Easter Sunday (Sunday, 31 March 2024)

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Easter Sunday

It is no overstatement to declare that today is the most important day in the Christian year, commemorating the most important day in human history. The Resurrection is the “Sine Qua Non” of the Christian faith, the “without which not,” meaning if you take away the Resurrection there is no reason for our faith. As the Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians:

“If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.”—1 Corinthians 15:13-14 (NIV)

But the message of today is that Christ has been raised. He is risen—he is risen indeed! Paul goes on to say:

“But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.”—1 Corinthians 15:20-22 (NIV)

Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, and because of that truth all will be made alive. That is what we celebrate today. The somberness of our Lenten journey gives way to a shout of victory, and the shadow of the cross gives way to the glorious light of Easter morn.

For today’s devotional we will be offering passages of Scripture followed by songs for worship and reflection. You’re invited to read each passage slowly and meditatively, paying attention to the movement of your soul. What moments in the story, or phrases from the different passages, resonate most with you? How would you have responded had you been there on that first Easter? How will you choose to respond today in prayer and gratitude?

You may wish to spread out these passages and songs through the day rather than reading and listening to them all at once. However you choose to spend time with God today, we pray this Scripture and music will encourage and bless you.

We begin at the garden early in the morning, as the women make their way to the tomb, leading us into a time of worship in response to what they discovered—the stone is rolled away! The tomb is empty!

He is risen! He is risen, indeed!

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Scripture for Meditation:

When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. They had been saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?”

When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed.

But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.”
—Mark 16:1-7 (NRSV)

Song: Is It All Over Now?

Just yesterday in our sorrow,
We tenderly buried the King like a beggar,
Now I despise His light in my eyes,
What has it all been for?
Where will I go?
And what will I do?
Is it all over now?
Why did He live?
And what did He die for?
Still I believe somehow

Last night, as I slept, thru the tears I had wept,
I remembered a curious promise.
What was it He said?
He would rise from the dead
What a desolate hope to cling to.
Where will I go?
And what will I do?
Is it all over now?
Why did He live?
And what did He die for?
Still I believe somehow, somehow

Early this morning, before the sun's dawning,
We came to take care of the body
Trembling with fear, our hope became clear,
As we looked in the empty tomb
How could it be?
And what does it mean?
We'd seen His body so lifeless
Now it is gone
My hope can live on
Jesus is really risen, He's risen

Michael Card
© 2012 Mole End Music

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Scripture for Meditation:

So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
—Matthew 28:8-10 (NRSV)

Song: Jesus Christ is Risen Today

Jesus Christ is ris'n today, Alleluia!
Our triumphant holy day, Alleluia!
Who did once, upon the cross, Alleluia!
Suffer to redeem our loss, Alleluia!

Hymns of praise then let us sing, Alleluia!
Unto Christ, our heav'nly King, Alleluia!
Who endured the cross and grave, Alleluia!
Sinners to redeem and save, Alleluia!

But the pains which He endured, Alleluia!
Our salvation have procured; Alleluia!
Now above the sky He's King, Alleluia!
Where the angels ever sing: Alleluia!

Sing we to our God above, Alleluia!
Praise eternal as His love, Alleluia!
Praise Him, all you heavenly host, Alleluia!
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, Alleluia!

Samuel Arnold
© Words: Public Domain; Music: Public Domain

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Scripture for Meditation:

When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors were locked where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
—John 20:19-23

Song: Crown Him With Many Crowns

Crown Him with many crowns
The Lamb upon His Throne
Hark how heavenly anthem drowns
All music but its own
Awake my soul and sing
Of Him Who died for thee
And hail Him as thy matchless King
Thru all eternity

Crown Him the Lord of Love
Behold His Hands and Side
Rich wounds yet visible above in beauty glorified
No angel in the sky
Can fully bear that sight
But downward bends His burning Eye
At mysteries so bright

Crown Him the Lord of Life
Who triumphed o'er the grave
Who rose victorious in the strife
For those He came to save
His Glories now we sing
Who died and rose on high
Who died eternal life to bring
And lives that death may die

Crown Him the Lord of Years
The Potentate of time
Creator of the rolling spheres
Ineffably Sublime
All hail Redeemer hail
For Thou hast died for me
Thy praise shall never never fail
Through all eternity

Fernando Ortega | Godfrey Thring | Matthew Bridges
© Words: Public Domain; Music: 2006 Cerdo Verde Music; Curb Songs

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Scripture for Meditation:

What I am saying, brothers and sisters, is this: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I will tell you a mystery! We will not all die, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable body must put on imperishability, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When this perishable body puts on imperishability, and this mortal body puts on immortality, then the saying that is written will be fulfilled:

“Death has been swallowed up in victory.
Where, O death, is your victory?Where, O death, is your sting?”

