Holy Wednesday Matins

Antiphon:
P:  Christ became obedient to death, even death on a cross.
C:  O come, let us worship Him.  

Office Hymn:  LSB 610 "Lord Jesus, Think on Me" (st. 2)

Lord Jesus, think on me,

By anxious thoughts oppressed;

Let me Your loving servant be

And taste Your promised rest.

Old Testament Reading:  Lamentations 3:1-33

From The Lutheran Study Bible:  Jeremiah describes the great suffering of God's people at the hand of the invading Babylonians.  He makes no excuse for their sin, but he encourages them (and us today) with God's great compassion and unfailing love.  The people have been crushed but not utterly destroyed - their hope must be in the Lord and His great love for them.  We are often our own worst enemies, responsible for our suffering through our own choices.  No matter how bad things get, our hope is always in the Lord because He loves us in Jesus Christ and never abandons us.  * Lord, do not treat us as our sins deserve, but forgive and restore us to Your unfailing love through Jesus Christ.  Amen.

New Testament Reading:  Hebrews 4:1-16

From The Lutheran Study Bible (3:7-4:13):  God's people missed rest in the Promised Land through their unbelief.  This is a warning to us.  God calls us to trust Him and to enter into the rest that He has enjoyed since the completion of creation.  In Christ Jesus, we have rest from the accusation of the Law.  The Holy Spirit leads us to trust in Christ, granting us everlasting peace.  * Lord Jesus, You are my rest.  May I always look to You when I am weary and afraid.  Amen.

Responsory:
P:  We have an advocate with the Father; Jesus is the propitiation for our sins.
C:  He was delivered up to death; He was delivered for the sins of the people.
P:  Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven and whose sin is put away.
C:  He was delivered up to death; He was delivered for the sins of the people.
P:  We have an advocate with the Father; Jesus is the propitiation for our sins.
C:  He was delivered up to death; He was delivered for the sins of the people.

The Writing (in place of the homily) from Dr. Luther's Large Catechism I:37-40:

Such hard heads imagine that God overlooks and allows them to rest in security, or that He is entirely ignorant or cares nothing about such matters.  Therefore, God must deal a smashing blow and punish them, so that He cannot forget their sin unto their children’s children.  In that way, everyone may take note and see that this is no joke to Him.  These are the people He means when He says, “those who hate Me” [Exodus 20:5]; i.e., those who persist in their defiance and pride.  Whatever is preached or said to them, they will not listen.  When they are rebuked, in order that they may learn to know themselves and make amends before the punishment begins, they become mad and foolish.  They rightly deserve wrath, as we see daily in bishops and princes now.

But as terrible as these threatenings are, so much more powerful is the consolation in the promise.  For those who cling to God alone should be sure that he will show them pure goodness and blessing, not only for themselves, but also to their children and their children’s children, even to the thousandth generation and beyond that.  This ought certainly to move and impel us to risk our hearts in all confidence with God [Hebrews 4:16; 10:19-23], if we wish all temporal and eternal good.  For the supreme Majesty makes such outstanding offers and presents such heartfelt encouragements and such rich promises.

Collect of the Day:

Merciful and everlasting God, You did not spare Your only Son but delivered Him up for us all to bear our sins upon the cross.  Grant that our hearts may be so fixed with steadfast faith in Him that we fear not the power of sin, death, and the devil; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen.