HYMN: As I Approach Your Altar, Lord

I find myself with a little bit of time on my hands at the moment. I do so like to be productive, but there’s not a lot I’m able to do as I deal with a foot issue. But the foot issue itself actually gave me just a tiny little spot of inspiration for a hymn text about Confession and Absolution. (If you look at the first verse—stanza, whatever—you’ll see that I talk about “faltering feet” that don’t walk the “narrow way” of Matthew 7:13-14. Yes, I know it’s the gate that is narrow; allow me some creative license here!)

Anyway, here’s the text. It’s fairly on-the-spot as far as Confession and Absolution go, but I didn’t think it needed much adornment. The tune, at least temporarily, is the tune for "Baptismal Waters Cover Me." Feedback is love. 

As I Approach Your Altar, Lord

1. As I approach Your altar, Lord,

On falt’ring feet that go astray, 

I kneel and cry to You alone

That I have left Your narrow way. 

2. I fail to love You as I should.

I fail to love as You love me. 

I fail to be the helpful good

My righteous God demands I be. 

3. My words are hurtful, petty, mean. 

My thoughts are selfish, turned within. 

My every deed is foul, unclean,

And ev’ry breath is stained with sin. 

4. Your holy Word declares my shame. 

In truth, Lord, I deserve to die. 

Oh, hear me as I call Your name. 

Give ear, my Savior, to my cry. 

5. I lay my sins before my Lord,

I speak, and You who bore each one

Declare to me in mighty Word

That all my guilt and shame is gone!

6. For You who died upon the tree

Have taken all my sins away. 

My bonds are loosed and I am free!

My debt of sin You did repay. 

7. My conscience clean, my soul is healed. 

My pastor speaks, and You forgive,

For You, God's perfect grace revealed,

Speak sweet forgiveness, and I live. 

8. I thank You, Christ, for comfort sweet. 

I sing the triumph You did win. 

Receive my praise for grace complete, 

For love which covers all my sin. 

LM (88 88)

GOTTLOB, ES GEHT NUNMEHR ZU ENDE (LSB 616)

Confession and Absolution

Sermon for 7/27/25: Sixth Sunday After Trinity

CLICK HERE for the sermon audio.

CLICK HERE for the service video.

“Do This, and You Will Live.”

Matthew 5:17-26

 

Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

 

The Law of God requires you to love God with all your heart, mind, strength, and soul, and to love your neighbor as yourself. “Do this, and you will live.” Yet you cannot even make it to the First Petition of the Lord’s Prayer without sinning, without your thoughts wandering, without your attention wavering. You are filled from your first waking moment with daydreams of power, wealth, prestige, and the pleasures of the flesh. How many times have you thought you could do a better job than your boss? How many times have you thought you could do a better job than the President? How many times have you thought that you would use great wealth better than those who already have it?

Within the depths of your soul, ask yourself: Why don’t I love my neighbor as myself? Why don’t I daydream about my neighbor striking it rich? Why don’t I imagine my coworkers being promoted? Why not imagine President Trump being admired and respected and loved all over the world, receiving the adoration I imagine for myself? Your dreams center on yourself because you don’t love your neighbor like you love yourself. The Law is as simple as it is impossible, but we strive to complicate it. We look for loopholes, exceptions, and excuses. So vain are we that we think we’ve done better than most. We are not so bad as Osama bin Laden or Charles Manson or Adolf Hitler; we have only sinned out of weakness because of the great stress we are under. But in truth, the difference between sinners regarding the magnitude of our sins is insignificant to God. You might as well compare two ants running a race. That’s the difference of magnitude between your sins and those of the greatest sinner, or between your good works and those of the greatest saint.

Repent. You are a sinner; you have failed to meet the Law’s perfect standard. You have put yourself first. You are a sinner; you cannot earn heaven, and you do not deserve it. You are a sinner; you should be condemned. You have been angry. You have called men “fool.” You have led others astray. You have sinned. You have failed. And you have no complaint to make against the law for exposing your sin, because you know that the law itself is good and true. Lord, have mercy.

