An Example of Discipleship

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

“Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (Mark 10:47). These were the crying words Jesus heard said from a blind beggar named Bartimaeus. “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

We have much in common with Bartimaeus. For Bartimaeus, he was begging to people he could not actually see. Yet, oddly enough, he is an example of a model disciple. Despite being blind, he recognizes Jesus. He “sees” Jesus through his spiritual eyes. He “sees” Jesus through his faith.

We, too, “see” Jesus through our faith in Him. Like Bartimaeus, we are also beggars. Now, we may not be as noticeably poor as Bartimaeus in fear of if we will eat that day, but we are poor: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). We all live in poverty in our own sin, since we are all born sinful.

Like Bartimaeus, we also call on Jesus and trust in His power to deliver us from our poverty of sin. Apart from Jesus, we are doomed to suffer the depravity of our sin, which is eternal damnation. But the Triune God — the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — is a loving God. Due to God’s love for us, Jesus became a beggar for us, as He took upon Himself our human flesh and suffered and died for our sins, so we could be saved. Each time we say the Kyrie (“Lord, have mercy!”) and call upon Him in prayer, we call on Christ as our Savior to save us from sin, eternal death, and Satan. And each time, we call upon our Lord, Jesus says to us: “Go your way; your faith has made you well” (Mark 10:52).

Each time we call upon the Lord, Jesus compassionately responds to us — just as He healed Bartimaeus’ sight — as He takes upon Himself the depravity of our sins and replaces it with His righteousness. 

This interaction between Jesus and Bartimaeus had a profound effect upon Martin Luther. It is recorded that Luther’s last words were “We are beggars. This is true.”

We are all beggars as we cling to Jesus for all of our needs of body and soul.

In Christ,

Pastor Adelsen

What is the Sacrament of the Altar?

 

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night when He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to the disciples and said: “Take, eat; this is My body, which is given for you. This do in remembrance of Me.”

In the same way also He took the cup after supper, and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them, saying: “Drink of it, all of you; this cup is the new testament in My blood, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

Like the Sacrament of Baptism, the greatest importance, according to Martin Luther, of the Sacrament of the Altar is God’s Word and command. Luther wrote in his Large Catechism: “It [the Sacrament of the Altar] was not dreamed up or invented by some mere human being but was instituted by Christ without anyone’s counsel or deliberation.”

Last month, I discussed the importance of the Creed – the statements of what we believe and confess as Christians. This month, we will look at what Martin Luther says about the Sacrament of the Altar, otherwise known as the Lord’s Supper or the Eucharist, from his Large Catechism.

So, what is the Sacrament of the Altar? Luther writes, “It is the true Body and Blood of the Lord Christ, in and under the bread and wine, which we Christians are commanded by Christ’s Word to eat and drink. And just as we said of Baptism that it is not mere water, so we say here, too, that the Sacrament is bread and wine, but not mere bread and wine such as served at the table. Rather, it is bread and wine set within God’s Word and bound to it. It is the Word, I say, that makes this a Sacrament and distinguishes it from ordinary bread and wine, so that it is called and truly Christ’s Body and Blood.”

How can bread and wine be Christ’s Body and Blood? “Christ’s lips speak and say, so it is; He cannot lie or deceive.”

What is the power and benefit to the Lord’s Supper? “We go to the Sacrament because there we receive a great treasure, through and in which we obtain the forgiveness of sins. … This is the very gift He has provided for me against my sins, death, and all evils. Therefore, it is appropriately called food for the soul, for it nourishes and strengthens the new creature. For in the first instance, we are born anew through Baptism. However, our human flesh and blood, as I have said, have not lost their old skin. There are so many hindrances and attacks of the devil and the world that we often grow weary and faint and at times even stumble. Therefore, the Lord’s Supper is given as a daily food and sustenance so that our faith may be refreshed and strengthened and that it may not succumb in the struggle but become stronger and stronger. For the new life should be one that continually develops and progresses. … So, when our heart feels too sorely pressed, this comfort of the Lord’s Supper is given to bring us new strength and refreshment.”

How can a Christian receive this Sacrament worthily? “Fasting, prayer, and the like may have their place as an external preparation so that one’s body may behave properly and reverently toward the Body and Blood of Christ. Christians should prepare themselves to receive this blessed Sacrament frequently. True Christians who cherish and honor the Sacrament should of their own accord urge and constrain themselves to go. For we know and feel how the devil always sets himself against this and every other Christian activity, hounding and driving people from it as much as they can.”

