Make me see Your great distress, Anguish and affliction, Bonds and stripes and wretchedness And Your crucifixion; Make me see how scourge and rod, Spear and nails did wound You, How for them You died, O God, Who with thorns had crowned You.  Read More

Jesus, I will ponder now On Your holy passion; With Your Spirit me endow For such meditation. Grant that I in love and faith May the image cherish Of Your suff’ring, pain, and death That I may not perish.  Read More

When the voice of God speaks, it is important that His people listen attentively. On the Mount of Transfiguration, the voice of the Father urges the gathered three, “This is My Son, My Chosen One; listen to Him!” (Luke 9:35). Jesus Himself said, “My sheep listen to My voice. I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27). And Saint John reminds us, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Revelation 2:29). Whenever the voice of God is speaking, God’s people had best be listening.  Read More

Lord, when Your glory I shall see And taste Your kingdom’s pleasure, Your blood my royal robe shall be, My joy beyond all measure! When I appear before Your throne, Your righteousness shall be my crown; With these I need not hide me. And there, in garments richly wrought, As Your own bride shall we be brought To stand in joy beside You.  Read More

“Yes, Father, yes, most willingly I’ll bear what You command Me. My will conforms to Your decree, I’ll do what You have asked Me.” O wondrous Love, what have You done! The Father offers up His Son, Desiring our salvation. O Love, how strong You are to save! You lay the One into the grave Who built the earth’s foundation.  Read More

This Lamb is Christ, the soul’s great friend, The Lamb of God, our Savior, Whom God the Father chose to send To gain for us His favor. “Go forth, My Son,” the Father said, “And free My children from their dread Of guilt and condemnation. The wrath and stripes are hard to bear, But by Your passion they will share The fruit of Your salvation.”  Read More

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.”  Read More

Our hymn writer for this week, Paul Gerhardt, was one of the most famous Lutheran hymn writers to ever live. He was born into a middle class family in Germany on March 12, 1607. In January 1628, he enrolled in the University of Wittenberg, where he was especially influenced by two faculty members: Paul Röber and Jacob Martini. Röber in particular often took his sermon texts from hymns and instilled in young Gerhardt the use of hymnody as a tool for pastoral care and instruction.  Read More

We often don’t think much about things that are simple. The world certainly does not make much out of common and ordinary things. Of course, that is on purpose and by design. If we were attracted by every little and everyday occurrence, we would be bogged down by the minutia.  Read More

Cross of Jesus, cross of sorrow, Where the blood of Christ was shed, Perfect man on thee did suffer, Perfect God on thee has bled!  Read More

Hymn: “Cross of Jesus, Cross of Sorrow” (LSB #428, v. 3)O mysterious condescending!O abandonment sublime!Very God Himself is bearingAll the sufferings of time!                How? is the next question that we come to ask about this Jesus and His crucifixion. How does our salvation get done? Here we see the full weight of the sorrow that is laid out in these words: condescending and abandonment. Je...  Read More

Here the King of all the ages, Throned in light ere worlds could be, Robed in mortal flesh is dying, Crucified by sin for me.  Read More