The Ascension of Jesus Christ a Sure Foundation of Our Faith
Mark 16:14-16
Ascension Day
C. F. W. Walther
(Translated by Rev. Donald E. Heck)

Oh Jesus, how glorious is your name in all the earth! For our redemption you not only descended into the lowest places of the earth, but also ascended with divine majesty over the heaven of heavens. As you did not come into this world poor and miserable for your sake, so you also did not leave it in glory and honor for your sake; as you did not struggle for yourself, so you were also not victorious for yourself but for us whose sins you bore and whose righteousness you became.

That is why you still make known your great deeds to men; that is why you have again today given us the great grace of being able to gather and hear of your victory.

Gracious, universal, and glorious Savior, let not today’s preaching of your glory be in vain. Let everyone know that he shares in your being received into heaven and seated at the right hand of the Father.

Oh Lord Jesus, all of us are already victorious with you because you are our head and the Lord of our salvation. Drive away our unbelief which supposes that your ascension does not concern us. Give us that faith, which says not only when you hung on the cross but also how that you sit on your throne. You are mine! Hear us, King of heaven and King of sinners for your own sake. Amen.

In the Ascended Christ, dear hearers.

We are gathered here before God to commemorate a great, precious, and glorious fact. Today we celebrate the coronation of our King of grace, Jesus Christ. I mean the festival of the glorious ascension.

It would be reasonable that today everyone who knows that he is baptized into this great Lord and Savior should joyfully enter and leave the house of the Lord. Yes, it should be reasonable, because we find the believers of the Old Covenant happily praising God when they merely foresaw this day in the spirit. David cries out, “O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph. God is gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet. Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises unto our King, sing praises. For God is the King of all the earth; sing ye praises with understanding. God reigneth over the heathen; God sitteth upon the throne of his holiness.” (Psalm 47:1,5-8). The author of the 68th Psalm also rejoices and says, “The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels; the Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place. Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive; thou hast received gifts for men, yes, for the rebellious also, that the Lord God might dwell among them. Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah. He that is our God is the God of salvation; and unto God the Lord belong the issues from death. Sing unto God, ye kingdoms of the earth; O sing praises unto the Lord; Selah; to him that rideth upon the heavens of heavens. Ascribe ye strength unto God; his excellency is over Israel and his strength is in the clouds. Blessed be God.” (Psalm 68:17-20,32,33a,34,35c).

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Scripture Readings

Psalm 36:5-12
Isaiah 30:18-21
Ephesians 2:19-22
John 14:1-14

We Pray

Almighty God, Your Son revealed Himself to Philip and James and gave them the knowledge of everlasting life. Grant us perfectly to know Your Son, Jesus Christ, to be the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and steadfastly to walk in the way that leads to eternal life; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

About Philip and James

People frequently confuse Philip the Apostle with Philip the Deacon, whose story is included in the Acts of the Apostles. See Acts 6:1-6; 8:5-40; and Acts 21:7-9 for accounts from his life. This Philip’s commemoration is on 6 June. Philip the Apostle appears in the Synoptic Gospels and in Acts only as a name on the list of the Twelve, but he appears in several incidents in the Gospel according to John.

He was one of the first men Jesus called to be a disciple (John 1:43-44), and promptly brought his friend Nathanael to Jesus as well (v 45). When some Greeks (or Greek-speaking Jews) wished to speak with Jesus, they began by approaching Philip, who took Andrew and went to Jesus. This led Jesus to His declaration, “I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” (12:20-33). At the Last Supper, he said to Jesus, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus responded, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” ( see 14:1-14)”

Before feeding the Five Thousand (John 6:1-15), Jesus turned to Philip and asked Him, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” Philip answered, “Two hundred denarii would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.”

Some scholars think it might be significant that Jesus asked Philip rather than one of the others. Luke 9:10 says that the Feeding of the Five Thousand took place near Bethsaida, and John 1:44 shows Philip coming from Bethsaida. If they were in Philip’s home area, it would seem natural to ask him for directions. (As an aside, we note that Peter and Andrew also came from Bethsaida, but appear to have moved to Capernaum.)

James the son of Alphaeus (sometimes spelled “Alpheus”) appears on lists of the Twelve Apostles, usually in the ninth place, but is never mentioned otherwise. He is called James the Less, or James Minor, or James the Younger. (See Matthew 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:15; Acts 1:13) Thus, we know nothing of him from the New Testament except that he was one of Jesus’ original disciples and one of the Apostles. However, because of other Jameses being mentioned in the New Testament, we get the impression that he is everywhere. This isn’t because of James the Less, but because he shared his name with several others — after all, it was one of the most common names among the Jews.

Why was James such a popular name in Israel? It was the given name of the original Israel: The English James is a variant of the name Jacob. While we may think of them as unrelated, the distinction grew after Bible times. In Hebrew, the name is Ya’akov. In Greek, it is Iakobos. In Latin, two forms developed, Jacobus and Jacomus. The former gives us the English Jacob and the Spanish Diego and Iago. The latter grew into the English James, the Scottish Hamish, the Spanish Jaime, and so on.

That ends what we hear of Saints Philip and James in the New Testament and we don’t get much additional help from extrabiblical tradition. One story says that Philip preached in Phrygia and died in Hierapolis, and that his remains were brought to Rome and buried in the Basilica of the Twelve Apostles, where an ancient inscription indicates that this church was formerly dedicated to Philip and James.

Source: Aardvark Alley.

Lectionary Readings for St. Mark’s Day

Isaiah 52:7-10
Eph. 4:7-16
Luke 10:1-9

Collect

Almighty God, You have enriched Your Church with the proclamation of the Gospel through the evangelist Mark. Grant that we may firmly believe these glad tidings and daily walk according to Your Word; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Information about Mark

(Greek Markos, Latin Marcus).

