Untitled Hymn (Come to Jesus)

Alleluia!  He is risen!  The Lord is risen indeed!  Alleluia!

How great it feels to say those words!  We’d tucked “Alleluia” away for the past 46 days, setting it aside as we progressed through Lent.  But now our joy springs forth in great happiness and jubilation.  Alleluia!

Picture what it was like before you knew Him.  You were a lost soul, lying on the side of the road, and there is Jesus.  He comes to you, no longer as a man, but as the Christ, God.  In any other situation, when a King comes towards you or passes, you would need to cower back in reverence, shrink away lest you offend the “royalty”.  But this King, wants you to lift your face, look upon Him with love.  And He looks back with love.

“Weak and wounded sinner
Lost and left to die
Raise your head for Love is passing by 

Come to Jesus
Come to Jesus
Come to Jesus and live”

The pain we have been carrying in our hearts when we were without Him has been shed.  Our failings, shortcomings, sins, are gone and remembered no more.  We are a clean and new creation.  Our hearts sing with joy.

“Now your burden’s lifted
And carried far away
And Precious Blood has washed away the stain 

So sing to Jesus
Sing to Jesus
Sing to Jesus and live”

This song by Chris Rice has been with me for a long time.  It is hard for me to not get a bit weepy with the beauty it brings; its message of peaceful grace (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_4g8_e16dc&list=RDdEcCRuvhPPI).  I love how it depicts our life in Christ, from beginning to eternity.

Our walk with Him is not easy.  We have many times where we stumble.  As humans, we are filled with sin and our egos.  Our selfishness gets in the way of the maximum capacity of our relationship with God.  But it’s OK.  We will fall short some times.  When we do, we don’t have do hide in shame, falling away.  Jesus welcomes us, warts and all; we can fall on Him.

“And like a newborn baby
Don’t be afraid to crawl
And remember when you walk
Sometimes you fall 

So fall on Jesus
Fall on Jesus
Fall on Jesus and live”

When our so-called friends reject us or our family separates themselves from us due to our newfound faith, it can be hard to continue down the path.  As the world pulls away from us, it can feel lonely.  But we are not alone, we can call on Him and He is there.

“Sometimes the way is lonely
And steep and filled with pain
So if your sky is dark and pours the rain 

Cry to Jesus
Cry to Jesus
Cry to Jesus and live”

The times of great joy in this new life abound!  As we allow ourselves to fall further and further in love with Jesus, we are filled!  The Holy Spirit is continually renewing us with the living water.  We will never be thirsty or hungry again.  We can’t help but leap for joy!

“Oh and when the Love spills over
And music fills the night
And when you can’t contain your joy inside 

Then dance for Jesus
Dance for Jesus
Dance for Jesus and live“

We live a long and wonderful life.  The peace and love we experience is amazing and powerful.  We have our share of troubles too, but as we look back on our life, we can see the blessings which abounded out of these trials. We head home to Him with joy.

“And with your final heartbeat
You kiss the world goodbye
And go in peace to laugh on Glory’s side 

And fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus and live 

Fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus and live"

Through Jesus’ sacrifice, we now have a perfect path to an eternal relationship with our Heavenly Father.  No more are we bound by a set of strict rules that provide a step-by-step mechanism for achieving righteousness.  Love has come to us; the perfect love of a perfect gift.

So, come to Jesus.  Fall on Him, cry to Him, dance for Him.  Even though He is the King of all the heavens and earth we are not blindly submissive.  This approach never wins.  We are bold in our love, knowing we can come to Him and He is there.  He is always there.

************************

Dear friends, it has been wonderful journeying with you this season of Lent, which now comes to an end.  Your words of encouragement mean more than you can know. After completing this sojourn, do you listen to music with a different ear?  Can you hear the prayer, the praise…all to God?  I am so thankful God gave the gift of music; it inspires, lifts, comforts and brings me clarity on so many things. Until we meet again, here or in the hereafter, I wish God’s abundant blessings on your lives and loves.

Peace.

- Scott

O Death

How quickly things can change.  A cold grave greets us today.  Wasn’t it just a short week ago when our King rode triumphantly into Jerusalem?  What happened?

