Y D Christian Worship: A Lutheran Hymnal Christian Worship ... · May the Lord of the church bless your Lenten and Easter planning and worship as you show your congregation that “Jesus

Lenten Resources for 2018

“Jesus Christ Is Our Great High Priest” is the theme of the Northwestern Publishing House resources for the 2018 Lenten season. Special notes are given for congregations using any of these hymnals: Christian Worship: A Lutheran Hymnal (CW), Christian Worship: Supplement (CWS), Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary (ELH), Lutheran Service Book (LSB), and The Lutheran Hymnal (TLH).

Services

Ash Wednesday/Midweek 1 ...... Jesus Is Our Great High Priest ................................................ Hebrews 1:1-3 Midweek 2 ............................. Jesus Is Our Perfect High Priest .............................................. Hebrews 5:7-9 Midweek 3 ............................. Jesus Is Our Compassionate High Priest ............................ Hebrews 4:14-16 Midweek 4 ............................. Jesus Is Our Self-Sacrificing High Priest ............................ Hebrews 10:5-12 Midweek 5 ............................. Jesus Our Great High Priest Serves at a Great Altar ......... Hebrews 13:10-16 Midweek 6 ............................. Jesus Our Great High Priest Makes Us Priests ................. Hebrews 10:19-25 Maundy Thursday ................ Jesus Our Great High Priest Is Mediator

of the New Covenant ............................................................ Hebrews 8:6-13 Good Friday .......................... Jesus Our Great High Priest Is Better Than Any Other

High Priest .......................................................................... Hebrews 9:11-14 Easter Sunday ....................... Jesus Is Our Eternal High Priest ........................................ Hebrews 7:23-27

This kit includes:

• Sermon helps, including complete texts for nine sermons• Resources for the nine services that include the following:

o Notes and suggestions for using the orders of serviceo Sermon themes and textso Hymn and psalm suggestionso Psalm prayerso Scripture reading suggestionso Copy master for a midweek order of service

• CD with electronic files of the resources• Sample bulletin available from Northwestern Publishing House

• DO NOT COPY • DO NOT COPY • DO NOT COPY • DO NOT COPY •

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Copyright Information

The copyright to Jesus Christ Is Our Great High Priest (Lenten Resources for 2018) is held by Northwestern Publishing House. © 2017 Northwestern Publishing House, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. All rights reserved. Purchase of these resources gives the user permission to adapt and copy this material for use within a single congregation or organization. Permission to adapt and copy this material is not transferable to another congregation or organization. PLEASE NOTE: Pastors sharing pulpits during the season must purchase the sermon series for each congregation where the sermons are used. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™ All hymns, unless otherwise indicated, are from Christian Worship: A Lutheran Hymnal. © 1993 Northwestern Publishing House.


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Lenten Resources for 2018

Table of Contents

General introduction to Jesus Christ Is Our Great High Priest ......................................................4 Notes on the use of Evening Prayer (Vespers) ................................................................................4

Notes on the use of Prayer at the Close of Day (Compline) ............................................................5 Notes on the Psalms .........................................................................................................................5

Notes on the choice of hymns ..........................................................................................................5 Notes on the use of the CD ..............................................................................................................5

Ash Wednesday/Midweek 1: Jesus Is Our Great High Priest ..........................................................6 Midweek 2: Jesus Is Our Perfect High Priest ..................................................................................8

Midweek 3: Jesus Is Our Compassionate High Priest .....................................................................9 Midweek 4: Jesus Is Our Self-Sacrificing High Priest ..................................................................10

Midweek 5: Jesus Our Great High Priest Serves at a Great Altar .................................................11 Midweek 6: Jesus Our Great High Priest Makes Us Priests ..........................................................12

Maundy Thursday: Jesus Our Great High Priest Is Mediator of the New Covenant .....................13 Good Friday: Jesus Our Great High Priest Is Better Than Any Other High Priest .......................15

Easter Sunday: Jesus Is Our Eternal High Priest ...........................................................................17 Notes on the Passion History Readings .........................................................................................18

Copy master for a midweek order of service .................................................................................19


