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This Sunday’s Lenten Hymn for your reflection.

Come to Calv’ry’s holy mountain, Sinners ruined by the Fall;
Here a pure and healing fountain Flows to you, to me, to all.
In a full, perpetual tide, Opened when our Savior died.

Come in poverty and meanness, Come defiled without, within;
From infection and uncleanness, From the leprosy of sin,
Wash your robes and make them white; Ye shall walk with God in light. 

Come in sorrow and contrition, Wounded, impotent and blind;
Here the guilty free remission, Here the troubled peace may find.
Health this fountain will restore; He that drinks shall thirst no more.

He that drinks shall live forever; ‘Tis a soul renewing flood.
God is faithful, God will never Break His covenant of blood,
Signed when our Redeemer died, Sealed when He was glorified.

 (The Lutheran Hymnal #149)

Sometimes we think more highly of ourselves than we should. Jesus warned against this is the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14). Luke also records two different times when the disciples were arguing about who would be the greatest among them. Jesus tried to show them that His standards were very different from the world’s.

Luke 9:46–48 An argument started among the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest. Jesus, knowing their thoughts, took a little child and had him stand beside him. Then he said to them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For he who is least among you all—he is the greatest.”

Luke 22:24–27 Also a dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest. Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.

We have been called to be servants, following the example of the one who served by suffering for the sins of the world. We serve in response to knowing He has already saved us from our deserved punishment.  So we should not think of ourselves too highly.

Romans 12:3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.

On the other hand, sometimes we can be very hard on ourselves. I was recently on a committee interviewing a seminary candidate, and he made the comment: “We often put our blooper reels against other people’s highlight reels.”  I know what he meant. We know our own shortcomings. We compare our worst to other’s best. But we are supposed to remember that because of our faith in Jesus, God sees us in a new way.

Galatians 6:4–10 Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, for each one should carry his own load. Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor. Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

We should remember that God sees us as someone He loves and died for.

Cheryl and I just returned from a quick trip to Beaver’s Bend State Park in Oklahoma.  We were there with my brother and our daughter Leah and her family. We did some fishing, some hiking and enjoyed the beauty of that part of God’s creation. We came in separate vehicles, so as Cheryl and I were driving home, I noticed how quiet it was in our vehicle. I thought back to the family trips we made over the years when our three girls still lived at home. Those trips were not as quiet. Sometimes there was singing and laughter and enjoying each other’s company.  Other times there was grumpiness and grumbling. That was not as much fun. It was part of having children.

That was true for God and His children, the nation He chose to bring the Savior into  the world, the children of Israel. When He brought them out of Egypt in order to lead them to the Promised Land, almost immediately they complained about the food situation. “We may have been slaves in Egypt, but at least we had something to eat.”  So God told them He would send quail in the evening for meat and manna in the morning for bread. By the next chapter, they were complaining because there was no water. You may have heard this read in worship last Sunday.

Exodus 17:1–7 The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin, traveling from place to place as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. So they quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses replied, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the Lord to the test?” But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?” Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me.” The Lord answered Moses, “Walk on ahead of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. And he called the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the Lord saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

How often do we complain to God about what we don’t have and forget what He has already given to us?

Psalm 103:2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits  (ESV)

The most needed benefit it the gift of salvation. Our Father accomplished that be sending His Son down here to rescue us from sin and death and the devil. Jesus did what was needed so that we can be certain of forgiveness and eternal life. But wait…there’s more:

Romans 8:32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?

God has promised to meet our needs. Always. So why the grumbling?

It has become commonplace for people to justify their sinful behavior by saying “I was just born that way.” Morality is left out of the discussion. Sins are blamed on a physical condition while ignoring behavior. After all, if they are born that way, they can’t help it, right? And many Christians don’t know how to deal with this. They will say, “How can the Church condemn the sins of people if they are “just born that way?” What is the Christian response to the issue of “genetic sin?”

In a very real sense, we are indeed “just born that way.” We are born sinful. We inherit sinful desires through the spiritual “genes” that have been passed down from every parent to every child since the Fall. And when our “genetic sin” is nurtured by the sinful world, visible sins are the inevitable result.

The Lutheran Reformers knew this to be true.

It is also taught among us that since the fall of Adam all men who are born according to the course of nature are conceived and born in sin. That is, all men are full of evil lust and inclinations from their mother’s wombs and are unable by nature to have true fear of God and true faith in God. Moreover, this inborn sickness and hereditary sin is truly sin and condemns to the eternal wrath of God all those who are not born again through Baptism and the Holy Spirit.
                                                                            Augsburg Confession, Article II, 1

They based this on the message of Scripture.

