of the Day
Christ the Lord is risen today; Alleluia (LSB 463)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
Who are you who walk in sorrow (LSB 476)
Our Paschal Lamb, that sets us free (LSB 473)
The day of resurrection (LSB 478)
Processional Out / Hymn of Departure
Lord Jesus Christ, with us abide (LSB 585)
Alternative Hymns
Abide with me, fast falls the eventide (LSB 878)
All people that on earth do dwell (LSB 791)
All the earth with joy is sounding (LSB 462)
Awake, my heart, with gladness (LSB 467)
Christ Jesus lay in death’s strong bands (LSB 458)
Now rest beneath night’s shadow (LSB 880)
O love, how deep, how broad, how high (LSB 544)
Oh, what their joy and their glory must be (LSB 675)
Thanks to Thee, O Christ, victorious (LSB 548)
The strife is o’er, the battle done (LSB 464)
The Resurrection of Our Lord
Easter Tuesday
Daniel 3:8–28
Acts 13:26–33
Luke 24:36–49
Processional Hymn / Hymn of Invocation
Awake, my heart, with gladness (LSB 467)
Hymn of the Day
Jesus lives! The vict’ry’s won (LSB 490)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
I am content! My Jesus ever lives (LSB 468)
All praise to Thee, for Thou, O King divine (LSB 815)
All you works of God, bless the Lord (LSB 930)
Processional Out / Hymn of Departure
With high delight let us unite (LSB 483)
Alternative Hymns
All who believe and are baptized (LSB 601)
Baptismal waters cover me (LSB 616)
Feed Thy children, God most holy (LSB 774)
Grant peace, we pray, in mercy, Lord (LSB 777)
Jesus, grant that balm and healing (LSB 421)
Now all the vault of heav’n resounds (LSB 465)
The strife is o’er, the battle done (LSB 464)
This joyful Eastertide (LSB 482)
We are called to stand together (LSB 828)
We know that Christ is raised (LSB 603)
The Resurrection of Our Lord
Easter Wednesday
Acts 3:1–10
1 Corinthians 11:23–26
John 21:1–14
Processional Hymn / Hymn of Invocation
Christ Jesus lay in death’s strong bands (LSB 458)
Hymn of the Day
Long before the world is waking (LSB 485)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
Now, my tongue, the myst’ry telling (LSB 630)
All the earth with joy is sounding (LSB 462)
At the Lamb’s high feast we sing (LSB 633)
Processional Out / Hymn of Departure
The strife is o’er, the battle done (LSB 464)
Alternative Hymns
Awake, my heart, with gladness (LSB 467)
Feed Thy children, God most holy (LSB 774)
In Thee is gladness (LSB 818)
Let all mortal flesh keep silence (LSB 621)
Lord Jesus Christ, life-giving bread (LSB 625)
Lord Jesus Christ, with us abide (LSB 585)
Once in the blest baptismal waters (LSB 598)
Soul, adorn yourself with gladness (LSB 636)
Wide open stand the gates (LSB 639)
With high delight let us unite (LSB 483)
The Resurrection of Our Lord
Easter Thursday
Psalm 8:1–8 (antiphon: v. 9)
Acts 3:11–26
John 21:15–19
Hymn of the Day
At the Lamb’s high feast we sing (LSB 633)
Alternative Hymns
Awake, my heart, with gladness (LSB 467)
Feed Thy children, God most holy (LSB 774)
In Thee is gladness (LSB 818)
Jesus, grant that balm and healing (LSB 421)
Jesus, Thy boundless love to me (LSB 683)
Let us ever walk with Jesus (LSB 685)
Shepherd of tender youth (LSB 864)
Since our great High Priest, Christ Jesus (LSB 529)
Son of God, eternal Savior (LSB 842)
The gifts Christ freely gives (LSB 602)
The Resurrection of Our Lord
Easter Friday
Psalm 118:22–29 (antiphon: vv. 1–2)
Acts 4:1–12
Luke 24:1–12
Hymn of the Day
Awake, my heart, with gladness (LSB 467)
Alternative Hymns
All hail the pow’r of Jesus’ name (LSB 549)
All the earth with joy is sounding (LSB 462)
At the Lamb’s high feast we sing (LSB 633)
Christ has arisen, Alleluia (LSB 466)
Hail, Thou once despised Jesus (LSB 531)
