“My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less,” (ELW 597)
Devotion
My hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus' blood and righteousness;
no merit of my own I claim,
but wholly lean on Jesus' name.
Refrain
On Christ, the solid rock, I stand;
all other ground is sinking sand.
When darkness veils his lovely face,
I rest on his unchanging grace;
in ev'ry high and stormy gale
my anchor holds within the veil. Refrain
His oath, his covenant, his blood
sustain me in the raging flood;
when all supports are washed away,
he then is all my hope and stay. Refrain
When he shall come with trumpet sound,
oh, may I then in him be found,
clothed in his righteousness alone,
redeemed to stand before the throne! Refrain
"My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness." For that I thank God. So much of our culture tells us to make it on our own, or pull ourselves up by our own boot straps. I am thankful that my standing with God is not based on my own doing, because frankly I mess up, a lot. On this Reformation Sunday confirmation students at Desert Cross Lutheran Church are affirming their baptism. For young people in high school, I can think of nothing better to hear than "no matter what, you have been claimed by God in baptism and God holds on to you through it all." In fact, that is something we all probably need to hear quite often. Remember on this day that you are precious to God, and the promise spoken over you in baptism rings just as true for you today as it did when those waters first ran down your forehead.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank you for taking hold of me. Help me to find ways to be in your presence and be reminded of this promise. Amen.