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“Rock of Ages”

A Sermon for the Season of Lent

This is a favorite hymn about “the rock,” written by Augustus Toplady in the 1700’s. What a name, Toplady. Obviously from England. Why is this such a favorite hymn? It has both a lovely tune and great imagery.

The rock is a well-known image in Scripture. Isaiah 28:16: “Thus says the Lord God, ‘Behold, I am laying in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation. He who believes will not be in haste.”

That verse is quoted in Romans 9:33, 1 Peter 2:6, and is also behind other things. When it says in 1 Cor 3:11: “There is no other foundation,” it is obviously referring to this imagery. We know from manuscripts which aren’t Biblical that they collected all kinds of lists of verses about the rock, the foundation.

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A sermon for the Season of Lent

In this season of Lent, each week we are using a particular hymn as the focus. Today we take up the hymn, “In the cross of Christ I glory.”

Recall that Luther again and again said: “The cross alone is our theology.” He was, of course, reflecting Paul in Corinthians 2:2: “For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.”
What do we do about this cross business? Does it mean we use the words “the cross, the cross, the cross” a hundred times in a sermon? Is that what it means to know nothing except the cross alone? No, that’s not doing it.

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Hebrews 1:3

A Sermon for the First Sunday in Lent

This Lent we are using a different hymn each week as the focus for what we are doing.
We begin this series with the hymn, “On my heart imprint your image” (to the tune, Freu dich sehr, Bach). It’s only one verse long. It presents that striking image: Imprint your image on my heart. What is that about?

What happens with baby animals help us here. When ducklings hatch, they imprint on their parents and follow them everywhere. The core purpose of imprinting is survival, which makes sense since young animals are dependent on their parents for food and protection.

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Isaiah 58:1-12; Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Today is Ash Wednesday, which is so named because in many places Christians have adopted the custom of putting ashes on one’s forehead as a reminder that we are ashes to ashes, dust to dust (Gen 3:19).

Nevertheless, some congregations do not put ashes on the forehead on Ash Wednesday because this practice falls into certain problems, as do other customs for Lent, and that is what we need to look at today.

People will ask: What are you giving up for Lent? Then, of course, there are all kinds of things that people give up. Some give up caffeine for Lent. Others give up sugar. Still others give up social media! Others say: I can’t do that. It’s too much! But the idea has been that now that it is Lent, we’re going to do something extra. We are going to mortify the flesh.

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Luke 9:28-36

A sermon for Transfiguration Sunday

During the season of Epiphany, we celebrate the coming of the light. As the Gospel of John states: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5).

Today is the last Sunday of Epiphany, the Festival of the Transfiguration. In the Gospel text we are brought to the mountaintop. From there we look out over the valley below and look forward to the horrible events to come. What lies below is deep darkness, the valley of the shadow of death. Jesus will be abandoned, betrayed, mocked, suffer, die, and rise again.

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