It is assumed in this article that the individual referred to in Acts as John Mark (12:12, 25; 15:37), John (xiii, 5, 13), Mark (15:39), is identical with the Mark mentioned by St. Paul (Colossians 4:10; 2 Timothy 4:11; Philemon 24) and by St. Peter (1 Peter 5:13). Their identity is not questioned by any ancient writer of note, while it is strongly suggested, on the one hand by the fact that Mark of the Pauline Epistles was the cousin (ho anepsios) of Barnabas (Colossians 4:10), to whom Mark of Acts seems to have been bound by some special tie (Acts 15:37, 39); on the other by the probability that the Mark, whom St. Peter calls his son (1 Peter 5:13), is no other than the son of Mary, the Apostle’s old friend in Jerusalem (Acts 21:12). To the Jewish name John was added the Roman pronomen Marcus, and by the latter he was commonly known to the readers of Acts (15:37, ton kaloumenon Markon) and of the Epistles. Mark’s mother was a prominent member of the infant Church at Jerusalem; it was to her house that Peter turned on his release from prison; the house was approached by a porch (pulon), there was a slave girl (paidiske), probably the portress, to open the door, and the house was a meeting-place for the brethren, “many” of whom were praying there the night St. Peter arrived from prison (Acts 12:12-13).

When, on the occasion of the famine of A.D. 45-46, Barnabas and Saul had completed their ministration in Jerusalem, they took Mark with them on their return to Antioch (Acts 12:25). Not long after, when they started on St. Paul’s first Apostolic journey, they had Mark with them as some sort of assistant (hupereten, Acts 13:5); but the vagueness and variety of meaning of the Greek term makes it uncertain in what precise capacity he acted. Neither selected by the Holy Spirit, nor delegated by the Church of Antioch, as were Barnabas and Saul (Acts 13:2-4), he was probably taken by the Apostles as one who could be of general help. The context of Acts 13:5, suggests that he helped even in preaching the Word. When Paul and Barnabas resolved to push on from Perga into central Asia Minor, Mark, departed from them, if indeed he had not already done so at Paphos, and returned to Jerusalem (Acts 13:13). What his reasons were for turning back, we cannot say with certainty; Acts 15:38, seems to suggest that he feared the toil. At any rate, the incident was not forgotten by St. Paul, who refused on account of it to take Mark with him on the second Apostolic journey. This refusal led to the separation of Paul and Barnabas, and the latter, taking Mark with him, sailed to Cyprus (Acts 15:37-40). At this point (A.D. 49-50) we lose sight of Mark in Acts, and we meet him no more in the New Testament, till he appears some ten years afterwards as the fellow-worker of St. Paul, and in the company of St. Peter, at Rome.

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The Lectionary Readings

Isaiah 40:25–31 or Lamentations 3:22–33
1 Peter 2:11–20 or 1 John 3:1–3
John 16:16–22

Martin Luther on the Gospel Reading

Every Christian must have temptations, trials, anxieties, adversities, sorrows, come what may. Therefore he mentions here no sorrow nor trial, he simply says they shall weep, lament, and be sorrowful, for the Christian has many persecutions. Some are suffering loss of goods; others there are whose character is suffering ignominy and scorn; some are drowned, others are burned; some are beheaded; one perishes in this manner, and another in that; it is therefore the lot of the Christian constantly to suffer misfortune, persecution, trials and adversity. This is the rod or fox tail with which they are punished. They dare not look for anything better as long as they are here. This is the court color by which the Christian is recognized, and if anyone wants to be a Christian, he dare not be ashamed of his court color or livery. Why does God do this and permit his own to be persecuted and hounded? In order to suppress and subdue the free will, so that it may not seek an expedient in their works; but rather become a fool in God’s works and learn thereby to trust and depend upon God alone.  Therefore when this now comes to pass, we shall not be able to accommodate ourselves to it, and shall not understand it, unless Christ himself awakens us and makes us cheerful, so that his resurrection becomes effective in us, and all our works fall to pieces and be as nothing. Therefore the text here concludes powerfully, that man is absolutely nothing in his own strength. Here everything is condemned and thrust down that has been and may still be preached about good works; for this is the conclusion; where Christ is not, there is nothing. Ask St. Peter how he was disposed when Christ was not with him. What good works did he do? He denied Christ. He renounced him with an oath. Like good works we do, when we have not Christ with us. Thus all serves to the end that we should accustom ourselves to build alone upon Christ, and to depend upon no other work, upon no other creature, whether in heaven or upon earth. In this name alone are we preserved and blessed, and in none other. Acts 4, 12 and 10, 43. But on this account we must suffer much. The worst of all is, that we must not only suffer shame, persecution and death; but that the world rejoices because of our great loss and misfortunes. This is indeed very hard and bitter. Surely it shall thus come to pass, for the world will rejoice when it goes ill with us; but this comfort we have that their joy shall not last long, and our sorrow shall be turned into eternal joy. Of this the Lord gives us a beautiful parable of the woman in travail, when he says: “A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come, but when she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish for joy that a man is born into the world.” Source

J. S. Bach Cantata on John 16:16-22

Note: The text, in German and English, follows the videos.

