SongLENT

THREE-YEAR LECTIONARY

THE WORD IN

Hymn of the Day Studies for

© 2017The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod St. Louis, MO 63122-7295 lcms.org/worship

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the ESV Bible® (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

LutheranService Book © 2006 Concordia Publishing House. All rights reserved.

LutheranService Book Propers of the Day © 2007 Concordia Publishing House. All rights reserved.

Quotations from the Lutheran Confessions are from Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions, second edition; edited by Paul McCain

et al.,copyright © 2006 Concordia Publishing House. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Quotations marked AE are from Luther’s Works, American Edition (56 vols.; St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House and Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1955–86).

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ContentsFrom Depths of Woe I Cry to Thee � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 1

A Mighty Fortress Is Our God � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 3

“How Shall They Hear,” Who Have Not Heard � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 5

Lord, Thee I Love with All My Heart � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 7

May God Bestow on Us His Grace � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 9

God Loved the World So That He Gave � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �11

I Trust, O Christ, in You Alone � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �13

My Song Is Love Unknown � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �15

Our Father, by Whose Name � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �17

The Angel Gabriel from Heaven Came � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �19

Hymn of the Day Studies for LENT THREE-YEAR LECTIONARY

1

IntroductionHere’s what Lutherans teach about confession in the Small Catechism: “Confession has two parts. First, that we confess our sins, and second, that we receive absolution, that is, forgiveness, from the pastor as from God Himself, not doubting, but firmly believing that by it our sins are forgiven before God in heaven” (LSB, p. 326). In a nutshell, this is exactly what we sing in Martin Luther’s hymn “From Depths of Woe I Cry to Thee.” Whether you say it together

as a congregation at the beginning of the Divine Service or individually with your pastor, Confession and Absolution has been an integral part of Lutheran piety since the earli-est days of the Reformation.

❚ Why is it important that we confess our sins first, before hearing the words of absolution?

❚ What would be the advantage of private Confession and Absolution?

Exploring the ScripturesThis hymn is based on Psalm 130, one of the seven peni-tential psalms (see also Psalm 6, 32, 38, 51, 102 and 143). Read Psalm 130. The image is one of drowning in sin, being totally overwhelmed by the “depths.”

❚ What is the confession in verse 3?

❚ What is the promise in verse 4?

Along with the cry for mercy, the psalmist also requests that the Lord hear his prayer. See Ps. 143:1–2 for a similar pattern. God promises to hear the prayers of the faithful (1 John 5:14), and He promises to hear our confession and forgive our sin (1 John 1:9). Read 1 John 1:5–10.

❚ Is anyone without sin? According to verse 7, what cleanses us from all sin?

Scripture makes it clear that our own efforts do not save us. Only the blood of Jesus Christ atones for our sins and

redeems us. St. Paul reminds us of this in passages such as Eph. 2:8–9. We do not deserve the mercy that God shows us in the forgiveness of sins, but He graciously provides it out of love.

❚ Can God’s grace be understood apart from forgiveness? Why or why not?

❚ Do we have any part in meriting that grace? God wants us to recognize our sin and our total dependence on Him for salvation. He wants us to turn away from those things that bring only death and return to Him who is life. It is His nature to forgive. Divine Service, Settings One and Two include an optional Lenten verse to be sung before the Gospel: “Return to the Lord, your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love” (pp. 157, 173). Read Joel 2:12–14.

❚ What does it mean to “rend your heart”?

Exploring the HymnBackgroundThis was one of the first hymns of Martin Luther (1483–1546), written in 1523 as an example that he hoped other poets, theologians and musicians would follow. He want-ed to provide congregations with something they could sing in their own language during the service, something that would help people to learn the main articles of faith and that would be memorable. Luther felt it was essen-tial that hymns teach the faith, and this hymn is one of several associated with the Six Chief Parts of the Small Catechism. Lutheran Service Book preserves this identifica-tion by including it in the section marked “Confession and Absolution.” The hymn became one of Luther’s own favor-ites and was even sung at his funeral in 1546.

❚ Can you think of examples of other hymns that have helped you to learn the teachings of the Christian faith?

❚ Thumb through the hymnal and see if you can identify all the chief parts by the headings.

Interestingly, Luther — who was a very good musician — also composed the tune for this hymn; it features a bit of text painting in the opening line. When we sing the words “from depths of woe,” the word “depths” falls in pitch, musically depicting the singer’s plight as he recognizes the depths of his own sinfulness.

❚ A text and its tune should fit well together, as this one does. What might be the consequences if a tune and text

From Depths of Woe I Cry to Thee

Ash Wednesday and the Twenty-First Sunday after Trinity | Three-Year Lectionary

Lutheran Service Book 607 | study by Randall P. Wurschmidt

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are out of character with each other? (If you wish to try a famous example, sing the words of “Amazing Grace” to the tune of “Gilligan’s Island.”)

TextThe first stanza follows the first three verses of the psalm rather closely. The singer pleads for mercy from the depths of despair caused by the knowledge of sin. If God remem-bered every sin, we would be lost for sure. Who could stand in His presence?

❚ According to stanza 2, what instead do we rely on?

“Therefore my hope is in the Lord,” we sing in stanza 3, resting in the faithful Word and not in our own merit.

❚ To whom is the promise of mercy explicitly made?

The hymn progresses the same way that the psalm pro-gresses: First, a confession of sin and an appeal to the Lord for mercy (sts. 1 and 2); then forgiveness and trust in God’s Word (sts. 3 and 4); finally, an appeal for patience on the part of Israel.

❚ In the fourth and fifth stanzas, we sing about “Israel.” Who is meant here?

Although Jesus’ name is never explicitly used in this hymn, we are never in doubt as to the identity of the Savior. He is “our shepherd good and true” (st. 5). He is the one who sets His people free “from all their sin and sorrow” (st. 5).

❚ Could this hymn be sung to anyone but the Triune God of Christianity?

Making the ConnectionThe Divine Service begins with a confession of sins. The Confession and Absolution in Divine Service, Setting Four (LSB, p. 203) even includes words from Psalm 130. Whenever Lutherans gather together in worship, the forgiveness of sins is central to that gathering. Whether at Baptism or in the remembrance of Baptism, we recall the life-giving water, which is “a lavish washing away of sin” (LSB, p. 269). And in the Lord’s Supper, the body and blood are given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. Luther writes in the Small Catechism, “For where there is forgive-ness of sins, there is also life and salvation” (LSB, p. 327).

Even repentance is God’s work. The Holy Spirit works in us when we hear the Word of God and through the Means of Grace. By faith, we are brought to repentance and to confess our sins; by grace, we are saved through the blood of Christ.

❚ Name some other places in the liturgy of the Divine Service (or in any service) where the forgiveness of sins is explicit.

❚ How does making the sign of the cross also remind us of forgiveness in Christ?

In ClosingWithout forgiveness, there is no life and there is no salva-tion. What a wretched existence that would be! But we do not live in fear of eternal damnation when we believe that Christ overcame sin and death for us.

Therefore, although we are still by nature sinful and will continue to sin throughout this life, we rejoice in the for-giveness won for us on the cross. It is not necessary to sing this hymn with gloomy and disfigured faces. Rather, we can sing it with sincere confidence that God’s abundant favor is still greater than our greatest sins.

❚ Sing or read aloud together LSB 607.

PrayerAlmighty and everlasting God, You despise nothing You have made and forgive the sins of all who are penitent. Create in us new and contrite hearts that lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness we may receive from You full pardon and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen (Collect for Ash Wednesday).

Ash Wednesday and the Twenty-First Sunday after Trinity | Three-Year Lectionary

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IntroductionMartin Luther (1483–1546) wrote a poem to serve as the preface to Joseph Klug’s Geistliche Lieder, revised and pub-lished in Wittenberg in 1543. In his poem, Luther wrote, in part, “Of all the joys that are on earth / Is none more dear nor higher worth, / Than what in my sweet songs is found / And instruments of various sound. / Where friends and comrades sing in tune, / All evil passions vanish soon… . The heart grows still when I am heard, / And opens to God’s Truth and Word.”