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
—1 Corinthians 15:50-57 (NRSV)

Song: I Will Rise

There's a peace I've come to know
Though my heart and flesh may fail
There's an anchor for my soul
I can say it is well

Jesus has overcome
And the grave is overwhelmed
The victory is won
He is risen from the dead

And I will rise when He calls my name
No more sorrow no more pain
I will rise on eagle's wings
Before my God fall on my knees
And rise I will rise

There's a day that's drawing near
When this darkness breaks to light
And the shadows disappear
And my faith shall be my eyes

Jesus has overcome
And the grave is overwhelmed
The victory is won
He is risen from the dead

And I will rise when He calls my name
No more sorrow no more pain
I will rise on eagle's wings
Before my God fall on my knees
And rise I will rise

And I hear the voice of many angels sing
Worthy is the Lamb
And I hear the cry of ev'ry longing heart
Worthy is the Lamb

And I will rise when He calls my name
No more sorrow no more pain
I will rise on eagle's wings
Before my God fall on my knees
And rise I will rise

Chris Tomlin | Jesse Reeves | Louie Giglio | Matt Maher
© 2008 Rising Springs Music; Vamos Publishing; worshiptogether.com songs; spiritandsong.com; Thankyou Music

Holy Saturday (Saturday, 30 March 2024)

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As this is the weekend of Holy Week, we step out of our practice of offering an instrumental reflection on Saturday to instead offer a song that is very appropriate for today.

Words of Reflection

Today is the final day of Lent.

It is called a number of different things in various church traditions:

Holy Saturday
Great and Holy Saturday
The Great Sabbath
Hallelujah Saturday
Saturday of the Gloria
Black Saturday
Joyous Saturday
The Saturday of Light

That’s quite a range, if you think about it. What intrigues me is that, apart from “Black Saturday,” all of these titles for today have a fairly positive connotation: it’s holy, great, joyous, filled with light and hallelujahs.

I’m not usually one to argue with centuries of church tradition, but that is not what the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter brings to mind for me. Every year on this day my mind wanders back to a group of friends and disciples, scattered and frightened, wondering what had just happened. The one in whom they trusted, the one they looked to as “rabbi,” the one they saw as the long-awaited Christ of God, lay dead in a tomb. Looking back, we can be tempted to shake our heads and wonder at their cluelessness. Didn’t Jesus tell them he’d be raised? Didn’t he assure them, “In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me” (John 16:16) in a clear promise of his resurrection? What’s their deal?

Their deal is…they’re human.

We can’t begin to imagine the shock and grief that swept over their souls as they processed what had just taken place. One of their own betrayed Jesus. Their friend and teacher was falsely accused, brutally tortured, and subjected to the most painful and humiliating death possible. Even a brief moment of hope for release was dashed when the crowd chose Barabbas over Jesus. Add to that the fear that they themselves could be next. We can’t enter into that depth of emotion 2,000 years later.

We don’t know what the disciples did on Saturday. It was the Sabbath, after all, so they probably did very little. But I can’t help but imagine…did any of them brave going outside in their grief, perhaps taking a walk to view the tomb? Probably not, given the fact that the tomb was guarded, but I know it would have been a temptation had I been there. In my grief, pain, and disappointment, I would want to go and just sit near the tomb while I poured out my anger and frustration to God. I would have so many questions:

How could you let this happen?
Was it all a lie?
What am I supposed to do now?
Where were you?
Where are you?

As I picture that garden tomb on Saturday, my heart and soul are filled with the reality that on that particular day the answers would not be found. On that day the questions would most likely be met by a resounding silence. Yes, on the next day it would be broken, but for now…it is silence.

