At the Lamb's High Feast We Sing

At the Lamb’s High Feast We Sing

LSB #633

v. 3: Where the Paschal blood is poured,
Death’s dread angel sheathes the sword;
Israel’s hosts triumphant go
Through the wave that drowns the foe.
Alleluia!

v. Mighty Victim from the sky,
Hell’s fierce power’s beneath You lie;
You have conquered in the fight,
You have brought us life and light.
Alleluia!

We’ve reached Holy Saturday. The day begins with Jesus’ rest in the tomb, we remember His descent into hell, and at the Vigil in the evening, get a taste of the Easter joy that will be ours in the morning. It has all come to this. This is why Jesus came. To conquer in the fight we couldn’t win. To bring us the life and light we lost in sin. To be the true and eternal Passover Lamb that causes death’s dread angel to sheathe its sword. That was true in Egypt at the first passover, and still true for us today. For we have gone through the wave that drowns the foe - not the Red Sea, but Holy Baptism. The sin and death that pursue us and hound us are drown there, so that though we are sinners, we are forgiven; though we will die, yet shall we live. And now there awaits for us a feast - the Lamb’s High Feast, the Paschal Feast, the Easter feast which breaks our Lenten fasting, and the Marriage Feast of the Lamb in His kingdom which will have no end. Soon, the Bridegroom will return for his Bride, the Church, and that Feast will begin. No wonder that Bride breaks forth with her Alleluias! tomorrow. Our Lamb has conquered in the fight! The victory is ours.

O Sacred Head, Now Wounded

O Sacred Head, Now Wounded

LSB #450

v. 1: O sacred Head, now wounded, With grief and shame weighed down,
Now scornfully surrounded With thorns Thine only crown.
O sacred Head, what glory, What bliss, till now was Thine!
Yet, though despised and gory, I joy to call Thee mine.

v. 7: Be Thou my consolation, My shield, when I must die;
Remind me of Thy passion When my last hour draws nigh.
Mine eyes shall then behold Thee, Upon Thy cross shall dwell,
My heart by faith enfold Thee. Who dieth thus dies well.

The focus of most people in our world is to live a good life. That means as many things as there are people, I suppose. But that is not what God wants most for you. That doesn’t mean you won’t have a good life. Maybe you will, maybe you won’t. But far more important to God than you living a good life is that you die a good death - or as the hymnwriter put it, who dieth thus dies well. A good death is to die with faith in Christ and thus live well not just for 80 or 90 years here on this earth, but to live well forever. It is Jesus’ sacred head, now wounded, that provides that life for us. So when your last hour draws nigh - be it from coronavirus, old age, accident, or whatever - it is Jesus’ passion that will console and comfort you. He died your death to give you life. He paid for your sins so you are forgiven. He rose from the dead and will pull you up from the grave, too. With that faith, you can both live and die now in peace and joy. And with that faith, you will both die well and then live well. Well, and forever. 

Jesus, Greatest at the Table

Jesus, Greatest at the Table

LSB #446

v. 4: Can we fathom such deep mercy?

Do we see what God has done?

Who can grasp this great reversal:

Love that gives His only Son?

Christ, the sinless for the sinners,

For the many dies the One.

Today the Church enters the Sacred Triduum - the final three days of the Lenten season, the days of Jesus’ crucifixion and rest in the tomb. On these days, can we fathom such deep mercy? Truth be told, no. This mercy and love is greater than we can ever imagine. That God would offer up His Son for you and me - for the whole world! That the Son of God would willingly come and lay down His life for us. This is the great reversal: the Son of God becomes the sinner so that we sinners might be sons of God. Yet this is who God is. Always! Always giving, always loving, always serving. Not just these three days, but ever since the beginning and until the end. He supplies all our needs and then some. He is gracious and merciful. And especially as we remember on this day, He gives us His very own Body and Blood to eat and drink. Do we see what God has done? Yes, we see, we confess, and we thank and praise Him for such unfathomable love.

The Royal Banners Forward Go

The Royal Banners Forward Go

LSB #455

v. 4: On whose hard arms, so widely flung,

The weight of this world’s ransom hung,
The price of humankind to pay
And spoil the spoiler of his prey.

v. 5: O tree of beauty, tree most fair,
Ordained those holy limbs to bear:
Gone is thy shame, each crimsoned bough
Proclaims the King of Glory now.

Some find it quite odd that an instrument of Roman torture and death - the cross - should adorn the sanctuaries of so many churches and the walls of so many Christian homes. The early church and early Christians, which lived through that time or very close to it, understandably did not do so. It took some time until the church realized that gone is the shame of the cross when the Son of God hangs on it! Then it becomes a tree of beauty which proclaims the King of Glory. For there we see the ransom paid for our sin. There you see how much God loves you. And through this sacrifice, the spoiler is spoiled of his prey! Jesus turns satan’s tool against him and uses what he used to destroy to destory him. So while the empty tomb proclaims Jesus’ victory, the cross proclaims His love and forgiveness. So yes! What a beautiful tree when it is Jesus’ tree. The sixth century hymnwriter Venantius Fortunatus was teaching the church this valuable truth with this hymn.

Stricken, Smitten, and Afflicted

Stricken, Smitten, and Afflicted

LSB #451

v. 3: Ye who think of sin but lightly

Nor suppose the evil great
Here may view its nature rightly,
Here its guilt may estimate.
Mark the sacrifice appointed,
See who bears the awful load;
’Tis the Word, the Lord’s anointed,
Son of Man and Son of God.

The season of Lent is a season of repentance. A season to take a true and honest look at our lives measured against the Ten Commandments and see how far we have fallen short of what God desires. We should do that regularly, but maybe we don’t quite get around to it? The season of Lent, therefore, is needed for us to do so each year, and, as the hymnwriter puts it, view its nature rightly. We often think of sin but lightly and do not suppose the evil great. But this season of Lent says to us: Look! At the cross! Is that light? Is that not a great evil? The Son of God hanging there because of your sin? And we are brought to our knees. Yes, I am a poor miserable sinner. But Lent also says this: Look! See who bears that awful load for you! It is the Son of God in His love for you. For this He was appointed and anointed, that your sins be forgiven. Lent shows us that truth, too. This truth that makes all the difference in the world. That Jesus wanted to be stricken, smitten, and afflicted - to save you and me!

Ride On, Ride On in Majesty

Ride On, Ride On in Majesty

LSB #441

v. 2: Ride on, ride on in majesty!
In lowly pomp ride on to die.
O Christ, Thy triumphs now begin
O’er captive death and conquered sin.

v. 5: Ride on, ride on in majesty!
In lowly pomp ride on to die.
Bow Thy meek head to mortal pain,
Then take, O God, Thy pow’r and reign.

Jesus rides into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday in lowly pomp, lowly ceremony. Just pilgrims, children, and ordinary folk welcoming Him, and with just some tree branches and clothes to hail Him. A scene not really befitting His majesty as Israel’s true King. His real pomp will be when He comes again in glory. But that’s not why He’s here now. Now, He rides on to die. But as the hymnwriter puts it, He rides to His death in order to begin His triumphs! He bows His meek head to mortal pain so that He can take His power and reign. These would be contradictions for anyone but Jesus. For the thousands of persons crucified before Jesus, death was just death. The end. But when Jesus dies, He conquers sin and takes death captive. And so death is not the end for Jesus. He will rise and reign for you and me, so that death will not be the end for us, but in Him, the gate to everlasting life. So yes! dear Jesus. Ride on, ride on and die for me! So that I can live in You.

The Infant Priest Was Holy Born

The Infant Priest Was Holy Born

LSB #624

v. 1: The infant Priest was holy born
For us unholy and forlorn;
From fleshly temple forth came He,
Anointed from eternity.

v. 6: The body of God’s Lamb we eat,
A priestly food and priestly meat;
On sin-parched lips the chalice pours
His quenching blood that life restores.

