Sunday was The Baptism of Our Lord, for churches that follow the traditional Church Year calendar. Thus, in our Lutheran church, one of the hymns we sang was "To Jordan's River Came Our Lord", written by the main man himself, Martin Luther, in 1541.
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Verse 1:
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To Jordan came the Christ, our Lord,
To do his Father's pleasure;
Baptized by John, the Father's Word
Was given us to treasure.
This heavenly washing now shall be
A cleansing from transgression
And by His blood and agony
Release from death's oppression.
A new life now awaits us.
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Verse 2:
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Oh, hear and mark the message well,
For God himself has spoken.
Let faith, not doubt, among us dwell
And so receive this token.
Our Lord here with his Word endows
Pure water, freely flowing.
God's Holy Spirit here avows
Our kinship while bestowing
The baptism of His blessing.
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Verse 3:
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These truths on Jordan's banks were shown
By mighty word and wonder.
The Father's voice from heaven came down,
Which we do well to ponder:
"This man is my beloved Son,
In whom my heart has pleasure.
Him you must hear, and Him alone,
And trust in fullest measure
The word that He has spoken."
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Verse 4:
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There stood the Son of God in love,
His grace to us extending;
The Holy Spirit like a dove
Upon the scene descending;
The triune God assuring us,
With promises compelling,
That in our baptism He will thus
Among us find a dwelling
To comfort and sustain us.
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Verse 5:
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To His disciples spoke the Lord,
"Go out to every nation,
And bring to them the living Word
And this my invitation:
Let everyone abandon sin
And come in true contrition
To be baptized and thereby win
Full pardon and remission
And heavenly bliss inherit."
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Verse 6:
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But woe to those who cast aside
This grace so freely given;
They shall in sin and shame abide
And to despair be driven,
For born in sin, their works must fail,
Their striving saves them never;
Their pious acts do not avail,
And they are lost forever,
Eternal death their portion.
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Verse 7:
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All that the mortal eye beholds
Is water as we pour it.
Before the eye of faith unfolds
The power of Jesus merit.
For here it sees the crimson flood
To all our ills bring healing;
The wonders of His precious blood
The love of God revealing,
Assuring His own pardon.
AMEN
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Quite a wordy hymn, and explains well the Lutheran belief that baptism saves. The infant being baptized is in a state of contrition by proxy.......the congregation speaks in place of the child, confessing his sinful state for him, so that he can be baptized and receive faith. Infant baptism has been difficult for me to swallow, although my children were baptized as babies.
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Verse 7 contains the words "the eye of faith"........something to ponder. Do you see with the "eye of faith"? Do I ?
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Cyberhymnal link: www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/t/j/c/tjct/colo.htm
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