On My Heart Imprint Your Image
LSB #422
Blessed Jesus, King of grace,
That life’s riches, cares, and pleasures
Never may Your work erase;
Let the clear inscription be:
Jesus, crucified for me,
Is my life, my hope’s foundation,
And my glory and salvation!
This is a short hymn - only one verse! But it is what this season of Lent is all about: imprinting the image of Jesus on us. His image that we lost because of sin. And notice, we do not do this by anything we do or “give up for Lent” - it is the work of Jesus in us. So that is what the opening two lines ask - for Jesus to do this for us. Only He can. And for Him to imprint the image of His life and love in us so deeply that nothing can erase it. This He does through His Word and Sacraments, for these are His means of grace - that is, the things He uses to bring His cross and its benefits to us. Stamp it on my heart! Etch it into my heart! Tattoo it on my heart! What You did for me, Jesus. That You died for me, were crucified for me. For that, as the hymn writer says, is my life, my glory, and my salvation. That is what makes all the difference in the world. And not just in this season of Lent, but each and every day of my life. May there be nothing else in my heart or on my heart than Jesus crucified for me!
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