1. Sinfonia2. Chor Wir müssen durch viel Trübsal in das Reich Gottes eingehen. (Acts 14:22)	1. Sinfonia2. Chorus We must enter the Kingdom of God through much sorrow.
3. Arie A Ich will nach dem Himmel zu, Schnödes Sodom, ich und du Sind nunmehr geschieden. Meines Bleibens ist nicht hier, Denn ich lebe doch bei dir Nimmermehr in Frieden.	3. Aria A I want to go to heaven; contemptible Sodom, you and I are parted from now on. My resting-place is not here, since I can live with you nevermore in peace.
4. Rezitativ S Ach! wer doch schon im Himmel wär! Wie dränget mich nicht die böse Welt! Mit Weinen steh ich auf, Mit Weinen leg ich mich zu Bette, Wie trüglich wird mir nachgestellt! Herr! merke, schaue drauf, Sie hassen mich, und ohne Schuld, Als wenn die Welt die Macht, Mich gar zu töten hätte; Und leb ich denn mit Seufzen und Geduld Verlassen und veracht’, So hat sie noch an meinem Leide Die größte Freude. Mein Gott, das fällt mir schwer. Ach! wenn ich doch, Mein Jesu, heute noch Bei dir im Himmel wär!	4. Recitative S Ah! if I were only in heaven! In what way am I not oppressed by the evil world! I awake in tears, in tears I lay down in my bed, how deceitfully am I assailed! Lord! Take note, look here, they hate me, though guiltless, as if the world had the power even to put me to death; while I live with sighs and patience abandoned and scorned, even at my suffering they have the greatest joy. My God, this lays heavily upon me. Alas! if only, my Jesus, even today I were with You in heaven!
5. Arie S Ich säe meine Zähren Mit bangem Herzen aus. Jedoch mein Herzeleid Wird mir die Herrlichkeit Am Tage der seligen Ernte gebären.	5. Aria S I sow my tears with an anxious heart. However my heart’s sorrow will become glory for me on the day the blessed sheaves are harvested.
6. Rezitativ T Ich bin bereit, Mein Kreuz geduldig zu ertragen; Ich weiß, daß alle meine Plagen Nicht wert der Herrlichkeit, Die Gott an den erwählten Scharen Und auch an mir wird offenbaren. Itzt wein ich, da das Weltgetümmel Bei meinem Jammer fröhlich scheint. Bald kommt die Zeit, Da sich mein Herz erfreut, Und da die Welt einst ohne Tröster weint. Wer mit dem Feinde ringt und schlägt, Dem wird die Krone beigelegt; Denn Gott trägt keinen nicht mit Händen in dem Himmel.	6. Recitative T I am ready to bear my Cross patiently; I know that all my troubles are not equal to the glory that God will reveal to the chosen flock and even to me. Now I weep, since the turmoil of the world seems joyful next to my suffering. Soon the time will come when my heart will rejoice, and when the world one day will weep without comfort. Whoever strives and battles with the enemy, will have the crown placed upon him; for God carries no one to heaven in His hands.
7. Arie (Duett) T B Wie will ich mich freuen, wie will ich mich laben, Wenn alle vergängliche Trübsal vorbei! Da glänz ich wie Sterne und leuchte wie   Sonne, Da störet die himmlische selige Wonne Kein Trauern, Heulen und Geschrei.	7. Aria (Duet) T B How I will rejoice, how I will delight, when all mortal sorrows are over! There I will shine like a star and glow like the   sun, then the divine, blessed joy will be destroyed by no sorrow, moan or shriek.
8. Choral Ach, ich habe schon erblicket Diese große Herrlichkeit; Jetzo werd ich schön geschmücket Mit dem weißen Himmelskleid; Mit der güldnen Ehrenkrone Steh ich da vor Gottes Throne, Schaue solche Freude an, Die kein Ende nehmen kann. (“Alle Menschen müssen sterben,” verse 7)	8. Chorale Ah, I have already seen this great glory; now I will be beautifully adorned with the white robe of heaven; with the golden crown of honor I shall stand there before God’s throne, beholding such joy that can never come to an end.
Acts 14:22 (mov’t. 2); “Alle Menschen müssen sterben,” verse 7: Johann Rosenmüller or Johann Georg Albinus 1652 (mov’t.
©Pamela Dellal

Peter Paul Ruebens, The Resurrection of Christ.

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

A blessed Easter Monday to you all. Here are some thoughts from Martin Luther on the meaning of Christ’s victory over Satan, death and hell, from his 1523 commentary on 1 Corinthians, specifically on 1 Cor. 15:54–55.

When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting?

“Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” is a common saying. St. Paul is able to speak about this article at such length because his heart is filled with it and he is so convinced of it that he regards all else as nothing by comparison. If his heart were not filled to overflowing with such thoughts, these words would never occur to him. Therefore they sound so hazy and strange and incomprehensible to others who do not occupy themselves with such thoughts. But whoever concerns himself with these matters and reflects on another life will, I am sure, comprehend and understand them; for Paul speaks of this subject as though he were already face to face with it. And because Christ is risen and gives us His resurrection against our sin, death, and hell, we must advance to where we also learn to say: “O death, where is thy sting? etc.,” although we at present see only the reverse, namely, that we have nothing but the perishable hanging about our neck, that we lead a wretched filthy life, that we are subject to all sorts of distress and danger, and that nothing but death awaits us in the end.

But the faith that clings to Christ is able to engender far different thoughts. It can envisage a new existence. It can form an image and gain sight of a condition where this perishable, wretched form is erased entirely and replaced by a pure and celestial essence. For since faith is certain of this doctrine that Christ’s resurrection is our resurrection, it must follow that this resurrection is just as effective in us as it was for Him—except that He is a different person, namely, true God. And faith must bring it about that this body’s frail and mortal being is discarded and removed and a different, immortal being is put on, with a body that can no longer be touched by filth, sickness, mishap, misery, or death but is perfectly pure, healthy, strong, and beautiful, so that not even the point of a needle can injure it. That will be the power and the effect, or, as St. Paul says here, the victory gained by Christ, which will completely do away with and purge our sin and death with its attendant frailties, perils, and sufferings of the body.

