Our Lord's First-Bloodshed

was celebrated this morning with Matins at 9. I am still a bit astounded that we had 45 folks show up to sing Matins and to remember and thank God for the Circumcision of our Lord on this bitterly cold day in Southern Illinois. The number has dropped every year I've been here - and it's easy to see that what was taken for granted by an older generation is embraced somewhat less enthusiastically by their children and grandchildren. Yet in Church today I was happy to note a handful of younger faces too. Today an important teaching of Christ's church is celebrated and so I thank God for those folks - almost all of whom had celebrated together Divine Service last night - that wiped the sleepies out of their eyes and gathered to sing a Te Deum Laudamus to Him who went under the knife and under the law in order to fulfill for us a perfect righteousness that Baptism gives us as our very own. Glory to the Child who is both God and man - glory to Him for His love for us and for His coming to us in such humility, and glory to Him for the spilling of His blood in the keeping of the Law on our behalf!