“Come and see the awesome works of God,” invites the Psalmist. They are the cause of joyful shouts, singing, and praise.
But what are they? What are the works of God? He has turned the sea to dry ground. But He has also brought us into the net, laid affliction on our backs, caused men to ride over our heads. We went through fire and through water. This is the Lord’s doing toward us. We should see the effects of the Law on our lives and praise God for it. He has broken us. He has exposed us. He has killed us. And this is good, for this is what we needed lest we fall away.
So also, He has brought us to rich fulfillment, out of slavery, out of death.
He keeps our soul among the living. He does not allow our feet to be moved. He hears our prayers. He is merciful. This too is good, and is the foundation of our praise. (Introit)
Thus does Our Lord prophesy on the night in which He was betrayed that we will have sorrow. Our hour has not yet come. But in a little while, in our resurrections like unto His Resurrection, at some near but imprecise point in the future, our sorrow will turn to joy. We will see Jesus. Our hearts will rejoice. No one will take our joy from us.Our sorrow will end. (Gospel)
So that in Christ, even our sorrow is cause for joy, for hope. Because it shows the Word of the Lord to be true. Jesus only eats with and recieves sinners. It is only the sick who need the Physician. Our sorrows also brings us into the way of the cross. The Law shines light upon our errors – our ever-seeking after pleasures of the flesh, control of our lives, or security in this world. Come see what the Law has done to us, the work of the Lord toward us, come and see our disease.
Kenneth Korby once asked, “When can a liar ever tell the truth?” He answered, “When he says, ‘I am a liar.'” This is why our confession pleases God: it is true. When we say, “I am a poor, miserable sinner, ” we are telling the truth and God loves the truth.
The Lord shines that light, His holy Law, in mercy, with the intent that we would return to the way of righteousness, that we would repent. And thus we pray that the Lord would grant to all of us, who are admitted into the fellowship of Christ’s religion, the power to avoid those things that are contrary to our faith and follows such things that are good, true, noble, and right. (Collect)
Yes, we are sinners. We have sorrows. Our lives are broken. It is our fault, our own, most grievous fautl. But so too do we have hope. The Lord turned the sea to dry ground, death to life, sorrow to joy. Jesus lives. And in a little while, so shall we.