We aren't inclined to sing hymns of this length today, which—as we've seen in previous hymns—is to our detriment. This hymn is worthy of our close reading and meditation during the penitential season of Lent.

1. Depth of mercy! Can there be Mercy still reserved for me? Can my God His wrath forbear, Me, the chief of sinners, spare?

2. I have long withstood His grace, Long provoked Him to His face, Would not hearken to His calls, Grieved Him by a thousand falls.

3. I my master have denied, I afresh have crucified, And profaned His hallowed name, Put Him to an open shame.

4. I have spilt His precious blood, Trampled on the Son of God, Filled with pangs unspeakable, I, who yet am not in hell!

5. Lo! I still walk on the ground: Lo! an advocate is found: Hasten not to cut him down, Let this barren soul alone.

6. Jesus speaks, and pleads His blood! He disarms the wrath of God; Now my Father’s mercies move, Justice lingers into love.

7. Kindled His relentings are, Me He now delights to spare, Cries, How shall I give thee up? Lets the lifted thunder drop.

8. Whence to me this waste of love? Ask my advocate above! See the cause in Jesus’ face, Now before the throne of grace.

9. There for me the Savior stands, Shows His wounds and spreads His hands. God is love! I know, I feel; Jesus weeps and loves me still.

10. Jesus, answer from above, Is not all Thy nature love? Wilt Thou not the wrong forget, Permit me to kiss Thy feet?

11. If I rightly read Thy heart, If Thou all compassion art, Bow Thine ear, in mercy bow, Pardon and accept me now.

12. Pity from Thine eye let fall, By a look my soul recall; Now the stone to flesh convert, Cast a look, and break my heart.

13. Now incline me to repent, Let me now my sins lament, Now my foul revolt deplore, Weep, believe, and sin no more.

#hymnody #Lent

Jesus, meek and humble of heart, hear me. From the desire of being esteemed, deliver me, Jesus. From the desire of being loved, deliver me, Jesus. From the desire of being extolled, deliver me, Jesus. From the desire of being honored, deliver me, Jesus. From the desire of being praised, deliver me, Jesus. From the desire of being preferred to others, deliver me, Jesus. From the desire of being consulted, deliver me, Jesus. From the desire of being approved, deliver me, Jesus. From the fear of being humiliated, deliver me, Jesus. From the fear of being despised, deliver me, Jesus. From the fear of suffering rebukes, deliver me, Jesus. From the fear of being calumniated, deliver me, Jesus. From the fear of being forgotten, deliver me, Jesus. From the fear of being ridiculed, deliver me, Jesus. From the fear of being wronged, deliver me, Jesus. From the fear of being suspected, deliver me, Jesus. That others may be loved more than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. That others may be esteemed more than I, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. That, in the opinion of the world, others may increase and I may decrease, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. That others may be chosen and I set aside, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. That others may be praised and I unnoticed, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. That others may be preferred to me in everything, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should, Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it. Amen.

Note: calumniated means maligned, slandered, or defamed

#Lent #prayers

Almighty and Everlasting God, Who hatest nothing that Thou hast made, and dost forgive the sins of all those who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we. worthily lamenting our sins, and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of Thee, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.

—Common Service Book of the Lutheran Church, 1917

#lent #prayers

Teach me the measure of my days, Thou Maker of my frame! I would survey life's narrow space, And learn how frail I am.

A span is all that we can boast: A fleeting hour of time; Man is but vanity and dust, In all His flower and prime.

Vain race of mortals, see them move Like shadows o'er the plain: They rage and strive, desire and love, But all the noise is vain.

Some walk in honor's gaudy show; Some dig for golden ore; They toil for whom they do not know, And straight are seen no more.

What should I wish or wait for then, From creatures, earth, and dust? They make our expectations vain, And disappoint our trust.

Now I resign my earthly hope, My fond desires recall; I give my mortal interest up, And make my God my all.

#hymnody #Lent

This is easier said than done, as anyone can attest who has tried to break a bad habit or create a good one. It is difficult because it requires us to make deliberate choices that go against the status quo of our lives, to disengage our cruise controls, to steer ourselves in different directions. It is difficult because it requires us to make those choices day in and day out, over and over and over until they become second nature.

The status quo is easy, but the status quo is likely not what is most beneficial for us.

Focusing on the positive aspect of forming new habits, if we set our goals realistically, we recognize that we are not making incredible demands upon ourselves. Forming a new Bible reading habit, for example, takes 15-20 minutes each day, which is nothing compared to the hours that Americans statistically spent glued to screens each day.

If we can get past the initial hurdle of laziness that is more powerful for many than we want to give credit, I think part of what discourages us is the thought that these little changes seemingly make such little difference in the grand scheme of our lives. Now, I admit that these new habits we wish to form generally demand trivial amounts of time, attention, and effort; however, I do not agree that it follows that the benefits are necessarily also trivial.

Yes, most of the choices we make are tiny and seemingly insignificant; however, it is the cumulative effect of these small choices that have the potential to create major changes in us over the course of months and years and decades. A few minutes each day cultivating a habit multiplies over the years to hundreds or thousands of hours—hours that can be spent growing in godliness or wasted on trivialities.

One of the principal parts of Lent is deliberately setting aside the small amounts of time, attention, and effort to build habits that will reap great benefits over the course of our entire lives. It is our choice to make.

#lent

In these weeks the tone of the divine service changes from the celebratory tone of Christmas and Epiphany to a more somber tone, focusing on sin, helplessness, trust in God alone, and our need for salvation. Through the propers (introit, collect/prayer of the day, gradual), we are weaned gradually from the party of the nativity into the seriousness and sobriety of another Lenten season.

For many, Lent is a season of giving up things, specifically giving up things that draw us away from our relationship with Christ. We do well to mortify our flesh, master our bodies, and put off things that hinder our Christian walk. At the same time, we do well to establish new habits and new disciplines that positively draw us closer to Christ. For me, writing is one of those habits. Writing is how I think things through, consider problems, and ponder important things. The discipline of sitting down to write forces me to arrange my sometimes-random thoughts, corral my racing mind, cease from mindless scrolling, and focus awhile on the topic at hand. Writing is very much a positive discipline for me.

During this season of Lent, I endeavor to write more, to focus more, to think more, to create more…and to do less mindless things that squander the precious gift that every day is. Life is far too short and precious to waste. Carpe diem is spot on.

#Lent

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