Luther’s own hymn, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God,” has captured these very sentiments over the five centuries since he wrote the text and composed the tune.

❚ What are some of the feelings you have when you sing this hymn? How do the text and music together contribute to these feelings?

❚ Describe the image that comes to mind when you think of the word “fortress” in this hymn.

Exploring the ScripturesLuther’s famous hymn is inspired by the words of Psalm 46 and the comfort Luther himself found in this psalm. Read Ps. 46:1–3.

❚ In the opening verse, the writer states his confidence. What do you think is the basis for his confidence? If your answer is “experience,” what sorts of experiences might they have been? If your answer is “faith,” what is the source of such faith?

❚ Verses 2–3 use parallel thoughts to emphasize a major point. If the writer has events in Israel’s history in mind, what might some of them be? Although written long before the New Testament era, what are some events in the Gospels or in Acts in which these words of Psalm 46 could come to mind?

Read Ps. 46:4–7.

❚ Jerusalem, Israel’s capital and the site of the temple, had springs of water supplying the city but no river flowing through it. What could the writer have in mind with verse 4? The prophets wrote of such a stream in Jerusalem. Read Joel 3:18 and Zech. 14:8. What do the

prophets have in mind? See also Rev. 22:1–8. In what ways are these images of the Holy Spirit? What does God’s Spirit have to do with the confidence within this psalm? Based on Ps. 46:4–7, what sort of fortress is God?

Read Ps. 46:8–11.

❚ In the third part of the psalm, the writer invites the reader to meditate, “Come, behold the works of the LORD.” In this psalm, the writer points to the end of war and conflict as an act of God. What are some other possible “acts of God” on which a person could meditate beneficially?

❚ Verse 10 suggests the outcome of such meditation. Do you agree? Are the words of verse 10 words of fear or of praise? Or both? Why? To whom is God saying, “Be still” — the noisy world or the person of faith in the noisy world? Why? Read Mark 4:35–41. Notice any similarities?

❚ The final verse repeats the theme. After all has been said, what sort of fortress is God?

Exploring the HymnBackgroundWhile Luther’s hymn has been employed in triumphal ways — the Swedish Lutheran king Gustavus Adolphus made his army sing this hymn before the Battle of Leipzig in 1631; the 19th-century German literary figure Heinrich Heine (1797–1856) called it the Marseillaise of the Reformation — Luther himself called it a hymn of comfort. In the period 1527–31, when the hymn began to appear in a number of hymnals, Luther was surrounded by troubles. In 1527, 10 years had passed since Luther posted his 95 Theses in

Wittenberg. During this time and after, he was buffeted by theological and political storms. His own life was in danger from the empire, from Rome and from outbreaks of the plague. The darkness of depression often closed in on him.

❚ What are some major cataclysms of the present day that could send a person to seek the comfort expressed in Luther’s hymn?

❚ What sort of personal troubles — physical, emotional, spiritual — could also find comfort in this hymn?

A Mighty Fortress Is Our God

The First Sunday in Lent and Reformation Day | Three-Year Lectionary

Lutheran Service Book 656/657 | study by Marion Lars Hendrickson

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Whenever Luther’s world would “roar and foam” like the waters in Ps. 46:3, he would invite his friends to join him in singing this hymn. In 1530 at Coburg, while awaiting the outcome of the Diet of Augsburg, Luther sang his hymn often, perhaps daily.

❚ What is the comfort in the phrase “He’s by our side” (LSB 656:4)?

❚ Luther mentions “weapons of the Spirit” (LSB 657:4). What might these be?

❚ What phrases in the hymn are helpful when a person’s troubles are of long duration or an end to them is not in sight?

❚ What difference does it make, do you think, singing the hymn rather than simply reading the text?

TextWhile Luther found inspiration for his hymn in the words of Psalm 46, he did not confine himself to that text alone. Read Rev. 19:11–16, where St. John sees a vision of a con-quering rider on a white horse, who “in righteousness … judges and makes war” (v. 11).

❚ According to stanza 2 of the hymn, who is this rider?

❚ What other clues to the rider’s identity do you find in Rev. 19:11–16?

❚ Although the imagery of warfare is violent in this text, how does the rider’s identity interpret that violence? Hint: Think about the crucifixion of Jesus.

Read Eph. 6:10–17. In this epistle, St. Paul uses the imagery of a Roman soldier.

❚ How is such imagery helpful and comforting?

❚ How can military imagery be misused within the Church?

For Martin Luther, the devil was no fictitious figure, but very real and troublesome. Read stanza 3 of the hymn.

❚ How is the devil portrayed?

❚ Luther writes in LSB 656:3, “This world’s prince may still / Scowl fierce as he will.” What do you think Luther means by “still”? Jesus’ crucifixion is judgment upon Satan. What does this mean for us who live in the world?

Read Rom. 8:31–39. St. Paul’s answer to his list of questions is verse 37: “No, in all these things we are more than con-querors through him who loved us.”

❚ As the Small Catechism asks, what does this mean?

❚ Is this an answer based upon experience or on faith?

❚ Must a Christian have experiences similar to those listed by the apostle in this passage to express the same confidence? Why? Why not?

❚ If “the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (v. 39) does not eliminate all of our troubles, what does it do? What sort of fortress does this make of God?

Making the ConnectionIn the preface to the Wittenberg edition of his writings, Luther wrote, “I want to point out to you a correct way of studying theology, for I have had practice in that. … This is the way taught by holy King David … in the one hundred nineteenth Psalm. There you will find three rules, amply presented throughout the whole Psalm. They are Oratio [prayer], Meditatio [meditation], Tentatio [affliction, trial]” (AE 34:285).

❚ In what ways is Luther’s hymn a prayer? What is it asking? What hope does it express?

❚ Luther sang this hymn often. What is gained by the repetition? Does singing the text make a difference for meditation?

❚ Do you think Martin Luther would have expressed the confidence of the Gospel as boldly and forcefully as he did if he had not endured the troubles he faced? How have your own troubles thrown you back onto the promises of God in Christ?

In ClosingAs Luther said in his hymnal preface for Klug’s Geistliche Lieder, where people of faith sing hymns, there is joy, “all evil passions vanish soon” and hearts are stilled and open to God’s Word.

❚ Sing or read aloud together LSB 656 or 657.

PrayerAlmighty and gracious Lord, pour out Your Holy Spirit on Your faithful people. Keep us steadfast in Your grace and truth, protect and deliver us in times of temptation, defend us against all enemies, and grant to Your Church Your sav-ing peace; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen (Collect for Reformation Day).

The First Sunday in Lent and Reformation Day | Three-Year Lectionary

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IntroductionFrom the very beginning, the Church’s primary concern has been to bear witness to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. As the faithful 11 apostles met in the upper room during the 10 days between Jesus’ ascension and the Day of Pentecost, they were with one accord in prayer and suppli-cation with the women and Mary, the mother of Jesus, and His brothers.

In this context, Peter gave voice to their concern that “one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrec-tion” (Acts 1:22). After asking God to show them which of the two candidates He had chosen, “the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles” (Acts 1:26). Mindful of the apostolic example, the Lutheran Confessions say, “So that we may obtain this faith, the ministry of teaching the Gospel and administering the Sacraments was

instituted” (AC V 1) and “that no one should publicly teach in the Church, or administer the Sacraments, without a rightly ordered call (AC XIV).

All believers, St. Peter reminds us, are to be ready to give a reason for the hope that is in them (1 Peter 3:15). This hymn reminds us that all our prayers and works combine to facilitate the hearing of the Good News of Jesus in every tribe, nation, language and people.

❚ Discuss what your congregation does to support seminarians, missionaries, Bible translation, etc.

❚ Many have found that personally supporting missionaries (through a congregation) enhances their own awareness of and participation in that work. Reflect together on this possibility.

Exploring the ScripturesWhen God first appeared to Abram, He promised that all the families of the earth would be blessed through him (Gen. 12:3). In Jesus, God has fulfilled His promise in that “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). St. Paul became personally aware of this on the road to Damascus, and in his inspired letters he reveals the secret and pattern of spreading the Gospel. Read Rom. 10:9–17.

