This hymn was written by Canadian Lutheran pastor Kurt Reinhardt out of a deeply personal encounter with private confession. In his final year of seminary, feeling the weight of unconfessed sin before his ordination, Reinhardt found he could only unburden himself by clinging to his Baptism and trusting God as Father on account of Christ. As the pastor spoke Christ’s words of absolution, Reinhardt understood that this forgiveness was a direct return to his baptismal font in Ottawa some thirty years earlier. He had no idea the text had been submitted to the Lutheran Service Book committee; he only learned of its inclusion when notified of its acceptance. The text is warmly personal, yet its true focus rests entirely on Christ’s work delivered through Baptism and Absolution, ending with the font as the Father’s sacramental embrace that places the sinner safely into Christ’s hands.
Sung at Our Saviour
2026