But there is a righteousness that exceeds that of the scribes and the Pharisees. It is the righteousness of Jesus Christ Himself. He kept the Law. He obeyed it perfectly. He carried the wood to Golgotha, just like Isaac. Jesus perfectly loved God; He perfectly loved His neighbors. He was obedient unto death. He paid the price for every last sin—for you and for every last man, woman, and child to ever live. Jesus was forsaken by His Father as the Sacrifice for sins that he did not commit. He did not complain, not even when they drove nails into his hands and feet. He loved with all His heart, with all His strength, with all His soul, with all His mind. He loved you, and He made you His neighbor, fulfilling the law for you. He took your place; He took your sins and guilt and shame into Himself, and He gave you His righteousness, innocence, and blessedness. He cleansed you with His Word, breathed his Spirit upon you, called you by His name. You are baptized into his death, and so you belong to Him and to His resurrection. You are free from sin, from damnation, from accusation, for Jesus has fulfilled the law for you. He has loved you with His whole heart, mind, strength, and soul. He feeds you with His perfect love in His own body and blood. This is how He has fulfilled the law for you.

So believe in Jesus Christ. Put your trust in Him. Be washed in His blood, named with His name, clothed in His perfect righteousness, fed by His body and blood, covered with the peace only He can give. “Do this, and you will live.” For all that Jesus has done, He has done for you. You are His precious, beloved bride, made perfect by His forgiveness and mercy. In the name of the Father and of the Son (†) and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

                  

The peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus always. Amen.

 

Sermon for 7/20/25: Fifth Sunday After Trinity

CLICK HERE for sermon audio.

CLICK HERE for service video.

“On the Mountain Before the Lord…”

I Kings 19:11-21

 

Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. 

 

To use the language of modern psychology, Elijah was a victim of spiritual burnout. With the help of God, he had just won a great victory over the prophets of Baal. After such a contest, you might think that everyone would end up confessing that the Lord is God. But that didn’t happen, and Elijah saw that as just one more piece of evidence that he was a failure as a prophet. And on top of that, Queen Jezebel, infuriated by Elijah’s victory over her prophets, issued a death warrant against Elijah. Understandably, Elijah ran for his life.

It’s important to understand why Elijah ran. His flight was not really prompted by fear. Far from Jezebel and her agents, out in the wilderness all by himself, Elijah plunked down in the dirt and asked the Lord to take his life; he wanted to die. His courage and determination had melted away—not so much because of the threats of his enemies, but because his spirit had been broken by their impenitence. Elijah had faithfully done the work the Lord had given him to do. But in spite of much good that had been done, the people still rejected the Lord and His way. They had taken away the joy of Elijah’s work, and so he grew severely disillusioned and depressed. In response, God’s angel told Elijah to rest, and he provided the prophet with food and drink in the wilderness; then he told the burned-out Elijah to keep going. The Lord was not yet finished with Elijah. The Lord spoke to Elijah in a whisper—“a still small voice”—and Elijah heard and recognized the Word of the Lord.

You and I have experienced times and situations in which we have extended ourselves greatly, above and beyond the call of duty, only to end up bitterly disappointed and disillusioned. Whether here at the church or at home or work or school, we’ve made great plans. We executed those plans with near-flawless precision. We did everything we thought we could, but it seemed as though we found little or no success. The people whom we thought would faithfully receive our work and even God’s Word wouldn’t listen or act as we desired. After a while, we had the opportunity to step back and analyze. And what did we see? While aspects of that situation stood outside the realm of our control, we also had to admit that our own sins and flaws helped to mess things up. We did not completely trust the Lord to take care of the matter, instead focusing on our work and effort. We can be left, sort of like Elijah, stewing in our own juices, indignant with God, even as guilt comes crashing down upon us for faithlessly presuming that God must dance to the tunes we choose.

          We are told in Epistle to the Hebrews, “In many and various ways, God spoke to the people of old by the prophets; but now in these last days, He has spoken to us by His Son.” The Apostle John called Jesus “the Word.” In Him we have the Word from God that we need most of all: the word of forgiveness that comes from His cross. “It is finished,” Jesus said there. After He rose from death, He breathed on His disciples and said: “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of anyone, they are forgiven; if you withhold forgiveness from anyone, it is withheld.” It may be a comparatively quiet voice that speaks the word of forgiveness to us today; it may seem almost inaudible due to the noise of this evil and dying world and our own selfish thoughts and words; yet this is the very Word we need to hear. The Lord is in this Word with all His saving power.