“However, those who are impudent and unruly ought to be told to stay away, for they are not ready to receive the forgiveness of sins because they do not desire it and do not want to be righteous. But those who earnestly desire grace and comfort should compel themselves to go and allow no one to deter them, saying, ‘I would really like to be worthy, but I come not on account of any worthiness of mine, but on account of your Word, because you have commanded it and I want to be your disciple, regardless of my worthiness.’

“The only ones who are unworthy are those who no not feel their burdens nor admit to being sinners.”

What is confessed in this Sacrament? “Let all heads of a household remember that it is their duty, by God’s injunction and command, to teach their children or have them taught the things they ought to know. Because they have been Baptized and received into the people of Christ, they should also enjoy this fellowship of the Sacrament so that they may serve us and be useful. For they must all help us to believe, to love, to pray, and to fight against the devil.”

In the Lord’s Supper, we confess that we, by faith, are receiving the true Body and Blood of Christ in and under the bread and the wine for the forgiveness of our sins, which begets eternal life, salvation, and strength for our weak faith. We also confess that this Supper is a testimony to our unity of faith and doctrine. God’s Law in the Ten Commandments teaches us what we ought to do. God’s Gospel teaches us what God has already done for us. Through God’s Law and Gospel, we come to the Lord’s Table knowing that we are sinners in need of restoration. This is what we receive in the Lord’s Supper. By faith in Jesus, we receive the medicine of immortality through His very Body and Blood. By faith in Christ alone, we are given eternal life!

In Christ,

Pastor Adelsen

Why Do We Confess the Creeds?

 

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

In everything, Christians are to adorn and teach the doctrine of God our Savior (Titus 2:1-10; 2 Timothy 3-4). This is what the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write to Timothy and Titus, as well as to you and me. In everything, we are to adorn the doctrine of Jesus Christ.

Some decades ago, the seemingly innocent phrase “No Creed but the Bible” became popular among many Christians, especially among Baptists and Pentecostals. But they were not the only ones with this idea. This phrase seems innocent since Christians are to revere God’s Written Word, after all, this is where God speaks to us. But there is some irony here, “No Creed but the Bible” is in fact a creed, since a creed is a statement that expresses what people believe and teach.

Shortly after Christ bodily ascended into heaven (from whence He came and will one day return from), false teaching arose. Many of these false teachings were taught against immediately by Christ’s apostles Paul, Peter, and John in their epistles, since they were taught by Christ who is Himself the Truth (John 14:6). One of the earliest Creeds was in fact written by Paul: “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). As the Apostles all eventually died, their teachings did not die. It was due to the Holy Spirit’s work that the apostolic teaching has survived all these centuries even as this one holy Christian and apostolic Church had to combat false teaching after false teaching. Now, most of these false teachings dealt with the Person and Work of Jesus Christ. In order to confess the truth and avoid errors, the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Athanasian Creed were written to defend the truth of what the Bible teaches about the triune God. Every word from each of the creeds is taken directly from Scripture.

Each Creed was written to protect the Christian Church – and each individual Christian – from false doctrine, since only sound doctrine has the power to save.

Even better yet – with possibly the exception of the Athanasian Creed – each Creed was written in a way that they would be easily memorized. This is certainly a comfort to remember God’s saving work through the Creeds. So, when we have a question about the Christian faith, we can always remember what we have been taught in the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds.

In Luther’s Small and Large Catechisms, the Creed immediately follows the Ten Commandments. This is all on purpose. The Ten Commandments are written on the hearts of all people by virtue of their creation. They reveal our sin and prepare us to receive the gifts of salvation confessed in the Creed. Luther teaches in the Large Catechism that “the Commandments teach what we ought to do. But the Creed tells what God does for us and gives to us.”

In each Creed, we recite a summary of all of God’s work in creation and human history as taught in the Bible.

Ultimately, we need the Creeds. Although we can believe in a god through what we see and touch in nature, we cannot fully know the one true God by nature alone. Nature cannot reveal God’s identity and His name. The Creed and its source – God’s inerrant Scriptures – however, gives us as Paul Harvey famously used to say: “the rest of the story.” The Creeds teach us to know God more fully and about how all of humanity was saved and how God continually provides for His people through Word and Sacrament in the one holy Christian and apostolic Church:

I believe in one God,
the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth
and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the only-begotten Son of God,
begotten of His Father before all worlds,
God of God, Light of Light,
very God of very God,
begotten, not made,
being of one substance with the Father,
by whom all things were made;
who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven
and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary
and was made man;
and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate.
He suffered and was buried.
And the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures
and ascended into heaven
and sits at the right hand of the Father.
And He will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead,
whose kingdom will have no end.

