Happy Easter, everyone! He is risen!
The day dawned gloriously bright and sunny. It was strange though, because I can't remember having a white Easter before...it was also bitingly cold and quite windy. But the sunshine was wonderful! I went to church, had lunch with a friend, and then read part of a John Piper book that was really good. The rest of the day was really nice as well.
I love Easter, because it really brings Christ's amazing work into sharp focus (which should really be remembered every day, but I usually need the extra reminder).
This guy doesn't sing, but I like the way he plays one of my favorite hymns, so I put the lyrics below from hymnsite.com
O sacred Head, now wounded,
with grief and shame weighed down,
now scornfully surrounded with thorns, thine only crown:
how pale thou art with anguish,
with sore abuse and scorn!
How does that visage languish
which once was bright as morn!
What thou, my Lord, has suffered
was all for sinners' gain;
mine, mine was the transgression,
but thine the deadly pain.
Lo, here I fall, my Savior!
'Tis I deserve thy place;
look on me with thy favor,
vouchsafe to me thy grace.
What language shall I borrow
to thank thee, dearest friend,
for this thy dying sorrow,
thy pity without end?
O make me thine forever;
and should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never, never
outlive my love for thee.
Comments
At first, the message of the lyrics can seem to be depressing until we realize the veracity of it. We who were created in God's image and given only 1 rule to obey, chose to defy the wisdom of our loving Father. The result is that we DON'T deserve all that He lavishes on us in His abundant grace. We DO deserve what Jesus endured on the cross, but because of God's mercy, Jesus did it in our place.
The 3rd verse is triumphant as it declares how thankful we are for this merciful exchange. For myself, I NEVER want to outlive my love for the God who rescued me from sin because He loves me so much.
Thanks for this vital reminder of our deep need and how Jesus met it and why He was willing to suffer in our place.