HYMN: View Now the Cross with Ponderous Grief

Once again I found myself inspired by one of Pastor Anderson's sermons, this time his Good Friday sermon on John 19 for the Chief Service. He was talking about Good Friday piety: how some view the day with a somber tone while others view the day with great joy. The thought sent a kernel of an idea into my head, and this is what developed, with help from thoughts from his sermon and the readings for Easter Day. 

This one still needs some work, but it's a good start, and your help could make it even better. I think there is a stanza still missing, but I'm not sure quite what it is. 

Right now the tune is WINDHAM, which is the tune for the hymn "We Sing the Praise of Him Who Died," hymn 429 in Lutheran Service Book. Feedback is love.

View Now the Cross with Ponderous Grief

1. View now the cross with pond'rous grief;

View now the cross with radiant joy;

But see the cross with great relief.

Praise Christ, whose death did death destroy.

2. Behold the scandal of the cross!

See here the foolishness of God.

Look at Christ's hands by nails embossed

His torso striped by cruel rod.

3. See Him suspended, crucified,

His love a banner, on the tree

See Him, your Savior, glorified,

Hanging in mighty victory!

4. Sinless, the King with greatest care

Cries for forgiveness, mercy sweet,

For all whose sins have nailed Him there.

And then He dies, His work complete.

5. Mourn your own sin with woe and shame,

Putting the spotless Lamb to death.

Worship the Christ, who bears your blame,

Breathing for you His final breath.

6. View now the cross with pond'rous grief;

View now the cross with radiant joy;

But see the cross with great relief.

Praise Christ, whose death did death destroy.

Alan Kornacki, Jr., 1974

LM (88 88)

WINDHAM (LSB 429)

Good Friday; John 19

Sermon for 3/15/26: Fourth Sunday in Lent (A)

CLICK HERE for the sermon audio. 

Now I See
John 9 

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

 

It is vital understand that blindness and sight in this passage are analogies for faith and unbelief. So it might sound contrary to reason, but it is not blindness that requires the greater measure of courage. Unbelief is easy; it is easy to doubt, to question, to ignore what is as plain as day. But faith takes some guts. Although unbelief may encounter various “dangers, toils, and snares,” faith is an on-going life of valor. Life in the Light of Christ is not a place for the fainthearted. But thanks be to God that He strengthens your feeble arms and weak knees. Thanks be to God that the very faith that demands your courage also supplies to you the courage it demands, so that you will never be overcome.

Perhaps there was a time when the man in this Gospel might have argued. Having been born blind, this fellow never knew anything but darkness. There were no modern conveniences to make his life more comfortable; he was just a man with a stick. So maybe he would have argued that blindness is the harder part.

But then Jesus comes along and heals the man. Making mud of His own spittle and dabbing it onto the man’s eyes, Jesus tells him to wash in the Pool of Siloam. “So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.” Yet as this man steps out from the darkness and into the Light of Christ, he learns that this bright, sighted place in the light is not the place for the fainthearted.

Unlike the woman at the well from last week, there is no indication that this newly healed man told anyone about Jesus. In fact, John gives the impression that the man simply began living as a child of the light. Yet his neighbors could not help but notice his life-changing transformation: “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” And they demanded of him, “How were your eyes opened?” And soon the trouble begins, because the man’s friends and neighbors dragged him off to the Pharisees for their judgment. Life here in the light certainly is not a place for the fainthearted.

So now that this man has his sight, he can see dangers that never touched him in the dark. The man sees that the Pharisees are ready to hate him for no other reason than because God-in-flesh had intervened in this man’s life. He sees that human ideas and opinions about religion are more important to most people than an eyewitness testimony to God’s Word. The man had simply confessed, “He put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and now I see.” And the Pharisees responded, “This Jesus cannot possibly be from God!” The blind man now sees that others suddenly consider him a lowlife, an unworthy member of their community simply because He would dare to tell them about the promised Christ. And then, to make matters worse, this man had to watch his own parents disown him because of their fainthearted fear of the Jews.

But maybe you don’t need this man to tell you that life in the Light is no place for the faint of heart. Maybe you have already seen the dangers of having the blindness of sin washed away in Baptism. Maybe you have come to see the great courage that faith requires. It takes courage in the face of rejection to speak the Gospel to people who hate God, who would rather rely on their own self-made religious opinions than upon God’s life-giving Word. But anything less than a full, clear testimony to Christ is sin! It takes courage for you to have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness. But anything less is sin!

Unbelief is easy; sin is easy. But faith takes some guts. Although unbelief may daily encounter various dangers, toils and snares, your God-given faith amounts to an on-going life of valor. Life in the Light of Christ is not a place for the fainthearted.