Romans 5:12-19 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned — for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come. But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

The message of Jesus is “being born that way” is no excuse. God hates all sin, and impenitent sinners are condemned to hell. That is the Law, which condemns each of us. We all need to feel the hammer of the Law that crushes pride, making us long for forgiveness. Homosexuals, heterosexual adulterers, slanderers, gossips, those who are judgmental, lazy, liars, and everyone living in habitual and manifest sins must hear nothing but God’s Law until they realize that these and all sins bring punishment. Whether it comes from nature or from nurture or both, every sin carries a price. We condemn the sin in order to save the sinner. Of course we want to be compassionate, but it is neither kind nor loving to let someone believe that God will accept their sin. When they come to that realization, that they are sinful and need help, they will find that God does have something to offer.

Jesus bore our guilt. He paid the price for our sin. By Word and Sacraments His payment is offered to us as our payment for sin. By faith we receive His death as our death for sin, so that we will also be joined with Him in His life. This is the main message of Scripture.

The world being what it is, there will always be churches that tell people what they want to hear. There will be those who tell you “you were just born that way, you can’t help it, go ahead and be yourself. Jesus loves you just the way you are.” But the message God shares with us in His Word is that while you may be “born that way” you do not have to act upon it! When you sin, you make a conscious choice to act upon the sinful desires that are in your nature. What God calls you to instead is to follow His Spirit’s guiding, remember what Jesus did to make you righteous, and respond to Him by not following the desires of your sinful nature.

If you admit that are “just born that way,” sinful, and with faith look to the cross for your forgiveness, you will be forgiven. Keep your eyes on Jesus. Then you can say, “Yeah, I’m a sinner. I was born that way. But Jesus took care of that for me.” And with God’s help, resolve not to act upon the longings of your sinful nature.

Psalm 95:1-7  Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.

The assigned Psalm for yesterday was a portion of Psalm 95. In the service I attended, it was read as a call to worship. And that triggered a flood of memories for me. I could hear myself singing those words in Wednesday morning chapel services in parochial school from order of Matins (The Lutheran Hymnal, 1941). Versions of that service are still in use today. That led me to reflect on these words and do a little digging into the origins of “The Venite” as it is commonly known, from the Latin word that means “Come.”

There have been different versions of this canticle over the years. Some included the last four verses of the Psalm 95, which speak of God’s judgment.

I have always appreciated it as a call to worship. And while it is a song that sings the praises of our God and speaks of His greatness, did you notice that it is not addressed to God? It is an invitation to other people to join us in worshipping, bowing down, kneeling and making a joyful noise unto the Lord! That is how I remember it in chapel, encouraging others to worship God with us. Why? “For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. In His hands are the deep places of the earth, the strength of the hills is His also … For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand.”

I have a great appreciation for this reminder to not only sing the praises of our God, but to joyfully urge others to do so with us. And while I love singing “The Venite” I grew up with, I also recognize that our worship is not limited to the ancient liturgies the church. I love how many of the new songs of our day sing of about how great God is. Right now I can hear the Newsboys song “The Greatness of our God.” It is joyful worship!

One of the interesting things I discovered while researching the history of this canticle comes from the establishment of the Church of England in the 1500s. Parliament passed The Act of Supremacy in 1534 which transferred control of the Catholic Churches in England from the Pope to King Henry VIII. In an attempt to normalize things, they developed the Book of Common in Prayer. In 1549, Parliament passed the Act of Uniformity, a law that “mandated life imprisonment for those who conducted Christian Worship not in conformity with the Book of Common Prayer.”  I guess worship wars have always been around.

When I read that, I was struck how that runs counter to the intent of Psalm 95. Telling people there is only one way to worship is a far cry from inviting other to make a joyful noise to the Rock of our salvation! The Old Testament is filled with references of worshipping God with songs and all kinds of instruments and even dancing.

And let’s not forget why we worship. Our Good Shepherd came down here to lay down His life for us, the sheep. We had strayed, were in peril of perishing forever, so He came to rescue us. Our destiny was destruction, but Jesus bought us back from sin and death and gives us life and salvation instead. We receive this by trusting that He is our Redeemer. And now we want to follow Him, sing His praises, and tell others to join us in being “the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand.”

Another old Lenten Hymn this Sunday to assist you in your meditations this season.

Jesus, Refuge of the weary, Blest Redeemer, whom we love,
Fountain in life’s desert dreary, Savior from the world above,
Oh, how oft Thine eyes, offended, Gaze upon the sinner’s fall!
Yet, upon the cross extended, Thou didst bear the pain of all.