“Oh, death how you're treatin' me
You've close my eyes so I can't see
Well you're hurtin' my body
You make me cold
You run my life right outta my soul”

This song is a man’s conversation with Death.  It is prayer of pleading and bargaining, yet Death will not yield.  Ralph Stanley’s a cappella haunt is perfect for today (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHVWpieH4z0).

Death is a cruel master.  He comes and brings hopelessness and sorrow.  There is nothing that will satisfy this end except your eternal self.

“Oh the young, the rich or poor
Hunger like me you know
No wealth, no ruin, no silver no gold
Nothing satisfies me but your soul”

Is there any hope for us?  Is death our eventual end?  How can it be that our Savior lies dead in a stone cold tomb?  I miss His welcoming arms, His smile, the way He made my heart sing.  Without Him, I don’t think I can go on.  If Death is my only surety, I must keep it away as long as I can.  I fear Death.

“O, Death
O, Death
Won't you spare me over til another year?”

How He Loves

How do you show Love?  How do you take the thought, the feeling, the emotion of Love and turn it into action?

“He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of His wind and mercy.”

One of the greatest struggles in my life is figuring out how to take the deep love I have in my heart for those around me, those closest to me, and letting them clearly see my love for them.  Love can get hidden underneath the need to show strength, or discipline or the desire to give an appearance that everything is under control.  Love is not about the hidden; it is about a bold yet vulnerable openness to giving all that is me.  All God asks me to do is Love.  When I step aside, put away my pretense, God’s Love can shine with the brightness and warmth of a thousand suns.

“When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realize just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.”

This is a song that I actually did not like very much the first time I heard it.  David Crowder’s voice is maybe a little bit of an acquired taste; at least it was for me.  Part of me coming to love this song was my daughter Maddy telling me how much she loved it and what it meant to her.  The lyric “If grace His grace is an ocean, we’re all sinking” as well as “bending beneath the weight…” speak deeply to her.  This caused me to listen with new ears.  The song and David’s voice has become a bright and clear beacon in the cacophony of noise I hear every day.  The lyrics and melody stand strong and sure, bringing a simple yet powerful message of God’s love for us (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzfPHnoT0-0).

How does God show His love for us?  If we’re not careful, we can tend to view God through the lens of His judgment and power.  We can think He only loves us when we are good enough, do the right things, or make the choices that He sees as honoring Him.  But this is not how God’s love for us works.  It is there no matter what.

“And we are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
If his grace is an ocean, we're all sinking.”

Today, Good Friday, we will remember the arrest, torture, crucifixion and death of our Savior.  How much does God love us?

“For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.” (John 3:16-17)

For any of us who have children, although not a pleasant concept to consider, I am sure our love for them would gladly permit us to offer our own lives in lieu of theirs.  If faced with the choice of laying down our own life for the life of a child, the decision is quick and easy; without a second thought, we’d chose losing our own life as opposed to one of theirs.  This is love.

“And Heaven meets earth like an unforeseen kiss,
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest,
I don't have time to maintain these regrets,
When I think about the way He loves us”

But, if asked, would you offer up the life of your child so that someone else could live?  Someone who is completely unworthy of living?  The greatest criminal, the most abject sinner, a person filled with hate, a soul that has rejected love; would you let your child die so that this person could live?

How much does God love us?  He did exactly that.  He sent His own Son to die so that we…unworthy of such Love…could live and live a life eternal with Him.  This is Love.

“He loves us,
Oh, how He loves us,
Oh, how He loves us,
Oh, how He loves.
Yeah, He loves us,
Oh, how He loves us,
Oh, how He loves us,
Oh, how He loves.”

So today, as Christ hangs on the cross, as someone who did not deserve to be beaten, dragged and humiliated is pushed through this pain, realize why it happened.  It did not happen for some esoteric concept of sacrifice or meaningless end to a meaningful life.  It happened for one reason: Love.  Be filled with the knowledge that you are loved beyond measure, then, now and forever.  He Loves.

Washed By The Water

Memories are a funny thing.  On one hand, I sometimes can’t remember a short list of things Greta asks of me just a day after she tells me (this does not frustrate her at all…NOT!); on the other hand, I have snippets of the most random moments from throughout my life that seemingly have no relevance or context.  One of these memories is about my Grandpa Al.  Talk about someone who impacted the lives of many, his reach has extended down through generations.