The holy for the unholy. That’s Jesus. He is the holy one from eternity, the one to whom the angels continually cry “Holy, holy holy Lord!” Yet He came into our world for us who are unholy, to make us holy again through the forgiveness of our sins. One of the ways we receive that forgiveness is through the Lord’s Supper - Jesus’ Supper. The Supper in which He gives us His body and blood to restore the life we lost in sin. In this Supper we receive not mere bread and wine, and not just any body and blood - but God’s own body and blood. For the body and blood of Jesus is God’s body and blood, for Jesus is both true God and true man in one person. In giving us Himself, He is not only giving us part of Himself but all of Himself. What a gift this is! That us who are unholy and forlorn, without hope, be declared holy and therefore be filled with hope and joy. That is the gift Jesus died for, and the gift that we receive at the altar as His children.

Water, Blood, and Spirit Crying

Water, Blood, and Spirit Crying

LSB #597

v. 2: In a wat’ry grave are buried

All our sins that Jesus carried;

Christ, the Ark of Life, has ferried

Us across death’s raging flood.

Sometimes in the military sailors are “buried at sea” instead of in a grave of dirt. That’s what baptism is for the Christian. A watery grave for our sins. But not only that. For in baptism we are joined not only to Christ in His death but also in His resurrection. So in baptism there is both the death and burial of our sins and old man, and the raising and life of a new man. A new man for whom the fear and threat of death is a thing of the past. Imagine that! Not having to fear death. That is our reality. For in Christ, we know that since He has passed through death to life again, so will we. He is our Ark, our ferry, across and through death’s raging flood to life eternal. So while this virus that we are living through right now has killed many people, it cannot take the life of a Christian. Christians die, yes. But their life continues on the other side of the grave. For Christ is our life, and in Him, we are safe and secure.

How Firm a Foundation

How Firm a Foundation

LSB #728

v. 1: How firm a foundation, O saints of the Lord,

Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!

What more can He say than to you He has said

Who unto the Savior for refuge have fled?

A firm foundation. That’s what we need. When everything around you is changing, shifting, and uncertain, to have a firm place to stand is essential. What’s the opposite? Well, I think of a ship on the sea, being pitched to and fro by the waves. There is no firm place to stand. That’s very difficult! But once you get to shore and place your feet on firm, stable ground, there’s a world of difference. As Christians, we have the firm foundation we need in a world that especially these days seems very uncertain and unstable - the Word of God. Whether we face good days or bad, highs or lows, struggles or joys, no matter what the winds of change blow by us, no matter how much around us shifts, we have the stability of God and His Word. His Word which never changes. His care, His love, His mercy, His forgiveness, and His promises are the most certain thing we have in this world and life. What great comfort that is, to have a God you can count on! Who will be there for you now as He was in the past and will be in the future. Yes, He is the firm foundation we need.

Drawn to the Cross, Which Thou Hast Blessed

Drawn to the Cross, Which Thou Hast Blessed

LSB #560

v. 1: Drawn to the cross, which Thou hast blessed
With healing gifts for souls distressed,
To find in Thee my life, my rest,
Christ crucified, I come.

v. 2: Thou knowest all my griefs and fears,
Thy grace abused, my misspent years;
Yet now to Thee with contrite tears,
Christ crucified, I come.

How do we find our life, our rest, in Christ crucified? For if there’s something a lot of people need right now, it’s life and rest! Well, there are three ways. First, Jesus knows what I’m going through when I face death. He’s been there. He suffered, He bled, He died. He understands our fear and anxiety. He doesn’t tell us to “get over it!” but, “I’m with you.” Second, Jesus was crucified for all my sins. All that I’ve done wrong. My misspent years and all the gifts from Him that I’ve abused and taken for granted, including the gift of life. Many people condemn us for our sins, but Jesus does not! He was condemned for them in our place, that we have forgiveness. And third, Jesus’ death was followed by His resurrection from the dead, which means He can see me through my own death. He conquered it for me! So in these days when death and the threat of death is all around us, what shall we do? Christ crucified, I come! I go to the one who came for me that I might live. He is my life, my rest, my peace.

