Rev 4: The Sanctus

Revelation 4 NIV

"Therefore with Angels and Archangels, and with all the company of heaven, we laud and magnify your glorious Name; evermore praising thee, and saying: "Holy, holy, holy; Lord, God Almighty; Heaven and earth are full of 

your glory: Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest."   (sanctus; sorry, I don't have a hymnal with me, so from memory a few versions intermingled)

Every Sunday we sing the Sanctus just prior to the words of institution being said at Holy Communion. It is a rare occasion that I am not reminded, as we sing these words, of the various areas of scriptures that it's derived from; particularly, chapter 4 of the book of Revelation. I imagine the presence of those twenty-four elders before the throne of God and those four awesome living creatures, with all of the heavenly host praising God Almighty. We join with them and all of the faithful followers here on earth as we lift our voices in praise and thanksgiving for all that He is.

When questioned why us Lutherans are so adamant about following a liturgy and why we can't be more spirit led, I usually let them know that we are definitely spirit led. All scripture is inspired by the Spirit of God and our liturgy is from scripture. The sanctus is a great example of this.

“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty . . .” (Rev 4:8)

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” (Isaiah 6:3)

“Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! . . . Hosanna in the highest !" (Mark 11:9-10)

I appreciate every opportunity to remind people that "faith comes by hearing the word of God" (Rom 10:17); therefore, Lutheran Worship seeks to provide the word throughout the service. It is heard in our liturgy; it is heard in our hymns; it is heard in our prayers; it is heard in the reading of the lessons; and, it is heard throughout the sermon. Faith comes by hearing. See you at Worship where your faith might be nurtured and grow through the hearing of the word of God. See you at Worship!

God's Peace - Pr. J

P.S. Don't forget to read Revelation 4 - the vision is an echo of visions of Ezekiel as well as Daniel.

John 12:12-19 Follow and Sing Hosanna!

John 12:12-19 NIV
Jesus is exalted by the crowd on his way into Jerusalem. They went out to meet him, shouting: "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!"

No one really understands the significance of all this. But, they are excited. The Pharisees are excited, too. They need to figure out a way to turn this all around. They need to figure out a way to turn the people against Jesus; to abandon him; to quit following him around. And, they will! By the end of the week, the crowd will not be shouting, "Hosanna!" They will be shouting, "Crucify him!"

Crowds can be fickle. They can be led in any direction quite easily as the heat of the moment carries them away. Like sheep led astray; they may follow for awhile; but, when pastures seem a bit greener elsewhere, they leave the shepherd and follow the crowd. Sometimes, they might even choose to stay with the crowd in a dried out and dead field rather than seek green pastures with the shepherd, simply because they are afraid to move. They might think that there is security in numbers so they abandon the only one who can keep them safe. 

May God grant that you should never turn against him; but, follow him always singing praises; singing Hosanna! Do not be afraid, your king has come and he will come again.

God's Peace,

Pr. J

Mark 11:1-11 Triumphant Entry

Mark 11:1-11 NIV
We remember and celebrate the "Triumphant Entry" of Jesus into Jerusalem the Sunday prior to Easter Sunday. Jesus rides on a colt as people spread branches and their own cloaks on the road in front of him to welcome Him. "Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Mark 11:9)

We welcome Jesus on the first day of the week. Many of us remember Him on Sunday morning. But, what about the rest of the week? Are we running from Him, hiding, or ready to deny Him by Thursday or Friday? The people welcomed Him at the beginning of the week and then crucified Him by the end of that very same week.

When the crowds around us are excited and praising God, it is easy to celebrate Him. However, when the crowd turns it is often just as easy to turn with the crowd, denying our faith, denying our God.

May God help us to be faithful to Him every day, every minute of our lives and not swayed by the crowds that happen to be around us.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Matthew 21:1-11 - Save Us, We Pray

“Hosanna to the Son of David!”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Hosanna in the highest heaven!” (Matt 21:9 NIV)

As I was reading this morning's scripture verses, I wondered what exactly the word Hosanna meant. I know that it is used by us and was used by the people in the story of Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem as a shout of acclamation and praise. But, what does the word actually mean? So, I googled. The definitions included pray and save, which didn't help me much. That just didn't seem to fit in to the context of the acclamations of praise. I finally ran across this [Old English osanna, via Late Latin from Greek, from Hebrew hōshi `āh nnā save now, we pray] at http://www.thefreedictionary.com/hosanna . This ordering of words helped me to understand the word, hosanna, a bit better. "Save now, we pray, Son of David! Save now, we pray, in the highest heaven."

It was within the week that Jesus accomplished this life giving, life giving act of salvation that they people prayed for. It was within that very week that Jesus died for us.

May the God of peace, save us we pray, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

God's Peace - Pr. J