HAPPY RESURRECTION SUNDAY

On Good Friday we mourned the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. Sunday morning, we cleebrated His resurrection. I wrote this poem a few years ago using, not my words, but words from Scripture.

REDEEMED
John 1, Matthew 27, Isiah 52:14, Psalms 22

In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, 
and the Word was God.
He was with God in the beginning.

Through Him all things were made; 
without Him nothing was made
that has been made.
He became flesh and lived among us.

In Him was life, and that life was
the light of men.
The light shines in darkness,
but the darkness has not understood it.

At the appointed time in history, 
foretold by prolphets of old,
a bloodied and beaten body,
marred beyond human likeness,
was nailed to the cross.

The mid-day sun was replaced by 
darkness over all the land.
He was heard to cry out;
"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
Then, He gave up His spirit.

At that very moment the curtain of the temple
was torn in two top to bottom.
The law had been fulfilled.
Now we have free access
to God the Father
through the living Word, Jesus Christ.

The earth shook that day, the rocks split,
tombs broke open and
bodies were raised to life.
Those present exclaimed, "Surely,
this is the Son of God."

It is finished
I've been redeemed.
To God be the glory!

Let's take a closer look at the Biblical story of Jesus. The very first stanza tells us that from the beginning - there was Jesus. Remember how Genesis describes creation? Many times we see this phrase. . .
"and God said". God called our world into being with those words; Jesus is the WORD and God spoke Him into being from the very very beginning. 

Second stanza we see Jesus isn't only our Savior, He also is our creator. John 1:14 - "He became flesh and lived among us." This refers to His birth in Bethlehem. 

The fourth stanza talks about prophesey - "At the appointed time in history foretold by prophets of old..."  Jesus was on a mission to save those who were 'lost'. He was nailed to a cross in order to pay the penalty of sin for all who would come to believe in him. 

In the fifth stanza we see it became very dark in all the land, and Jesus, being fully human and fully divine gave in to His humanity and cried out in pain asking the question, "why have you forsaken me?" As we stumble through this world and suffer through our human condition, we too wonder sometimes if God has forsaken us.  Then it says that He gave up His spirit: He willingly paid the price for our sin. 

In the sixth stanza the Bible says the temple curtain was torn in two from top to bottom. That was no small thing! It was terribly heavy, so heavy that it took about thirty men to move it - made of a tightly woven material and covered what was called by the Jews - 'The Holy of Holiest'. Only the head priest could go into this room. They tied a rope around his ankle in case he should faint, or die, they could pull him out without entering this very holy place. 

The law had been fulfilled by the death (and soon to be resurrection) so now we had free access to God the Father through the living Word, Jesus. We can go directly to God, the barrier (curtain) has been torn down between God and the un-Godly, us!

Finally, in the seventh stanza, a huge earthquake is described, some were raised to life (we don't know who - at least I don't)  and they knew. . ."Surely this is the Son of God!"

John records in verse 30 that Jesus said, "It is finished." So let's all live like it is finished - Jesus came, died, rose again (I Cor. 15) so we would be accepted as a child of God. Our fate has been sealed, we are bound for heaven and no one can take that away from us. 

"Now it is God who makes us stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come." 2 Cor. 1:21

So what? Well, this is 'so what' - we are free to take on the day, take on our life with all it's struggles and disappointemnts knowing God loves us, has prepared a plan for our lives and we will live in eternity with Him someday - signed sealed and delivered. 


Thank you Lord for doing all this for us, not because we deserve it, but by Your love and grace..