My Song Is Love Unknown

My Song Is Love Unknown

LSB #430

v. 1: My song is love unknown,
My Savior’s love to me,
Love to the loveless shown
That they might lovely be.
Oh, who am I
That for my sake
My Lord should take
Frail flesh and die?

Frail flesh. We’re seeing that quite clearly these days. How frail our bodies and health can be. Even a tiny germ can be a deadly virus. It just needs a way in, but once in can bring a normally healthy person into the dust of death. Scary. We need to realize that’s what sin is, too. A particular sin can sometimes seem so little, so minor, like just a little germ. But it’s deadly. And it’s in you. Like some diseases, this is passed on to you at birth. But there is a cure! Our Lord came down from heaven, took on our frail flesh, and allowed Himself to be infected for us so that He could also be the cure for us. He would have to die to do that, so die He did so that we could live. What love to do that for us! A love quite unknown in this world. For maybe you would do that for a loved one, but what about an enemy? Jesus died even for those who put Him on the cross. He wants to save each and every person from this deadly virus of sin. He is the cure, and He offers Himself to you. Not because we’re loveable, but because He is pure love. Hard to believe! Yet true.

Chief of Sinners Though I Be

Chief of Sinners Though I Be

LSB #611

v. 4: Chief of sinners though I be,

Christ is all in all to me;
All my wants to Him are known,
All my sorrows are His own.
He sustains the hidden life
Safe with Him from earthly strife.

Are you familiar with the term NIMBY? It means “Not In My BackYard.” It is a term given to someone who supports something as long as it is located in someone else’s neighborhood, as in “Yes, I support that store, as long as they build it somewhere else.” So, what if the chief of sinners moved into the house next door to you? How would you react? Would you be a NIMBY? Well, that’s kind of what happens with us - except Jesus bought the house next door for us, furnished it, stocked the pantry, moved us in, and said “Welcome to the neighborhood!” He wants us with Him in His kingdom. He knows all about us. He knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows our sins, our wants, and our sorrows, and makes them His own; that is, He takes them away from us, forgives us, provides for us, and gives us joy. So we can have life. Life now, and life with Him forever. And when earthly strife comes our way, He is there for us in that, too. No wonder the hymnwriter could say, Christ is all in all to me! Knowing all that He has done for us, how could He not be?

Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence

Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence

LSB #621

v. 1: Let all mortal flesh keep silence

And with fear and trembling stand;

Ponder nothing earthly-minded,

For with blessing in His hand

Christ our God to earth descending

Comes our homage to demand.

v. 2: King of kings yet born of Mary,

As of old on earth He stood,

Lord of lords in human vesture,

In the body and the blood,

He will give to all the faithful

His own self for heavenly food.

We often think of life with God as “going to heaven.” But we dare not forget that life with God is already ours here and now! For the Son of God, King of kings and Lord of lords, came down from heaven and was born of Mary for us. And that same body and blood that Mary held in her arms, that nursed at her breasts, that walked on this dusty earth, and then hung on the cross is the very same body and blood now given to us as heavenly food. Heavenly food on earth! Only that body and blood is risen from the dead and glorified. And being fed by it, we too will not only rise from the dead but be glorified as well. Knowing that is what is being given to us in the Supper, how can we not but keep silence and with fear and trembling stand in the presence of our awesome God who gave Himself for us and now gives Himself to us. That we have life from Him and life with Him, now and forever.

Mark How the Lamb of God's Self-Offering

Mark How the Lamb of God’s Self-Offering

LSB #600

v. 3: Grant us, O Lord, the strength and courage

To live the faith our lips declare;
Bless us in our baptismal calling;
Christ’s royal priesthood help us share.
Turn us from ev’ry false allegiance,
That we may trust in Christ alone:
Raise up in us a chosen people
Transformed by love to be Your own.