And I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord and giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified,
who spoke by the prophets.
And I believe in one holy Christian and apostolic Church,
I acknowledge one Baptism for the remission of sins,
and I look for the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come. Amen.

In Christ,

Pastor Adelsen

Sermon for Easter 3: "Here We Stand" (Luke 24:36-49)

 

Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! Christ is Risen! He is Risen, Indeed! Alleluia!

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

[Intro]

[1]On April 16, 1521, Martin Luther, who months earlier was excommunicated by Pope Leo X, entered the city of Worms in a Saxon two-wheeled cart with a few companions. Although it was evening, more than 2,000 people turned out to greet Luther as he went to his lodging.

That next day – April 17 – Luther was told by the herald and imperial marshal to avoid the crowds as he went on his way to a meeting with the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, the electors, and German princes, who all waited with anticipation to hear whether Luther would recant his writings, or not.

Luther was about to speak in front of the Church and the Holy Roman Empire with the fear of death weighing upon him. Just imagine what Luther was feeling. Here, we have a simple monk with nothing to sustain him, except his own faith in the inerrant Word of God. Luther knew that he and the emperor alike were called upon to answer before Almighty God.

Upon entering the assembly, known as the Imperial Diet of Worms, Luther was examined by an official of the Archbishop of Trier. Immediately, Luther was confronted with a pile of his own books and was asked whether they were his. Luther replied: “The books are all mine, and I have written more.”

The official said, “Do you defend them all, or do you care to reject a part?”

Luther replied: “This touches God and His Word. This affects the salvation of souls. Of this Christ said, ‘He who denies Me before men, him I will deny before My Father’ (Matthew 10:33). To say too little or too much would be dangerous. I beg you, give me time to think this over.”

After discussion, the emperor would grant Luther until tomorrow. Justifiably so, Luther is terrified. He knew he had to give an answer before Almighty God and before the emperor.

That next day – April 18, 1521 – Luther returned to the Diet, but this time a larger hall was chosen, to allow for a larger crowd. It was standing room only, as only the emperor would find a seat.

The archbishop’s official reiterated the question of the previous day. As the day went on, the heat of the room increased. But Luther held his ground. Eventually, the official got to the point saying, “I ask you, Martin – answer candidly and without horns – do you or do you not repudiate your books and the errors with they contain?” Luther replied in his native German language saying:

“Since then Your Majesty and your lordships desire a simple reply, I will answer without horns and without teeth. Unless I am convicted by Scripture and plain reason – I do not accept the authority of popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other – my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. God help me. Here I stand, I cannot do otherwise. Amen.”

Luther was asked to repeat his answer in Latin. As sweat beaded upon him, Luther made his affirmation in Latin. He threw up his arms in the gesture of a victorious knight, and slipped out of the hall. The hall erupted. Some rejoiced; others demanded Luther’s death.

That next day, Luther was declared a heretic. He was condemned and declared the enemy of the pope and the empire. The pope and the empire had placed a bounty on Luther’s head.

Today, we stand in the footsteps of Martin Luther 500 years later. We stand boldly as we continue to proclaim Jesus who has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. We stand, by the grace of God, steadfast and ready – like Luther, to suffer all rather than fall away. We do not stand on Luther, but we will gladly stand with him, firm on the testimony of the Holy Scriptures to confess the saving Gospel of Christ, our Good Shepherd, who died and rose, in whose name is forgiveness of sins for all people. Here we stand. We can do no other. God help us all.

[Firm Testimony of the Scriptures]

Five hundred years ago, Luther had a choice. He could either denounce God’s Word, or he could boldly proclaim God’s Word. In today’s Gospel lesson, Jesus gives us the charter of the Church’s proclamation. Jesus taught His disciples saying, “‘These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.’ Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem’” (Luke 24:44-47).

Did you catch what Jesus just said? Here Jesus is saying that to comprehend His teaching, their minds – and our minds – must be opened by Jesus to understand the Scriptures.

