Lord, keep us steadfast in Your Word; Curb those who by deceit or sword Would wrest the kingdom from Your Son And bring to naught all He has done. – LSB 655:1 This beloved hymn by Martin Luther was penned in 1541. The Muslims (Turks) were expanding into western Europe through military conquest and were taking over predominantly German lands. Luther and…

Hasten as a bride to meet Him, And with loving rev’rence greet Him. For with words of life immortal He is knocking at your portal. Open wide the gates before Him, Saying, as you there adore Him: Grant, Lord, that I now receive You, That I nevermore will leave You. – LSB 636:2 The hymn writer, Johann Franck (1618-1677), a lawyer and…

“Watch against yourself, my soul, lest with grace you trifle; let not self your thoughts control nor God’s mercy stifle. Pride and sin lurk within, all your hopes to shatter; heed not when they flatter.” – LSB 663:4 “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom” (Proverbs 11:2). The scriptures frequently warn against pride and admonish us towards…

Oh, may this bounteous God through all our life be near us, with ever joyful hearts and blessèd peace to cheer us and keep us in His grace and guide us when perplexed and free us from all ills in this world and the next!  – LSB 895:2 This hymn was written by pastor Martin Rinckart. Born in 1586 and died in…

Here we have a firm foundation, Here the refuge of the lost; Christ, the Rock of our salvation, Is the name of which we boast: Lamb of God, for sinners wounded, Sacrifice to cancel guilt! None shall ever be confounded Who on Him their hope have built. – LSB 451:4   “Blessed is the man who takes refuge in the Lord” (Ps.…

On my heart imprint Your image, Blessèd Jesus, King of grace, That life’s riches, cares, and pleasures Never may Your work erase; Let the clear inscription be: Jesus, crucified for me, Is my life, my hope’s foundation, And my glory and salvation! Well, it is everyone’s favorite time of the year again: Tax Season! Okay, maybe this is not our favorite part…

“O grant, dear Lord of love, that we receive, rejoicing, the word proclaimed by John, our true repentance voicing, that gladly we may walk upon our Savior’s way until we live with Him in His eternal day.” – LSB 346:4 “Cursed” is a weighty word. Indeed, such is the weight of God’s law upon us sinners. As St. Paul explains in Roman…

Oh, happy, holy portion, relief for all distress, true vision of true beauty, refreshment for the blest! Strive now to win that glory, toil now to gain that light; send hope ahead to grasp it till hope be lost in sight. – LSB 513:4 What season is it? Well, it’s November, so it’s autumn. Even if you don’t have a calendar you…

“Though devils all the world should fill, all eager to devour us, we tremble not, we fear no ill; they shall not overpower us. This world’s prince may still scowl fierce as he will, he can harm us none. He’s judged; the deed is done; one little word can fell him.” – LSB 656:3 Demons are real. This is sometimes lost on…

“There is nothing worth comparing to this lifelong comfort sure! Open eyed my grave is staring: even there I’ll sleep secure. Though my flesh awaits its raising, still my soul continues praising: I am baptized into Christ; I’m a child of paradise.” – 594:5 If you’re like many lifelong Lutherans, you don’t remember your baptism, because you were baptized as an infant.…

“The Son of God goes forth to war, a kingly crown to gain. His blood-red banner streams afar, who follows in His train?” – LSB 661:1 The hymn, The Son of God Goes Forth to War, honors Christian martyrs who died for their faith, and urges us to boldly follow their examples of faithfulness. The hymn begins with Jesus, the Son of…

“To hope grown dim, to hearts turned cold speak tongues of fire and make us bold to shine Your Word of saving grace into each dark and loveless place.” LSB 585:3 Both Pastor Matheny and myself were ordained during the month of July in the year of our Lord two-thousand-sixteen. Each year I like to reflect and take stock of myself and…

Many of our prayers are addressed either to our heavenly Father, or to our Lord Jesus Christ. But few prayers are addressed to the Holy Spirit. This is not to say that the Holy Spirit is ignored by us, but that the work of the Holy Spirit is primarily to point us to God the Father and God the Son, and thus…

“Alleluia! Now we cry to our King immortal, who, triumphant, burst the bars of the tomb’s dark portal.”  The 8th century hymn, Come, You Faithful, by John of Damascus, has been sung during the Easter season for well over a thousand years, and for good reason! In the first stanza of this hymn the image of God rescuing His people from bondage…

With this hymn, the chief Good Friday service concludes triumphantly, declaring victory over death. Sometimes we treat Lent, and particularly Good Friday, as if it’s a funeral for Jesus. While it is appropriate to behave especially reverently during the Holy Week services, with more silence and time for meditation on the gravity of what God has done for us in Jesus’ death,…

Savior, When in Dust to Thee is one of the hymns appointed for Ash Wednesday. Given the subject of the hymn its appropriateness for the season of Lent, and Ash Wednesday in particular, is obvious. This season of Lent is a penitential season, by which we mean this is a season in which we reflect upon the depravity of our sins and…

February 2nd is the feast of the Purification of Mary and the Presentation of our Lord in the temple. On this occasion the elderly priest Simeon beheld in his arms the infant Lord Jesus Christ. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ, so now when he…

“Then, gracious God, in years to come, we pray Your hand may guide us, and onward through our journey home, your mercy walk beside us until at last our ransomed life is safe from peril, toil, and strife when heaven itself shall hide us.” – LSB 899:5   One of the most popular themes in fictional literature is the story of the…