Strength and courage. That’s not just something we need in these pandemic days, but every day. Strength and courage not just to confess but to live our Christian faith in the midst of a world hostile to the Christian truth. That is our baptismal calling: to hallow God’s name in all that we say and do, and to trust in Christ alone. False allegiances abound. We look to many things in this world for what we need: the government, medicine, science, technology - but Christ alone can give us the life we need. Life now and life forever. And He does in baptism! He raises us from being dead in sin to alive in Him. And remembering our baptism every day, we start every day anew, with life, transformed by Christ’s love. The Son of God came and offered Himself as the Lamb of God for us. Now, filled with His love, life, and forgiveness, we can share in Christ’s royal priesthood and give ourselves for others.

When Aimless Violence Takes Those We Love

     
When Aimless Violence Takes Those We Love

LSB #764

v. 5: Through long grief-darkened days help us, dear Lord,

To trust Your grace for courage to endure,

To rest our souls in Your supporting love,

And find our hope within Your mercy sure.

I’m not sure this virus qualifies as aimless violence, but it might. It is aimless in the sense that it attacks all ages, all nationalities, all people. It does violence to the body, even in some cases bringing death. When faced with such things we turn to the Lord. First in repentance for our sin that brought such things into this world created perfect and death-less and violence-less by God. And then second in trust, that our hope is in the Lord who provided us rescue from every enemy that seeks to harm us - even death. Through Jesus’ death and resurrection we have His grace and with it the courage to endure, His supporting love, and His mercy sure. Or in other words, we’ll come out of this okay, either to continue life in this world or to enter into the next. Knowing that, we have confidence and rest in our Lord, even in such turbulent times. Even When Aimless Violence (or Viruses!) Take Those We Love.

Dear Christians, One and All, Rejoice

Dear Christians, One and All, Rejoice

LSB #556

v. 5: God said to His beloved Son:
“It’s time to have compassion.
Then go, bright jewel of My crown,
And bring to all salvation.
From sin and sorrow set them free;
Slay bitter death for them that they
May live with You forever.”

There is a verse in Galatians that says: “At just the right time, God sent His Son” (Galatians 4:4 NIV). Not too soon, not too late; at just the right time. I’m sure there were a great many people in the Old Testament - patriarchs, prophets, and normal folks like you and me - who thought He came too late and should have come much sooner! But no. God knows what’s best. We do not. And when the Son of God came, He did set us free from sin and sorrow, He did slay bitter death for us, through His death on the cross and His resurrection from the dead. Now, we have the promise of eternal life with Christ. So no matter what happens now, we have a promise we can rely on and a Saviour we can depend on. And at just the right time, that Saviour will come again and fully and finally set us free from all sin and death. What a great day that will be! Just like what a great day it will be when all the changes caused by this virus are over. God will end that at just the right time, too. But the God who had compassion then, has compassion now, and has compassion always. That’s why we, dear Christians one and all, can rejoice, even in tough times.

A Lamb Goes Uncomplaining Forth

A Lamb Goes Uncomplaining Forth

LSB #438

v. 1: A Lamb goes uncomplaining forth,

The guilt of sinners bearing

And, laden with the sins of earth,

None else the burden sharing;

Goes patient on, grows weak and faint,

To slaughter led without complaint,

That spotless life to offer,

He bears the stripes, the wounds, the lies,

The mockery, and yet replies,

“All this I gladly suffer.”

Gladly suffer. I don’t know about you, but those are two words I don’t usually use together! I am not gladly suffering all that is going on in our country and world right now. I am more whining and complaining. It makes what Jesus did for us all the more amazing. For He who did “gladly suffer” all this for us and for our good went through an awful lot more than we are! He was, as the hymnwriter put it, laden with the sins of earth - all the earth. Led to slaughter. Bearing stripes, wounds, lies, and mockery. Hung on a cross for you and me. But, ah! That’s exactly why He could “gladly suffer” all this - it was for us. It was so that we could be His own. His love for you so great that He would do this for you. That’s incredible, isn’t it? Think of people today who go to great lengths for the people they love. Yet that is not even a drop in the ocean of what Jesus did for you as the Lamb of God. Remember that the next time you are feeling down or unloved. Yes, you have a Saviour who loves you that much. So that you could be with Him forever.