Jesus Christ is ris’n today (LSB 457)
Jesus Christ, my sure defense (LSB 741)
Now all the vault of heav’n resounds (LSB 465)
This joyful Eastertide (LSB 482)
With high delight let us unite (LSB 483)
The Resurrection of Our Lord
Easter Saturday
Psalm 118:14–21 (antiphon: vv. 1, 5)
Acts 4:13–21
Mark 16:9–18
Hymn of the Day
Thanks to Thee, O Christ, victorious (LSB 548)
Alternative Hymns
All Christians who have been baptized (LSB 596)
All who believe and are baptized (LSB 601)
Awake, my heart, with gladness (LSB 467)
May God bestow on us His grace (LSB 823)
O God, O Lord of heaven and earth (LSB 834)
Once in the blest baptismal waters (LSB 598)
Rise, shine, you people (LSB 825)
We are called to stand together (LSB 828)
We know that Christ is raised (LSB 603)
With high delight let us unite (LSB 483)
Second Sunday of Easter
Acts 5:29–42
1 Peter 1:3–9
John 20:19–31
Processional Hymn
All Christians who have been baptized (LSB 596)
Sequence Hymn
Christians, to the Paschal Victim (LSB 460)
Hymn of the Day / Catechetical Hymn of the Week
O sons and daughters of the King (LSB 470)
Offertory Hymn
Thee we adore, O hidden Savior (LSB 640)
Hymns for the Distribution of the Holy Communion
These things did Thomas count as real (LSB 472)
Jesus, grant that balm and healing (LSB 421)
Awake, my heart, with gladness (LSB 467)
Come, you faithful, raise the strain (LSB 487)
Processional Out
Lo! He comes with clouds descending (LSB 336)
Alternative Hymns
"As surely as I live," God said (LSB 614)
Baptismal waters cover me (LSB 616)
Christ sits at God’s right hand (LSB 564)
I know my faith is founded (LSB 587)
In Thee is gladness (LSB 818)
Jesus Christ, my sure defense (LSB 741)
Jesus lives! The vict’ry’s won (LSB 490)
Jesus, priceless treasure (LSB 743)
O Christ, our hope, our hearts’ desire (LSB 553)
O God, O Lord of heaven and earth (LSB 834)
The strife is o’er, the battle done (LSB 464)
This joyful Eastertide (LSB 482)
09 March 2008
It Shouldn't Have To Be So Hard
It really shouldn't have to be so hard to find a decent LCMS congregation. There ought to be one near you, wherever you happen to be in this country. In most cases and places, it doesn't appear to be so hard to find an LCMS congregation in the vicinity, or two or three, at least in name. But whether or not those local congregations are worthy of the name, that is the concern. Whether they be, or not they be, that is the question.
I've got several young friends who are doing the college search thing. Like my own two oldest children, these pious young people have made the availability of a faithful congregation among their top priorities in looking at various schools. That they should do so makes me glad. That they should struggle so in their search makes me mad.
I suppose there will be those who might say that, oh, yes, that snooty Pastor Stuckwisch and his parishioners expect everything to be "just so," and they won't ever be satisfied with anything else. "There's just no pleasing some people." Okay, fine. I have high standards when it comes to the Church and Ministry, to the Christian faith and life. I'll always remember the great response that my dear father in Christ, Dr. Weinrich, once gave to some wiseacre who had asked if he was one of those "high church" guys. He said that, yes, he had a very high view of the Church; for she is, after all, the Bride of Christ, and she ought to be treated like a lady. It is often the case that all the wisdom you need can be summarized just that simply. I hope that none of my colleagues took their own brides out to Burger King on Valentine's Day. Why must some of them insist on escorting the Bride of Christ through a fast-food drive-thru?
