Christ Jesus Lay in Death's Strong Bands (LBW 134)
Devotion
1 Christ Jesus lay in death’s strong bands
for our offenses given;
but now at God’s right hand he stands
and brings us life from heaven.
Therefore let us joyful be
and sing to God right thankfully
loud songs of hallelujah!
Hallelujah!
2 It was a strange and dreadful strife
when life and death contended;
the victory remained with life,
the reign of death was ended.
Holy Scripture plainly says
that death is swallowed up by death,
its sting is lost forever.
Hallelujah!
3 Here the true Paschal Lamb we see,
whom God so freely gave us;
he died on the accursed tree--
so strong his love--to save us.
See, his blood now marks our door;
faith points to it; death passes o’er,
and Satan cannot harm us.
Hallelujah!
4 So let us keep the festival
to which the Lord invites us;
Christ is himself the joy of all,
the sun that warms and lights us.
Now his grace to us imparts
eternal sunshine to our hearts;
the night of sin is ended.
Hallelujah!
5 Then let us feast this Easter Day
on Christ, the bread of heaven;
the Word of grace has purged away
the old and evil leaven.
Christ alone our souls will feed;
he is our meat and drink indeed;
faith lives upon no other!
Hallelujah!
Text: Martin Luther, 1483-1546; tr. Richard Massie, 1800-1887, alt.
I have learned that whatever we do in life tends to be done in selfishness. Even when doing something "good" for our neighbor, we are prone to be consciously or subconsciously looking at how we will benefit. When someone offers us something for free, we are suspicious and ask, "What's the catch?" "There's no such thing as a free lunch," we say.
So when we hear this hymn's words about God's free mercy and grace, it sounds dissonant to our ears. We need this reminder at the very root of our unfaith, that God in fact has given us Christ to completely forgive our sin. And this can only be done by God's gracious promise bestowing mercy upon us. God brings us from death to life as Christ defeated death itself for us on the cross, and in Christ's resurrection we have been given Christ's own life. There might not be such thing as a free lunch, but in Christ there surely is life and salvation freely given.
Prayer
Redeeming God, we give you thanks and praise that you have freely given us life and salvation in your Son. Continue to give us faith through your Word that we may trust in this precious gift. Through Jesus Christ. Amen.