          God’s Word works! To Elijah’s surprise, there were still seven thousand faithful people in Israel who had not bowed the knee to Baal. By God’s grace, these people had kept the faith. All of them were going about their business quietly, like a low whisper, staying under the radar. And they could do this because they had heard the Lord’s voice in His Word, and His Word worked the way God meant it to work.

          God’s Word works today, too, when God’s people make the good confession. This is true even in times of adversity—and sometimes especially when they confess God’s Word in times of adversity. When our way seems difficult; when there isn’t that calm and quiet that really should characterize life in the Church; when there seems to be so little, if any, tranquility; we can still be comforted to know that the Lord is at hand in the midst of our difficulties. Like Elijah, we may not like where we find ourselves after some especially bitter experience. But do not underestimate God’s power in this. If we are driven back to His Word and the comfort it gives, then the bitterness becomes a blessing, however well disguised.

You will never go wrong clinging to the Lord and His Word. Even though He does not seem to bring decisive victories in this world, the fact remains that, in Jesus Christ, He has overcome this world. God’s Word yields the victory for all eternity. As St. Paul said: “Whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.” So keep your ears open. Listen for His Word. God isn’t finished with you yet. In the name of the Father and of the Son (+) and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus always. Amen.

 

Sermon for 7/13/25: Fourth Sunday After Trinity

CLICK HERE for the sermon audio.

CLICK HERE for the service video.

Mercy: Christ in You and for You

Luke 6:36-42

 

Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

 

Jesus says, “Be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.” You know how it is, and you know how it should be. When you hear these words of Jesus as accusation, your first instinct should be to confess, to repent, and to amend your ways. But when you are accused, your first instinct is not to repent; you want to defend and excuse yourself. And your second instinct is to pick at every fault of your neighbors, to point at someone else and say, “Those words were meant for you. Take care of your own faults before you go pointing out my flaws.” And you do that because the accusation has hit home; it has convicted you, and you want to deflect it as quickly as possible.

The Lord did not make us that way, but that is how we have become. That is how far we’ve fallen. We hear a charge spoken against us and, instead of owning up to it, we quickly turn on someone else and use it against them. Then we don’t look so bad. Then we can stand a little taller, knowing that we’re not as bad as someone else. And it looks all so righteous and fair.

But when we do that, we miss the good that our Lord wishes to do in us. We prove that the accusation has rightly been spoken. You might actually be right about the charge you make against someone else. But pointing to others; criticizing them not only for their unrighteousness and unfairness, but even for simple mistakes that everyone makes; and charging them when we, too, bear fault—this does nothing more than reveal that our sin is deeply rooted within us. Turning on others when the Law has been turned on us reveals how little we truly fear the Lord’s Word, how little we truly love what He says. For if we had true fear, love, and trust in God, then we would truly love everything He says, even when it hurts. We would not worry about what others might say about us, because our concern would be for what God says. We would welcome His judgment and discipline, knowing He speaks to enliven our faith. And we would believe that He accuses so that He might pardon, that He judges so that He might have mercy—for His mercy quickly follows His judgment. That is what the First Commandment is all about, after all: taking God at His Word; confessing our sins, knowing full well that we deserve whatever direction His wrath chooses to take; and at the same time straining to hear His pardon, His word of release, His comforting and soothing absolution.

The key is not to latch on to the accusation so you can accuse others, but to latch on to the mercy and forgiveness that come to you in His Word, in water, in bread and wine, so that you might be the Lord’s mercy to another. The key is to listen for what Jesus has done to you and for you, the Life He has immersed you in, so that He can now live through you. That’s what having the mind of Christ is all about: having His Gospel, His unfair mercy, His love, His compassion, His absolution. This will shape and form how you think and speak and act toward your neighbor. To have the mind of Christ is to have Christ within you, and to be in Christ, so that He is now your breath, your word, you doing, your attitude, your living, your Life.