Notwithstanding my "high church" elitism, I actually make a point of instilling in my parishioners a great deal of evangelical patience and consideration. I work hard at distinguishing betweeen that which is essential, the real heart of the matter, and that which is secondary, neither commanded nor forbidden. If they have listened to me (as most of them do rather well), they know what to look for, what they can tolerate and what they can live without, and what they ought to avoid. Because they are catechized by the Word and Spirit of God, and because they know the Gospel and their Catechism, the Liturgy (both in its essentials and in its Sunday best), and a real hymn when they sing it, I generally don't have to tell them where to go or what to do. I'll certainly answer if they ask, and I'll advise them out of love and concern. The truth is, I'm more likely to encourage a greater level of tolerance than many of my youth are inclined to give. What can I say? The young people of Emmaus have high standards, and they are not timid about asking for the very best when it comes to the things of Christ. It is especially their hunger for the Gospel that gives me hope for the future of Lutheranism.
There are other things that sometimes give me real hope, as well. For example, I found it so refreshing, this past week, to discuss confession and absolution with brothers in Christ in Ohio, without any of the usual "political" trappings. I wasn't there as a "liberal" or "conservative," but as a brother pastor among pastors. And we weren't discussing strategies or tastes, but the Word of God, the Gospel and the means of grace, pastoral care, and the way in which we can be of help and service to each other and to the people of God entrusted to our stewardship of His Mysteries. By and large, I didn't know these guys from Adam, other than as colleagues and peers within the Office of the Ministry and within the fellowship of the LCMS. I doubt that many of them knew much about me either. It was great. We dealt with substance. We spoke to one another candidly, with charity, with genuine give and take, with the Word of God. I drove home thinking that this is really how it ought to be, all the time. Then we'd maybe get somewhere, and the Gospel would be well-served among us to the glory of God in Christ.
To the point at hand: We dealt with the essentials, the heart of the matter. Maybe we were able to do so because we weren't debating the particulars of the Liturgy and its administration. There was no contention, because there was nothing thrust upon us from out of left field. We prayed a morning office and sang a couple hymns out of the Lutheran Service Book. It wasn't the order of service that I might have chosen, and perhaps they weren't the hymns that I would have picked, but I was pleased to be able to pray with my brothers in confidence and peace. The ceremony of the place was different than that of Emmaus, and the personal piety of the brothers there gathered differed from one man to the next, but none of this was troubling or upsetting. The demeanor and decorum were reverent and attentive to the Word of God, and our respective pieties assisted each of us in receiving that Word in faith, responding in prayer. These are among the benefits of using traditional orders of service and a common corpus of hymnody, which those in church fellowship have agreed upon together for their faith and life.
As I have said before, love can tolerate rather a lot in the freedom of faith, so long as the Gospel is given free course and allowed to have its way among us. I stand by my thesis that, where the preaching is gotten right, everything else will find its proper place in time; or, if not, it still won't matter so much anyway. I am convinced that the Gospel is honored and supported by the use of the traditional orders of service, and clearly confessed by good hymnody, and I believe that such things ought to be used in love for the neighbor. As to the rest of the details, I am honestly content to let such things work themselves out by way of genuine pastoral care within each congregational context. Differences in outward ceremony are not the heart of the matter; they are not necessary; they are not deal-breakers. But do preach the Gospel, and by all means let it predominate. Let everything else be bent into the service of the Gospel, including the ceremony. Don't let anything else be calling the shots or running the show.
If one of my own children, or one of my parishioners (who are in many ways like my own dear children), happen to visit another congregation, the pastor in that place had better be preaching the Gospel to them. Brethren, preach the Gospel for the sake of faith; and for love and pity's sake, use the Church's hymns and orders of service, rather than your own. Beyond that, I trust you to be a good and faithful pastor, and I'm not going to give you grief for not doing this or that. I'll admonish my young people to receive you in the name and stead of Christ, to honor and respect you for the sake of your office, to love you for the Gospel that you give them, and to rejoice in the good gifts that you are privileged to bestow upon them on behalf of Christ Jesus. If you don't do those things; if you neglect the preaching of the Gospel; if you withhold the gifts Christ freely gives, then I will exhort them to go elsewhere, even if they have to drive an hour to get there. It won't have anything to do with chasubles or chanting or genuflecting or elevations; though I do believe that each and all of these things can serve and support the Gospel. But that is really the point: to serve and support the Gospel. Do that in the way you are given and able to do, and everything else is cake and frosting.