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Detail from the St. Peter and Paul Altar Painting, Weimar, Germany by Lucas Cranach, the Younger, 1555.

A blessed and happy Easter to you. Christ is Risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia! Here are a couple things for your Easter Day meditation and consideration. First, Paul Gerhardt’s beautiful Easter hymn, “Awake My Heart with Gladness” then an Easter sermon by Pastor William Weedon.

Awake, my heart, with gladness, see what today is done. Now after gloom and sadness comes forth the glorious Sun! My Savior there was laid where our bed must be made when to the realms of light our spirit wings its flight.

The Foe in triumph shouted when Christ lay in the tomb, but, lo, he now is routed, his boast is turned to gloom. For Christ again is free; in glorious victory He who is strong to save Has triumphed o’er the grave.

This is a sight that gladdens; what peace it doth impart! Now nothing ever saddens the joy within my heart. No gloom shall ever shake, no foe shall ever take, the hope which God’s own Son in love for me hath won.

Now hell, its prince, the devil, of all their power are shorn. Now I am safe from evil, and sin I laugh to scorn. Grim death with all his might cannot my soul affright. He is a powerless form, howe’er he rave and storm.

The world against me rageth, its fury I disdain. Though bitter war it wageth, its work is all in vain. My heart from care is free, no trouble troubles me. Misfortune now is play, and night is bright as day.

Now I will cling forever to Christ, my Savior true. My Lord will leave me never, whate’er He passes through. He rends Death’s iron chain. He breaks through sin and pain. He shatters hell’s dark thrall. I follow through it all.

To halls of heavenly splendor with Him I penetrate; and trouble ne’er may hinder nor make me hesitate. Let tempests rage at will, my Savior shields me still. He grants abiding peace and bids all tumult cease.

He brings me to the portal that leads to bliss untold whereon this rime immortal ws found in script of gold: “Who there My cross hath shared finds here a crown prepared. Who there with Me has died shall here be glorified.”

Text From: The Lutheran Hymnal (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941).

Pastor Weedon’s Sermon:

Alleluia! Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Today we mark yet another step in the unfathomable love of God for the human race. It was not enough for Him to have created us out of nothing in His image and to place us into the paradise of plenty. It was not enough for Him, when we fell into sin, to promise us a Savior. It was not enough for Him, to give us the Law to teach us our need of His mercy. It was not enough for Him, to send us prophets to call us to trust in Him and to turn from all that is death and vanity. It was not enough for Him to send His Son into our flesh. It was not enough for His Son to walk among us, a man among men, the only REAL man among all others who are really only failures at being men. It was not enough for our Lord to stand in the waters of the Jordan in solidarity with sinners. It was not enough for Him to reach out and touch and heal. It was not enough for Him to teach us the counsels of salvation. It was not even enough for Him to offer up His life a ransom for us upon Gologotha’s stony slope. It was not enough for Him to share our graves and taste our death. It was enough for Him. He would love us even more. And so the joys of THIS day.

For make no mistake about what THIS day celebrates. Not merely that a man was raised from the dead. This Man had raised others from the dead before – Jairus’ little girl, the widow of Nain’s son, Lazarus. But they were all brought back from death into life with still corruptible flesh. That is, they each finally grew sick and died yet again. I don’t imagine that any of them faced death in the same way again – for they had encountered Him whose Word and call was stronger than death. But their coming back to life was not like what we celebrate today.

For THIS day we celebrate that human flesh, like unto our own, of a piece with us, has been raised from death in incorruption. He will never die again. He is forever beyond all that. As we like to sing: “Gone the nailing, gone the railing, gone the pleading, gone the cry, gone the sighing, gone the dying, what was loss lifted high.”

This is the news that the Angel brought to the Marys and Salome at the tomb: “You seek Jesus of Nazareth. He is not here. He is risen. Come, see the place where they laid Him, but go and tell His disciples and Peter that He is risen and goes before you into Galilee. There you will see Him just as He told you.”

As He told you. His words of promise never fail. You can count on them when everything else around you is shaking, when your world crumbles, when your heart breaks, when your body fails. He will not fail you. It wasn’t enough for Him to merely share our flesh and blood. Oh, no. He would have that flesh and blood glorified, raised in incorruption, shining with the light of deity, the very source of our eternal hope. And He will take that glorified flesh and blood and raise it to the right hand of the Father, bringing humanity at long last to that place where God had intended us to live from the beginning.

And do you see what His incorruption means to you? He, who is now forever beyond death, beyond sin, beyond the accusations of the law, beyond hell – He has joined you to Him. In your Baptism you went into that grave with Him and you came out with Him. Alive. One with Him. His life was given you there in the water to be your life – His INCORRUPTIBLE life. But with Him, that’s never enough. There’s always more.

And so He sends His servants out to proclaim His promises – promises that cannot fail, that are as sure and certain as His rising from that grave on this day in incorruption. Incorruptible promises to make you partakers of His divine nature. This is how St. Peter put it: “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.” (2 Peter 1:3,4) The promises of the Incorruptible One impart to you incorruption and make you a sharer in His divine nature – so that all that He is by nature you become by grace. He, a child of God; You, a child of God; He, the Heir of the Father; You, the heir of the Father.

But with Him there is always more. It was not enough for Him to baptize you into His own indestructible life; not enough for Him to arrange for His promises to be spoken to you to impart to you incorruption through faith. He goes further; He has more; His love knows no limit. He has a meal for you. He wants to put into you, into your corruptible, dying, sinful bodies His incorruptible, undying, sinless Body and Blood for your forgiveness and for you life. He wants to unite you to Himself; to strengthen the bonds of your faith; to comfort you; to hold and still you in all your anxieties and fears. He wants you to know that just as death was not the end of Him, so it will NEVER be the end of you. He wants you to rejoice that YOU have a life that is stronger than all the death in this world.