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General introduction to “Jesus Christ Is Our Great High Priest” The overall theme for the 2018 Lenten sermons is “Jesus Christ Is Our Great High Priest.” The theme focuses on one of the three roles of Christ: Prophet, Priest, and King. Through a study of selections from Hebrews, worshipers will see how Jesus was and is the High Priest of high priests and how his role as the ultimate High Priest affects the lives of his followers by faith now and for eternity. The series includes nine sermons: six midweek Lenten sermons, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday. A reminder to worship planners that the Service of Light (CW p. 54) is better suited for Advent. Evening Prayer (CW p. 52) is a more satisfying option for Lent. A copy master for a midweek service, which is a revised order of Evening Prayer, is included on the last page. Suggestions are given for using the order of service Prayer at the Close of Day (Compline) found in Christian Worship: New Service Settings (© 2002 NPH) and Christian Worship: Occasional Services (© 2004 NPH), as well as in other Lutheran hymnals. These settings require a commitment to learning a significant amount of music. Compline, however, may also be prayed with a minimum of sung responses. Additional worship suggestions in this kit reference Christian Worship: Occasional Services (CWOS). These include special services for Ash Wednesday and Holy Week. In addition to descriptions of the special symbolism in the texts of these services, CWOS also includes special music available in CWOS Accompaniment Edition. See the Notes for the Pastor and Musician in that edition and on its CD for fuller explanations of the services and music. May the Lord of the church bless your Lenten and Easter planning and worship as you show your congregation that “Jesus Christ Is Our Great High Priest.” Notes on the use of Evening Prayer (Vespers) For congregations using Christian Worship: A Lutheran Hymnal

• If the Alternate Beginning on page 54 is used, the Opening Hymn may be omitted. • The Psalm Prayer suggested in the service resources may be used after the psalm is sung

or read on page 56. • The Seasonal Response on page 56 can be read by the pastor or by the congregation. A

choral arrangement can also be found in the settings of the Seasonal Responses available from Northwestern Publishing House, stock #KT280009E.

• If the “Song of Mary” is sung, you may use the hymnal setting or alternate settings that are found in Christian Worship: Occasional Services.


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Notes on the use of Prayer at the Close of Day (Compline) This order of service for the end of the day is found in Christian Worship: New Service Settings and Christian Worship: Occasional Services. It is a version of the ancient order of Compline, which is also found in other Lutheran hymnals. Where the psalm occurs in the service, the suggested psalm for the midweek service may be used with or without Psalm 91. The lesson may be the Passion History for the service. The sermon may be given after the hymn that follows the lesson. The offerings may be gathered after the sermon. The service then concludes with the prayers, the Lord’s Prayer, gospel canticles, and blessing. Notes on the Psalms Psalms from Christian Worship: A Lutheran Hymnal and Christian Worship: Supplement have been suggested that, as much as possible, coincide with the theme of each midweek service. Psalm suggestions for Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter match those of the lectionary, Year B. Psalms with refrains utilizing “Alleluia” have been purposefully avoided, in keeping with the reserved tone of Lent and the practice of “Farewell to Alleluia” observed by some congregations during Lent. Additional suggestions of musical settings for psalms are drawn from these useful resources:

• The People’s Psalter, Hal Hopson, NPH order no. 274627. • Psalms for the Church Year, Volume I, David Haas/Marty Haugen, NPH order no.

278082. Notes on the choice of hymns For each service, hymns have been suggested based on the theme of the sermon. Many other Lenten hymns may also work well for the service based on local needs. Some hymns have been suggested from other sections of the hymnal for their references to the themes and applications of this series. Notes on the use of the CD The CD included with this kit has electronic files of the sermons and worship resources. Permission is given to modify and print out these files as desired. Please include the NPH copyright notice in worship bulletins. See the README file on the CD for a complete listing of the contents and how to use the files.