Here, Jesus is teaching us three aspects of our Christian faith and what we preach and confess:

·        First, the death and resurrection of Christ is the central event of our faith. By this means, Christ reconciles us to God the Father and Jesus is proclaimed the victor over sin and death. (Luke 24:46)

·        Second, the Scriptures are the firm testimony of this. The Old Testament prophets foretold it, pointing forward to the Christ. The New Testament apostles bear witness to the Christ who has come. (Luke 24:44)

·        Third, the delivery and purpose of this central event and the reason for the prophetic and apostolic Scriptures is this: the proclamation of repentance for the forgiveness of sins in Christ’s name. The Law calls to repentance by exposing sin; the Gospel proclaims “peace” over such exposed sinners from the wounds of the risen Christ. (Luke 24:47)

Christ’s death and resurrection were accomplished to win a good conscience for us. Our conscience is “bound up” not simply to facts of history for their own sake, but to these blessed facts that are “for us and for our salvation” as we proclaim in the Nicene Creed.

On this day, 500 years ago, Luther was bound to the Holy Scriptures and their inerrant truth because they are the authority of God’s own Word concerning Jesus Christ, in whom we have peace for our consciences in the forgiveness of sins. You see, Luther appealed to the Scriptures, just as Christ did to His disciples.

[Hold Fast the Confession]

Now, due to our sinful nature, our natural tendency is to not perceive that Jesus is the Christ and that He has indeed accomplished our salvation. Our human eyes are blind to the reality of Christ’s presence even when He stands directly in sight, and our ears are deaf to His Word even when He speaks them audibly. Due to our sinful nature, this is a sad reality.

Today, the world around is us changing, but the more things change, the more they stay the same. You see, Satan hates the triune God and he wants us to doubt God’s saving Word. He wants us to question God’s Word. He wants us to turn from God’s Word.

Satan and the sinful world constantly come after us trying to wedge any doubt between us and God as he uses the same tactics he did with Adam and Eve saying, “Did God really say?” Most recently, Satan is coming after us in hopes of causing us to doubt ourselves. He wants us to doubt our own created being as God created us male and female. This is nothing new. He’s done this before. And he’ll keep on attempting to sow any doubts so he can pull us from God’s kingdom. You see, Satan and the sinful world constantly send their flaming darts at us in hopes of stealing one of us from Christ’s flock.

You see, Satan and the sinful world want us to put our trust in human wisdom and rely on shifting ground. Satan wants us to worry. Satan wants us to fail to recognize Jesus. But, do you know what? The more we may worry, the sure and certain Hope is right in front of us. Christ Jesus cannot be hidden. He cannot be locked away. You see, our sinful nature often overpowers us to look in all the wrong places for safety and security. We look in all the wrong places when the right place is right in front of us in God’s Holy Scriptures where God comes to us proclaiming certainty saying, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of My hand” (John 10:27-28).

Even in our disbelief, Jesus the Good Shepherd, comes to us saying, “Peace to you!” (Luke 24:36) and “Do not disbelieve, but believe” (John 20:27b). “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?” (Luke 24:38) He says, “Come, eat and drink. This is My Body, which is given for you. This cup is the new testament of My Blood, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.”

Although Jesus is truly present with His disciples that day, He also implies that He is no longer “with” them in the same way as before His death and resurrection. This is as Christ is today, as He comes to feed us His very body and His very blood for the forgiveness of sins and to strengthen our faith.

Here, Jesus Himself heals our spiritual blindness and deafness. Through the power of the Holy Spirit – the “power from on high” (Luke 24:49) – our faith grows and is strengthened. He also gives us the preached Word, which is the instrument through which the Holy Spirit manufactures faith. From this preached Word, the triune God gives us peace, joy, and the forgiveness of sins.

Through the hearing and reading of the Scriptures – from Genesis to Revelation – our eyes are opened through the working of the Holy Spirit. Our eyes are opened as God reveals how we have received peace with Him through our crucified and risen Lord. Our eyes are opened to see that the triune God is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). Our eyes are opened as these Scriptures – breathed out by God – teach us, reproof us, correct us, and train us in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:15-17).

So, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:23-25).

At Worms, Luther held fast the confession without wavering. He refused to be moved from his teaching except by the Holy Scriptures’ correction, because in the Scriptures we hear the voice and promise of Christ Himself – He who promised, who alone is trustworthy. The Scriptures are that trustworthy testimony of God to us, a promise that brings God with His benefits to us: forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation.

On this third Sunday of Easter – 500 years to the date when Luther took his stand at Worms – the Scriptures remind us what the Church stands for: Christ’s death and resurrection for the forgiveness of sins and the certainty of peace with God and eternal life in His name. Just as Christ stood among His disciples then, He comes to us here, through His Word and Sacraments saying, “Peace to you!” (Luke 24:36)

So whatever political power struggles, social and ethical debates, or humanitarian disasters we must engage in our lives, our mission and existence does not begin or end there. We preach Christ crucified and risen for eternal salvation. That is the center and focus of the Holy Scriptures, to which every other Scriptural truth also leads.