But this Gospel also demonstrates to you the source of your courage and strength. After the newly healed man had been thrown out of the synagogue, Jesus came to him. The man does not go in search of Jesus; Jesus found him. But the Lord does not merely encourage him; He does not warn him to be ready for tough times; Jesus does not tell this man that he will need to find courage to face his life in the Light. No. His Lord strengthens him in this new sight and faith he has been given. Life in Christ may be no place for the faint of heart. But He gives you the courage you need.

Beloved in Christ, there is nowhere the Children of Light can go that their Lord Jesus, the Light of the world, has not already gone. The man in today’s Gospel may have watched his loved ones turn their backs on Him, but this suffering is also shared by Jesus, whose dearest followers all fled during His time of greatest need. The Light of the world may have seemed to be momentarily extinguished in the darkness of the cross, but the darkness could not overcome the Light that is Christ. Christ’s resurrection light now shines upon you. Life in the Light of Christ is no place for the fainthearted, but by His own suffering, resurrection, and abiding presence, your Lord faithfully strengthens your feeble arms and weak knees. He makes the fainthearted stalwart; He gives the fearful courage; He makes the blind to see. “You have now seen Him,” says Jesus. And how else shall we respond, except with the courageous confession, “Lord, I believe!” 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 3/8/26: Third Sunday in Lent (A)

CLICK HERE for the sermon audio.

The Well Is Deep
John 4:5-26

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

Without water, nothing can live. Two-thirds of the earth is made up of water. 75% of the human body is water. Ultimately, even the desert camel must drink water, or it will die. Water is essential to life. Some might even say that water is life.

One can surely understand why Jesus sat down by the well. He was tired after traveling through Samaria. In the warm, dry climate, Jesus was tired and undoubtedly thirsty. The sun was no doubt high in the sky, beating down on Him. While He sat by the well, a Samaritan woman came to draw water. This is unusual. It was about 12 noon, the sixth hour. Water was usually drawn from the village wells in the cool of the early morning, and again in the evening. Seldom did someone come to the well in the heat of the day to draw water.

Nevertheless, this woman comes to get water; and there sits Jesus. Certainly, it would have been out of place for a woman to initiate conversation. She was also a Samaritan, whom the Jews regarded as “half-breeds” and held in contempt. In the eyes of the culture, this woman was to be disregarded. Yet, Jesus ignores all of that. He says to this woman, “Will you give me a drink?” The woman replies, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” In effect, she wanted to know what was wrong with this guy.

But the Samaritan woman is thirsty, too. Jesus wanted her to recognize her spiritual thirst, to see Him as the One who is the Giver of living water, eternal life. As we encounter Jesus in His Word today, we also must consider our own thirst—not thirst for earthly water, but for living water. Jesus says, “If you knew the gift of God, you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” As Christians, we’d like to think that we do know God’s gift and who it is that is the Giver of those gifts. We’d like to think we ask that Giver for living water.

But we don’t always. How can that be true? It is true because of sin. Sin clouds our spiritual thinking. Sin separates us from God and from desiring the gifts of God. Sin has left us spiritually parched, dead in trespasses. We were dead to God. There was no desire for the gifts of God, no longing for God. This estrangement from God accounts for all the griefs and sorrows, worries and heartaches, the restlessness and unhappiness, the despondency and despair of the human heart.

Sin causes us to thirst for the things of this world that please our sinful nature. We thirst for that which can satisfy our sinful cravings. We desire wealth and power, money and popularity, advancement at work, success in school, thinking these things can make us truly happy. We desire to better ourselves by any means possible, whether that means speaking lies against a co-worker or classmate, cheating on a test in school, or being lazy at work. Do we know the gift of God? Do we ask Jesus for living water?

Left to ourselves, our sinful nature does not let us understand and know the gift of God. Satan and the world influence us not to ask Jesus for His gift of living water. So we thirst. We are spiritually thirsty people. God in His mercy does not want us to die of spiritual thirst because of our sins. So out of His great love for sinners, God sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, into our sin-filled world. Jesus became subject to human need, even to thirst.

As our Lord hung on the cross, bleeding and dying, John tells us that Jesus said, “I thirst.” Jesus became thirsty for you so that you would never thirst again. The very living water, Jesus Christ, thirsted as He hung on the cross, bearing our sin and enduring our death. Burdened with our sin, Jesus became sin for us. We can certainly say that on the cross, Jesus became spiritually thirsty too, as our sins were upon Him.

Jesus gave us His life on the cross so that you would have life forever with God. This life was for not only for the Jews; it was for the the Samaritans and the Gentiles—indeed, it is for all who are spiritually thirsting because of sin. That life is for you. By God’s grace alone, your sins are forgiven because of Jesus. You have new life through the living of Holy Baptism. As a Baptized child of God, through the power of the Holy Spirit, you are given faith which trusts Jesus as your Savior. Because of that faith, Christ has become a spring of water welling up in you to eternal life.

