HYMN: O Lord, Send Forth Your Holy Word

Well, I am once again at a pastor meeting, this time the Iowa District East Fall Pastors' Conference. You know what that means, right? Yep, I wrote another hymn text. I know it shocks you that such a faithful son of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod would not direct every last ounce of his attention to the conference speaker. I promise that I'm praying attention. We're listing to speakers, one of whom is talking about the LCMS battle for the inerrancy of Scripture which led to the 1974 walkout from the St. Louis seminary and a division of Synod; and the other about a more recent controversy about a group of so-called LCMS Lutherans with, shall we say (with an eye toward the Eighth Commandment), interesting view of race and racial purity.

Anyway, in our opening worship service we heard the words of Isaiah 55. In the midst of this glorious chapter of the Bible is one of my favorite pieces of Scripture: “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it” (vv.10-11). Hearing these words, I was inspired (small-i, not capital i) to write. I don't think this is one of my best text, but it is faithful to the source material.

So here it is. As always, feedback is love.

O Lord, Send Forth Your Holy Word

1. O Lord, send forth Your holy Word

To lead us in Your ways,

That we may trust in You alone

For pardon all our days.

2. O Lord, send forth Your holy Word

To satisfy our need.

Oh, teach us evermore to strive

For worthy fruits indeed.

3. O Lord, send forth Your holy Word

As fall the snow and rain

So faith may sprout and grow within

And You in us shall reign.

4. O Lord, send forth Your holy Word

To draw Your children in.

Then send us forth to share Your love

With neighbors lost in sin.

5. O Lord, send forth Your holy Word,

And send it not in vain.

But let it work abundantly

As You in grace ordain.

CM (86 86)

Text: Alan Kornacki, Jr., b.1974

Tune: ST ANNE (LSB 733) or CONSOLATION (LSB 348)

Isaiah 55:1-11

I Walk in Danger All the Way

Beginning this month at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Marion, Iowa, we will sing a "Hymn of the Month" each month, at least for a while, This selection will often be a new hymn to us—sometimes a new text. sometimes a new tune, and sometimes both. Though sometimes they may be difficult to sing or unfamiliar to our ears, they are, indeed, worth your time to learn. And since you may be unfamiliar with the text or tune, I wanted you to have an opportunity to become familiar with it before we sing it this coming Sunday. 

Our hymn for the month of October is "I Walk in Danger All the Way," hymn 716 in Lutheran Service Book. It is a hymn from the 18th Century, written by Lutheran pastor and bishop Hans Adolph Brorson. The hymn is comprised of two parts. The first three stanzas focus on the threats we Christians face from sin, death, and Satan. The truth that the life of the Christian is a life where we "pass through trials all the way" and bear our crosses as our Lord bids us do. We are forced to come face to face with our own mortality, with death stalking us like we are his prey. The concluding three stanzas show how our Lord provides for our protection and deliverance from these fearsome foes. Angel hosts accompany us on our journey along the narrow way of our life in Christ. Because we are baptized children of our heavenly Father, we "walk with Jesus all the way" throughout our lives, until, finally, we come to our heavenly goal. 

This is a beautiful text which describes our life in Christ, both in the hardships we face because the world hates us as much as it hates our Lord Jesus, or the triumph which is already ours now and which will be perfected at the Last Day. God grant you great comfort and joy in your walk with Jesus with this song on your lips!

Here is the text:

1 I walk in danger all the way,
The thought shall never leave me
That Satan, who has marked his prey,
Is plotting to deceive me.
This foe with hidden snares
May seize me unawares
If I should fail to watch and pray.
I walk in danger all the way.

2 I pass through trials all the way,
With sin and ills contending;
In patience I must bear each day
The cross of God's own sending.
When in adversity
I know not where to flee,
When storms of woe my soul dismay,
I pass through trials all the way.

3 And death pursues me all the way,
Nowhere I rest securely;
He comes by night, he comes by day,
He takes his prey most surely.
A failing breath, and I
In death's strong grasp may lie
To face eternity today
As death pursues me all the way.

4 I walk with angels all the way,
They shield me and befriend me;
All Satan's pow'r is held at bay
When heav'nly hosts attend me;
They are my sure defense,
All fear and sorrow, hence!
Unharmed by foes, do what they may,
I walk with angels all the way.

5 I walk with Jesus all the way,
His guidance never fails me;
Within His wounds I find a stay
When Satan's pow'r assails me;
And by His footsteps led,
My path I safely tread.
No evil leads my soul astray;
I walk with Jesus all the way.

6 My walk is heav'nward all the way;
Await, my soul, the morrow,
When God's good healing shall allay
All suff'ring, sin, and sorrow.
Then, worldly pomp, begone!
To heav'n I now press on.
For all the world I would not stay;
My walk is heav'nward all the way.

To hear me read the text of this beautiful hymn, watch this video. 

To hear the music and words of this hymn together, click this link. 

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