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.