“Just tryin’ to make the world a little better
You know, shine a light”

Even though he left his physical body behind and trekked off to Heaven over 30 years ago in 1981, and I was only 12 years old at the time, there are memories of him that are burned into my being.  It is easy for me to understand why I remember some of them, like Grandpa Al sitting with my brother Andy and I, showing us how to sharpen a chain saw.  How cool is that?!?  Young boys would normally never get to hang around something so potentially dangerous as we might cut our leg off or something.  But Grandpa Al was about bringing experiences to his children, grandchildren and to all around him in up close and hands on ways.

Another memory of him I have does not posses this same clarity as to its importance.  It’s actually a memory of someone speaking about him. I can clearly remember the pastor of our church growing up, Rev. John Wolf, reflecting on Grandpa Al’s life after he had passed away.  He was talking about Grandpa Al’s connection with the Bible and his faith.  He spoke about a conversation where Grandpa Al said to him, “John, do you realize how important water is?”

That’s it. That’s the memory.  It is so seemingly insignificant, but I think of it often.  It’s as if Grandpa Al continues to ask me that question over and over again as it relates to my understanding of the world.

“Even when the rain falls
Even when the flood starts rising
Even when the storm comes
I am washed by the water”

I feel like there are about a dozen more songs by NEEDTOBREATHE that I could write about.  Their music has a passion behind it that gives so much evidence, to me, that the Holy Spirit is flowing through and around us at all times.  It’s up to us if we decide to be inspired, drink, fill up our shells.  When we are still, we sense the Spirit around us and want the renewing it brings.  This song, “Washed By The Water” has a great gospel feel to it, but more importantly, it delivers the message of our opportunity to be continually renewed.  Our struggle is not one that keeps us constantly dirty; we can be cleansed of all the stuff that gets thrown at us, all of the mess we bring upon ourselves that dims our shine (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuOs3x94Wos&feature=kp).

Today is Maundy Thursday.  Christians all over the world today will celebrate Jesus’ last meal with His disciples.  At this event, Jesus, who was God on earth in the form of a man, the King of all creation, the most high, kneeled and washed His friends’ feet in perfect humility.  The remembrance of Jesus’ act and our honoring of it in washing each others’ feet in our church service later this evening is one of my very favorite moments in our liturgical year.

“Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist.  After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.  He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, ‘Lord, are you going to wash my feet?’.  Jesus replied, ‘You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.’  ‘No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.’  Jesus answered, ‘Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.’
‘Then, Lord,’ Simon Peter replied, ‘not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!’ “ (John 13:3-9)

Here again, we see my man Peter trying to mess up some blessing that was coming his way.  We are all Peter.  I love how he recovers though, telling Jesus that he is not just needing his feet washed, but everything; Peter was an all-in sort of guy.

“Even when Earth crumbles under my feet
Even when ones I love turn around and crucify me
I won't never ever let you down
I won't fall
I won't fall
I won't fall as long as you're around me”

Water and its symbolism appear throughout the Bible.  From Noah, to Moses to Jesus’ baptism, to the washing of feet, we see water as the way we move from one state of being to another.  What was the rest of conversation between Grandpa Al and Rev. Wolf?  Only they know.  But, this simple question has stayed with me my entire life.  I am always watching out for how water can impact us.

The message is this, if nothing else; no matter how dirty we get, we can always become clean.  The grime and grunge we drag ourselves through, no matter how thick or crusty it gets, God’s desire and ability to make us clean once again is more powerful than our mess.

“Even when the rain falls
Even when the flood starts rising
Even when the storm comes
I am washed by the water”

So, if you have the opportunity today, think about water.  When watching those around you wash the feet of others, you wash someone’s feet, or have your own washed, remember the promise of being clean.  There is nothing we can do to not be refreshed and renewed by the Living Water that God pours over us.  When I feel beyond hope, there is hope.  I am washed by the water.

This World

Do you yearn for Heaven?  There are certainly days when I see the things that are going on in the world…tragedy, corruption, pain…and say to myself, “Jesus, I think we’re ready for you to come back now…”

“There's tarnish on the golden rule
And I wanna jump from this ship of fools
Show me a place where hope is young
And a people who aren't afraid to love”

There is a desire that we carry around in each of us, a desire to be with our Creator.  This kernel of Heaven is placed in our hearts when we come into this world.  It is there in order that we not forget our Home, that we are the stuff of stars and of Creation.