❚ What does St. Paul say are the evidences of saving faith? How does the “Rite of Confirmation” (LSB, pp. 272–4) help make this evidence known?

❚ God wants everyone to know the blessing of calling on the name of the Lord. Discuss the four questions and answers Paul gives (call, believe, hear, preach [vv. 14–15]) that lead to delivering the “gospel of peace” (Eph. 6:15).

In each of the four Gospels, Jesus commissions His dis-ciples to bear witness to the Good News. Read Matt. 28:18–20.

❚ In the original Greek, the phrase “all nations” sounds like our word “ethnic,” referring to every specific, unique people group and language. How has God in unexpected ways given us new opportunities to do this?

❚ Discuss the two components that go into making disciples. Note that the mission task is sandwiched between the promise of Jesus’ authority and presence!

In Is. 6:1–8, we are given a glimpse of the prophet’s divine call and his response.

❚ What parallels can you see in the life of every baptized believer?

Exploring the HymnBackgroundTimothy Dudley-Smith (b. 1926), a retired bishop in the Church of England, is the author of over 400 hymn texts. This text was written on Dec. 27, 1979, at the request of the Rev. John Stott, to be sung at the Consultation on World Evangelization held in Thailand in June 1980.

He relates that Romans 10, Matthew 28 and Isaiah 6 pro-vided the questions that begin each of the first four stanzas. The suggested themes of prayer and costly incarnational

evangelism provide substance and focus for this modern mission hymn.

Text“How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?” (Rom. 10:14). These questions are antecedents to the compelling query of our text: “How shall they hear?” This quest for all our fellow men to call and believe on the Lord Jesus depends on whether or not they

“How Shall They Hear,” Who Have Not Heard

St� Matthias, Apostle, February 24 | Three-Year Lectionary

Lutheran Service Book 831 | study by Paul F. Becker

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will hear the Good News of God sending His Son to find us and bring us home.

❚ What are some of the ways we talk about “His reconciling word” (LSB 831:1) by which we learn to trust the name of Jesus?

Jesus said we would be His witnesses beginning in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Mission and witness begin at home, with family, friends and neighbors — our Jerusalem.

❚ Discuss what your home church does to share the “good news of saving grace” (st. 2) with the local community.

❚ Ask your pastor to pray by name for missionaries in “far-off lands” (st. 2).

“Costly and incarnational” well describe the price to be paid. “Constant in prayer, through toil and pain” (st. 3) doesn’t sound like a popular marketing campaign, but it reflects the path taken by our Savior and those who respond to His call.

❚ In the “telling of One who died for all” (st. 3), we may suffer mistreatment, injustice and abuse. Discuss how persecution and sufferings can help reach the lost.

The final two stanzas recognize that even when we say, “Here am I! Send me!” we need Jesus’ life to change “this poor cold self-centered soul” (st. 4). We need Him to touch our lips, hands and heart just as Isaiah was cleansed by the coal from the heavenly altar. Like the 120 disciples awaiting the promise of the Father on the Day of Pentecost, we need the Holy Spirit to come down and move within us in order for us to be effective tellers of the Good News.

Making the ConnectionEarnest, fervent, heartfelt prayer underlies every mighty mission of the Good News. When the apostles had been threatened and warned not to speak at all in the name of Jesus, they prayed: “‘And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.’ And when they had prayed, the

place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness” (Acts 4:29–31).

❚ How do we think the task of making disciples will ever be accomplished? Do we dare pray in this way today? Why or why not? We don’t convert anyone — that’s what the Holy Spirit does.

In ClosingFor reasons known only to Himself, God chooses to work through ordinary, otherwise unremarkable folks like you and me to let others in on what we know: Christ is our life, our joy and our crown.

❚ Sing or read aloud together LSB 831.

PrayerAlmighty and everlasting God, You desire not the death of a sinner but that all would repent and live. Hear our prayers for those outside the Church. Take away their iniquity and turn them from their false gods to You, the living and true God. Gather them into Your holy Church to the glory of Your name; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen (For those outside the Church, LSB, p. 305).

St� Matthias, Apostle, February 24 | Three-Year Lectionary

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IntroductionAs the young woman lies dying in her hospital bed, the pastor is urgently summoned. He brings with him his well-used Pastoral Care Companion; anticipating that death is imminent, he opens to the “Commendation of the Dying.” Prayers are prayed, psalms are chanted, Scriptures are read; after the Creed and the Lord’s Prayer, he sings the Nunc Dimittis: “Lord, now You let Your servant go in peace…” Then he sings stanza 3 of this hymn: “Lord, let at last Thine angels come…” It is a beautiful and confident way for the Christian to face death, trusting in God’s promise

of the resurrection and in the hope of eternal life in heav-en. This stanza is famously used as the final chorale in J.S. Bach’s St. John Passion, giving the Good Friday narrative an appropriate ending — not with our Lord dead on the cross, but with the open tomb and death defeated.

❚ Is a Christian’s death different from the death of an unbeliever? Why or why not?

❚ What is the benefit of the pastor being at the bedside of one who is dying?

Exploring the ScripturesAnyone who is paying attention knows that this life is far from perfect. There are disappointments and heartaches, illnesses and pain. “Change and decay in all around I see,” we sing in another favorite hymn of trust and hope (LSB 878:4). And of course, there is death.

Most people think of death as an unfortunate but normal part of life. There may be some vague thought of heaven (never hell!) for the nice people; for some, death means simply disintegration back into the earth and no more. But there is more; there is much more, for Jesus has promised to return on the Last Day and raise the dead.

It won’t be just the righteous that He raises, but all people, as we confess in the Nicene Creed: “I look for the

resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come” (LSB, p. 191). The Athanasian Creed goes even further, stat-ing, “And those who have done good will enter into eternal life, and those who have done evil into eternal fire” (LSB, p. 320), meaning that those who have rejected Jesus will expe-rience weeping and gnashing of teeth in eternal damnation.

❚ Read 1 Cor. 15:12–28. When (or who) is the beginning of death and the end of death, according to verse 21? Why should this give us hope?

❚ Read Psalm 90. How should we consider this life in light of this psalm? Should we put our hope and trust in the things of our life now?

Exploring the HymnBackgroundThe text was written by Martin Schalling (1532–1608), a Lutheran pastor and theologian who was a disciple of the reformer Philipp Melanchthon, author of the Augsburg Confession. Schalling lived during a time of intense re-ligious strife, which reached even outside Germany and throughout Europe. As the Reformation moved forward, the Roman Catholics often fought back, countering with their own documents and creeds. At that time, Germany was composed of many small principalities and kingdoms. It was up to each individual ruler to decide on the religious confession of his territory, leading to many changes as rulers came and went. Unfortunately, these battles of words often spilled out into battles of swords, and many were killed in wars and power struggles during this time.

Even if we were without religious strife, death is still a universal problem in this life, and all Christians should be

able to confess the truths sung in this hymn, finding com-fort in these words.

❚ What would be some of the challenges for a pastor in a time of ever-changing allegiances? Could you continue to confess the truth even if your job or your life depended on it?

TextIn the first stanza, we are reminded that earth’s pleasures are no match for eternal life in heaven, and that the most important thing for us is to be in the presence of God.

❚ Where does Jesus promise to be when we gather for the Divine Service each Sunday?

In the second stanza, we are reminded of the Creed, as you may have learned it from the Small Catechism. In the meaning of the First Article, Luther writes, “I believe that

Lord, Thee I Love with All My Heart

The Second Sunday in Lent, Proper 21C and the Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity | Three-Year Lectionary

Lutheran Service Book 708 | study by Randy Wurschmidt

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God has made me and all creatures; that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses, and still takes care of them” (LSB, p. 322). We pray that the devil, the world and our own flesh would not betray us or lead us into temptation or doubt.

❚ According to this stanza, how do we glorify God’s lavish grace? To whom is our own love directed?