Old Job could go to his grave in the confidence that his Redeemer lived, and that on the other side of the corruption – yes, though his body be destroyed – yet he would live again in this flesh and his eyes and none other would behold God. And as he thought of it, his heart burned within him.

We see more than Job. For we have known the Redeemer for whom he waited, and we know His triumph over death and the grave. We know that not a single word of His ever proves false.

So, beloved, since Christ our Passover Lamb has been sacrificed, let us keep the feast. Away with the corruptible leavened bread of malice! Away with the corruptible leavened bread of evil! Let us welcome the incorruptible unleavened bread of sincerity and truth: the sincerity that is God’s earnest promise and the truth that with our God and His love for us, nothing was good enough until He had made our nature incorruptible in His Son and united us to Him that we might live in Him forevermore. This is God’s sincerity. This is God’s truth. This is the Bread on which we feast this day – the incorruptible bread that is Christ our Passover Lamb to whom be glory with His Father and the Holy Spirit – the only true God who has loved us with a love immeasurable, deep, divine. Amen.

Alleluia! Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

A Strange and Dreadful Strife: A Meditation for Holy Saturday by Rev. Paul T. McCain

There is a stunned, numb feeling after a loved one dies. One moment there is life, then, in the very next second, there is death. The last breath is breathed in, and then breathed out. And so with the Lord also, as He hung there suspended before the world, He said: “It is  finished” and breathed his last. But only for a short while. Only for a little time.

The death was real, very real. Its cold, icy grip took hold and “Christ lay in death’s strong bands, for our offenses given.” Oh, how the host of Hell must have been rejoicing! Imagine their laughter and glee. “I imagine He wishes he had taken me up on my offer, that day three years before, when I held out to Him the world, if He would only bow down and worship.” Surely, Satan was shouting that out with glee.

But the “victory” was short-lived. And on Holy Saturday, as we remember that Christ did lay in death’s strong bands, for our offenses given, we realize that the the three strong ancient enemies:  sin, death, and the Devil threaten us as well. We know their cold, stinking breath on the back of our necks. We try to push them away, by excuses or by imagination, comforting ourselves in any way we can. But in the quiet moment of our lives, we know we can not escape.

There is only One who can break us loose from the bondage of sin, and death and hell. Only One whose power undoes what sin has brought. It is to this One that we cling.

Last night we adored the Crucified One on His cross, and today our hearts, minds and souls are filled with prayer, such as this one:

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, we pray to set your passion, cross and death between your judgment and our souls, now and in the hour of our death. Give mercy and grace to the living; rest to the dead in Christ; to your Holy Church peace and concord; and to us sinners everlasting life and glory; for with the Father and the Holy Spirit, you live and reign, one God, now and forever.

In but a few short hours the Church will rejoice and shout out again with joy the Easter greeting, but not now. Now we wait, and watch, and we ponder anew on the Holy Passion of our Lord. “See, His blood doth mark our door; faith points to it, death passes o’er, and Satan cannot harm us.”

Here is Luther’s mighty Easter hymn, appropriate for Holy Saturday reflection and prayer:

1. Christ Jesus lay in death’s strong bands,

For our offenses given;
But now at God’s right hand He stands
And brings us life from heaven;
Therefore let us joyful be
And sing to God right thankfully
Loud songs of hallelujah!
Hallelujah!

2. No son of man could conquer Death,
Such mischief sin had wrought us,
For innocence dwelt not on earth,
And therefore Death had brought us
Into thraldom from of old
And ever grew more strong and bold
And kept us in his bondage. Hallelujah!

3. But Jesus Christ, God’s only Son,
To our low state descended,
The cause of Death He has undone,
His power forever ended,
Ruined all his right and claim
And left him nothing but the name,–
His sting is lost forever.
Hallelujah!

4. It was a strange and dreadful strife
When Life and Death contended;
The victory remained with Life,
The reign of Death was ended;
Holy Scripture plainly saith
That Death is swallowed up by Death,
His sting is lost forever.
Hallelujah!

5. Here the true Paschal Lamb we see,
Whom God so freely gave us;
He died on the accursed tree–
So strong His love!–to save us.
See, His blood doth mark our door;
Faith points to it, Death passes o’er,
And Satan cannot harm us.
Hallelujah!

6. So let us keep the festival
Whereto the Lord invites us;
Christ is himself the Joy of all,
The Sun that warms and lights us.
By His grace He doth impart
Eternal sunshine to the heart;
The night of sin is ended.
Hallelujah!

7. Then let us feast this Easter Day
On Christ, the Bread of heaven;
The Word of Grace hath purged away
The old and evil leaven.
Christ alone our souls will feed,
He is our meat and drink indeed;
Faith lives upon no other.
Hallelujah!

Albrecht Dürer, The Resurrection of Christ, Copper Etching

Rejoice now, O heavenly choirs of angels;
Rejoice now, all creation
Sound forth, trumpet of salvation,
And proclaim the triumph of our King.

Rejoice too, all the earth,
In the radiance of the light now poured upon you
And made brilliant by the brightness of the everlasting King;
Know that the ancient darkness has been forever banished.

Rejoice, O Church of Christ,
Clothed in the brightness of this light;
Let all the house of God ring out with rejoicing,
With the praises of all God’s faithful people.

(Exsultet of the Easter Vigil)

O night that is brighter than day,
O night more dazzling than the sun,
O night more sparkling than fresh snow,
O night more brilliant than all our lamps!
O night that is sweeter than Paradise,
O night delivered from darkness,
O night that dispels the sleep of sin,
O night that makes us keep vigil with the angels,
O night terrible for the demons,
O night desired by all the year,
O night that leads the bridal Church to her Spouse,
O night that is mother to those enlightened!
O night in which the Devil, sleeping, was despoiled,
O night in which the Heir brings the co-heirs to their heritage.