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Ash Wednesday/Midweek 1

JESUS IS OUR GREAT HIGH PRIEST

Service Resources Psalm: Psalm 51a (CW & CWS) Additional musical setting options: The People’s Psalter, pages 100,101 Psalms for the Church Year: Volume 1, page 20ff. Psalm Prayer: Almighty and merciful Father, you freely forgive those who, as David of old, acknowledge and confess their sins. Create in us pure hearts, and wash away all our sins in the blood of your dear Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Lessons: Isaiah 59:12-20 or 2 Samuel 12:1-13* 2 Corinthians 5:20b–6:2 or Acts 5:1-11* Luke 18:9-14 or The Passion History Sermon Text: Hebrews 1:1-3 Sermon Theme: Jesus Is Our Great High Priest Hymn Suggestions: Title CW(S) ELH LSB TLH Jesus, I Will Ponder Now 98 287 440 140 Sweet the Moments, Rich in Blessing 111 300 — 155 Hail, O Once-Despised Jesus 351 270 531 367 Jesus, My Great High Priest 359 289 — 220 Jesus, Your Blood and Righteousness 376 432 563 371 Christ, the Word of God Incarnate 750 — 540 — Notes on the Service Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent, the church’s 40-day journey of repentance and renewal in preparation for Holy Week and Easter. Because of its unique character and place in the church calendar, Ash Wednesday deserves celebration as a separate festival rather than being assimilated into the cycle of congregational midweek Lenten services. The Bible readings for Ash Wednesday (Christian Worship: Manual, page 403) issue a strong call for Lenten preparation that is lost if they are replaced by the beginning of the serial reading of the Passion History. Ash Wednesday’s special call to repentance and renewal is not repeated during the Sundays in Lent because they are not properly part of the season (hence the nomenclature Sundays in Lent, rather than Sundays of Lent). Rather, these Sundays serve as “islands of refreshment” during the course of the season, in keeping with the emphasis that all Sundays are “little Easters.” Because Ash


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Wednesday is a major festival of the church year, either The Common Service (CW, page 15) or the Service of Word and Sacrament (CW, page 26) serves as an appropriate liturgy. Celebrating the Lord’s Supper is also most appropriate, though done with austerity, in keeping with the character of the Lenten season. The music of the liturgy should be restrained: the Song of Praise (“Glory Be to God on High” or “O Lord, Our Lord”), “Alleluia,” and other festive portions of the Ordinary should be omitted. An alternate version of the “Lord, Have Mercy” (“Kyrie”) such as “Kyrie, God Father in Heaven Above” (CW 266) may also be used. Black paraments are preferred over purple, in recognition of the solemnity of the day. Imposition of Ashes The ancient custom of placing ashes on each worshiper’s forehead is incorporated into the rite called Imposition of Ashes. A form for this beginning of the Ash Wednesday service is found in Christian Worship: Occasional Services, page 147, and other Lutheran worship resources. We encourage congregations to consider using this symbolic worship form after careful instruction on the meaning of the rite. *Readings in italics from Planning Christian Worship: Revised (available from the WELS Resource Center website).


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LentenSermonsfor2018

JamesJanke


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ContentsAshWednesday/Midweek1JesusIsOurGreatHighPriestHebrews1:1-3Midweek2JesusIsOurPerfectHighPriestHebrews5:7-9Midweek3JesusIsOurCompassionateHighPriestHebrews4:14-16Midweek4JesusIsOurSelf-SacrificingHighPriestHebrews10:5-12Midweek5JesusOurGreatHighPriestServesataGreatAltarHebrews13:10-16Midweek6JesusOurGreatHighPriestMakesUsPriestsHebrews10:19-25MaundyThursdayJesusOurGreatHighPriestIstheMediatoroftheNewCovenantHebrews8:6-13GoodFridayJesusOurGreatHighPriestIsBetterThanAnyOtherHighPriestHebrews9:11-14EasterSundayJesusIsOurEternalHighPriestHebrews7:23-27


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Jesus Is Our Great High Priest Sermon Text: Hebrews 1:1-3

Introduction: News story about the completion of the Tzitz. It was prepared for a new

Jewish high priest at his first appearance. We don’t need to wait—we have a Great High

Priest. His name is Jesus.

I. He is a Great High Priest who is qualified.

A. First readers were tempted to turn from Christ back to Judaism and Old Testament

shadows.

B. The author of Hebrews acknowledges the greatness of the Old Testament prophets—

God spoke through them.

C. The author of Hebrews stresses that Christ is far greater than the prophets—Christ is

God speaking to us.

D. But Hebrews is not primarily about the prophetic work of Christ—it is about his

priestly work.

E. A man had to be qualified to serve as high priest in the Old Testament—Christ is

qualified.

II. He is a Great High Priest by whom we’re purified.

A. The scene in the upper room might make us wonder if Jesus is really the Great High

Priest.

B. As Israel’s high priest laid aside his splendid garments to atone for sin, Christ

humbled himself.

C. Christ humbled himself not just to wash the feet of his disciples but to die on the

cross for sin.

D. What sins? Consider the disciples’ pride and unwillingness to serve. Do we see

ourselves in them?

E. Jesus stooped not only to wash feet but to carry the cross. His blood purifies us from

sinful pride.