From Depths of Woe I Cry to Thee

From Depths of Woe I Cry to Thee

LSB #607

v. 4: And though it tarry through the night

And till the morning waken,

My heart shall never doubt His might

Nor count itself forsaken.

O Israel, trust in God your Lord.

Born of the Spirit and the Word,

Now wait for His appearing.

This verse is from a hymn of Martin Luther based on Psalm 130. The psalms are poetry, and so words like morning and night aren’t necessarily literal, but signify the darkness of the woe we are enduring, and then the morning when the sun comes up and the woe is past. So here. Though our woe (and for us, this virus!) tarry for a while, the morning of its end is coming. We will not doubt His might to bring this to an end. And though it tarry - and maybe go on much longer than we’d like! - we are not forsaken. The Lord has not turned away from us. We are His new Israel, His people, born again of water, Word, and Spirit. So in this night of woe, fear, and dread, we wait for the morning of His appearing. Waiting is hard! But it can also be good. It all depends on how you wait. If we wait with impatience, accusing God of being uncaring and unloving, that is not good. But if we wait with repentance and prayer, seeking our safety, refuge, and all good in Him, then this can be a time of growth and blessing for us. Yes, even in this the Lord is still our Good Shepherd.

Thee We Adore, O Hidden Savior

Thee We Adore, O Hidden Savior

LSB #640

v. 3: Thou, like the pelican to feed her brood,

Didst pierce Thyself to give us living food;

Thy blood, O Lord, one drop has power to win

Forgiveness for our world and all its sin.

The symbolism of the mother pelican feeding her little baby pelicans is rooted in an ancient legend. The legend was that in time of famine, the mother pelican wounded herself, striking her breast with her beak to feed her young with her blood to prevent starvation. No wonder, then, that the pelican became a symbol of Jesus, who really did pour out His blood to give us life. Jesus’ blood shed on the cross for the life of the world is now available to us in the Lord’s Supper to keep us from spiritual starvation. Through His Word, Jesus gives His Body and Blood to us to eat and drink. This is the food we need above all other food. For this is food that sustains us not just for this life, but for eternal life. And as the hymnwriters pens, there is great power in each and every drop of Jesus’ blood because this is not just the blood of a man, but the blood of God shed for us! Therefore it gives forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation to us. Thank you Jesus for such a wonderful, wondrous gift!

God's Own Child, I Gladly Say It

God’s Own Child, I Gladly Say It

LSB #594

v. 4: Death, you cannot end my gladness:
I am baptized into Christ!
When I die, I leave all sadness
To inherit paradise!
Though I lie in dust and ashes
Faith’s assurance brightly flashes:
Baptism has the strength divine
To make life immortal mine.

This beautiful hymn proclaims the victory of Christ given to us in baptism over sin, death, and the devil. As God’s own child, we have nothing to fear from any enemy in this world. Baptized into Christ, they can kill us but they can’t take our life. Now, death is but the gate to eternal life. That freedom enables us to live in a way not before possible. In confidence, not fear. With joy, not sadness. In hope, not despair. Which is how Jesus lived. And with His life now given to us in baptism, it is our life as Christians. That doesn’t mean we won’t have our “moments” - we most certainly will! The things of this world and life may overwhelm us at times. But it means we have a way out - Christ! Relying on His words and promises given to us in Baptism, we can move forward in forgiveness and not dwell on the past. Jesus has taken care of that for us, as well as the present and the future. All that we need He has, and will provide. No wonder, as the hymn writer put it, death, you cannot end my gladness - nothing can! In Christ.