God help us in our day to be bold to proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God. God help us to stand on the sure testimony of the Holy Scriptures alone as the source and norm of faith and life, to repent of sin and pride, and to trust in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins. Here we stand! God help us. Amen.

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.

 

T SOLI DEO GLORIA T

---

[1] Roland H. Bainton, Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther (Abingdon: Nashville, 1978), 177-182.

Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord

“Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord” (LSB 497) is the Hymn of the Day for the Day of Pentecost. This hymn was written by Martin Luther.

At first glance, the hymn appears to consist of disconnected statements about the Holy Spirit. Yet these phrases are joined together by a common thread: Jesus Christ.

Stanza one names the Holy Spirit as God and Lord. First, the Spirit bestows gifts to believers in Christ. These gifts of forgiveness, life, and salvation are given to every Christian in Baptism, in hearing the Word of God, and in the receiving of the Lord’s Supper. Second, the Spirit’s imparting of “fervent love” is recounted. This thought is expressed in the same way in the post-communion collect (“in faith toward You and in fervent love toward one another”). Such fervent love is a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22). The first stanza closes with a plea for the Holy Spirit to grant unity to the Church on earth. True unity is the fellowship of faith and is attained “by the brightness of Your light.” That Light is Christ (Isaiah 60:3; John 8:12).

Stanza two describes the work of the Spirit as revealing and delivering Christ and His gifts. The Word of life is Christ, though whom the Church knows rightly and can even call God “Father” (Romans 8:14-16). The Church is kept from error by remaining in the truth, which is Christ (John 14:6). Or, as Luther states in the Small Catechism, the Holy Spirit keeps the whole Christian Church “with Jesus Christ in the one truth faith.”

Stanza three names the Holy Spirit as “holy fire,” which is reminiscent of the tongues of fire of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-3). This stanza turns to the life of the Christian, who is strengthened and comforted by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:5-10) until his Baptism is finally brought to completion in death (Romans 8:11).

1    Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord,
With all Your graces now outpoured
    On each believer’s mind and heart;
    Your fervent love to them impart.
Lord, by the brightness of Your light
In holy faith Your Church unite;
    From ev’ry land and ev’ry tongue
    This to Your praise, O Lord, our God, be sung:
        Alleluia, alleluia!

2    Come, holy Light, guide divine,
Now cause the Word of life to shine.
    Teach us to know our God aright
    And call Him Father with delight.
From ev’ry error keep us free;
Let none but Christ our master be
    That we in living faith abide,
    In Him, our Lord, with all our might confide.
        Alleluia, alleluia!

3    Come, holy Fire, comfort true,
Grant us the will Your work to do
    And in Your service to abide;
    Let trials turn us not aside.
Lord, by Your pow’r prepare each heart,
And to our weakness strength impart
    That bravely here we may contend,
    Through life and death to You, our Lord, ascend.
        Alleluia, alleluia!

Text: © 1941 Concordia Publishing House. Used by permission: CPH Limited Promotional License no. 119000000

Dear Christians, One and All, Rejoice

“Dear Christians, One and All, Rejoice” (LSB 556) is Martin Luther’s second hymn. The earliest printing of this hymn carried the following superscription: “A Christian hymn by Doctor Martin Luther, setting forth the indescribable grace of God and the true faith.” As such, this hymn of Luther (1483-1546) set the Reformation Gospel before the common people on the wings of song as a remarkably clear and complete summary of the Lutheran doctrine of justification.

The origins of this hymn have often been identified with Luther’s personal experience in “discovering” the Gospel. It may also be accurate that this hymn is not so much reflective of Luther’s personal experience as it is of the doctrine of justification revealed in Scripture and grounded in the life of every Christian.

This hymn may be outlined this way:

Stanza One – Justification: the source of Christian joy
Stanza Two – The sinner and original sin
Stanza Three – The sinner and unrighteous deeds
Stanza Four – The Father’s mercy from eternity
Stanza Five – The Father’s gracious sending of His Son
Stanza Six – The Word become flesh
Stanza Seven – The “joyous exchange”
Stanza Eight – Calvary’s benefits received in faith
Stanza Nine – The promise of the Holy Spirit
Stanza Ten – The Means of Grace

The hymn concludes saying that Christians are to guard themselves against human teachings, lest this great Gospel treasure be destroyed (Matthew 28:20; Colossians 2:20-20).