III. He is a Great High Priest with whom we will be glorified.

A. Christ, who humbled himself to serve, suffer, and die for us, is now seated at God’s

right hand.

B. Christ’s glorification was not for him alone—it assures us that his redeeming work is

done.

C. Christ’s desire is that we would see and share in his glory. His glory inspires us to

serve humbly.


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Jesus Is Our Great High Priest Sermon Text—Hebrews 1:1-3

Did you happen to see the story in the news a while back about the completion

of the Tzitz? “The what?” you may be asking. The Tzitz. Tzitz is the Hebrew word for the

golden plate that was fastened to the headpiece worn by the high priest of Israel. The

news that it was finished came from the Temple Institute in Jerusalem, an organization

that is dedicated to producing all the garments and vessels that were prepared for use in

the tabernacle and temple according to God’s instructions. The reason this group is very

carefully refashioning these items is so that everything will be ready when a new high

priest appears to lead the Jews in worship in a new temple in Jerusalem. If you don’t

remember seeing the story, it would be understandable. It first appeared in the news

more than ten years ago—and that is pretty much the point. There isn’t any need to

watch and wait for a new high priest to appear—or to make garments and vessels for

him to use in an earthly temple. The writer of Hebrews, a New Testament letter, makes

that clear when he writes in the 4th chapter, the 14th verse, “We have a great high

priest.” Notice that he says that “we have,” not “we had” and not “we will have.” We have a Great High Priest. It is this great truth—that we have a Great High Priest—that will

serve as the focus for our midweek Lenten services this year. Our readings will be taken

from the book of Hebrews and, God-willing, will lead us to a deeper appreciation for the

person and work of our Lord Jesus Christ as we follow him through his great passion.

Tonight we will see that Jesus is truly our Great High Priest who is qualified, by whom

we’re purified, and with whom we will be glorified.

I. He is a Great High Priest who is qualified.

Hebrews begins abruptly—there is no time spent on introductions or greetings;

the author gets right to the point. While there is much we don’t know about the first

readers of Hebrews, from the author’s encouragement, we can determine that they were

Christians of Jewish background who were suffering for their faith. These Jewish

believers were sorely tempted by persecution to turn back to the old ways of Judaism

that they had left behind when the Holy Spirit called them to faith in Christ. No doubt,

in their troubles they became nostalgic for the familiar old forms of Judaism that they

knew so well from growing up with the religious rituals of the temple in Jerusalem.

Unlike the Temple Institute that looks ahead, waiting for a new high priest to appear,

these Jewish Christians were looking back to what they had left behind to follow Jesus.

The message of the inspired author of Hebrews to these wavering believers was simply

this: You have something better in Jesus—he is better than everything the people of

Israel had in the past, as glorious as it all was.

With the first two verses of his word of encouragement, the author begins to

carry out his theme that Jesus is better—beginning with the Old Testament prophets. He

says, “In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in

various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son.” The writer directs


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his readers back to the Old Testament, to their Jewish ancestors in Israel, and reminds

them that God spoke to “[their] ancestors” through men—great men to be sure, like

Moses, David, and Isaiah—but mere men used by God to deliver the promises of a great

Savior from sin to come. These men delivered the gospel message over many years in

many ways—Old Testament prophecy was like a puzzle to which each of the prophets

contributed a piece or two. None had the whole picture, but as you put the pieces of the

prophetic puzzle together, the picture produced is Jesus of Nazareth—his birth, life,

ministry, death, and resurrection. Get the point? “What the fathers most desired, what

the prophets’ heart inspired, what they longed for many a year stands fulfilled in glory

here” (CW 28:2).

So the author of Hebrews urges his readers: Consider what you have in Christ.

Your fathers believed the prophets—they were men of God. How much more should we

stand firm in our faith because “in these last days [God] has spoken to us by his Son”?

Jesus is the true and eternal Son of God. Listen as the writer of Hebrews presents

Christ’s credentials, his qualifications: “In these last days [God] has spoken to us by his

Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the

universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his

being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.” Notice that the author heaps up

expressions to magnify the greatness of Christ in language that has been adopted by our

Christian creeds, especially the Nicene Creed (“God from God, Light from Light, true

God from true God. . . . Through him all things were made”) and the Athanasian Creed

(“What the Father is, so is the Son”). The writer’s point is clear to his wavering readers:

Do not turn a deaf ear to God as he speaks to you through his own Son. Christ is fully

qualified to speak to you of heavenly things—listen to him!