(Asterius of Pontus  AD 341-400)

Many Lutheran churches are recovering the ancient practice of the Easter Vigil, which, interestingly enough, is something the Lutheran Church in Germany brought back for the entire Western Church, as the notes below indicate. Here’s an explanation of the Vigil of Easter, followed by the appointed readings and prayers.

The Easter Vigil, like the Christmas Vigil, remained a popular festive worship service in the Lutheran Churches during and after the Reformation. It was often celebrated in the early morning hours of Easter Sunday. As in all Lutheran services of this period, vernacular language was used in combination with traditional liturgical texts in Latin (such as the Exsultet). Elements which were considered unbiblical and superstitious where eliminated, such as the blessing of the new fire, the consecration of the candles or of water. Emphasis was placed on the scriptural readings, congregational singing and on the Easter sermon. In Wittenberg the Easter Gospel (Matthew 28. 1 – 10; 16 – 20) was sung in the German language in a tone similar to the tone of the Exsultet – a gospel tone only used for this worship service. The devastation caused by the Thirty Years’ War also led to a decline in worship culture in the Lutheran Churches in Germany. The rationalism of the 18th Century also brought about a change in worship habits and customs. The liturgical movement that arose in the German Lutheran Churches after World War I rediscovered the Easter Vigil in its reformational form. In an article from 1934 for the Liturgical Conference of Lower Saxony and for the Berneuchen Movement Wilhelm Stählin appealed to fellow Lutherans for an Easter service on early Easter Sunday or on Holy Saturday night using elements from the Missal, the Orthodox tradition and from reformational service orders. An order for the Easter Vigil was published in 1936, and several Lutheran congregations in Hannover observed the Easter Vigil in 1937. Since then the Easter Vigil has experienced a revival in many parishes throughout Germany. This movement within the German Lutheran Churches contributed to a revival and revision of the Roman Catholic order for the Easter Vigil by Pope Pius XII in 1951. The “Agende II” for the Evangelical Lutheran Churches and Parishes in Germany from 1960 gave the “Osternacht” (German for “Easter Vigil”) a normative form. The most recent agenda for the Easter Vigil was published by the “Vereinigte Evangelisch-lutherische Kirche” in 2008^[2]. The order for the Easter Vigil is comparable to the order of service used by American Lutherans. It is characterized, however, by a number of Gregorian chants, medieval and reformational hymns which have been in use in German worship services for centuries.

In North America the Lutherans, similarly to the Anglicans, have in many places returned to the observance of the Easter Vigil [including the restoration of the blessing of the new fire].

In the Lutheran Service Book, the Altar Book, the Vigil comprises the Service of Light with the Exsultet; the Service or Readings with up to 12 readings; the Service of Holy Baptism at which candidates may be baptized, the baptized confirmed, and the congregation remember its Baptism into Jesus; the Service of Prayer, featuring an Easter litany; and concluding with the Service of the Sacrament, at which the Holy Eucharist is celebrated.

Source: Wikipedia

As evening falls (the Jewish day begins at sunset), Jesus’ corpse is removed from the cross and laid in a fresh-cut tomb

Matthew 27:57-61

When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.

Mark 15:42-47

And when evening had come, since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the Council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate was surprised to hear that he should have already died. And summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he was already dead. And when he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the corpse to Joseph. And Joseph bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud and laid him in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. And he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid.

Luke 23:50-56

Now there was a man named Joseph, from the Jewish town of Arimathea. He was a member of the council, a good and righteous man, who had not consented to their decision and action; and he was looking for the kingdom of God. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then he took it down and wrapped it in a linen shroud and laid him in a tomb cut in stone, where no one had ever yet been laid. It was the day of Preparation, and the Sabbath was beginning. The women who had come with him from Galilee followed and saw the tomb and how his body was laid.  Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments. On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.

The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, “Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’ Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last fraud will be worse than the first.” Pilate said to them, “You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.” So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard.

THE SCOURGING OF CHRIST

CHRIST FALLS WHILE CARRYING HIS CROSS

SYMON OF CYRENE CARRIES CHRIST'S CROSS

CHRIST IS STRIPPED OF HIS GARMENTS

CHRIST IS NAILED TO THE CROSS

CHRIST DIES ON THE CROSS

CHRIST IN THE ARMS OF HIS MOTHER

CHRIST LAID IN THE SEPULCHRE

Paintings by David O’Connell was an artist who instituted the Catenians in Chichester and was their President. He was born in 1895, served in the trenches in World War I, trained as a commercial artist, but his specialism was religious painting. He was appointed Artistic Advisor to St Richard’s. He died in 1976.

A devotional prayer of thanksgiving for Christ’s suffering and death:

O most godly Jesus, I thank You that, receiving the penalty of my sin, You willingly underwent hunger, thirst, cold, exhaustion, ridicule, persecution, sorrow, poverty, imprisonment, scourging, the piercing of thorns, and even a bitter death on a cross. How great is the fire of Your love that persuaded You to plunge willingly into the sea of that suffering for a miserable and ungrateful slave. In Your innocence and righteousness, You were free from all suffering, but Your immeasurable and indescribably love made You a debtor and a defendant in my place. I committed the crime; You underwent the punishment. I plundered; You made amends (Psalm 69:4). I sinned; You were punished.