1     Dear Christians, one and all, rejoice,
    With exultation springing,
And with united heart and voice
    And holy rapture singing,
Proclaim the wonders God has done,
How His right arm the vict’ry won.
    What price our ransom cost Him!

2     Fast bound in Satan’s chains I lay;
    Death brooded darkly o’er me.
Sin was my torment night and day;
    In sin my mother bore me.
But daily deeper still I fell;
My life became a living hell,
    So firmly sin possessed me.

3     My own good works all came to naught,
    No grace or merit gaining;
Free will against God’s judgment fought,
    Dead to all good remaining.
My fears increased till sheer despair
Left only death to be my share;
    The pangs of hell I suffered.

4     But God had seen my wretched state
    Before the world’s foundation,
And mindful of His mercies great,
    He planned for my salvation.
He turned to me a father’s heart;
He did not choose the easy part
    But gave His dearest treasure.

5     God said to His belovèd 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.”

6     The Son obeyed His Father’s will,
    Was born of virgin mother;
And God’s good pleasure to fulfill,
    He came to be my brother.
His royal pow’r disguised He bore;
A servant’s form, like mine, He wore
    To lead the devil captive.

7     To me He said: “Stay close to Me,
    I am your rock and castle.
Your ransom I Myself will be;
    For you I strive and wrestle.
For I am yours, and you are Mine,
And where I am you may remain;
    The foe shall not divide us.

8     “Though he will shed My precious blood,
    Me of My life bereaving,
All this I suffer for your good;
    Be steadfast and believing.
Life will from death the vict’ry win;
My innocence shall bear your sin,
    And you are blest forever.

9     “Now to My Father I depart,
    From earth to heav’n ascending,
And, heav’nly wisdom to impart,
    The Holy Spirit sending;
In trouble He will comfort you
And teach you always to be true
    And into truth shall guide you.

10  “What I on earth have done and taught
    Guide all your life and teaching;
So shall the kingdom’s work be wrought
    And honored in your preaching.
But watch lest foes with base alloy
The heav’nly treasure should destroy;
    This final word I leave you.”

Text: Public domain

Behind the Hymn: A Look at Martin Luther

Episode One of "Behind the Hymn: Stories of the Hymns We Love to Sing: Martin Luther."

In today's video, I featured Martin Luther's Easter hymn "Christ Jesus Lay in Death's Strong Bands" (LSB 458). The lyrics and tune are available below.

The hymn begins by echoing the words of St. Luke: "God raised Him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for Him to be held by it" (Acts 2:24). Christ's resurrection brings us life and salvation: "He will swallow up death forever" (Isaiah 25:8). In faith, the Christian joyfully praises the Lord for all He has done for us!

In stanza two, Luther writes of the Law's harshest condemnation of sin and its consequence: death.

In stanzas three and four, Luther tells of what Christ has done for us, sinners. He tells of Christ's struggle, victory, salvation and redemption for us!

In stanzas five and six, Luther tells of Christ's victory on the cross over sin, death, and hell. Also, in stanza five, Luther tells of Jesus as the Passover lamb (Exodus 12) and how His blood marks the Door to eternal life.

In the final stanza, Luther tells how Christ feeds our souls at the Sacrament of the Altar: "Christ alone our souls will feed; He is our meat and drink indeed; faith lives upon no other!"

Each stanza concludes with a bold Easter "alleluia," for Christ is victorious over sin, death, and the power of the devil!

Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia!

To hear the hymn, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKx2J4Llcso

1 Christ Jesus lay in death’s strong bands
For our offenses given;
But now at God’s right hand He stands
And brings us life from heaven.
Therefore let us joyful be
And sing to God right thankfully
Loud songs of alleluia!
Alleluia!

2 No son of man could conquer death,
Such ruin sin had wrought us.
No innocence was found on earth,
And therefore death had brought us
Into bondage from of old
And ever grew more strong and bold
And held us as its captive.
Alleluia!

3 Christ Jesus, God’s own Son, came down,
His people to deliver;
Destroying sin, He took the crown
From death’s pale brow forever:
Stripped of pow’r, no more it reigns;
An empty form alone remains;
Its sting is lost forever.
Alleluia!

4 It was a strange and dreadful strife
When life and death contended;
The victory remained with life,
The reign of death was ended.
Holy Scripture plainly saith
That death is swallowed up by death,
Its sting is lost forever.
Alleluia!