Sing the third stanza now, if you have not already. Here we have the heart and soul of this hymn. Jesus said,

“For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world

and forfeits his soul?” (Matt. 16:26). All roads point to the end. The whole life of a Christian is one preparing for death. And in these words, we confess to what end we have held steadfast: “That these mine eyes with joy may see, / O Son of God, Thy glorious face, / My Savior and my fount of grace.”

❚ Each stanza closes with the refrain, “Lord Jesus Christ…” Compare each of these and describe how, just from the last phrase, each stanza summarizes our life of faith.

Making the ConnectionWhen the Pharisees tested Jesus, asking, “Which is the great commandment in the Law?” Jesus answered by say-ing, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two com-mandments depend all the Law and the Prophets” (Matt. 22:36–40). This hymn sums up these commandments very well: We love God because He loved us first and gave His only begotten Son for the forgiveness of our sins; we love our neighbor because God has given us everything we need for this life and the next.

This we do when we share Jesus’ body and blood at the rail with fellow saints. We do this when we receive the forgiveness of sins promised from the cross and forgive those who trespass against us. We love our neighbors when we help them in time of need, pray for and with them, and comfort them with the beautiful hymns of our faith.

❚ In times of distress, have you ever just sat down with your hymnal open and sung? Why or why not?

❚ How does our own selfishness and sin keep us from facing death without fear?

In Closing“We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things,” we confess in the meaning of the First Commandment (LSB, p. 321). As you know, this is easier said than done, because by nature we look to other gods. This is why we need to regularly hear the Word of God, why we need to regularly hear the words of absolution from our pastors, why we need to regularly receive Jesus’ body and blood: to ease our bur-dened consciences and to strengthen our faith in God and our fervent love for our neighbor. For God has promised salvation to you and baptized you into His life and death. He has assured you that as His sons and daughters, you will inherit eternal life with Him on account of Christ, who cov-ers all your sins in His own righteousness. Therefore, sing

this hymn with all boldness and confidence. Sing it now if you haven’t already. And sing it as you journey from this life into death and into life everlasting.

PrayerAlmighty, everlasting God, Your Son has assured forgive-ness of sins and deliverance from eternal death. Strengthen us by Your Holy Spirit that our faith in Christ may increase daily and that we may hold fast to the hope that on the Last Day we shall be raised in glory to eternal life; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen (Hope of eternal life in Christ, LSB, p. 313).

The Second Sunday in Lent, Proper 21C and the Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity | Three-Year Lectionary

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IntroductionWhen Martin Luther (1483–1546) wrote in 1522, “recently many islands and lands have been discovered, to which the grace [of God] has not appeared for these 1500 years,” he wrote of the discovery of the Americas (AE 16:135n 7). The next year Luther wrote our hymn for today, “May God Bestow on Us His Grace,” a hymn of thanksgiving for the rich blessings of God. This paraphrase of Psalm 67 is also a hymn for missions; in fact, it was the first mission hymn of the Reformation.

All Christians, including those living in these discovered islands and lands of the Americas, can give thanks that they have been blessed with the bestowal of the Gospel, which converts and saves sinners.

❚ Of what types of grace was Luther writing in this hymn? Why was it important to ask for such bestowal of grace? Why is it important for you to ask for grace from God?

❚ How is the bestowal of God’s grace linked with Christian missions? How has — does — God’s grace come to these discovered islands and lands?

Exploring the ScripturesOur hymn is a paraphrase of Psalm 67. Read Ps. 67:1–2.

❚ For what does the psalmist ask in verse 1? This verse reminds you of what part of the Divine Service?

❚ In verse 2, what was to be made known among all nations of the earth?

Read the Holy Gospel for Sexagesima (Luke 8:4–15), the parable of the sower. This sower spreads his seed on differ-ing soils in hope that all the soils will bear fruitfully from his seed.

❚ In verses 5–8 Jesus described the results from the

sowing of the seed on the differing soils. What were the four differing types of soil upon which the seed was sown? What happened to the seed on each type of soil?

❚ The disciples asked for an explanation of this parable. Jesus’ reply is given in verses 10–15. What is the seed that was sown? How do the differing soils describe hearers of the Gospel?

❚ The sower in this passage demonstrates recklessness by tossing the seed not only onto soil likely to bear abundantly, but also onto soils where he knows it will not come to fruition. Who is the sower? Why is He so reckless? Whose fault is it if the seed of the Gospel does not result ultimately in salvation — God’s, or the hearer’s?

Exploring the HymnBackgroundAfter Luther was declared an outlaw by Emperor Charles V in 1521 (meaning anyone could kill Luther without fear of punishment), Elector Frederick the Wise spirited Luther away to Wartburg Castle near Eisenach. Luther returned to Wittenberg in 1522 to restore order within the congrega-tions. He also soon began writing hymns for the people to sing. Today’s hymn is one of the first in that outpouring of new hymns in German.

❚ Imagine that the government was seeking your death. You would most likely try to hide out somewhere. Is there any reason why you would return to your hometown? What would motivate that return? When you returned, would you then start writing things for public consump-tion? Why or why not?

When Luther first reformed the Divine Service in 1523, he still retained the Latin, while removing those por-tions of the service that smacked of self- righteousness. Luther emphasized the work of God in the service. For the Benediction, Luther recommended that either the Aaronic Blessing (Num. 6:24–26) or Ps. 67:6–7 be used. The Aaronic Blessing was given by the Lord so that His name would be put upon the children of Israel (v. 27). On the other hand, Ps. 67:6–7 refers to God blessing the nations.

❚ What are the similarities and differences between the Aaronic Blessing and Ps. 67:6–7? What are their strengths and weaknesses at the close of the service? Why do you think Lutherans have retained the Aaronic Benediction?

May God Bestow on Us His Grace

The Third Sunday in Lent, Sexagesima and Mission Observance | Three-Year Lectionary

Lutheran Service Book 823/824 | study by Thomas E. Lock

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TextWe have already discovered the recklessness of the sower, the one who casts the seed upon all nations and all people. In this first mission hymn of the Reformation, there are many references to the nations of the world.

❚ How many references to these nations can you find in this hymn?

Luther’s understanding of right worship can be summed up with the German word, Gottesdienst, that is, Divine Service. In this Divine Service God first serves man, and then Christians return thanks and praise to God.

❚ Look at the first stanza. Which aspect of Divine Service is being described? How is God serving the people of the earth? What is the goal of that service?

Stanza 2 is the paraphrase of Ps. 67:3–4. The emphasis of the hymn text and of these verses from Psalm 67 is about praising God (the second aspect of Divine Service).The second half of stanza 2 includes these lines:

For Thou shalt judge the earth, O Lord, Nor suffer sin to flourish;

Thy people’s pasture is Thy Word Their souls to feed and nourish,

In righteous paths to keep them.

❚ Why should the people praise God?

❚ Where has the judgment of the earth and its sinfulness taken place in Christ? When will the final judging of the earth and its sinfulness take place? If sin will not flourish, how was it removed and how will it be removed?

❚ What is the connection between Psalm 23 and the last three lines of this stanza?

Stanza 3 is a paraphrase of Ps. 67:5–7. It also includes a reference to the parable of the sower: “The land shall plen-teous fruit bring forth, / Thy Word is rich in blessing.”

❚ Read a portion of the Old Testament Reading for Sexagesima, Is. 55:10–13. How are seed and the Word linked? What is the connection between this reading and the parable of the sower? Who converts the people? To whom, then, do the people give thanks?

Making the ConnectionRead Rom. 1:8. What does St. Paul say about the faith of the Roman Christians? How far had the knowledge of their faith gone even in the time of the apostles? (If time allows, see also Col. 1:3–6 and 1 Thess. 1:8.)

❚ If the Gospel has already gone to all the nations, does that mean that we no longer need to send out

missionaries or bear witness of Christ to those who do not believe in Him?

❚ For what blessings of God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) do you give thanks? How can you show this thankfulness to God and to other people, both near and far away?