“This world has nothing for me and this world has everything
All that I could want and nothing that I need”

I’ve heard a story about this band, Caedmon’s Call, where the father of the female band member talks about watching his barely-not-a-teenage daughter get on the first rickety tour bus, thinking, “what have I done?!?”  What an adventure he gave to her.  There are quite a few of their songs I love, especially “Hope to Carry On”.  But the one for today, “This World” speaks perfectly about the importance of our life here on earth (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjEoaUTdFXw&feature=kp).

We can often spend too much time focusing on our “eternal” life, the life we will have in Heaven for eternity with God after we leave this world.  We can point our compass off into this distance, thinking that the way we live our life today can earn us a spot “up there”.  But when we spend too much time focused on what is to come, we can miss out on the work we are called into here and the ways we can be blessed by it.  We do not allow ourselves to be crushed by the world, but to live within it, contrary to what the world demands.  My life verse:

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:2)

Think about it: when you are here in this form of an earthy being, you are unique in all of the universe.  God created you in such a specific way that only you can experience your life in the way you experience it.

“This world is making me drunk on the spirits of fear.
So when He says “who will go?”, I am nowhere near.  

And the least of these look like criminals to me
So I leave Christ on the street”

It is an understatement to say that Jesus, as a man in this world, was unique.  Although He was like us in all ways, He also knew that He was God incarnate.  He was constantly conscious of where He came from and to where He was going to return.

“…but now I am going to Him who sent me.” (John 16:5)

But we can experience the world in a way that the angels cannot.  The good, the bad, the joy and the pain; all of this will go away when we discard the bodies through which we experience these things.  When we eventually return to dust and enter a Heavenly life, we will no longer get to grasp creation in the same way.  Each day we have here provides us with a lens through which to view the world, to love, “to live deep and suck the marrow out of life” as put by Thoreau.  We will never get the same chance to draw it in again in this same way; for all of eternity.

“This world has held my hand and has led me into intolerance
But now I'm waking up, but now I'm breaking up
But now I'm making up for lost time”

So, are you spending too much time thinking about the life you will have in Heaven when you shuffle off this mortal coil?  Don’t miss the chance every moment to live in the life you were given, your life here on earth, the eternal now.  This world has everything.

Come Thou Fount Of Every Blessing

There are moments when God’s blessings are beyond measure.  Just when I think my life could not be any more blessed, something amazing will happen, forcing me to remember that God’s blessings are more abundant that I can conceive.

“Come thou fount of every blessing
Tune my heart to sing thy praise
Streams of mercy never ceasing
Call for songs of loudest praise”

He brought me into being, surrounding me with a family of parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, grandparents and cousins who poured love into me.  He built up my mind and my heart, bringing me to a place where I could recognize the person whom He planned to be my perfect partner, my amazing wife.  He blessed us with children: Eliza with her winsome charm; Rachel with her lively spirit; Maddy with a voice and heart for music.

“Teach me some melodious sonnet
Sung by flaming tongues above
Praise the mount, I’m fixed upon it
Mount of thy redeeming love”

Today’s song is very, very special.  Although you can’t really see who is singing in the video, and you’ll have to turn the volume up a bit, it is my oldest daughter Maddy and her good friend Will performing one of my very favorite hymns.  They arranged it, practiced, were chosen to perform, and surprised me with it at their choir concert earlier this year.  It was a blessing beyond words and a moment I will never forget my entire life (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9XW8M7zeWo&feature=youtu.be).

When I think about the image of a “fount”, I imagine an overflowing spring of water.  It is a source which, no matter how prolifically it continues to bring forth its refreshing coolness, it never ends.  Never.  God will bless us again and again, in ways we cannot imagine.  He is even able to take pain, sorrow, tragedy and turn these forlorn moments into great blessings.

I recognize that I am helpless without Him.  I hold onto the Rock that is the firm foundation He provides.  I pray to never let go of it so that at the end of my days here on earth, I am still with Him.

“Here I raise my Ebenezer
Hither to thy help I’ve come
And I hope by thy good measure
Safely to arrive at home”

But I do not earn – cannot earn – the abundance of blessings God brings.  In fact, except for the fact that I am a child of God, as we all are, I am far from deserving from these blessings…as we all are.  He blesses me with His Son not because I have positioned my life in some way, but because He wants me to be healed.