You no longer thirst, for Jesus has given you His living water. His death on the cross has quenched your spiritual thirst. While we were still sinners, when we didn’t deserve forgiveness, Jesus died to save us. It is by grace, through faith, that you have been saved. His living water is truly a gift of God.

As we continue our Lenten journey to the cross, remember the living water of forgiveness and life which has been given to you. Because of Jesus, we no longer thirst. His love and mercy as He gave up His life for us has quenched our thirst better than any earthly water. The living water Jesus has given to you is a spring of water welling up to eternal life…and the well is deep. 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: Born from Above into the Kingdom

One of the few benefits of being a pastor without a congregation to serve is that I get to hear other pastors preach from time to time. That can be a mixed blessing, because pastors often make the worst listeners when it comes to sermons. (I'm no exception. It's not so much that I critique; it's more that I find my mind wandering.) That being said, when I find a good preacher to listen to, not only is it edifying for the soul; as a writer, I find good sermons inspire me to write hymn texts. Pastor Rick Stuckwisch affects me that way, for example, so I find myself on his blog when I’m in a dry spell. 

I’ve been attending Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where God has placed the Reverend Paul Anderson. Pastor Anderson is a brilliant man and an excellent preacher. This past Sunday and then again this evening, he preached on John 3:1-17. Fed by the words and the Supper, I was inspired to write. The suggested tune is ICH WILL DICH LIEBEN, which is the tune for Lutheran Service Book hymn 694, “Thee Will I Love, My Strength, My Tower.” 

And yes, I committed the cliche, the cardinal hymn writer's sin of rhyming "love" and "above." I do my best to avoid that when possible; we'll see if I can eliminate that in the next draft.

This is a rough first draft. As always, feedback is love.

Born from Above into the Kingdom

1. Born from above into the Kingdom;

Born from above: I’m God’s own child. 

I’m born of water and the Spirit,

No more my soul by sin defiled. 

Through faith in what I cannot see

Christ gives new life to me. 

2. Born from above in worded water,

Made new in that baptismal flood;

In bread and wine new life I’m given:

Christ’s perfect flesh and holy blood. 

These gifts the Father’s love reveal:

Christ’s blood the sign and seal. 

3. Born from above in absolution:

My pastor speaks Christ’s grace to me.

Born from above in Gospel preaching:

The Word in flesh has made me free. 

I’m born again, born from above,

Through my Redeemer’s love. 

4. Lord, grant that I may come in daylight,

And may my faith be unashamed. 

Help me to make a good confession

And praise the Christ for whom I’m named. 

Now, newly born, dear Lord, I pray,

Renew me every day. 

98 98 86

ICH WILL DICH LIEBEN (LSB 694)

Lent 2a; John 3:1-17; New Life in Christ

HYMN: How Long, O Lord, Will You Forget

I am not particularly good at judging the merit of my own work. This is true across most aspects of my work as a writer. Or any of my work, for that matter, considering how I seem to be received by those whose responsibility it has been to be my greatest sources of feedback and support...but that's another matter. Anyway, I was thinking about my most recent hymn text, "How Long Will You Forget," which I posted not too long ago. It's not a bad text, as far as it goes, but it could be better. I decided to start over with the same base text, Psalm 13, and try a different meter. So I moved from a 66 77 77 scheme to Long Meter, which is 88 88. I went from 18 lines to 16, but it enabled me to emphasize some thoughts in a different way. The new text uses the tune WINDHAM, which is hymn 429 in Lutheran Service Book, "We Sing the Praise of Him Who Died."

Compare the two and let me know what you think. Feedback is love.

How Long, O Lord, Will You Forget

1. How long, O Lord, will You forget?

Your servant is by grief beset.

Your face from me is turned away.

My heart is anguished all the day.

2. As vengeful enemies rejoice, 

I long to hear Your wondrous voice.

In boundless grace be near to me.

Consider, Lord, and answer me.

3. Oh, silence every fearsome foe.

Preserve my life from death and woe.

I trust Your steadfast love, O Lord,

Revealed through Your most holy Word.

4. My Savior dear, Lord Jesus Christ,

Who for my sake was sacrificed,

Forever I will sing Your praise

For blessings shown through endless days. 

LM (88 88)

WINDHAM (LSB 429)

Psalm 13; Tribulation

HYMN: How Long Will You Forget?

Once again I find myself in the unexpected and sad situation of being a pastor without a congregation to serve. It's a long story, one I'm not exactly ready to tell. But after the axe fell, one of my pastor colleagues—thank God for faithful brothers who provided support, encouragement, and prayers in the midst of heartache—encouraged me to meditate upon Psalm 13 in my devotions. The benefit of considering King David's prayers in the midst of my own is that a fellow sinner dares to all but yell at God in the midst of difficulties he largely brought upon himself. It's not so much that it's right to be angry with God, but with David I can see how anger and frustration turn into acceptance, then hope, and finally joy.

