My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less, ELW 597
Devotion
1My 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.
2When 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
3His 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
4When 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
Today we think about Reformation—of body, mind and spirit. "Officially," as in "capital R," it's Reformation Sunday, or as some would put it, Recognized and Remembered Sunday. But of course, one day is nowhere near enough. Reformation—of self, of community, of country, of this world of sin and sorrow. "Wow! Why not reform the universe while we're at it? Talk about your impossible dream, Pastor Keith."
Well! I guess you weren't "listening" this past week! I had hoped by now you would have embraced the theme intended to run through all this week's "hopeful" pauses—that of Hope. Hope comes in various forms, shapes and sizes; hope may be temporary, ebbing and flowing as do the tides in Cook Inlet, offshore Anchorage. They are the second-highest tides in the world, surging in and out over mud flats that have held victims deadly fast even as rescuers frantically pulled and pried. But what good is a world with only temporary hope? Not much! And thanks to God, that is not the world for me.
Prayer
We give you thanks, good and gracious God, that our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness. On Christ the solid rock we stand; all other ground is deadly, sinking sand. Empower us to share our hope—your hope—with all who may be sinking around us. Amen and Amen.