But it is not only—or especially—to demonstrate that Christ is a prophet and

teacher who deserves our attention that the writer of Hebrews presents Christ’s

impressive credentials. It is, above all, to show that Christ is truly the Great High Priest. The author speaks of Christ’s high priestly work when he adds to the list of Christ’s

credentials these words: “After he had provided purification for sins.” The first readers

of Hebrews, raised during the time of the Old Testament Scriptures, knew that it was the

work of the high priest to provide purification for sins. When the Lord gave instructions

for the great Day of Atonement in Leviticus 16, he explained the result of the elaborate

rituals the high priest performed that day: “On this day atonement will be made for you,

to cleanse you. Then, before the LORD, you will be clean from all your sins” (vs. 30). It is this

work of Jesus as High Priest that is the special focus of Hebrews (chapters 4-10).

The high priest was an important person; you could tell that just by looking at

the way he dressed. He wore the Tzitz. An entire chapter of the Bible (Exodus 28) is

devoted to describing what the high priest was to wear as he performed his duties and

how those garments were to be made. But not just anybody could wear that outfit. A

man had to be qualified to serve as high priest. He had to, for example, be of the tribe of

Levi and the family of Aaron and had to be without physical deformity or defect. He

had to be careful to marry the right kind of woman. He could not attend funerals—not


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even those of his own family members. Tough qualifications to be sure—but consider

Christ! Jesus is God’s Son, the heir to and the Creator and preserver of all things, the

radiance of God’s glory and the mirror image of his essence. As the author of Hebrews

presents the facts about who Jesus is, he is explaining what qualifies Christ to be called

the Great High Priest—he is the Son of God! But Jesus is our Great High Priest not only

because he is well-qualified for the title, but because we’re purified by him.

II. He is a Great High Priest by whom we’re purified.

As you observe Jesus celebrating the Last Supper with his disciples, you might

wonder whether he actually qualifies for the title Great High Priest. After all, you see the

One described in such glowing terms by the writer of Hebrews on his hands and knees

washing the feet of his disciples, purifying them from the day’s accumulated dust and

dirt. But before you dismiss the One with the basin and towel as unworthy of being

called the Great High Priest, recall the great Day of Atonement. As the high priest in

Israel prepared to perform the rituals by which cleansing would be made for Israel’s sin,

he removed the splendid garments he usually wore and put on simple linen garments.

Ordinarily, the high priest wore fancy garments that made him look like a king, but on

the day he made purification for sin, the high priest looked more like a slave than a king.

In the same way, as our Lord Jesus the Great High Priest prepared to provide his

one great purification for sin, he laid aside the garments of his glory. We hear in the

reading of the Passion History that Jesus, as he gathered with his disciples in the upper

room to celebrate the Passover, “got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and

wrapped a towel around his waist” (Jn 13:4). Now, it is true that Jesus did not walk

about during his earthly ministry dressed in fine, expensive clothing. It was not fine

clothing that our Lord laid aside as he poured water in a basin and began to wash the

feet of his disciples. No, he laid aside much more. St. Paul describes Christ Jesus as

“being in very nature God,” worthy of appearing and behaving like the One he truly

was—God himself in our human flesh. But, Paul continues, “[he] did not consider

equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself

nothing by taking the very nature of a servant” (Php 2:6,7). Jesus laid aside the full and

constant use of his divine power and glory to serve us. Luther says it well in his hymn:

“No garb of pomp or pow’r he wore; a servant’s form like mine he bore to lead the devil

captive” (CW 377:6).

So we see the Son of God down on the floor washing the feet of his disciples—

cleansing them of dust and dirt—but there is more here than meets the eye. In the act of

washing his disciples’ feet, we have a foreshadowing of another purification that Jesus

would provide in just a few hours by his death on the cross. We see that in Jesus’ words

to Simon Peter, who objected when the Lord wanted to wash his feet. “Unless I wash

you,” Jesus said, “you have no part with me” (Jn 13:8). Clearly Jesus wasn’t talking only

about washing feet; he was talking about needing to be washed clean of sin. To provide

that purification, Jesus would stoop far lower than to the floor to wash feet with water

and dry them with a towel. To provide purification from sin, Jesus would stoop to dying


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in shame on Calvary’s cross, and by his death there, he would provide purification for

the sins of the world—yours and mine.