“Jesus sought me when a stranger
Wandering from the fold of God
He to rescue me from danger
Interposed His precious blood”

When I count the blessings God gives and gives and given again, I think, “what do I owe for all of this?”; “how can I ever repay it?”  But the truth is that I owe nothing; His gracious love to me is a gift without cost.  As I am bound to Him, even as I stray, it is in the arms of His embrace where I reside, not in a ruler’s oppressive grip.

“Oh to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be
Let thy goodness like a fetter
Bind my wandering heart to thee”

But He does want something from me.  Not because He requires it or desires a repayment of these many blessings.  He wants my heart; he wants me to offer it joyfully and of my own volition.  In my offering to Him of my heart, He perfects its ability to love, and it becomes yet another blessing back to me.

“Prone to wander Lord I feel it
Prone to leave the God I love
Here’s my heart Lord
Take and seal it
Seal it for thy courts above”

So, will you come to the fount and drink deeply?  God desires to bless us over and over and over again.  He loves us so much, wants us to be filled with His blessings so abundantly, that He gave us everything.  The universe, the stars and planets, this Earthly home is His gift to us.  But there is more. He brought to us His Son and allowed Him to experience all that we do.  He even turned the death of His Son into the greatest blessing of all; an eternal life with Him.  Here’s my heart Lord take and seal it, seal it for thy courts above.

Timshel

We have choices.  Everyday we face the struggle of what we should do, what we want to do, and what we actually end up doing.  The question always haunts us.  Can we?  Will we?

“And you have your choices
And these are what make man great
His ladder to the stars”

Mumford and Sons in another one of those bands of whom I am convinced has a deep connection to the muse that is the Holy Spirit when it comes to writing lyrics and melodies.  This song, “Timshel” is haunting and full in a way that few songs are (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kl-VCHzS1So).  That is all.  Any more words from me about the song can only diminish its magnificence.

As we move into Holy Week, we recognize the path that seems unavoidable, the path of Christ’s sacrifice.  But as we consider the series of events that are slowly approaching, we have to remember two things about Jesus; He is God, but while He was on the earth, He was a man.  Because of His willingness to come into the world and be like us, He was faced with the same temptations, the same choices that we all have every day.

Christ’s choices and the potential they represent go all the way back to the very beginning of creation and the first men who walked the earth.

The word “Timshel” is a reference to John Steinbeck’s “East of Eden”. This is one of my favorite books for many reasons, but the exchange between Lee, Adam and Samuel about the Hebrew word “Timshel” is one of my favorite revelations in all of literature.  I won’t spoil it for you, but just as I believe Marcus Mumford and his crew are in touch with the Holy Spirit’s gift of music, Steinbeck certainly got this one right.  We are the choices we make.  And they can make us triumphant.

“And I will tell the night
Whisper, "Lose your sight"
But I can't move the mountains for you”

The focus in this part of the book is about the conversation between God and Cain.   Cain has expressed frustration, is crestfallen over God’s favor for Able’s gifts of sacrifice.  God tells Cain:

“If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.” (Genesis 4:7)

And when given the choice, what does Cain do?  In the next verse, he invites Able out into the field.  And we know what happens then.

God cannot force or command us to choose the right path.  He does not even guarantee that we have the fundamental ability to make good choices at all times.  He gives us the right to choose.  He says to us “…thou mayest.”  He won't move the mountains for us.  We might do it, we might not.  But the choice is our own and when made, especially when the choice keeps us closer to the path moving ever towards Him, it is all the more valuable.  When we work for something, when we make the conscious decision to do what is right, to do the hard thing as opposed to the easy…the wrong…we are triumphant over evil.  God allows us to be the one who reaps the reward, both emotionally and spiritually, of our good choices.

Cain, a son in early scripture, makes one choice.  He chooses a death and a sacrifice of his brother that ended in damnation. Jesus, another son, also chooses death.  But His choice is death as a sacrifice of Himself.  His choice ended in salvation.  But not for Him.  His choice resulted in salvation for you, for me, for all of us.

So today, what choice will you make?  To put it bluntly, will you choose a path towards death or a path towards life?  The choice of life is its own reward and will be your own triumph.  The choice is always and eternally ours.  But thankfully, graciously, mercifully, even if we choose the path that leads away, Jesus Christ has negated it for all eternity.  Even though you might, He will.