 Do we pass that cross unheeding, Breathing no repentant vow,
Tho’ we see Thee wounded, bleeding, See Thy thorn-encircled brow?
Yet Thy sinless death hath bro’t us Life eternal, peace, and rest;
Only what Thy grace hath taught us Calms the sinner’s stormy breast.

Jesus, may our hearts be burning With more fervent love for Thee!
May our eyes be ever turning To Thy cross of agony
Till in glory, parted never From the blessed Savior’s side,
Graven in our hearts forever, Dwell the cross, the Crucified!

(The Lutheran Hymnal #145)

We recently returned home from a two-week trip. It rained here quite a bit while we were gone. And it has rained 3 of the 4 days that we have been home. I am not complaining, because we see this as a blessing from God in these parts, and will take the rain when it comes.

I have learned that when it rains this much all at once, there are certain parts of my property that I stay away from. The clay in our soil makes a mud that cakes on to the bottom of your shoes, and you can be several inches taller when you get back to the house. Not only that, when it reaches the saturation point, it becomes a gooey mush that you will sink into. When you try to pick of your foot, your boot or shoe will very likely stay behind in the muck. Yes, I am speaking from experience.

Early this morning, when I remembered that happening to me, I was reminded of the words of Psalm 40.

Psalm 40:1–4 I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord. Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods.

There are too many times in our lives when we wander away from God’s will for us and find ourselves stuck in the muck and mire of our bad decisions. We think there is no escape, no way out. And on our own, that may be true.

However, those of us who have been led to faith, we who know that Jesus is our Savior, have a way out. We cry to the Lord for help, knowing He is with us and hears us. The difficult part is waiting patiently, but we know that He will answer in a way that is best for us. He is all about restoring us, rescuing us, setting our feet on the firm foundation we need. Jesus came to save us. He paid the penalty our sins demanded, conquered death for us and opened heaven for us. He came so that we could have life and have it to the full (John 10:10).

Our response to our rescue from sin and the times He pulls us up out of the mud should be the same:  Singing the praises of our God and letting others hear us do it!  In that way, they may also come to know and believe that Jesus is their Savior, too.

On a recent hike through a beautiful Texas State park, as we were walking through a narrow path in a heavily wooded area, a young lady was approaching us from the other direction. Her shirt had a message on the front which said, “The death penalty kills innocent people.”  I know there are Christians on both sides of this issue, and my purpose in sharing this here today is not to enter a political discussion. I know there are people who have been executed for crimes they did not commit, and that is horrific. However, I want to share with you the thought that struck Cheryl and I when we saw that t-shirt. After that that young lady walked away, we were talking about that message on her shirt and we said “You mean like Jesus?”

The Roman government practiced a brutal form of execution known as crucifixion. It was a death penalty. And we know for certain that they executed the only truly innocent person there ever was. They were God’s instrument in carrying out His plan to buy us back from sin and death. God used the death penalty to accomplish our forgiveness, life and salvation.  Paul wrote about it this way:

2 Corinthians 5:17–21 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

“Him who had no sin” – the innocent one – became sin for us, took our punishment, paid our debt, and reconciled us to God. The only truly innocent one that ever lived endured the death penalty so that we might become righteous. God truly makes all things work for our good.

A few days ago my dear wife and I ate at a Cracker Barrel. As is our custom, after placing our order, we told our server, Nick, that we were going to ask God to bless our food and that we were going to pray for him, too. I asked if there was anything in particular he would like us to pray for. He said, “I don’t think so. I’m not really a church type person.” I told him, “That’s okay. We are going to pray for you anyway.” He smiled and walked away.

I don’t know if Nick was ever part of a church, if he was hurt by someone or something associated with a church, or if he was just unaware of who Jesus is. In that prayer, I asked God to send someone into Nick’s life who would let him see Jesus for who he really is: a loving, caring, giving and forgiving Savior. Let the love of Jesus shine through that someone so that the Holy Spirit can lead Nick to know and believe that Jesus is his Savior, too.

The problem is that the church gets and lot of bad press, and sometimes rightfully so. There are a lot of charlatans out there claiming to preach God’s Word who abuse their positions to hurt and steal. That is not what the church should be, but that is what a lot of people on the outside see. No wonder they are not really church type people.

Lord, help more of us be the kind of people who, in response to our Savior’s dying love, strive to let the Nicks of this world see the love us Jesus in our words, our lives and our actions.