In ClosingThe Holy Spirit distributes the rich blessings of Christ in His Word, Holy Baptism, Holy Absolution and Holy Communion in the Church, even as we confess in the ex-planation to the Third Article of the Creed from the Small Catechism (LSB, 323).

❚ Read this explanation aloud together.

❚ Sing or read aloud LSB 823 or 824.

PrayerAlmighty God, in Your kindness You cause the light of the Gospel to shine among us. By the working of Your Holy Spirit, help us to share the good news of Your salvation that all who hear it may rejoice in the gift of Your unending love; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen (Collect for Mission Observance).

The Third Sunday in Lent, Sexagesima and Mission Observance | Three-Year Lectionary

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IntroductionLook across a stadium of fans enjoying a professional sport-ing event and you may see a fan holding a John 3:16 sign. You may even see a sports fan paint “John 3:16” on his or her body. This emphasis on John 3:16 is because for many people, John 3:16 summarizes Christianity’s central belief. Thanks be to God that this short summary of Christianity enjoys a large pop-culture following. Aside from profes-sional sports (especially football), a reference to John 3:16 is printed on the bottom of paper cups used by the In-N-Out Burger chain.

Jesus’ teaching in John 3:16 is certainly comforting to us. That’s because John 3:16 applies Jesus’ work to us. Here, the purpose of Jesus’ death is revealed. He died so that we can have eternal life.

❚ Have you ever shared John 3:16 with a friend to summarize the Gospel message?

❚ Why do you think John 3:16 has become this widely known summary of the Bible’s teaching?

Exploring the ScripturesJohn 3:1–21 is the account of Jesus teaching Nicodemus. Nicodemus was a Jew and a member of the Pharisees. Curious about Jesus, he secretly came to Jesus at night, so that no other Jew would know of his curiosity. A catecheti-cal conversation took place between the two men. Jesus in-structed Nicodemus on how one enters the kingdom of God. Toward the end of the instruction (starting at John 3:14), Jesus speaks very directly: “Whoever believes in him [the Son of Man Himself] should not perish but have eternal life” (v. 15). He continues by speaking John 3:16–21.

❚ Is it our action of believing or is it the object of our belief that saves us from hell?

❚ Despite Jesus’ words here and elsewhere (e.g., John 14:6 and Acts 4:11–12), why do many people not believe that only Jesus saves? Why do people imagine that God includes all people in eternity, regardless of their belief’s object?

❚ Usually overshadowed by verse 16, verses 17 and 18 are also helpful verses that clarify how one enters eternal life. Read verses 17 and 18. What do these verses conclude? Again, how is one saved?

Exploring the HymnBackgroundLittle is known about the origins of this beloved hymn. Recent research suggests that the hymn was published in a 1778 Pomeranian hymnal. Whoever wrote it has enabled Christians to sing of the Gospel and the implications of the Gospel for the believer’s life.

TextStanza 1 is a paraphrase of John 3:16. The stanza puts the verse in poetic form. Stanzas 2 and following begin explain-ing the implications of having faith resting on John 3:16.

❚ John 1:14 and Col. 1:15 express that Jesus is the infinite, uncreated and eternal Son of God. According to stanza 2, what did this Son of God do?

❚ What is the result of the Son of God’s work (end of st. 2)?

❚ What is the significance of a “cornerstone”? Who is the cornerstone (read 1 Peter 2:6; Ps. 118:22; Eph. 2:19–22)?

❚ In stanza 3, God’s good and gracious will is proclaimed. What is His will? Read 1 Tim. 2:3–4.

❚ The Holy Spirit’s work is highlighted in stanza 3. By the Word, what does the Spirit declare? Read John 15:26; John 14:26; Titus 3:4–7.

Stanzas 4 and 5 calm fearful and anxious hearts. Sickness and death make us anxious, worried and fearful of life’s end. Questioning whether or not God forgives also creates fearful and anxious hearts.

❚ According to Rom. 6:3–10, how can Baptism grant us the “highest good”?

❚ To such fearful and anxious hearts, what good news does the hymn writer give us in stanzas 4 and 5? To help answer, read Rom. 3:21–28.

❚ When facing death, why are constant reminders of Christ’s work for us sinners especially important?

God Loved the World So That He Gave

The Fourth Sunday in Lent and Proper 6A | Three-Year Lectionary

Lutheran Service Book 571 | study by Scott R. Schilbe

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❚ Based on stanza 5, how can the Christian face death and the grave?

Stanza 6 concludes the hymn with a trinitarian reference. As with all stanzas marked with a triangle in our hymnal, we stand in reverence as we sing this trinitarian doxology.

Making the ConnectionIn Matt. 10:1–15, Jesus commissioned His apostles to pro-claim that the kingdom of God is at hand (Matt. 10:7). The kingdom of God is God’s rule and reign of grace and mercy. The kingdom of God is the Gospel, the saving message that God forgives sins and opens heaven to us because He gave up His only begotten Son unto death.

❚ In what present-day ways do pastors (those who follow the apostles in the apostolic ministry) continue to proclaim the kingdom of God?

❚ Who gives the apostles authority to proclaim the kingdom? Who gives pastors this same authority today? Read Matt. 28:18 and Matt. 10:1 to help answer this question.

❚ As the Gospel promises of God are proclaimed, the Holy Spirit is creating faith “when and where it pleases God” (AC V 2). Besides pastors, all of us can proclaim God’s Gospel promises (Is. 40:9; Ps. 105:1; 1 Peter 2:9). Think of yourselves as sowers of the Word. While sowing the Word is difficult at times, what promise does God give us (Matt. 13:23)?

In ClosingThe next time you see “John 3:16” displayed at an athletic event or on a paper cup, perhaps you’ll be reminded of to-day’s featured hymn. John 3:16 nicely summarizes the main teaching of the Bible. The Augsburg Confession expresses it this way: “Our churches teach that people cannot be justified before God by their own strength, merits, or works. People are freely justified for Christ’s sake, through faith, when they believe that they are received into favor and that their sins are forgiven for Christ’s sake. By His death, Christ made satisfaction for our sins. God counts this faith for righteousness in His sight (Romans 3 and 4 [3:21–26; 4:5])” (AC IV 1–3).

❚ Sing or read aloud together LSB 571.

PrayerAlmighty, eternal God, in the Word of Your apostles and prophets You have proclaimed to us Your saving will. Grant us faith to believe Your promises that we may receive eternal salvation; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen (Collect for Proper 6A).

The Fourth Sunday in Lent and Proper 6A | Three-Year Lectionary

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IntroductionOne of the surprises of Lutheran Service Book is that there are more hymns in the LSB collection than those found in the pew edition. While the pew edition’s highest hymn number is 966, today’s Hymn of the Day Bible Study covers hymn 972. “I Trust, O Christ, in You Alone” can be found in the Lutheran Service Builder computer software as well as LSB Accompaniment for the Hymns and LSB Guitar Chord Edition. “I Trust” appeared as Lutheran Worship 357, and as Lutheran Book of Worship 395 in a translation prepared for that hymnal. “In Thee Alone, O Christ, My Lord” was its title as hymn 319 in The Lutheran Hymnal. It has also since appeared in Christian Worship: A Lutheran Hymnal as hymn 437.

❚ Why might a hymnal committee choose to include or not include a biblically faithful Lutheran hymn?

❚ Read through LSB 972.

PrayerAlmighty God, our heavenly Father, because of Your tender love toward us sinners You have given us Your Son that, believing in Him, we might have everlasting life. Continue to grant us Your Holy Spirit that we may remain steadfast in this faith to the end and finally come to life everlasting; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen (For steadfast faith, LSB, p. 311).

Exploring the ScripturesTypically, the core Bible texts for a hymn are found at the bottom of a hymn’s page in the LSB pew edition. If you are studying “I Trust, O Christ, in You Alone” from a copy printed from Lutheran Service Builder, you may not see the following four Scripture texts listed.

Turn to Acts 4:12.

❚ Who is speaking in this verse?

❚ What is the context for Peter’s preaching by God the Holy Spirit?

❚ What “name” is given to us by which we may be saved?

❚ What other names compete for worship as divine in your community? How does this verse correct the idea that “all roads lead to heaven”?