O kindest Jesus, I recognize the depth of Your mercy and the earnestness of Your love (Luke 1:78). You appear to love me more than You love Yourself because You gave Yourself up for me. Why was the sentence of death pronounced on You? You are completely innocent. Why were You, the fairest among the sons of men, spit on (Psalm 45:2)? Why did You, the righteous one, undergo flogging and fetters? All these abuses rightly belonged to me. But You, because of unspeakable love, descended to the prison of this world. You clothed Yourself with my servile dwelling, willingly taking on Yourself what I justly deserve. Because of my sin, I was to be assigned to the unceasing, scorching flames of hell. But You boiled with the fire of love on the altar of the cross, setting me free from these flames. I was to be cast away from the face of the heavenly Father because of my sin. But for my sake, You chose to be abandoned by Your heavenly Father. I was to be tormented forever by the devil and his angels. But You, because of immeasurable love, gave Yourself for me and were harassed and crucified by the servants of Satan.

In the various ways You were made to suffer, I see evidence of Your love for me. Those fetters, those scourgings, those thorns that injured You were because of my sins. You bore all this because of me, because of Your indescribable love. Your love was not satisfied by the assumption of my flesh. You desired to establish that love even more firmly through that most bitter passion of Your soul and body. Who am I, most powerful Lord, that for the sake of a disobedient slave You willingly served so many years? Who am I, the most disgraceful bond-servant of sin and whore of the devil, that for my sake You, fairest bridegroom, did not refuse to die? Who am I, kindest Creator, that for my sake, a most wretched creature, You did not shrink from the punishment of the cross?

Truly, most loving Bridegroom, to You I am a blood bride. For my sake, You poured forth blood so abundantly. Truly, fairest Lily, to You I am an injurious and piercing thorn. I placed on You a harsh and enduring load. The weight of this so pressed You that drops of blood freely flowed from Your body. Because of Your love, Lord Jesus, only Redeemer and Mediator, I will sing psalms of praise to You for eternity. Amen.

From Meditations on Divine Mercy: A Classic Treasury of Devotional Prayers by Johann Gerhard  (1582-1637) Tr. by Pr. Matthew C. Harrison (Concordia Publishing House: 2003), Pages 67-69. HT: Pastor Gumm

Behold, the Lamb of God by Rev. Paul T. McCain

It was your sin, and mine, that put him on the Cross. We had no place in the Paradise our first parents were driven from. Guilty, as charged. Doomed. Condemned. Even as the scourge bit deeply into his back, thorns pierced his head, nails tore through his hands and feet, the spear pierced his side, so my sins did the same. And your sins. They put him there. So deeply does sin separate the world from God, that it is only possible through the death of the beloved Son that sins can be, and, thanks be to God, are forgiven. Peace with God once more is made. But what a terrible price! Oh, how terrible.

“Good” indeed, is this Good Friday. He came not to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45), and on the cross was the highest service of God, to mankind: His son, sacrificed and given up for the sins of the world, just as had been promised to our first parents (Gen. 3;15). Finally the head of the Evil One was under the foot of the Holy One of Israel. The Suffering Servant was wounded for our transgressions and crushed for our offenses (Is. 53), and by the stripes and blows He endured, we are healed, and we are restored to peace with God. He appeared to offer up the last and final sacrifice, to put away sin, forever (Hebr. 9:26). With repentant joy, we receive the salvation won for us by the atoning sacrifice Christ our Lord offered up for our sins.

As a result of that first good Friday, we have peace with God. His love is poured out into our lives, flowing over us, a deep scarlet rich love, pouring out just as the blood poured forth from the cross. Therefore, there is no grief too deep, no hurt too painful, no sin too horrible, no guilt too enormous, that it is not covered over by the blood of Christ, and swallowed up in His victory over sin, death and devil.

Nothing in all the world can ever separate you from the love of God. Nothing is stronger than the love that holds you. There is no power on earth, no grief, no sickness, no pain, no loss, not hurt, no trouble…nothing, absolutely nothing, can separate you from the love of God which is yours, through Christ Jesus your Lord. Nothing, ever. You are loved by God. Always and forever. Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 15:57).

And so on this day, when we gather to ponder and meditate on the enormity of our sin, the awful, terrible price exacted for it in the death of our Savior, through tears of repentant joy, we can, and must, and will say again, with the Apostle St. Paul:

“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but
Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live
by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” (Gal. 2:20).

Here is Paul Gerhardt’s beautiful hymn, A Lamb Goes Uncomplaining Forth.

1. A Lamb goes uncomplaining forth,
The guilt of all men bearing;
And laden with the sins of earth,
None else the burden sharing!
Goes patient on, grows weak and faint,
To slaughter led without complaint,
That spotless life to offer;
Bears shame and stripes,
and wounds and death,
Anguish and mockery and saith,
“Willing all this I suffer.”

2. This Lamb is Christ, the soul’s great friend,
The Lamb of God, our Savior;
Him God the Father chose to send
To gain for us His favor.
“Go forth, My Son,” the Father saith,
“And free men from the fear of death,
From guilt and condemnation.
The wrath and stripes are hard to bear,
But by Thy passion men shall share
The fruit of Thy salvation.”

3. “Yea, Father, yea most willingly
I’ll bear what Thou commandest;
My will conforms to Thy decree,
I do what Thou demandest.”
O wondrous Love, what hast Thou done!
The Father offers up His Son!
The Son, content, descendeth!
O Love, how strong Thou art to save!
Thou beddest Him within the grave
Whose word the mountains rendeth.

4. Thou lay’st Him, Love upon the cross,
With nails and spear Him bruising;
Thou slay’st Him as a lamb, His loss
From soul and body oozing;
From body ’tis the crimson flood
Of precious sacrificial blood,
From soul, the strength of anguish.
My gain it is; sweet Lamb, to Thee
What can I give whose love to me
For me doth make Thee languish?