If you are asked about pastoral care for one of my young people, please don't respond with what a friendly fellow you are, and please don't attempt to prove how well you relate to the youth. Rather, understand that you are being asked to preach the Gospel, to catechize your people with the Word of God, to hear their confession and grant them Absolution in order to fulfill God's will. Visit them when they are sick. Counsel them with the Holy Scriptures and the Catechism. Serve them with the means of grace. Comfort them with the Gospel of the forgiveness of sins. Give them the Body and Blood of Christ. They have buddies of their own. You may befriend them, too, but what they really need is a pastor, a shepherd who is constrained by his office to guard and keep and feed the flock.
Above all, preach the Word of God. It is helpful and important to use the Church's rites and ceremonies. But it is absolutely necessary that what you speak be the Word of God, and not your own wit and wisdom. Please do not lecture my parishioner, nor any of your own, on how to be a better him or her, on how to grow a garden or ride a bike, on how to shop responsibly, or how to save the whales. If you want to write self-help books, do it on your own time. Do not profane the Lord's pulpit with trivialities. If you aren't a great preacher, work at it; get better; and for the time being, at least talk about Jesus. And if one of my dear sheep asks you for the Gospel, for the Cross and Resurrection, for the forgiveness of sins, just do it; don't make excuses. Give thanks to God for such wisdom from out of the mouths of babes, who know what to ask for and won't settle for anything less than Jesus.
"Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment. For we all stumble in many ways. But if anyone does not sumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well" (James 3:1-2).
It shouldn't have to be so hard to find a decent LCMS congregation. It ought to be as simple as looking one up in the Lutheran Annual. There's always going to be local flavor and differences in personality, but there are some things that one should be able to count on; not just for the sake of "comfort" and "convenience," which are ultimately incidental, but for the sake of the Gospel.
I've got several young friends who are doing the college search thing. Like my own two oldest children, these pious young people have made the availability of a faithful congregation among their top priorities in looking at various schools. That they should do so makes me glad. That they should struggle so in their search makes me mad.
I suppose there will be those who might say that, oh, yes, that snooty Pastor Stuckwisch and his parishioners expect everything to be "just so," and they won't ever be satisfied with anything else. "There's just no pleasing some people." Okay, fine. I have high standards when it comes to the Church and Ministry, to the Christian faith and life. I'll always remember the great response that my dear father in Christ, Dr. Weinrich, once gave to some wiseacre who had asked if he was one of those "high church" guys. He said that, yes, he had a very high view of the Church; for she is, after all, the Bride of Christ, and she ought to be treated like a lady. It is often the case that all the wisdom you need can be summarized just that simply. I hope that none of my colleagues took their own brides out to Burger King on Valentine's Day. Why must some of them insist on escorting the Bride of Christ through a fast-food drive-thru?
Notwithstanding my "high church" elitism, I actually make a point of instilling in my parishioners a great deal of evangelical patience and consideration. I work hard at distinguishing betweeen that which is essential, the real heart of the matter, and that which is secondary, neither commanded nor forbidden. If they have listened to me (as most of them do rather well), they know what to look for, what they can tolerate and what they can live without, and what they ought to avoid. Because they are catechized by the Word and Spirit of God, and because they know the Gospel and their Catechism, the Liturgy (both in its essentials and in its Sunday best), and a real hymn when they sing it, I generally don't have to tell them where to go or what to do. I'll certainly answer if they ask, and I'll advise them out of love and concern. The truth is, I'm more likely to encourage a greater level of tolerance than many of my youth are inclined to give. What can I say? The young people of Emmaus have high standards, and they are not timid about asking for the very best when it comes to the things of Christ. It is especially their hunger for the Gospel that gives me hope for the future of Lutheranism.
There are other things that sometimes give me real hope, as well. For example, I found it so refreshing, this past week, to discuss confession and absolution with brothers in Christ in Ohio, without any of the usual "political" trappings. I wasn't there as a "liberal" or "conservative," but as a brother pastor among pastors. And we weren't discussing strategies or tastes, but the Word of God, the Gospel and the means of grace, pastoral care, and the way in which we can be of help and service to each other and to the people of God entrusted to our stewardship of His Mysteries. By and large, I didn't know these guys from Adam, other than as colleagues and peers within the Office of the Ministry and within the fellowship of the LCMS. I doubt that many of them knew much about me either. It was great. We dealt with substance. We spoke to one another candidly, with charity, with genuine give and take, with the Word of God. I drove home thinking that this is really how it ought to be, all the time. Then we'd maybe get somewhere, and the Gospel would be well-served among us to the glory of God in Christ.