Read Rom. 8:38–39.

❚ What main promise are Christians given in this passage?

❚ As necessary, review verses 31–37 to better understand these verses in context and more completely understand God’s everlasting love of us.

Read 1 John 2:1–2.

❚ To whom is John writing? What does he mean by “little children”?

❚ Discuss what John says about sin. Of what sin is he warning his readers?

❚ Define “advocate.” Describe Jesus’ role as your advocate.

❚ Define “propitiation.” How would you define this concept for a non-Christian?

❚ John writes about Jesus’ work being enough “for the sins of the whole world” (v. 2). Why then do not all benefit from His sacrificial death and victorious resurrection?

Read Col. 3:16–17.

❚ What benefit is there in singing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs outside of corporate worship?

❚ How does the Word of Christ dwell in us richly in corporate worship?

❚ Some Christians do what they do in the Christian life almost as a “Please, Lord, accept and forgive me because of these works.” Compare and contrast this with the “thank-you note” response to the gifts of God in Christ in verse 16.

Exploring the HymnBackgroundAs a deacon, hymn writer and hymnal editor in Strasbourg, Germany, Konrad Hubert (1507–77) wrote “I Trust, O Christ, in You Alone.” It appeared in Nürnberg as early as 1540. From 1545 on, it was introduced in hymnals as “A

prayer-hymn to Christ, our only Savior, for the remission of sins and the increase of faith and true love.”

❚ How are hymns also prayers?

I Trust, O Christ, in You Alone

The Fourth Sunday in Lent | Three-Year Lectionary

Lutheran Service Builder 972 | study by Paul J. Cain

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❚ What are the consequences of Jesus being humanity’s only Savior?

❚ “Remission” is intended as a Gospel word, but its use in the Church has recently been questioned because of modern cancer treatment and the statement that a cancer is “in remission.” What theological concern is there now with regard to this word? What alternatives would you suggest? Compare the translation of Jesus’ Words of Institution for the Sacrament of the Altar in LSB (p. 197) and your congregation’s previous hymnals (The Lutheran Hymnal, p. 27; Lutheran Worship, p. 150).

❚ How would you answer the question of a person investigating Christianity who asks, “Saved from what?”

❚ How are faith and love related in Christianity?

TextLonger hymns like “I Trust, O Christ, in You Alone” often have the blessing of giving us more Bible verses to study. As we turn to the Scriptures, it is helpful to remember that “trust” is a synonym for “faith” and that the “hope” sung of in stanza 1 is not merely a wish, prayer or “maybe.” Our hope in Christ is rock-solid and sure, unlike the often un-kept promises of sinful human beings.

Read stanza 1.

❚ What reasons does this stanza present for why we trust in Christ alone?

❚ Define “propitiation” as used in Rom. 3:25. How is this helpful in the “evil hour” and when “human strength” fails?

❚ What phrase in the stanza confesses John 6:39? John 10:27–28?

❚ How does 1 Peter 5:8–9 describe the threat of the old evil foe? Where does this show up in stanza 1? Where do Gen. 3:15 and Rom. 16:20 come in?

❚ Why is 2 Cor. 3:5 important? How does it shape our Christian confidence in this stanza?

Read stanza 2.

❚ How does Luke 23:40–43 shape our prayer? What parallels are in the Lord’s Prayer? How is stanza 2 a prayer? When would we pray such a prayer?

❚ Review Rom. 3:25. How has the Lord answered our prayer of confession of sin? Use 1 Peter 2:24 to give a fuller answer.

❚ How does the world misunderstand love? Read 1 John 4:10 and restate it in chronological order.

❚ Read Rom. 8:34 and 1 Tim. 2:5–6. What does it mean for Jesus to intercede/mediate for us? Where are these truths sung in stanza 2?

Read stanza 3.

❚ The Rite of Confirmation is a confirmation of Holy Baptism. How is the word “confirm” used in stanza 3? What is meant here?

❚ Define “vocation.” Give examples.

❚ What does it mean according to Jesus’ words in John 8:31 and John’s teaching in 2 John 9 if one will not abide in God’s Word?

❚ Turn to John 14:23. Where is this verse found in stanza 3? Are we talking about Law or Gospel here?

If you have time, discuss the connection between these verses and the word “mandate,” from which comes the name “Maundy Thursday.”

Making the ConnectionDid your parents ever teach you the “magic words” of “please” and “thank you”?

❚ What is their proper use in human society?

❚ How could they be misused or at least misunderstood and misapplied with respect to the Lord and His gifts in Christ of forgiveness, faith, life, salvation and our promised hope of heaven?

In ClosingThe love of God to us is manifest in Jesus Christ, our Lord. We love because God in Christ first loved us. The God-given gift of faith expresses itself in love of God and our neighbor.

❚ Sing or read aloud together LSB 972.

PrayerAlmighty God, our heavenly Father, Your mercies are new every morning; and though we deserve only punishment,

You receive us as Your children and provide for all our needs of body and soul. Grant that we may heartily ac-knowledge Your merciful goodness, give thanks for all Your benefits, and serve You in willing obedience; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen (Collect for the Fourth Sunday in Lent, Three-Year Lectionary).

The Fourth Sunday in Lent | Three-Year Lectionary

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IntroductionJim stands with his son at Gettysburg. They have toured the battlefields by car with a Licensed Battlefield Guide. They have visited the Civil War museums, looked at the black-and-white photographs, listened to Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, and remembered those three days in July 1863. Now they are about to leave, and Jim tells his son, once again, the story. It’s what they have heard from others and what he has gleaned from history, but this time it’s personal. It is his story, as a father tells his son why this place has meaning for him, not only as a student of histo-ry, but as a citizen of this country and as a father raising a

son to treasure the freedoms for which others have fought and died.

There are places in this world that evoke stories — stories that one generation passes on to another. By telling these stories, we not only remember the past, but we encourage one another to live in the present with a deeper sense of the value of life and community.

❚ What are some places that are important to you and to your family? Why?

❚ What stories do you tell to communicate the significance of those places?

Exploring the ScripturesJust as places in our lives have significance and stories, so, too, do places in Scripture. One such place throughout Israel’s history was the temple in Jerusalem.

Read about the dedication of the temple by Solomon in 1 Kings 8:12–26.

❚ What is the story of God’s relationship to His people that Solomon tells when he dedicates the temple?

❚ Although God is beyond our understanding (v. 12), He promises to dwell in the temple for His covenant people. What other promise about God’s dwelling among His people does Solomon recall in his prayer (vv. 25–26; see 2 Sam. 7:4–13)?

Isaiah continues this story by prophesying of a time when God will dwell among His people through a chosen servant in a mysterious way. Read Is. 52:13—53:5.

❚ What is strange about this servant of God?

❚ What does God promise to do for all people through this despised and rejected servant (Is. 53:5)?

After the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus, Peter and John went to pray at the temple in Jerusalem. There,

Peter healed a lame man who was begging outside the tem-ple. After the man’s healing, Peter preached to the crowd. In this sermon, Peter told the story of God. It was the story of Jesus, the suffering servant, who was God (the “Author of life”) and had come in the midst of His people to save them from their sins. Read Acts 3:11–26.

❚ How is the story of Jesus connected to the history of Israel (vv. 22–26; see Gen. 12:1–3)?

❚ How did God’s people respond to Jesus (vv. 13–15)?

❚ How did God act in response to their rejection (vv. 15–16)?

❚ What was God now doing through Peter’s preaching of the story of Jesus (v. 26)?

The history of Jesus that Peter preached was not just for others but for himself as well. Recall from memory or read about Peter’s relationship with Jesus (cf. John 13:36–38; John 20:19–23; and John 21:15–19).

❚ How was the death and resurrection of Jesus a personal story for Peter?

Exploring the HymnBackgroundSamuel Crossman (1624–83), an Anglican priest, composed this poem in the latter part of the 17th century. It was not originally intended to be a hymn. Instead, Crossman’s poem first appeared as one of a collection of nine that he attached to a conduct book he had written for young men. Here he

told religious stories and offered encouragement for godly living that children might grow in the faith.

