Jesus Sinners Doth Receive
Today’s Verse:
Genesis 3:19 ESV
By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
When we take the time to ponder the deep meaning of Ash Wednesday, the great hymn “Jesus Sinners Doth Receive,” written by Lutheran pastor Erdmann Neumeister in the 18th Century, perfectly lays out our lives in Christ. Our days are ones of repentance, living in the mercy of God by having the sure understanding that by faith in Jesus, we are forgiven of our sins.
Ash Wednesday reminds us why our broken human race needed a Savior, and we received one in Jesus Christ. It isn’t about the imposition of ashes or wearing sackcloth (though probably none of us will be wearing sackcloth today). Today is about our sin and knowing God did everything for us to receive forgiveness. This is a day of repentance. Our Lord Jesus receives us sinners with joy, knowing that we have been given eternal life in Him.
Prayers
A Prayer for Today:
Merciful Father, I am a sinner who has done wrong. Forgive me for my failures and shower me with Your grace. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Apostles’ Creed:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Luther’s Morning Prayer:
I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have kept me this night from all harm and danger; and I pray that You would keep me this day also from sin and every evil, that all my doings and life may please You. For into Your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.