To the point at hand: We dealt with the essentials, the heart of the matter. Maybe we were able to do so because we weren't debating the particulars of the Liturgy and its administration. There was no contention, because there was nothing thrust upon us from out of left field. We prayed a morning office and sang a couple hymns out of the Lutheran Service Book. It wasn't the order of service that I might have chosen, and perhaps they weren't the hymns that I would have picked, but I was pleased to be able to pray with my brothers in confidence and peace. The ceremony of the place was different than that of Emmaus, and the personal piety of the brothers there gathered differed from one man to the next, but none of this was troubling or upsetting. The demeanor and decorum were reverent and attentive to the Word of God, and our respective pieties assisted each of us in receiving that Word in faith, responding in prayer. These are among the benefits of using traditional orders of service and a common corpus of hymnody, which those in church fellowship have agreed upon together for their faith and life.
As I have said before, love can tolerate rather a lot in the freedom of faith, so long as the Gospel is given free course and allowed to have its way among us. I stand by my thesis that, where the preaching is gotten right, everything else will find its proper place in time; or, if not, it still won't matter so much anyway. I am convinced that the Gospel is honored and supported by the use of the traditional orders of service, and clearly confessed by good hymnody, and I believe that such things ought to be used in love for the neighbor. As to the rest of the details, I am honestly content to let such things work themselves out by way of genuine pastoral care within each congregational context. Differences in outward ceremony are not the heart of the matter; they are not necessary; they are not deal-breakers. But do preach the Gospel, and by all means let it predominate. Let everything else be bent into the service of the Gospel, including the ceremony. Don't let anything else be calling the shots or running the show.
If one of my own children, or one of my parishioners (who are in many ways like my own dear children), happen to visit another congregation, the pastor in that place had better be preaching the Gospel to them. Brethren, preach the Gospel for the sake of faith; and for love and pity's sake, use the Church's hymns and orders of service, rather than your own. Beyond that, I trust you to be a good and faithful pastor, and I'm not going to give you grief for not doing this or that. I'll admonish my young people to receive you in the name and stead of Christ, to honor and respect you for the sake of your office, to love you for the Gospel that you give them, and to rejoice in the good gifts that you are privileged to bestow upon them on behalf of Christ Jesus. If you don't do those things; if you neglect the preaching of the Gospel; if you withhold the gifts Christ freely gives, then I will exhort them to go elsewhere, even if they have to drive an hour to get there. It won't have anything to do with chasubles or chanting or genuflecting or elevations; though I do believe that each and all of these things can serve and support the Gospel. But that is really the point: to serve and support the Gospel. Do that in the way you are given and able to do, and everything else is cake and frosting.
If you are asked about pastoral care for one of my young people, please don't respond with what a friendly fellow you are, and please don't attempt to prove how well you relate to the youth. Rather, understand that you are being asked to preach the Gospel, to catechize your people with the Word of God, to hear their confession and grant them Absolution in order to fulfill God's will. Visit them when they are sick. Counsel them with the Holy Scriptures and the Catechism. Serve them with the means of grace. Comfort them with the Gospel of the forgiveness of sins. Give them the Body and Blood of Christ. They have buddies of their own. You may befriend them, too, but what they really need is a pastor, a shepherd who is constrained by his office to guard and keep and feed the flock.
Above all, preach the Word of God. It is helpful and important to use the Church's rites and ceremonies. But it is absolutely necessary that what you speak be the Word of God, and not your own wit and wisdom. Please do not lecture my parishioner, nor any of your own, on how to be a better him or her, on how to grow a garden or ride a bike, on how to shop responsibly, or how to save the whales. If you want to write self-help books, do it on your own time. Do not profane the Lord's pulpit with trivialities. If you aren't a great preacher, work at it; get better; and for the time being, at least talk about Jesus. And if one of my dear sheep asks you for the Gospel, for the Cross and Resurrection, for the forgiveness of sins, just do it; don't make excuses. Give thanks to God for such wisdom from out of the mouths of babes, who know what to ask for and won't settle for anything less than Jesus.
"Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment. For we all stumble in many ways. But if anyone does not sumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well" (James 3:1-2).
It shouldn't have to be so hard to find a decent LCMS congregation. It ought to be as simple as looking one up in the Lutheran Annual. There's always going to be local flavor and differences in personality, but there are some things that one should be able to count on; not just for the sake of "comfort" and "convenience," which are ultimately incidental, but for the sake of the Gospel.
08 March 2008
The Resurrection and the Life
Your experience of bodily sickness and death, in yourself and in your loved ones, is the outward symptom and consequence of the inward, spiritual sickness and death of sin.
How do you view these things and react to them? What do you look for and hope for?
Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life. He comes with healing and forgiveness to rescue from sickness, suffering, sin and death; and by His rescue to bring you (and all) to faith and life in Him.
This He does and accomplishes, for you and for all, by taking the sin of the world and all its burden, all its curse and consequence, upon Himself; and by voluntarily submitting Himself to death, laying down His body and life as a sacrifice of Atonement.
He does this in love for the world, and in love for you, personally and completely. He really does love you, notwithstanding your hurts and hardships — which He could spare you, but He doesn’t.
In your Baptism, He has taken you to be His dearly beloved friend. He has bound Himself to you, and you to Him — uniting Himself to you and sharing His life with you, by sharing His Cross and Resurrection with you. He has given you His Holy Spirit (for life and health and strength); and has made His God and Father your God and Father.
This is the Truth, and this is your Life, forever, even in the face of death and the grave. Even when you die, and when your loved ones die and are buried six feet under.
Do you believe this? What, then, shall be your hope and prayer and expectation?
Certainly, you should receive your life in this world as God’s good and gracious gift. It is not to be despised but treasured with thanksgiving. But do not cling to this world; do not make of it your god. Do not cling to your own life in this world, nor to your loved ones in this world, as though this mortal life in this vale of tears were your true home and inheritance.
No, but instead, the Cross that is laid upon you and your life in this world, here and now, is for the strengthening of your own faith and the benefit of your neighbor, often in ways that you do not understand. The Cross that you are given to bear will not finally end in death, but in life with God forever. Though it puts you to death, it brings you into life.
You may be tempted to say, "If only the Lord were here, then none of this would be happening to me!" But, in fact, the Lord Himself comes to the tomb by the way of the Cross. And He is with you by the way of the Cross. It is by His death that His divine glory is manifested: to the eyes of faith. Consider the Cross in your own life from that viewpoint of Christ the Crucified: in the light of His Resurrection and His forgiveness of your sins.
There was such a Cross laid upon Lazarus, too, whom Jesus loved. Not so much his sickness and death to begin with, but his return to this mortal life on earth! He was called back from peace and rest to the trials and tribulations of this world. And this was for the benefit of others — for his two sisters, surely, but also for the nation, for you, and for all — as a sign pointing to the Cross and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, that by this sign faith would be strengthened unto life.
Lazarus did not (and could not) bear that Cross by his own power, but by the Voice and Spirit of Christ Jesus, who called him forth out of the tomb by the power of His Word.
His Voice calls you, also. Not necessarily out of hardship, but from sin and death into life. In this, Christ Jesus brings you, body and soul, out of the grave into newness of life (though for now it is by faith and not by sight). His Gospel, His forgiveness of all your sins, His Absolution, removes the stone that traps you inside the tomb. He unbinds your body of the sin and unbelief that constrain you and prevent you from living. He removes the bandages that cover your eyes and blind you.
He has the power and authority to do all of this — the power of life over death, the authority of forgiveness — because He has laid down His own life in your place. No one took it from Him; He laid it down willingly in love. And He has taken it up again, to raise you with Himself.
Already, He daily raises you from the death of unbelief to the life of faith; from the death of sin to newness of life in Him, according to His Spirit. He does it by the Gospel, which forgives you.
Though your mortal body is wasting away and will eventually succumb to injury or sickness, and temporal death, you are all the while being renewed in the inward man by the life-giving Spirit of God in Christ Jesus.
And by that same Spirit, of Him who raised Christ Jesus from the dead, your mortal body also shall be raised. Not to life again in this vale of tears, but to the glorious eternal life and the neverending freedom of the Son of God.
