Posts with the tag “lent”

Now all the vault of heav’n resounds In praise of love that still abound: “Christ has triumphed! He is living!” Sing, choirs of angels, loud and clear! Repeat their song of glory here: “Christ has triumphed! Christ has triumphed” Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!  Read More

One in faith, in love united, All one body, You the head, When we meet, by You invited, You are with us, as You said. One with You and one another In a unity sublime, See in us Your sister, brother, One in ev’ry place and time.  Read More

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.  Read More

When You woke that Thursday morning, Savior, teacher, faithful friend, Thoughts of self and safety scorning, Knowing how the day would end; Lamb of God, foretold for ages, Now at last the hour had come When but One could pay sin’s wages: You assumed their dreadful sum.  Read More

Sing, my tongue, the glorious battle; Sing the ending of the fray. Now above the cross, the trophy, Sound the loud triumphant lay; Tell how Christ, the world’s redeemer, As a victim won the day.  Read More

What fading flow’rs His road adorn; The palms, how soon laid down! No bloom or leaf but only thorn The King of glory’s crown. The soldiers mock, the rabble cries, The streets with tumult ring, As Pilate to the mob replies, “Behold, behold your King!”  Read More

Hosanna, loud hosanna, The little children sang; Through pillared court and temple The lovely anthem rang. To Jesus, who had blessed them, Close folded to His breast, The children sang their praises, The simplest and the best.  Read More

No tramp of soldiers’ marching feet With banners and with drums, No sound of music’s martial beat: “The King of glory comes!” To greet what pomp of kingly pride No bells in triumph ring, No city gates swing open wide: “Behold, behold your King!”  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

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

O Christ, You walked the road Our wand’ring feet must go. Stay with us through temptation’s hour To fight our ancient foe.  Read More

When lures of easy gain With promise brightly shine, Lord, help us seek Your kingdom first; Our wills with Yours align.  Read More

No blinding sign we ask, No wonder from above. Lord, help us place our trust alone In Your unswerving love.  Read More

No bread of earth alone Can fill our hung’ring hearts. Lord, help us seek Your living Word, The food Your grace imparts.  Read More

O Christ, You walked the road Our wand’ring feet must go. You faced with us temptation’s pow’r And fought our ancient foe.  Read More

The appointed hymn for our consideration this week is “O Christ, You Walked the Road,” whose words were written by Herman Stuempfle Jr. This man had quite an impressive career. Stuempfle was born in 1923 in Clarion, Pennsylvania and lived in Gettysburg for more than five decades. He was the president of the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, as well as a professor and dean.   Read More

O my God, my rock and tower, Grant that in Your death I trust, Knowing death has lost its power Since You crushed it in the dust. Savior, let Your agony Ever help and comfort me; When I die be my protection, Light and life and resurrection.  Read More

Ev’ry wound that pains or grieves me By Your wounds, Lord, is made whole; When I’m faint, Your cross revives me, Granting new life to my soul. Yes, Your comfort renders sweet Ev’ry bitter cup I meet; For Your all-atoning passion Has procured my soul’s salvation.  Read More

If the world my heart entices With the broad and easy road, With seductive, sinful vices, Let me weigh the awful load You were willing to endure. Help me flee all thoughts impure And to master each temptation, Calm in prayer and meditation.  Read More

Should some lust or sharp temptation Fascinate my sinful mind, Draw me to Your cross and passion, And new courage I shall find. Or should Satan press me hard, Let me then be on my guard, Saying, “Christ for me was wounded,” That the tempter flee confounded.  Read More

Jesus, grant that balm and healing In Your holy wounds I find, Ev’ry hour that I am feeling Pains of body and of mind. Should some evil thought within Tempt my treach’rous heart to sin, Show the peril, and from sinning Keep me from its first beginning.  Read More

Hymn: “Jesus, Grant That Balm and Healing” (LSB #421) Our hymn was composed by the hymnwriter Johann Heermann. Johann’s hymns are always reflective of pain and suffering in the light of Jesus Christ who suffered for us and grants us healing through His suffering for us.  Read More

By Thy deep expiring groan, By the sad sepulchral stone, By the vault whose dark abode Held in vain the rising God, O, from earth to heav’n restored, Mighty, reascended Lord, Bending from Thy throne on high, Hear our penitential cry!  Read More

By Thy helpless infant years, By Thy life of want and tears, By Thy days of deep distress In the savage wilderness, By the dread, mysterious hour Of the_insulting tempter’s pow’r, Turn, O turn a fav’ring eye; Hear our penitential cry!  Read More

As the season of Lent begins anew, we turn to a series of hymns that we have not visited since this time last year. I’ve heard a lot of mixed reactions concerning this section in the hymnal. Some of you really love these hymns. Others think they are all slow dirges that are boring you to death. What Pastor Belt and I hope to accomplish through this daily devotional is to deepen the appreciation of all groups for the beauty of our Lenten hymnody.  Read More

Amen What does this mean? This means that I should be certain that these petitions are pleasing to our Father in heaven and are heard by Him; for He Himself has commanded us to pray in this way and has promised to hear us. Amen, amen means “yes, yes, it shall be so.”   Read More

Father in Heaven, you delivered your Son over into death. While Judas was working to hand you over to your enemies, you were handed over to deliver us from sin, death, and hell.  Read More

But deliver us from evil. What does this mean? We pray in this petition, in summary, that our Father in heaven would rescue us from every evil of body and soul, possessions and reputation, and finally, when our last hour comes, give us a blessed end, and graciously take us from this valley of sorrow to Himself in heaven.  Read More

O Lord, God our Father in Heaven, look with mercy on us! We are so often dragged away into our vices and sin which cause us great shame and pain. It is almost impossible to endure, and we feel compelled to hide our faces from before you in hopes that you may not look at us or our shame.  Read More

And lead us not into temptation. What does this mean? God tempts no one. We pray in this petition that God would guard and keep us so that the devil, the world, and our sinful nature may not deceive us or mislead us into false belief, despair, and other great shame and vice. Although we are attacked by these things, we pray that we may finally overcome them and win the victory.  Read More

Dear Lord Jesus Christ. You have forgiven us of all our sins. You have set us free from our bondage and slavery. The price came at your blood and not ours. We praise and thank you for this precious gift.  Read More

How many times should you forgive your brother? Jesus had just finished telling them what to do when a brother sins against them. Peter probably thinks he is being pious by offering to forgive his brother up to seven times.   Read More

What has happened to Jesus has now happened to me. As Paul noted in 2:12, we were buried and raised with Jesus by baptism. There is a break with the old and there is a new life that has begun with us.  Read More