But having Christ within you means sacrificing the urges and desires to accuse others and lash out again them. Having Christ within you means sacrificing your anger and your need to control. Having Christ within you means sacrificing all that you are and all that you have for the benefit of someone else—even someone who has sinned against you. Having Christ within you means sacrificing your self: your vanity, your pride, your self-righteousness; it means disciplining your thoughts, your tongue, and your actions.

Jesus tells us, “Your Father is merciful.” Concentrate on those words. They are directed squarely at you: not to indict or condemn, but to encourage, to comfort, to give hope, to enliven, to strengthen and to settle you. Those words mean precisely what they say: God our Father, through His Son Jesus, by the Holy Spirit has mercy on you. In His holy Sacraments, our heavenly Father gives you a measure of His loving-kindness: a good measure, packed down, even overflowing. He restores you to be what you can never be on your own. He creates a clean heart within you, renews His right Spirit within you, replaces your stony heart with His beating, loving heart. He gives you the mind of Christ and grants you the right, the privilege, and the joy of being a son of God, no different in inheritance than the very Son of God Himself. He has raised you up in your human nature to sit on His heavenly throne—not to condemn, but to be compassionate. His Life now lives in you so that it might also live through you.

Your Father is merciful to you through His Son. And by His Holy Spirit, He extends that mercy to you and grants you to live His mercy for the sake of all men. God grant that we would love our neighbors as He has loved us. In the name of the Father and of the Son (†) and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

 

The peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus always. Amen.

 

HYMN: We Praise Your Holy Name, O Lord

The Te Deum Laudamus is one of the oldest Christian hymns, written in the third or fourth century. Luther considered the Te Deum to be on the same level as the three ecumenical creeds as a creedal statement. As for me, I've wanted to write a metrical text for the Te Deum for as long as I've been writing hymn texts. One of my favorite hymns ever is "Holy God, We Praise Thy Name," and the Te Duem from the Matins service is heavenly. It's hard to mess up the Te Deum, and I hope I, too, have done it justice. I don't think this will ever overtake Starke's Te Deum text for popularity (though I still wish it had a different tune than Thaxted--but let us not argue about that here). Anyway, here is my text in draft form, set to the tune for the hymn "Dear Christians One and All, Rejoice." Feedback is love.

 

We Praise Your Holy Name, O Lord

1. We praise Your holy name, O Lord,

With songs of adoration.

O Father, by the world adored,

We shout in acclamation.

Lo, all the pow'rs of heav'n on high

And angel choirs aloud do cry

In exultation ringing.

2. The cherubim and seraphim

Sing "Holy, holy, holy!

The heav'ns and earth and all therein

Are full of Your great glory!"

Apostles, prophets praise Your name.

The martyr throng with great acclaim

With all the Church is singing.

3. O Father of all majesty;

Your only Son, our Savior;

O Holy Ghost: all praises be

To you, O God, forever.

Hail, glorious Christ! You are the King!

Your everlasting praise we sing,

O Son of God the Father.

4. You did not spurn the virgin's womb,

But bore humiliation.

You overcame the death and tomb

And won for us salvation.

By bearing sin's enormous weight

You opened wide the Kingdom's gate;

The faithful there will gather.

5. You sit alone at God's right hand,

The Father's glory sharing.

Before You, Christ, we all will stand,

Our sins and errors baring.

Oh holy Judge, to You we pray.

Preserve Your saints upon that Day

In glory everlasting.

6. We pray you, save Your people, Lord.

Preserve Your heirs and lead them.

Oh, keep Your people in Your Word

And with salvation feed them.

Keep us this day without offense.

Your mercy, gracious Lord, dispense.

Let us not be confounded.

87 87 887

NUN FREUT EUCH (LSB 556)

Te Deum Laudamus

Sermon for 7/6/25: Third Sunday After Trinity

CLICK HERE for the sermon audio.

CLICK HERE for the service video.

Angels Rejoice

Luke 15:1-10

Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen. 