5 Here our true Paschal Lamb we see,
Whom God so freely gave us;
He died on the accursèd tree—
So strong His love—to save us.
See, His blood now marks our door;
Faith points to it; death passes o’er,
And Satan cannot harm us.
Alleluia!

6 So let us keep the festival
To which the Lord invites us;
Christ is Himself the joy of all,
The sun that warms and lights us.
Now His grace to us imparts
Eternal sunshine to our hearts;
The night of sin is ended.
Alleluia!

7 Then let us feast this Easter Day
On Christ, the bread of heaven;
The Word of grace has purged away
The old and evil leaven.
Christ alone our souls will feed;
He is our meat and drink indeed;
Faith lives upon no other!
Alleluia!

Text: Public domain

The following hymns in the Lutheran Service Book were written by Martin Luther:
332 - Savior of the Nations, Come (Luther translated this hymn of Ambrose)
358 - From Heaven Above to Earth I Come
382 - We Praise You, Jesus, at Your Birth
406-407 - To Jordan Came the Christ, our Lord
458 - Christ Jesus Lay in Death's Strong Bands
497 - Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord
505 - Triune God, Be Thou our Stay
556 - Dear Christians, One and All, Rejoice
581 - These are the Holy Ten Commands
607 - From Dephs of Woe I Cry to Thee
617 - O Lord, We Praise Thee, Bless Thee, and Adore Thee
627 - Jesus Christ, Our Blessed Savior
655 - Lord, Keep Us Steadfast in Your Word
656-657 - A Mighty Fortress is Our God
755 - In the Very Midst of Life
759 - This Body in the Grave We Lay
766 - Our Father, Who From Heaven Above
768 - To God the Holy Spirit Let Us Pray
777-778 - Grand Peace, We Pray, in Mercy, Lord (Luther translated this Latin hymn)
823-824 - May God Bestow On Us His Grace
938 - In Peace and Joy I Now Depart
948 - All Glory Be to God Alone
954 - We All Believe in One True God
960 - Isaiah, Mighty Seer in Days of Old

Christ Jesus Lay in Death's Strong Bands

"Christ Jesus Lay in Death's Strong Bands" (LSB 458) is Martin Luther's Easter hymn.

The hymn begins by echoing the words of St. Luke: "God raised Him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for Him to be held by it" (Acts 2:24). Christ's resurrection brings us life and salvation: "He will swallow up death forever" (Isaiah 25:8). In faith, the Christian joyfully praises the Lord for all He has done for us!

In stanza two, Luther writes of the Law's harshest condemnation of sin and its consequence: death.

In stanzas three and four, Luther tells of what Christ has done for us, sinners. He tells of Christ's struggle, victory, salvation and redemption for us!

In stanzas five and six, Luther tells of Christ's victory on the cross over sin, death, and hell. Also, in stanza five, Luther tells of Jesus as the Passover lamb (Exodus 12) and how His blood marks the Door to eternal life.

In the final stanza, Luther tells how Christ feeds our souls at the Sacrament of the Altar: "Christ alone our souls will feed; He is our meat and drink indeed; faith lives upon no other!"

Each stanza concludes with a bold Easter "alleluia," for Christ is victorious over sin, death, and the power of the devil!

Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia!

1 Christ Jesus lay in death’s strong bands
For our offenses given;
But now at God’s right hand He stands
And brings us life from heaven.
Therefore let us joyful be
And sing to God right thankfully
Loud songs of alleluia!
Alleluia!

2 No son of man could conquer death,
Such ruin sin had wrought us.
No innocence was found on earth,
And therefore death had brought us
Into bondage from of old
And ever grew more strong and bold
And held us as its captive.
Alleluia!

3 Christ Jesus, God’s own Son, came down,
His people to deliver;
Destroying sin, He took the crown
From death’s pale brow forever:
Stripped of pow’r, no more it reigns;
An empty form alone remains;
Its sting is lost forever.
Alleluia!

4 It was a strange and dreadful strife
When life and death contended;
The victory remained with life,
The reign of death was ended.
Holy Scripture plainly saith
That death is swallowed up by death,
Its sting is lost forever.
Alleluia!

5 Here our true Paschal Lamb we see,
Whom God so freely gave us;
He died on the accursèd tree—
So strong His love—to save us.
See, His blood now marks our door;
Faith points to it; death passes o’er,
And Satan cannot harm us.
Alleluia!