See here, He puts His own body and blood into you, into your hand and mouth, into your mortal flesh — the same body and blood with which He died for you and rose again.
So shall you rise and live, even though you die.
Hear His Voice — He is calling you. Come forth and eat, drink. He is here for you, for the forgiveness of all your sins, for life and salvation.
In the Name + of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
How do you view these things and react to them? What do you look for and hope for?
Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life. He comes with healing and forgiveness to rescue from sickness, suffering, sin and death; and by His rescue to bring you (and all) to faith and life in Him.
This He does and accomplishes, for you and for all, by taking the sin of the world and all its burden, all its curse and consequence, upon Himself; and by voluntarily submitting Himself to death, laying down His body and life as a sacrifice of Atonement.
He does this in love for the world, and in love for you, personally and completely. He really does love you, notwithstanding your hurts and hardships — which He could spare you, but He doesn’t.
In your Baptism, He has taken you to be His dearly beloved friend. He has bound Himself to you, and you to Him — uniting Himself to you and sharing His life with you, by sharing His Cross and Resurrection with you. He has given you His Holy Spirit (for life and health and strength); and has made His God and Father your God and Father.
This is the Truth, and this is your Life, forever, even in the face of death and the grave. Even when you die, and when your loved ones die and are buried six feet under.
Do you believe this? What, then, shall be your hope and prayer and expectation?
Certainly, you should receive your life in this world as God’s good and gracious gift. It is not to be despised but treasured with thanksgiving. But do not cling to this world; do not make of it your god. Do not cling to your own life in this world, nor to your loved ones in this world, as though this mortal life in this vale of tears were your true home and inheritance.
No, but instead, the Cross that is laid upon you and your life in this world, here and now, is for the strengthening of your own faith and the benefit of your neighbor, often in ways that you do not understand. The Cross that you are given to bear will not finally end in death, but in life with God forever. Though it puts you to death, it brings you into life.
You may be tempted to say, "If only the Lord were here, then none of this would be happening to me!" But, in fact, the Lord Himself comes to the tomb by the way of the Cross. And He is with you by the way of the Cross. It is by His death that His divine glory is manifested: to the eyes of faith. Consider the Cross in your own life from that viewpoint of Christ the Crucified: in the light of His Resurrection and His forgiveness of your sins.
There was such a Cross laid upon Lazarus, too, whom Jesus loved. Not so much his sickness and death to begin with, but his return to this mortal life on earth! He was called back from peace and rest to the trials and tribulations of this world. And this was for the benefit of others — for his two sisters, surely, but also for the nation, for you, and for all — as a sign pointing to the Cross and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, that by this sign faith would be strengthened unto life.
Lazarus did not (and could not) bear that Cross by his own power, but by the Voice and Spirit of Christ Jesus, who called him forth out of the tomb by the power of His Word.
His Voice calls you, also. Not necessarily out of hardship, but from sin and death into life. In this, Christ Jesus brings you, body and soul, out of the grave into newness of life (though for now it is by faith and not by sight). His Gospel, His forgiveness of all your sins, His Absolution, removes the stone that traps you inside the tomb. He unbinds your body of the sin and unbelief that constrain you and prevent you from living. He removes the bandages that cover your eyes and blind you.
He has the power and authority to do all of this — the power of life over death, the authority of forgiveness — because He has laid down His own life in your place. No one took it from Him; He laid it down willingly in love. And He has taken it up again, to raise you with Himself.
Already, He daily raises you from the death of unbelief to the life of faith; from the death of sin to newness of life in Him, according to His Spirit. He does it by the Gospel, which forgives you.
Though your mortal body is wasting away and will eventually succumb to injury or sickness, and temporal death, you are all the while being renewed in the inward man by the life-giving Spirit of God in Christ Jesus.
And by that same Spirit, of Him who raised Christ Jesus from the dead, your mortal body also shall be raised. Not to life again in this vale of tears, but to the glorious eternal life and the neverending freedom of the Son of God.
See here, He puts His own body and blood into you, into your hand and mouth, into your mortal flesh — the same body and blood with which He died for you and rose again.
So shall you rise and live, even though you die.
Hear His Voice — He is calling you. Come forth and eat, drink. He is here for you, for the forgiveness of all your sins, for life and salvation.
In the Name + of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
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