❚ As you read through the stanzas of the hymn, what is the story being told? Where does it start? What happens? And where does it end?

My Song Is Love Unknown

The Fifth Sunday in Lent | Three-Year Lectionary

Lutheran Service Book 430 | study by David R. Schmitt

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❚ What are creative ways we retell this same story today to our children?

As a piece of devotional verse, Crossman’s poem has much in common with the religious lyrics of earlier 17th-century poets such as John Donne and, more importantly, George Herbert. The religious lyric sought not only to communicate a religious subject but also to foster personal meditation upon it.

❚ Where does Crossman invite you to meditate personally upon the story of Jesus that he is telling?

❚ What discoveries about yourself and about God’s work in Jesus happen in those moments of personal meditation?

TextThe first line of the hymn offers the major theme for de-votional contemplation: God’s love for us in the Passion of Jesus Christ (“My Savior’s love to me”) is a love that lies beyond our understanding (“is love unknown”). Each stanza of the hymn takes a different moment in the Passion of

Christ and ponders how that moment reveals a divine love beyond human understanding. Read stanza 1 and then read Rom. 5:6–11.

❚ Why is this love of God something beyond our understanding?

❚ How should God treat us on the basis of our actions?

❚ How does God treat us because of His love?

❚ How does the death and resurrection of Jesus relate to that strange act of divine love for the “loveless” (cf. Rom. 5:15–18)?

Choose one stanza (or more if you have time) and meditate upon the story of Jesus’ Passion and its meaning for your life by answering the following questions.

❚ What moment in the life of Jesus does this stanza describe?

❚ How do we see our sin in that moment?

❚ How do we see God’s amazing grace?

Making the ConnectionIn the closing stanza of the hymn, the poet desires to stand outside the tomb of Jesus and to devote his days to telling the story of God’s love in the Passion of Christ (“Here might I stay and sing, / No story so divine!”). As God’s people gather in worship, we, too, join in that activity.

❚ What are ways in which we, as God’s people, retell the story of Jesus’ Passion every time we gather on Sunday morning?

❚ How do we do this particularly in the season of Lent?

❚ This story could obviously be retold as merely a fact of history. How do we proclaim that this is a personal story, a present-tense experience of God’s real love for each and every one of us in Christ?

While we retell this story in worship, we also share it with others out in the world. Like the father with his son at Gettysburg, we share the meaning of this event in all aspects of our lives.

❚ How does God’s love for us, made known in the death and resurrection of Jesus, relate to how we live and how we speak in the world?

❚ Think about the past week, the people you have met, the places you have been, and the things that have happened. Identify one place in this past week where you can now look back and see God’s love for you and for others in Jesus Christ. Share that place and that story with one another.

In ClosingWhether out in the world or gathered in worship, God’s people have been given a story to sing. Today, we sing again that story of God’s love for sinners in Jesus Christ.

❚ Sing or read together LSB 430.

PrayerLord God, bless Your Word wherever it is proclaimed. Make it a word of power and peace to convert those not yet Your own and to confirm those who have come to saving faith. May Your Word pass from the ear to the heart, from the heart to the lip, and from the lip to the life that, as You have promised, Your Word may achieve the purpose for which You send it; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen (For blessing on the Word, LSB, inside front cover).

The Fifth Sunday in Lent | Three-Year Lectionary

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Introduction“It is not flesh and blood but the heart which makes us fa-thers and sons.” So wrote the German poet and philosopher Friedrich Schiller (1759–1805).

It goes without saying that fatherhood has fallen on hard times. Oh, it’s never been easy for men to be fathers. Going all the way back to Adam and Cain and Abel and the descendants who follow shows us just that (see Genesis 4).

Men given the wonderful opportunity and privilege of fa-therhood fail and fall short of the task every day.

❚ What things have led to the demise of fatherhood?

❚ Consider Schiller’s quote above. How is this true or not true for earthly fathers? How is this true or not true when we consider our heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus?

Exploring the ScripturesLSB 863 serves as the Hymn of the Day for two days in the Church Year. Read Mark 10:2–16, the Gospel appointed for Proper 22B, which falls on a Sunday in early October.

❚ What indication from the text tells you this was a tough topic in Jesus’ day?

❚ The Pharisees started with the topic of divorce. Where does Jesus instead lead them in their testing of Him?

❚ What indication in the text tells you the parents knew they needed Jesus in their children’s lives?

Exploring the HymnBackgroundFrancis Bland Tucker (1895–1984) grew up knowing some-thing about family and church families. He was the young-est of 13 children. His own father and two brothers served as bishops in the Episcopal Church; several nephews served as clergymen. Tucker also was a collateral descendent (a relative descended from a brother or sister of an ancestor and, therefore, a niece or nephew) of George Washington. His mother was one of the last children to be born at Mount Vernon. Tucker’s family was illustrious in both church and state lineage.

Known for his skills as a poet and hymn writer, Tucker served on the committees that produced the 1940 and 1982 hymnals of the Episcopal Church. In preparing the topical index for the 1940 hymnal, Tucker noted there were no hymns for the “Home and Family” section — and so he wrote one.

❚ Why do you think there were no hymns in 1939 concerning home and family for Tucker’s consideration? (The Lutheran Hymnal [1941] did have a section on “The Christian Home” with four hymns in “The Family” section.)

❚ If you have a copy of Lutheran Service Book, turn to Page 995 and find the “Home and Education, Christian” category.

Tucker wrote that he started with Eph. 3:14–15 as the basis for his hymn. He also noted that the Trinity — Father, Son

and Holy Spirit — paralleled the family — parents, children and the spirit of the family.

❚ Let’s expand Tucker’s reading of Ephesians. Read Eph. 3:14–19. What does St. Paul have to teach us about each person of the Holy Trinity?

TextIn stanza 1, the words “Our Father” immediately make all kinds of liturgical and worship connections for us.

❚ In what ways does stanza 1 reflect the following Scripture passages: Is. 63:16; Is. 64:8; Rom. 8:15; 1 John 3:1?

❚ In what ways does Tucker take the Invocation, the First Article of the Apostles’ Creed, and the Introduction to the Lord’s Prayer and bring them together in stanza 1 (see LSB, pp. 322–3)?

Stanza 2 moves us to the second person of the Holy Trinity, Jesus, the Son of God, the Son of Mary.

❚ What comfort is yours that Jesus left His heavenly home in order to grow up “within an earthly home”?

❚ What are the benefits of having the Lord Jesus in your home? Consider the lives of these biblical people: Mark 10:14–16; Luke 19:5–9; Acts 16:25–34.

Stanza 3 has us sing of the Christian home as a place where unity, love and peace are to be found.

Our Father, by Whose Name

St� Joseph, Guardian of Jesus, March 19 and Proper 22B | Three-Year Lectionary

Lutheran Service Book 863 | study by Shawn L. Kumm

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❚ What have been some of the best times in your Christian home life?

Original sin, the sin we have inherited from our first parents, Adam and Eve, and actual sin, the sins we com-mit against one another, break the unity, love and peace of Christian home life.

❚ What is the one thing necessary to restore unity, love and peace?

❚ Consider the following Scripture passages in light of the homes of Christians, forgiveness and the restoration of peace: Psalm 133 and Eph. 4:1–6.

❚ In what ways do Holy Baptism, Holy Absolution and Holy Communion reestablish and strengthen Christ’s peace in your home?

Making the ConnectionIn the Large Catechism, Martin Luther has this to say about the Fourth Commandment, “Honor your father and your mother”:

Honor requires not only that parents be addressed kindly and with reverence, but also that, both in the heart and with the body, we demonstrate that we value them very highly, and that, next to God, we regard them as the very highest. For someone we honor from the heart we must also truly regard as high and great.