6 So let us keep the festival
To which the Lord invites us;
Christ is Himself the joy of all,
The sun that warms and lights us.
Now His grace to us imparts
Eternal sunshine to our hearts;
The night of sin is ended.
Alleluia!

7 Then let us feast this Easter Day
On Christ, the bread of heaven;
The Word of grace has purged away
The old and evil leaven.
Christ alone our souls will feed;
He is our meat and drink indeed;
Faith lives upon no other!
Alleluia!

Text: Public domain

Lord Jesus Christ, with Us Abide

"Lord Jesus Christ, with Us Abide" (LSB 585) was written by two Lutherans of the Reformation era: Philipp Melanchthon and Nicolaus Selnecker. Melanchthon was Martin Luther's "right-hand man" as he penned the Unaltered Augsburg Confession (1530), the Apology of the Augsburg Confession (1531) and the Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope (1537). Selnecker was one of the principal authors of the Formula of Concord (1577). Selnecker was also a student of Melanchthon at the University of Wittenberg.

Selnecker, who wrote most of the hymn, was a staunch advocate for orthodox Lutheran theological expression.

The hymn begins with lines that evoke the prayer of the disciples on the road to Emmaus when it looked as though Jesus was going to leave them. The "eventide" and "night" of stanza one become "these last days of great distress" in stanza two. The hymn later speaks of the gravest temptation of all, apostasy or surrendering the faith, as "human pride" rejects God's truth and substitutes "man-made thoughts or things" for the words that the Holy Spirit uses to create and sustain faith.

Against such evils, the Church must pray to its Lord for His continued presence in order to "spurn Satan" and to remain "strong, bold, and unified" (stanza four). But how does Jesus "abide" with the Church? The hymn answers simply, explicitly, and in every stanza: God's Word. The emphasis of this hymn is the right proclamation of God's Word.

1 Lord Jesus Christ, with us abide,
For round us falls the eventide.
O let Your Word, that saving light,
Shine forth undimmed into the night.

2 In these last days of great distress
Grant us, dear Lord, true steadfastness
That we keep pure till life is spent
Your holy Word and Sacrament.

3 To hope grown dim, to hearts turned cold
Speak tongues of fire and make us bold
To shine Your Word of saving grace
Into each dark and loveless place.

4 May glorious truths that we have heard,
The bright sword of Your mighty Word,
Spurn Satan that Your Church be strong,
Bold, unified in act and song.

5 Restrain, O Lord, the human pride
That seeks to thrust Your truth aside
Or with some man-made thoughts or things
Would dim the words Your Spirit sings.

6 Stay with us, Lord, and keep us true;
Preserve our faith our whole life through—
Your Word alone our heart’s defense,
The Church’s glorious confidence.

Text: © 1982 Concordia Publishing House. Used by permission: CPH Limited Promotional License no. 119000000

From Depths of Woe I Cry to Thee

The hymn by Martin Luther "From Depths of Woe I Cry to Thee" (LSB 607) is a paraphrase of Psalm 130: "Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD! O Lord, hear my voice!" (v.1) "My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning. O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the LORD there is steadfast love, and with him is plentiful redemption" (v. 5-7).

In the hymn, Luther expresses the comfort of the psalm and the hope that is ours in the Gospel; he expresses the doctrine of Law and Gospel and the doctrine of justification by grace through faith in Christ alone; he expresses humanity's deepest sorrow; and he expresses this hymn as a catechetical aid to reinforce the meaning of confession as described in his Small Catechism.

This is a hymn of faith and grace dependent entirely on God's Word, and for this reason, "From Depths of Woe" has brought comfort to generations of believers.

1 From depths of woe I cry to Thee,
In trial and tribulation;
Bend down Thy gracious ear to me,
Lord, hear my supplication.
If Thou rememb’rest ev’ry sin,
Who then could heaven ever win
Or stand before Thy presence?

2 Thy love and grace alone avail
To blot out my transgression;
The best and holiest deeds must fail
To break sin’s dread oppression.
Before Thee none can boasting stand,
But all must fear Thy strict demand
And live alone by mercy.

3 Therefore my hope is in the Lord
And not in mine own merit;
It rests upon His faithful Word
To them of contrite spirit
That He is merciful and just;
This is my comfort and my trust.
His help I wait with patience.

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.

5 Though great our sins, yet greater still
Is God’s abundant favor;
His hand of mercy never will
Abandon us, nor waver.
Our shepherd good and true is He,
Who will at last His Israel free
From all their sin and sorrow.

Text: Public domain