Back at Easter, I was surprised and humbled to finally understand what "It is finished." means. All my Christian life, I had supposed those words meant the death was finished, the act of killing Jesus Christ was completed. However, the Holy Spirit opened my eyes and my ears and my heart to show me that the "it" was so very much more.
It is finished. God's promise. God's plan from the moment of our fall from grace, our entrance into sin and death and damnation had finally come to fruition. Now, the rising was yet to come. But it could come now, because the dying was complete.
When I look up my crucifix, when I hold the small one in my hand, I think about those words, that Word. [I wonder what crosses Brother Goose's mind when he gazes so fondly upon that new crucifix at his church's altar he's photographed so much!]
Can you imagine that the loving, kind, gracious, and merciful God has done nothing to make us certain that we have the forgiveness of our sins and that in yonder world we shall enter the mansions of eternal peace and rest? Did He really do nothing to rescue us out of our dreadful condition? Is it impossible that He should have done such a thing. Assuredly, God has done something; yea, He has done something so great that it exceeds our conception.
He sent His only-begotten Son into this world, had Him become a human being like us, laid the burden of our sins upon Him, and gave Him up to be crucified for the atonement of our sins.
It is impossible to image that, having done all this, He would during our whole life leave us in a dreadful state of ignorance whether He is still our enemy and whether our dying day will be our Judgment Day. No; as soon as the eternal Son of God had become man and entered into this world, the highest messenger was dispatched from the throne of grace to this earth to proclaim to the shepherds at Bethlehem, and in them to us, to all of us, to the entire world: "Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord." Luke 2, 10,11.
After Christ had finished His great work, after God the Father had raised Him from the death and therewith pronounced Him, our Surety and Substitute, free from all guilt, and had justified and absolved us all in Him, Christ commanded His disciples: "Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel," that is, the joyous message of the finished redemption, "to every creature," Mark 16,15, adding these words, "Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world," Matthew 28,20. With these words Christ testified that the joyous message which He was committing to His disciples is to echo throughout this terrestrial globe unto the Last Day.
Before reading this, I had not really known the great joy of the good tidings the angels brought. I suppose that sounds horrible. I mean, I sort of just thought of this as a birth announcement...pass around the cigars, sent out little blue cards. But, actually, this is the first proclamation of the Gospel!
How could I miss that? Really...how? SIGH.
Walther then moves on to just how it is that God comforts us with the assurance of our forgiveness: baptism and absolution. I shall not write more on this lecture, for I have too much to ponder.
I have been asking, for a while now, what is forgiveness? Recently, I have had forgiveness given to me that seems too good to be true. I have had forgiveness that feels rather conditional, though I have been told it is not. I have asked for forgiveness and have not received it. And I have had forgiveness given by someone whom I learned actually holds something against me and has told others about it even after assuring me that all was forgiven. So, I honestly do not know what forgiveness is at this point.
What I do know is, that despite how I feel about making the sign of the cross on one such as I, each time I have been in Church for the past two months, I have stopped at the baptismal font, dipped my fingers in the water, and crossed myself in remembrance of the washing away of my sins that happened a year ago July 19th. The new parish pastor keeps the font filled for that very purpose. He understands the ramification of "I am baptized." Sometimes, I have approached the font with fear and trembling, all too aware of my sins, feeling the fraud. Yet I approach anyway because of the Word spoken over me.
Truly, I shall have to ponder more of the rest of this lecture before I try to grasp it, but I shall lay down tonight understanding the joy of glad tidings, that first proclamation of the Gospel. And I shall do so, in part, because Christ, in His infinite mercy, had "Manna" call me and sing to me once more, reminding me of that sweet, sweet Gospel this day, this moment, for me, of the true life I shall have once this one is over.
Christ Jesus Lay in Death's Strong Bands
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 Alleluia! Alleluia!
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 Alleluia! Alleluia!
No son of man could conquer Death,
Such ruin sin had wrought us,
No innocence was found on earth,
And therefore Death had brought us
Into bondage from of old
And ever grew more strong and bold
And held us as its captive. Alleluia!
Such ruin sin had wrought us,
No innocence was found on earth,
And therefore Death had brought us
Into bondage from of old
And ever grew more strong and bold
And held us as its captive. Alleluia!
Christ Jesus. God’s own Son, came down
His people to deliver;
Destroying sin He took the crown
His people to deliver;
Destroying sin He took the crown
From death's pale brow forever:
Stripped of pow'r, no more it reigns;
And empty form alone remains;
Its sting is lost forever. Alleluia!
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
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,
Its sting is lost forever! Alleluia!
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 now marks our door;
Faith points to it, Death passes over,
And Satan cannot harm us. Alleluia!
Whom God so freely gave us;
He died on the accursed tree—
So strong His love!—to save us.
See, His blood now marks our door;
Faith points to it, Death passes over,
And Satan cannot harm us. Alleluia!
So let us keep the festival
Where to the Lord invites us;
Christ is Himself the joy of all,
The Sun that warms and lights us.
Now His grace to us imparts
Eternal sunshine in our hearts;
The night of sin is ended! Alleluia!
Where to the Lord invites us;
Christ is Himself the joy of all,
The Sun that warms and lights us.
Now His grace to us imparts
Eternal sunshine in our hearts;
The night of sin is ended! Alleluia!
Then let us feast this Easter day
On Christ the Bread of Heaven;
The Word of grace has 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! Alleluia!
On Christ the Bread of Heaven;
The Word of grace has 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! Alleluia!
(LSB 458)
Oh, how beautifully God guided Luther's pen!
Lord, I believe. Help my belief!
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