We must, therefore, impress this truth upon the young [Deuteronomy 6:7] that they should think of their parents as standing in God’s place. They should remember that however lowly, poor, frail, and strange their parents may be, nevertheless, they are the father and the mother given to them by God… . Therefore,

we are not to consider who they are or how they may be, but the will of God, who has created and ordained parenthood. (LC I 107–108)

When the Church remembers St. Joseph, guardian of Jesus, on March 19, the day really becomes the Church’s “Father’s Day.” Once Joseph’s shock and disbelief are answered by God’s Word proclaimed by the angel, we see in Joseph true love, faith, diligence and quick action. He carries out his vocation as provider, protector and teacher of Jesus.

❚ What do the words and actions of Joseph have to say to today’s “blended” families, that is, stepfamilies, adoptive families and foster families? See Matt. 1:18–25; Matt. 2:13–23; and Luke 2:41–52 if your memory needs refreshing.

In ClosingJesus shows us the Father’s heart and His great love for all of humanity through His sacrificial love upon the cross. The true family of God is baptized into the Body of Christ and is fed with His body and blood. It is the heart of the Father and the flesh and blood of the Son and the work of the Holy Spirit that make us God’s family.

❚ Sing or read aloud together LSB 863, and then read Psalm 128.

PrayerAlmighty God, from the house of Your servant David You raised up Joseph to be the guardian of Your incarnate Son and the husband of His mother, Mary. Grant us grace to follow the example of this faithful workman in heeding Your counsel and obeying Your commands; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen (Collect for St. Joseph, Guardian of Jesus).

St� Joseph, Guardian of Jesus, March 19 and Proper 22B | Three-Year Lectionary

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IntroductionIs it even possible to imagine how Mary felt? The angel Gabriel, the same angel who came to the prophet Daniel to help him understand the vision God had given him (Dan. 8:16), was sent by God, once again, on a holy mission. Without dispute, this was among the most momentous mis-sions ever given to an angel of God. Mary, no doubt barely a teenager, was the favored one of the Lord, the chosen vessel for delivering the eternal Son of God into this world in human flesh. Was she surprised? Was she afraid? Was she shocked? Was she all three? Whether or not we can under-stand how she felt at that moment, we know how she ulti-mately responded to this most unique call of God. “Behold,

I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38).

This hymn celebrates the Annunciation of Our Lord, the announcement of the impending conception of the Son of God in Mary’s virginal womb, by the power of the Holy Spirit; indeed, a great and profound mystery.

❚ While we have no reason to expect a similar visit from an angel of God, what can we learn from Mary’s response to the angel’s bidding? What is important about the fact that Mary’s finding favor with God is not described as something that Mary merited because of sinlessness or some work of holiness she had done?

Exploring the ScripturesThe Old Testament Reading for this day is Isaiah’s prophecy of the birth of a son to a virgin, a son whose name would be Immanuel. Read Is. 7:10–14.

❚ Why do you think Ahaz refused to ask God for a sign? What does it tell us about God that He gave Ahaz a sign even after the king had refused to ask?

❚ What was the sign given to Ahaz? What is the significance of the name “Immanuel” (Matt. 1:23) from the perspective of both Law and Gospel?

The Epistle Reading is from Hebrews 10. The theme of Hebrews 10 is the sacrifice of Christ, once for all. Read Heb. 10:4–10.

❚ Especially in keeping with the theme of Hebrews 10, what is important about what is said in verse 5: “but a body you have prepared for me”?

Compare this verse to its Old Testament source in Ps. 40:6. Notice how the writer to the Hebrews has interpreted that text. Christ is said to have an “open ear.”

❚ How does that help us understand His coming to do the will of God?

The Gospel Reading is Luke’s account of Gabriel being sent to Mary to tell her about what God is going to do through her for the salvation of the world. Read Luke 1:26–38.

❚ Is there any significance to the Gospel story that Nazareth, Mary’s home and the village where Jesus would eventually grow up, was an obscure and inconsequential place? In light of this, read and apply 1 Cor. 1:26–29 and Is. 55:8–9.

❚ After Gabriel told Mary everything, how did Mary respond to the message? How did her response to God’s Word compare to King Ahaz in the Old Testament reading?

Luther said that when Gabriel speaks to Mary, “Christ comes not only into her heart, but also into her womb, as she hears, grasps, and believes it. No one can say otherwise, than that the power comes through the Word. As one can-not deny the fact that she thus becomes pregnant through the Word, and no one knows how it comes about, so it is in the sacrament also. For as soon as Christ says: ‘This is my body,’ his body is present through the Word and the power of the Holy Spirit” (AE 36:341).

❚ What did he mean by that? How is that truth important to you?

Exploring the HymnBackgroundThis carol had its origin, perhaps in the 18th century, in the Basque region of northeastern Spain and southwestern France. The English translation of the text that appears in

LSB, and numerous other hymnals, is a paraphrase done by Sabine Baring-Gould in 1922. The carol had appeared at the end of the 19th century in a Paris publication of a collec-tion of Basque carols edited by Charles Bordes (1863–1909).

The Angel Gabriel from Heaven Came

The Annunciation of Our Lord, March 25 | Three-Year Lectionary

Lutheran Service Book 356 | study by Kim L. Scharff

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Bordes printed the original eight stanzas of the Basque text along with his own French paraphrase. Much more than this, unfortunately, cannot be said. Baring-Gould’s archive, from which we might have learned more about this carol and other Basque carols, was destroyed by fire. TextThe primary biblical source for this hymn is Luke’s ac-count of the angel Gabriel’s visit to Mary. Again, read Luke 1:26–38.

❚ Luke does not us tell in what way or form Gabriel appeared. The language of stanza 1 assumes that the angel appeared in a visible form. What does Luke tell us that does give credence to the idea that Gabriel appeared physically to Mary?

❚ The concept of favor is prominent in both the Lukan text and the hymn text. What does it mean to have the favor of God? What other important biblical teachings are closely related to this “favor”?

Stanza 2 incorporates some of what is said in those words we call the Magnificat. Read Luke 1:46–55.

❚ How will future generations regard Mary? Lutherans have always held Mary in high esteem because of the

irreplaceable role she played in the incarnation. With the whole Church, we confess that she is the “Theotokos,” the “Mother of God” (FC Ep VIII 12). Why are we correct in seeing Mary in that way? When, however, might that honor enter a “danger zone”?

❚ Even with the honor rightly given to Mary, what is the most important point made in stanza 2? How does Is. 9:6–7 enlarge and clarify the meaning of Immanuel, “God with us”?

❚ How would you characterize Mary’s response, as described in stanza 3? Does Mary see herself as great or humble? Master or servant? What is there for you to learn from Mary about being in the presence of the holy God?

Stanza 4 tells us why this event is important to Christian faith.

❚ The Christ was born to Mary. What does such a birth give to Christ? The place of the Savior’s birth is identified. What is the importance of place to the story and to our faith? How shall we now respond to the promise given to Mary and then fulfilled in Christ? By extending glory to Mary, the favored one, to whom are we really extending glory?

Making the ConnectionWhile this carol tells us the story of the angel Gabriel announcing that Mary was the one chosen by God to be the earthly vessel through which His Son would be born into this world, the real heart of the story is the Son of God Himself, our Lord, Jesus Christ.

❚ How does the account of the Annunciation relate to the creeds of the Church, for example: “And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God … who for us men

and for our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary and was made man” (Nicene Creed, LSB, p. 191)?

❚ On a related note, why is it essential that we believe in the virgin birth? Believing, however, is not explaining. Believing is trusting God’s Word. How was Mary a most admirable example of just such a faith? How is that same faith created and sustained in us?

In ClosingThe Annunciation of Our Lord is a celebration in the Church Year that likely doesn’t get a lot of attention. But shouldn’t it? In our hurried and hasty world, the cele-bration of the Annunciation is one of those events, filled with mystery, that we should stop and savor each year because it is an essential moment in the accomplishment of our salvation.

❚ Sing or read together LSB 356.

PrayerO Lord, as we have known the incarnation of Your Son, Jesus Christ, by the message of the angel to the virgin Mary, so by the message of His cross and Passion bring us to the glory of His resurrection; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen (Collect for the Annunciation of our Lord).

The Annunciation of Our Lord, March 25 | Three-Year Lectionary