Christ Is the World’s Redeemer
The lover of the pure
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?
Teach me your way, O Lord.
Give me not up to the will of my adversaries;
for false witnesses have risen against me,
and they breathe out violence.
Psalm 27:1, 11a, 12
Blessed Saturday! May the peace of Our Lord Jesus be with you and yours.
The hymn of the day for the Seventh Sunday of Easter follows. Check out Psalm Acts 2:21-36; Philippians 2:5-11; Hebrews 12:2; and Revelation 7:9-17 as well.
Christ is the world’s Redeemer,
The lover of the pure,
The font of heav'nly wisdom,
Our trust and hope secure,
The armor of His soldiers,
The Lord of earth and sky,
Our health while we are living,
Our life when we shall die.
Christ has our host surrounded
With clouds of martyrs bright,
Who wave their palms in triumph
And fire us for the fight.
This Christ the cross ascended
To save a world undone
And, suff'ring for the sinful,
Our full redemption won.
Down in the realm of darkness
He strode in victory,
And at the hour appointed
He rose triumphantly.
And now, to heav'n ascended,
He sits upon the throne
Whence He had ne'er departed,
His Father's and His own.
Glory to God the Father,
The unbegotten One,
All honor be to Jesus,
His sole begotten Son,
And to the Holy Spirit--
The perfect Trinity.
Let all the worlds give answer:
Amen! So let it be.
LSB 539
Almighty God, grant us a steadfast faith in Jesus Christ, a cheerful hope in Your mercy, and a sincere love for You and one another; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Hebrews 12:1-2
Join us this year as we continue our study of and meditation on the Epistle to the Hebrews.
The Lutheran Study Bible (CPH) teaches:
Melchizedek, both priest and king, showed the true nature of his authority by receiving tithes from the patriarch Abraham and blessing him. As both king of righteousness and king of peace, Melchizedek foreshadowed Christ’s work of justification. As Abraham gave offerings and respect to Melchizedek, greater respect is due to our High Priest, Christ. He serves without end to lead us into His kingdom.
Lord Jesus, You are my Priest and King. Rule over my life, and grant me righteousness and peace from the Father. Amen.
Hebrews 7:1-10, The Priestly Order of Melchizedek
7 For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, 2 and to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything. He is first, by translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, that is, king of peace. 3 He is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God he continues a priest forever.
4 See how great this man was to whom Abraham the patriarch gave a tenth of the spoils! 5 And those descendants of Levi who receive the priestly office have a commandment in the law to take tithes from the people, that is, from their brothers, though these also are descended from Abraham. 6 But this man who does not have his descent from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. 7 It is beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior. 8 In the one case tithes are received by mortal men, but in the other case, by one of whom it is testified that he lives. 9 One might even say that Levi himself, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, 10 for he was still in the loins of his ancestor when Melchizedek met him.
Here are a few notes from TLSB:
7:1 king…priest. Melchizedek, a priest and king at the same time, foreshadowed the unity of true kingship and priesthood that is fulfilled in Christ (Gn 14:18; Ps 110:4).
7:2 apportioned a tenth part. Abraham recognized Melchizedek’s priestly status by offering him a tithe.
7:3 The validity of priestly descent had to be established before a priest could take office. The chief OT reference to Melchizedek, Gn14:18-20, says nothing of his lineage. Melchizedek, whom God appointed as a priest and king, foreshadows the divine, eternal priesthood and kingship of Christ.
7:4 the patriarch. Founding father of the Hebrews/Israelites and all who are justified by faith (Rm 4:11).
7:5-6 Levitical priests received the tithe from their fellow Israelites as a matter of law. Melchizedek, who was not an heir of Abraham and had no legal claim to Abraham’s possessions, still received the patriarch’s tithe, showing his God-given authority as priest and king.
7:8 he lives. Melchizedek’s priestly office is without end (Ps 110:4). This promise is fulfilled in Christ.
And here are a couple of great podcasts to check out:
The Book of Hebrews, Part 12 (Hebrews 7:1-10) — Pr. Will Weedon, 3/26/20
Introducing the Books of the Bible: Hebrews — Pr. Bryan Wolfmueller, 5/18/20
This Week in the Church Year
The Seventh Sunday of Easter — 12 May
Kyrie eleison (Lord, have mercy) is a short prayer found in the historic liturgy of the Church. It comes into English from Latin, itself a transliteration from the Greek…Κύριε, ἐλέησον.
Pronunciation: KEER-ee-ay il-AY-iss-on
Kyrie Eleison is free. Paid subscriptions are helpful donations.