 

Have you ever noticed that there are those who take great delight in pointing out that Christians are sinners? Some of those same folks are shocked to find that we are not especially bothered by that revelation, as if we didn’t know that already. I am not shocked. I’ve known since the day this congregation Installed me that you are all sinners, and you have known that about me, too. But sometimes that charge is phrased in such a way that it reveals something other than someone who is just naive. It comes out as an accusation: “These people may be Christians on Sunday, but look out the rest of the week.” Now we see what is really meant, what they really believe. They think Christianity is about good works, that being a Christian is about being nice and behaving.

And they are wrong! Indeed, the devil is pleased that they have believed his lie. In truth, to be a Christian is not to be good all of the time, or never to sin. There is a former LCMS member who is now a teleheretic—I don’t remember if it’s Joyce Meyer or Beth Moore or someone else—who insists, “I am not poor. I am not miserable. I am not a sinner.” Such a false idea of Christianity leads either to despair or hypocrisy. Christianity is not centered on good works. Jesus received and ate with sinners. The Pharisees stood off at a distance. They were shocked by the terrible sinners that made up our Lord’s entourage. Of course, this was the same crowd that thought they did not need a physician. But that was only because they did not know how sick they really were. It is impossible for any of us on this side of glory to not need God, or to ever have too much of His Word, His forgiveness, His life. So it is that these Pharisees, despite their many acts of charity, caused no rejoicing in heaven. The angels of God do not rejoice over children’s hospitals or universal health care or social justice causes or even peace treaties among the nations, as good as those things may be. The angels of God rejoice over the repentance of sinners! They rejoice over conversion and salvation!

To be a Christian is to be the cause of the angels rejoicing. It is to be gathered by our Lord to Himself, to bask in His forgiving presence in His gracious Word and Holy Sacrament. It is to listen as He speaks, to eat and drink as He gives nourishment and peace in His body and blood. To be a Christian does not mean that you have to be a pillar of the community whose kids never get in trouble, or that you must write rousing editorials in the local paper, or belt out the national anthem at ball games, or that there has never been a time when you have had a little too much to drink. To be a Christian is to hear the Good Shepherd’s voice, to be forgiven by Him and drawn to Him. It is to listen to and eat with Jesus.

That being said, hearing Jesus always brings shame with it, for His hearers always suffer the attacks of the Pharisees or their spiritual heirs. Hearing Jesus also brings shame by association. We are in the company of shameful people. Have you noticed that, in the New Testament, the worst sorts of people were always gathered about the Lord: tax collectors, prostitutes, murderers, thieves and liars? The Pharisees rightly call us sinners. We must acknowledge that truth. God’s Law cuts into our hearts and exposes us for who we really are. It leaves us vulnerable, helpless. But rejoice in that shame, for Jesus also says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” Under that shame there is the honor that Jesus receives sinners.

God is not like you. He does not worry about His offended honor. He is moved, instead, by a completely undeserved love. God behaves foolishly. He dies for sinners. He honors the shamed. He confounds the wisdom of men. He is a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles. He gives His life for us. And He will not be thwarted by some tongue wagging about “sinners.” He came to seek and to save sinners—even you; even me.

Every time you feel sorrow over your sins; every time you confess your sincere desire to not do it again, and place all your hope and trust in His grace and mercy; every time you repent, the angels in heaven rejoice. They rejoice because you are a forgiven sinner. The Law left you helpless and vulnerable and led you to know that only Jesus could rescue you and fill you with His righteousness; that He is the One who is willing to risk all to retrieve you again and to draw you back into the safety of His love. And so He finds you and bears you upon His shoulders rejoicing; and the angels rejoice with Him, for you are precious in His sight.

Jesus receives and eats with sinners at this table, where satisfies your hunger pangs for righteousness. He has found you by His Word. He has cut you down, but then He has raised you up again. And His angels rejoice in your forgiveness and life. So come; join with outcasts and sinners, with those of ill repute and shaky dealings, with terrible and the notorious. Come, be united in confession and faith. Be filled with His body and blood, given and shed for the remission of sins. God has sent His Son to be your Redeemer and Rescuer. He has sought and found you. You belong to Him. He has restored you to His house. You are the cause of angelic choir anthems of praise and rejoicing. You were dead and lost, but now you are found and alive. You belong. In the name of the Father and of the Son (+) and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

 

The peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus always.  Amen. 