This is the great purification Jesus the Great High Priest provides—the

purification from sins. What sins? Consider the scene in the upper room. Doesn’t what

we see of the Lord with his disciples look a bit like our homes sometimes? At your

home, do you ever see one person (Mom? Dad?) on hands and knees doing the dirty

work while the others are either sitting back and watching or complaining about how

the work is being done? What about at church? Does it happen that the grunt work is

done by a few, while many sit back watching or complaining about the way the work is

being done? It is not to be that way with Jesus’ followers. Jesus says, “I have set you an

example that you should do as I have done for you” (Jn 13:15). Scripture says, “God

opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble” (1 Pe 5:5). Yet how easy it is to be

like the disciples and act at home like we are too good and too important to stoop to

help out with the dirty jobs like putting away laundry and washing dishes and making

beds and cleaning up messy rooms. How easy it is to act all proud and important at

church, but then leave time- and energy-consuming projects at church to others and give

the impression that our time and energy are so much more precious than theirs. Those

are our sins.

We need to be purified of our sinful pride and the sins that result from it. The

only one qualified to purify us from our sins is Jesus Christ our Great High Priest. He is

the one who not only bowed down to wash the feet of his disciples in the upper room,

but he stooped to carry a cross and to be pierced on it for our transgressions and crushed

under it for our iniquities. By the blood that flowed there, by the blood of God’s one and

only Son—the radiance of his glory and exact representation of his being, through whom

the universe was made and by whose powerful Word it is still sustained—by the blood

of Jesus applied to our hearts and mouths and hands and feet by faith, we are cleansed

from every sin. Instead of objecting to his purifying work as Simon did, let us plead as

King David did for God—for Jesus’ sake—to “wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me

from my sin” (Ps 51:2). “Wash me,” we say with King David, “and I will be whiter than

snow” (Ps 51:7). Yes, Jesus is our Great High Priest; he is qualified to be our High Priest;

he has purified us as our High Priest; and

III. He is a Great High Priest with whom we will be glorified.

The hymn of praise to Christ with which Hebrews begins closes with the author

mentioning Christ’s glorification. He says that after the Son had provided purification

for sins, “He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” A hymn says it well:

“The head that once was crowned with thorns is crowned with glory now” (CW 217:1).

We know the significance of the exaltation and glorification of Christ. It assures us that

his work of providing purification for sins was completed successfully. On the day of

Pentecost, St. Peter spoke of the risen and exalted Savior and said, “Let all Israel be

assured of this: God has made this Jesus whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah”

(Ac 2:36). He meant that by exalting Christ, God confirmed him to truly be the Great

High Priest who completed the work of purifying every sinner from every sin. It was


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this coming glory that inspired the Savior as he suffered to purify us from sin. Later in

Hebrews, we read that it was “for the joy set before him” that Jesus “endured the cross,

scorning its shame” (12:2).

But here is the wonder of our Lord’s exaltation—it was not for him alone. Jesus

made it clear that the glory that awaited him beyond the cross and grave was not for

him alone when he prayed in his High Priestly Prayer in John 17: “Father, I want those

you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have

given me because you loved me before the creation of the world” (vs. 24). Our Savior’s

great exaltation is intended to inspire us. God knows the weakness of our flesh—that if

all we heard about the Christian life is that it requires us to follow Christ’s example and

humble ourselves in self-denying service to others as long as we live, we would soon tire

of such a way of life. To inspire us to more faithful service to God and others, Jesus

points us to his own glorification and promises: “Whoever serves me must follow me;

and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me”

(Jn 12:26). Think about that: “My Father will honor the one who serves me.” Is this

glorification a reward that we earn by humbly imitating Christ? No, that could never be.

Look at how poorly we serve and imitate the humility of Christ! Our selfishness, our

pride, and our disobedience would surely disqualify us from earning any reward. But

because Jesus humbled himself so deeply and purified us from our sins by his blood, we

can be assured that we will be glorified with him in due time. “God shows favor to the

humble.” Let us serve with our Savior remembering his sacrifice—and his promise. May

the glory promised to us by grace inspire us to more humble service to others where we

live and work and worship!

Rejoice in Jesus Christ, our Great High Priest. He is qualified to be our Great

High Priest; he has purified us as our Great High Priest, and we will be glorified with

our Great High Priest. Amen.


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Documents

Y D Christian Worship: A Lutheran Hymnal Christian Worship ... · May the Lord of the church bless your Lenten and Easter planning and worship as you show your congregation that “Jesus