Come, then, O Lord Jesus, From our sins release us.
Keep our hearts believing, That we, grace receiving,
Ever may confess You Till in heav’n we bless You.
(LSB 333:4)
“What do we want?” “JUSTICE!” “When do we want it?” “NOW!”
Such is, and has been, a popular chant at protest rallies over the decades as people have come together to demand justice to be done on a host of issues. While a bit uncreative, it does lay bare the reality of what many of us would like to see in our world: for the things that have gone wrong to be set right once again. The problem is that we often cry the most for justice over the trivial things in our own life. We want justice to be done against that person who cut us off on the highway, that neighbor who isn’t exactly up to town code, the food producers who only fill up the chip bags halfway, or that family member who don’t seem to know how to attend to their dirty dishes.
As Christians, however, we know there is something much more serious going on that has created a great injustice among us. Sin, and its end, which is death, is having its way with all creation, and we are suffering under the weight of it. We long for that wrong to be forever set right and so we pray for God’s justice to be done against sin and death.
In His graciousness, God does not mete out justice against those who deserve it – you and me. Instead, such justice is carried out at the cross, Christ bearing the wrath of God against sin for us so that we might be liberated once and for all. In Christ we do not get what we deserve (punishment for sin), but we do get what we want (justice and freedom from sin).
As we have made our way through the hymn Once He Came in Blessing, we have seen how Christ has come to us in the past and present, and will come again in the future. In these comings, it is evident that our Lord comes in grace and mercy for our good, and not for our destruction. That is why in the closing stanza, we pray for Christ to “Come, then.” It is why the concluding words of Scripture itself are “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20b)! Our Lord comes to bring us the justice we seek, and the justice we truly need. He comes to release us from sin and its deadly effect. He comes to keep us in the true faith by His Holy Spirit. He comes to give us grace sufficient for each day with lips to confess Him here on earth until we bless His name in heaven with all the saints, singing unending praise to the blessed Holy Trinity. Come, then, O Lord Jesus…come quickly!
Lord Jesus Christ, come in power and grace. Release us from sin, keep us in the true faith, grant us a good confession, and fill us with hope that we shall stand before You in the life of heaven forever. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Rev. Brian Noack
Pastor, St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, Sayville
Senior Pastoral Counselor, LWML Atlantic District
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