Anyway, as I considered Psalm 13, an idea for a hymn version of the Psalm came to mind. What appears below bears little resemblance to that first idea, but the juices started to flow nonetheless. The suggested tune for now for this text, AUF MEINEN LIEBEN GOTT, is the tune for the beautiful hymn "In God, My Faithful God," hymn 745 in Lutheran Service Book. 

As always, feedback is love.

How Long Will You Forget?

1. How long will You forget?

Your servant is beset. 

Your face from me is taken. 

Am I to be forsaken?

My soul persists in anguish;

Apart from You, I languish. 

2. I long to hear Your voice

As enemies rejoice. 

Consider, Lord, and hear me!

In boundless grace be near me!

Oh, let me not be shaken. 

Let joy in me awaken. 

3. Your steadfast love I trust,

For You are true and just. 

O Christ, my faithful Savior,

Your praise I sing forever,

Before my foes confessing

Your bounty as my blessing. 

66 77 77

AUF MEINEN LIEBEN GOTT (LSB 745)

Psalm 13; Tribulation

Sermon for 12/28/25: The Sunday After Christmas (a)

CLICK HERE for the sermon audio.

The Paradox of Christmas
Matthew 2:13-23

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

According to Webster's dictionary, a paradox is "that which is seemingly contradictory or opposed to common sense and yet is true." An example of a paradoxical statement would be, "The more things change, the more they stay the same." The Christmas season is full of paradoxes. A virgin has a baby. God lies in a manger. The incarnate King of the universe is first worshiped by lowly shepherds.

 And in our text, we see this paradox: In Christ, God is both vulnerable and almighty. He is controlled by circumstances, and yet He is in control of everything. Today we are going to look more deeply at this reality and discover that within this paradox there is a great deal of comfort to be found for our own often paradoxical lives.

 One thing that comes through loud and clear in this passage is that Jesus was vulnerable, at risk. You recall that when King Herod found out from the Wise Men that another King had been born, he was fearful for his throne. He tried to use the Wise Men to find Jesus so that he could have Him killed. But when that plan failed, Herod flew into a rage. Because Jesus was at least a year old at this time, he ordered that all male children in Bethlehem two years of age and under be slaughtered. As this was about to happen, Joseph was warned by an angel to flee to Egypt. Imagine that: the Son of God having to escape under the cover of darkness, being rescued from a murderous monarch by a frightened father and mother. Joseph did as the angel said, and they took up residence to the south in Egypt until the death of Herod not long afterwards. God's eternal will was being carried out.

 All of this, then, eventually brings us to the cross. If there is anything in the Scriptures which epitomizes both the almighty-ness of God and the vulnerability of God, it is the crucifixion of Jesus. On the one hand we know that the cross was a part of God's plan from the beginning. It was His will that Calvary take place. And yet, when it actually happened, God the Son was utterly helpless. No escape occurred this time. There He was, so horribly vulnerable to the taunting and the nails and the spear and death–completely despised and rejected. Nevertheless, through that almighty vulnerability, God paid the full price for our sins and brought eternal life to all who dare to place their confidence in Him.

 And that brings us to the place where we can apply all of this very specifically to our own lives. Since we have been joined to Christ by water and the Word and made members of His body through faith in Him, we should certainly expect to experience His almighty-ness and His vulnerability in our own lives as well. Our lives are also often characterized by vulnerability. Much of what happens to us is beyond our control and seems random. Some have had loved ones die recently. Others have been having a rough time of it in their families. Still others have been struggling with tough situations at work or in their neighborhoods. There often doesn't seem to be much order to the way things happen in our lives.

 And yet into the midst of this messy and complex world comes God's Word to us in Romans 8: "In everything God works for good with those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose." Not only in our Lord’s day, but also still today, God is active in human history working out His good and perfect will. Now that is not to say that God is the cause of sin or evil or trouble. Certainly not! Nevertheless, God is not above delving into this sinful world to direct all things for the sake of His chosen ones. God is truly working for good in our lives. For we know that we were "called according to His purpose" in Holy Baptism, made to be His sons and daughters through water and the Word, all our sin being washed away. And so we believe in the midst of our human vulnerability that God is indeed working for our good.

 In those times when you can't make sense of things, when there seems to be no valid purpose or meaning to what's going on in your lives, God points your eyes again to the cross. For there in that senseless and yet most meaningful death of Jesus, you are assured that God's love for you is limitless and unshakable. There is nothing in all of creation that can separate you from Him and His love in Christ Jesus. In the name of the Father and of the Son (†) and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

 

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