“Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee;
Let the water and the blood,
From Thy riven side which flowed,
Be of sin the double cure:
Cleanse me from its guilt and pow’r.”
(LSB 761, verse 1)
Dear Children of the Light,
Lenten greetings!
The hymn Rock of Ages was written by Reverend Augustus Montague Toplady. According to Wikipedia, “Traditionally, it is held that Toplady drew his inspiration from an incident in the gorge of Burrington Combe in England. Toplady, a preacher, was travelling along the gorge when he was caught in a storm. Finding shelter in a gap in the gorge, he scribbled down the initial lyrics.”
While God indeed is our protection in natural disasters, the meaning of the hymn should take us far beyond merely saving us in day to day temporal circumstances.
For example, Moses wanted to look at God. But how can a sinful human being coming into the presence of the almighty and holy God?
Moses said, “ ‘Please show me your glory.’ But,’ He said, ‘you cannot see My face, for man shall not see Me and live.’ And the Lord said, ‘Behold, there is a place by Me where you shall stand on the rock, and while My glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with My hand until I have passed by. Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen.’” (Exodus 33:18-23 ESV)
Moses’ experience that day is impossible for us to comprehend. But the gist of it makes sense – unless the Lord does something to protect us from our sin in His holy presence, we will be destroyed.
So it is with us and Jesus. He is our Rock of Ages in whom we are hidden. We are safe. We are hidden from God’s wrath over sin. You are hidden in the wounds of Jesus.
So do not let this Lenten season pass without pondering the true treasure of Jesus’ Passion for your sake. I conclude with the final verses of Rock of Ages:
Nothing in my hand I bring;
Simply to Thy cross I cling.
Naked, come to Thee for dress;
Helpless, look to Thee for grace;
Foul, I to the fountain fly;
Wash me, Savior, or I die.
While I draw this fleeting breath,
When mine eyelids close in death,
When I soar to worlds unknown,
See Thee on Thy judgment throne,
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee.
The Lord be with you!
Coming Up at Prince of Peace …
Sunday, February 21, Second Sunday in Lent
9:00 Sunday School, Confirmation and Adult Classes
10:30 Worship Service with Holy Communion
The Lenten season at Prince of Peace …
Come to church! – With God, there’s always something going on – around you and in you!
“Sounds of the Passion”: Because the suffering and death of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, occurred in real time and history, we can better grasp the events and their meaning by considering how people experienced it using their five senses. This Lenten season we are pondering the sounds of the passion. Let us draw near and listen! – Wednesdays at 7:00pm here at Prince of Peace.
Behold the Lamb! During the Sundays of Lent, we are exploring the Old Testament texts that reference a lamb. We shall consider how they prefigure Jesus. These biblical accounts form little glimpses into the work of our Saviour the Christ. Together let’s “Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”
PoP News …
Niagara Zone LWMLC Prayer Service will be held this Sunday, February 21 at Emmanuel Lutheran Church (5003 George Street, Beamsville), starting at 2:30 pm. Guest speaker will be Dr. Rev. Tom Winger. Please bring squares, goodies or fruit ready to serve. All are welcome!
Online News …
Lutheran Church-Canada Survey re: Restructuring: In an email to pastors from LCC President Bugbee this week, Pastor Bugbee shared, “We’ve passed the halfway mark of “Survey Month” here in LCC, as organized by our Commission on Constitutional Matters and Structure (CCMS). I am hoping that you will take the time to complete it, if you have not done so already. We’ve set February 29 … the end of this month … as the deadline for responses. … As I send this off, I’m pausing to ask the Lord to bless your work of bringing Christ the crucified to members and communities who need Him so very badly.” – Serving with you in the Name of Jesus, Robert Bugbee, President
Pasted below is a letter from Pastor Ney, chair of the LCC restructuring committee. Input is being sought from pastors, congregational leaders and members. Work is being done to reorganize the administration of our synod to better serve the members and mission of LCC. Your input is welcome. You can do the survey online as per the instructions or you can print out the attachment to submit a paper copy. I encourage you to take part. Paper copies of the survey are also available in the lobby at the church.
“Love’s Greatest Sacrifice” – Copies of these Lenten devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries are available in the lobby at the church. However you can also access them on-line in English at www.lhm.org/lent
Concordia University of Edmonton no longer a Christian institution: Concordia University of Edmonton no longer identifies itself as a Christian institution. READ MORE
In your prayers, please remember:
- Those undergoing radiation treatment and fighting its side effects.
- Those recovering from surgery
- Those who mourn
- Friends and family struggling with cancer
- Our observance of Jesus’ passion this Lenten season
- God’s blessing upon the LCC survey that it might be helpful for us moving forward
The Lord be with you.
Yours in Christ Jesus,
Pastor Kevin Walrath
January 29, 2016
To Pastors, Deacons and Congregational Leaders and Members throughout Lutheran Church-Canada
Greetings in the precious name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! In this package you are receiving a copy of the National Restructuring Survey for Lutheran Church-Canada. At the direction of the LCC Vancouver Convention (in 2014) and the near-unanimous resolutions of all three LCC District Conventions (in 2015), the Commission on Constitutional Matters and Structure (CCMS) has begun the task of putting together a proposal for restructuring LCC to help us more effectively and efficiently work together in carrying out Christ’s Great Commission both at home and abroad. We are serious in wanting our proposal to reflect the wisdom and guidance of people in local congregations across the church. This is why the CCMS now comes to you with this National Survey in order to receive the grassroots input from all in the Synod. Therefore we are bold to ask you to fill out the Survey either on line or using a hard copy. Please respond as soon as possible since the Survey will only be available until February 29, 2016. The results of this survey will be shared with the entire church and the proposed new structure will be brought to the LCC Convention in October, 2017. We are asking that you take the time (approximately one hour) to complete the Survey very carefully and thoughtfully. Your responses are vitally important to the CCMS and eventually the whole Church. The on line Survey can be found at the login address: www.surveymonkey.com/r/LCC60<http://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LCC60> The password is: LCC2017
(Those who complete the Survey online may actually find it helpful to print off a paper copy to use as a “worksheet” for reflection before they enter their online answers. Afterward the paper copy should be discarded.) We thank you in advance for filling out the Survey. Please pray for God’s gift of wisdom for the CCMS as it continues to work on this important restructuring project. Your fellow-servant of Jesus, Pastor William R. A. Ney, Chairman LCC Commission on Constitutional Matters and Structure