5. Lord, all my life I’ll cleave to Thee,
Thy love fore’er beholding,
Thee ever, as Thou ever me,
With loving arms enfolding.
Yea, Thou shalt be my Beacon-light,
To guide me safe through death’s dark night,
And cheer my heart in sorrow;
Henceforth myself and all that’s mine
To Thee, my Savior, I consign,
From whom all things I borrow.

6. From morn till eve my theme shall be
Thy mercy’s wondrous measure;
To sacrifice myself for Thee
Shall be my aim and pleasure.
My stream of life shall ever be
A current flowing ceaselessly,
Thy constant praise outpouring.
I’ll treasure in my memory,
O Lord, all Thou hast done for me,
Thy gracious love adoring.

7. Enlarge my heart’s own shrine, and swell,
To thee shall now be given
a treasure that doth far excel
The worth of earth and heaven.
Away with the Arabian gold,
With treasures of an earthly mold!
I’ve found a better jewel.
My priceless treasure, Lord, my God,
Is Thy most holy, precious blood,
Which flowed from wounds so cruel.

8. This treasure ever I’ll employ,
This every aid shall yield me;
In sorrow it shall be my joy,
In conflict it shall shield me;
In joy, the music of my feast,
And when all else has lost its zest,
This manna still shall feed me;
In thirst my drink; in want my food;
My company in solitude,
To comfort and to lead me.

9. Of death I am no more afraid,
New life from Thee is flowing;
Thy cross affords me cooling shade
When noonday’s sun is glowing.
When by my grief I am opprest,
On Thee my weary soul shall rest
Serenely as on pillows.
Thou art my Anchor when by woe
My boat is driven to and fro
On trouble’s surging billows.

10. And when Thy glory I shall see
And taste Thy kingdom’s pleasure,
Thy blood my royal robe shall be,
My joy beyond all measure.
When I appear before Thy throne,
Thy righteousness shall be my crown,
With these I need not hide me.
And there in garments richly wrought
As Thine own bride, I shall be brought
To stand in joy beside Thee.

O sacred Head, now wounded, with grief and shame weigheddown,
Now scornfully surrounded with thorns, Thine only crown;
How pale Thou art with anguish, with sore abuse and scorn!
How does that visage languish, which once was bright as morn!

What Thou, my Lord, hast suffered, was all for sinners’ gain;
Mine, mine was the transgression, but Thine the deadly pain.
Lo, here I fall, my Savior! ’Tis I deserve Thy place;
Look on me with Thy favor, vouchsafe to me Thy grace.

Men mock and taunt and jeer Thee, Thou noble countenance,
Though mighty worlds shall fear Thee and flee before Thy glance.
How art thou pale with anguish, with sore abuse and scorn!
How doth Thy visage languish that once was bright as morn!

Now from Thy cheeks has vanished their color once so fair;
From Thy red lips is banished the splendor that was there.
Grim death, with cruel rigor, hath robbed Thee of Thy life;
Thus Thou hast lost Thy vigor, Thy strength in this sad strife.

My burden in Thy Passion, Lord, Thou hast borne for me,
For it was my transgression which brought this woe on Thee.
I cast me down before Thee, wrath were my rightful lot;
Have mercy, I implore Thee; Redeemer, spurn me not!

What language shall I borrow to thank Thee, dearest friend,
For this Thy dying sorrow, Thy pity without end?
O make me Thine forever, and should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never, never outlive my love to Thee.

My Shepherd, now receive me; my Guardian, own me Thine.
Great blessings Thou didst give me, O source of gifts divine.
Thy lips have often fed me with words of truth and love;
Thy Spirit oft hath led me to heavenly joys above.

Here I will stand beside Thee, from Thee I will not part;
O Savior, do not chide me! When breaks Thy loving heart,
When soul and body languish in death’s cold, cruel grasp,
Then, in Thy deepest anguish, Thee in mine arms I’ll clasp.

The joy can never be spoken, above all joys beside,
When in Thy body broken I thus with safety hide.
O Lord of Life, desiring Thy glory now to see,
Beside Thy cross expiring, I’d breathe my soul to Thee.

My Savior, be Thou near me when death is at my door;
Then let Thy presence cheer me, forsake me nevermore!
When soul and body languish, oh, leave me not alone,
But take away mine anguish by virtue of Thine own!

Be Thou my consolation, my shield when I must die;
Remind me of Thy passion when my last hour draws nigh.
Mine eyes shall then behold Thee, upon Thy cross shall dwell,
My heart by faith enfolds Thee. Who dieth thus dies well

“O Sacred Head Now Wounded,” by Paul Gehardt, based on a hymn by Bernard of Clairvoux

Jesus is betrayed by Judas and arrested by the authorities (perhaps after midnight, early Friday morning) HT: Justin Taylor.

Matthew 26:47-56

While he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a great crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying,

“The one I will kiss is the man; seize him.”

And he came up to Jesus at once and said,

“Greetings, Rabbi!”

And he kissed him.

Jesus said to him,

“Friend, do what you came to do.”

Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him. And behold, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. Then Jesus said to him,

“Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?”

At that hour Jesus said to the crowds,

“Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. But all this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.”

Then all the disciples left him and fled.

Read more…

Collect for Maundy Thursday: O Lord, in this wondrous Sacrament You have left us a remembrance of Your passion. Grant that we may so receive the sacred mystery of Your body and blood that the fruits of Your redemption may continually be manifest in us; for You who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Introit: Ps. 67:1–2, 5–6b, 7; antiphon: Gal 6:14, Liturgical text

Psalm of the Day: Psalm 116:12–19

Old Testament: Ex. 12:1–14

Gradual: Ps. 111:4–5

Epistle Lesson: 1 Cor. 11:23–32

Gospel Lesson: John 13:1–35