This weekend we celebrate Pentecost, which is the fulfillment of the Savior's promise to send the Holy Spirit who would enable the followers of Jesus to serve as His witnesses. How fitting then, that we also incorporate Mission Festival. 

The hymns this weekend will all have themes related to our Christian mission as evangelists and witnesses of Jesus. One of those will be the English hymn, Lift High the Cross (WS 769). This is a very simple hymn, appropriate for teaching our children, but which also communicates the simplicity of the message of Christianity and the work that the Lord has given to His church on earth. 

While the name "Jesus" is never used in this hymn, He is described in various ways, as our "Captain," our "King victorious," the "Christ," the "Son of God," and "the Crucified." The hymn point to the cross as the summary and symbol of the Christian faith, and the means by which God accomplished mankind's salvation through Jesus. This is the banner that communicates what joins us together as Christians and what we motivates us as soldiers of Christ.

There is also a theme of "victory" and "triumph" in this hymn. The cross is the symbol of Christ's victory over sin and death for sinners, just as the Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:57: "But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

Join us in our study of this hymn and its writer, and as we learn more about the Scriptural foundation and meaning of our hymns so that our use of them would be more beneficial as we gather in worship and use this hymn of praise.

May the LORD bless your witness of Him as the Savior of all the world this weekend, and always!