 

Sermon for 6/29/25: Second Sunday After Trinity

 

No audio recording at this time. Sorry. Stupid technology.

CLICK HERE for the service video.

“The Feast Is Ready”

Luke 14:15-24

 

Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

         

The Kingdom of God is not just some far away event in the distant future. The Kingdom is present now. “Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and keep it” now. “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven” now. “Blessed is he who eats bread in the Kingdom of God” now. The Kingdom of God is already here; God is already present with His grace and mercy.

So Jesus tells this parable about urgency and invitation. Everything is ready…everything, that is, but the invited guests. They have lingering commitments. They have other wants and desires for themselves. The master of the feast is ready, but they are not. And so come the excuses. They don’t come right out and say that they don’t want to come. They just don’t want to come now. Of course, we can clearly see the foolishness of such behavior. We are pleased that the host invites the outcasts of society—the poor, the lame, the maimed, the blind—and still there is room. We are glad because that means there is still room for us.

This is a parable about urgency, about a desperate, current need we have. We might even mock these men in the parable who thought themselves too busy to attend. But what about us? Are we ready for the final summons? Are we eager? I suspect that we’re not quite there yet. You young people, teenagers, and young adults: how do you feel about the Lord possibly returning very soon? You have plans and dreams. You want to grow up and have families and careers. You want to have kids and watch then grow. There are things you want to experience. And you are not alone in that desire. Your parents and grandparents would probably feel just as cheated for the same reasons. The truth is, if it were up to us, many of us would prolong the Lord’s return permanently. We have more important things we want to do and more significant goals we want to accomplish. And we don’t want to be disappointed.

Please forgive my bluntness, but you must understand that this is pure nonsense. No believer will be disappointed on that Day of glory. You will not look back grudgingly on this vale of tears. No matter what your plans or dreams are, no matter what you come to possess, no matter who you leave behind for a time, it is far greater joy to leave behind this life of suffering and frustration and disappointment and be joined to the saints in that perfect and eternal heavenly communion!

It is true, of course, that there are those who are near the end of life—those of great age, perhaps those experiencing great sorrow, illness, or suffering. Their frustration is a different one. They wonder why God keeps them here. They are ready to go; they cannot see any further purpose they can serve here. They don’t know why they go on living. Sometimes I have to tell them I don’t know the reason either. But as St. Paul reminded the Romans, for all who love God and are called according to His purposes, all things work for good—all things without exception. He will take them home soon. And God’s time is perfect. But that plaintive cry, that desire for the end, should be in all of us, regardless of age or health or occupation. What do any of us—husband, wife, farmer, laborer, banker, teacher, or pastor—what do any of us add to this world? God does not need us here. This is not even our home. Eternal life is our destination. “Come, Lord Jesus” should be more than a thoughtless table prayer.

And yet, the sad fact is that, sometimes, we have behaved and thought about eternity as though we might actually be bored in heaven, as though we might have nothing to do there that we enjoy doing. Yes, heaven may not be a utopia of golf courses, or ponds stocked with fish, or limitless perfect games of Bunco or Call of Duty. The truth is, it is far better than any of that. Heaven is the most interesting, the most delightful, the most wonderful place, beyond our ability to imagine. At the Resurrection, we will be free from sin. We will no longer have to deal with affliction, suffering, or the destructive forces of this world. We will stop hurting ourselves and those we love with shameful, selfish behavior. We will bask in the presence of our loving Father as His children perfected in grace. We will have no regrets. Nothing will be lost. Everything will be gained.

But that joy to come, the glory to be revealed, is already here. For those with eyes of faith, we are already God’s beloved children, forgiven by grace, in whom He eternally abides. Already now, already here, He gathers us around Himself in the waters of Holy Baptism, the very center of our lives! He feeds us with food that money cannot buy, with bread that will not waste—with crucified flesh and blood that is not dead but forever alive, with a righteousness that forever satisfies.

Everything is ready. It is all finished. All debts are paid, all sins removed. All shame is forgotten in the death He died once for all, in the resurrection that delivers us to our eternal home. There is nothing left but to receive. The Feast is ready. So come; be filled with Him. As the Psalmist invites: “O taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him.” In the name of the Father and of the Son (+) and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus always. Amen.