One There Is, Above All Others, LBW 298
1 One there is, above all others,
Well deserves the name of friend;
His is love beyond a brother's,
Costly, free, and knows no end;
They who once his kindness prove
Find it everlasting love.
2 Which of all our friends, to save us,
Could or would have shed his blood?
But this Savior died to have us
Reconciled in him to God;
This was boundless love indeed;
Jesus us the friend we need.
3 When he lived on earth, they scorned him;
"Friend of sinners" was his name.
Though the angels have adored him,
Still he answers to that claim;
Still he calls them dearest friends
And to all their needs attends.
Devotion
Somewhere in his writings, I remember Luther urging us to understand God's ways by listening to and looking at Christ. In Jesus Christ, we Christians see the "one there is, above all others." It is in Jesus that we see how God operates in this world. In Jesus, we see how our natural inclination of how God ought to work gets turned upside down. The Good News Jesus lived and taught does not demand a response of faith, it creates a response of faith. The Good News does not say "If I repent, God will forgive;" it says, "Because God forgives, I can repent!" The gospel is not simply to once and for all convert pagans into Christians, it is to reconvert the pagan within each Christian! The gospel doesn't demand I decide for Christ, it invites me to live in the decision God in Christ has made for me! Today's parable of the vineyard workers certainly turns the "if-then" mentality on its head. The "If I work longer than others, then I get a better reward" gets replaced by the less logical "God chooses to be equally gracious to all" reality. Jesus is the one, above all others, who tells us these spiritual truths in his words and deeds.
Prayer
God of Glory, how we need to hear anew, the teachings of your Son, our Lord Jesus. Teach us the joy of being surprised, challenged and transformed by the realities of your crazy and wonderful grace. Amen.