The 39th Day of Lent- Good Friday-Luther's Catechism-The Flood Prayer

In our Baptism service, we pray a prayer by Luther with many references to water.  "In the beginning your Spirit moved over the waters and by your Word you created the world," "through the waters of the flood you delivered Noah and his family," "through the sea you led your people Israel from slavery into freedom," "at the river Your Son was baptized by John," and finally, "by the baptism of Jesus' death and resurrection you set us free from the power of sin and death and raise us up to live in you."  Today is Good Friday.  We specifically remember "the baptism of Jesus' death."  Today is the day of humiliation, suffering, and death.  To go back to the words of Jesus in the Last Supper, this is done "for you."  It is done for me.  It is done for all creation.  It is the taking on of all the world's sin, whose penalty is death, on to Jesus, whose death pays the penalty.  The flood of anger and hate overcome Jesus, the end result being the cross.  Today is the day to contemplate this act of love, for you and for me.