We may not be able to enter into the hearts and minds of the disciples on that day, but we do know that silence. Any Christian who says they have not at one time or another wrestled with the sense that God is silent is not being completely honest with themselves. We all have seasons where the questions echo in what seems to be empty space. It’s not empty, but in that moment it most decidedly seems so.

The mystery of God’s silence is a good one to sit with on this day. As we sit with that mystery, we can identify with Christ’s disciples, if only in a small way. And we can pray for all those who are sitting with that silence in a very real way right now. If it were up to me, this day would be called “Silent Saturday,” which in itself is an invitation.

Tomorrow that silence will give way to a resounding “Hallelujah,” but for today…let’s remember that this, too, is holy ground.

Scripture for Meditation:

How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?

How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
and day after day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?

Look on me and answer, Lord my God.
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death,
and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”
and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

But I trust in your unfailing love;
my heart rejoices in your salvation.

I will sing the Lord’s praise,
for he has been good to me.
—Psalm 13 (NIV)

Song: The Silence of God

It's enough to drive a man crazy; it'll break a man's faith
It's enough to make him wonder if he's ever been sane
When he's bleating for comfort from Thy staff and Thy rod
And the heaven's only answer is the silence of God

It'll shake a man's timbers when he loses his heart
When he has to remember what broke him apart
This yoke may be easy, but this burden is not
When the crying fields are frozen by the silence of God

But when you have to listen to the voices of the mob
Who are reeling in the throes of all the happiness they've got
When they tell you all their troubles have been nailed up to that cross
Then what about the times when even followers get lost?
'Cause we all get lost sometimes...

There's a statue of Jesus on a monastery knoll
In the hills of Kentucky, all quiet and cold
He's kneeling in the garden, as silent as a stone
And all His friends are sleeping and He's weeping all alone

And the man of all sorrows, he never forgot
What sorrow is carried by the hearts that he bought
So when the questions dissolve into the silence of God
The aching may remain, but the breaking does not
The aching may remain, but the breaking does not
In the holy, lonesome echo of the silence of God

Andrew Peterson
© 2003 New Spring

Praying at the Foot of the Cross:

How do you think you would have spent that Saturday so long ago if you were one of Jesus’ followers? What emotions would sit at the forefront of your soul? How does imagining their experience help us prepare for our Easter celebration?

Have you had seasons of your life when God has seemed silent? Offer to God your own “Silent Saturdays” and your willingness to sit in that mystery.

Spend some time prayerfully considering this quote from Oswald Chambers:

“When you cannot hear God, you will find that He has trusted you in the most intimate way possible— with absolute silence, not a silence of despair, but one of pleasure, because He saw that you could withstand an even bigger revelation. If God has given you a silence, then praise Him— He is bringing you into the mainstream of His purposes.”—Oswald Chamber, My Utmost for His Highest (Oct. 11)

Good Friday (Friday, 29 March 2024)

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(please note—versions of songs on the playlist may differ from those used here)

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Words of Reflection

What words are sufficient for this day? What can possibly be said in response to the cross of Christ? Preachers have proclaimed its power, theologians have debated its meaning, artists have represented its mystery, and disciples have abided in its sufficiency for almost 2000 years, and yet we have only scratched the surface of everything the cross represents.

We do not undertake a Lenten journey in order to study, even though study can be part of our journey. We make our way through these 40 days so that we might enter into the truth and reality of what God has done for us. We walk with Jesus in order to know him better, and to better know the depth of his sacrifice for us. A Lenten journey is experiential. It is surrendering ourselves to the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, inviting him to impart deeper and deeper levels of understanding of what took place at Calvary.

And now we have arrived. We have come to the darkest day in humanity’s history, as the Son of God willingly offers himself up to death on our behalf.

What can we say?

One thing we can offer is a request: “Lord, let me not avert my eyes,” for the temptation to do that is strong. We don’t want to watch. It’s too much. If we want to finish our Lenten journey in a way that honors every other step we’ve taken with Jesus along the path to Jerusalem, we need to take the final step and confront the cruelty, the pain, the suffering, and ultimately the majesty of the cross. It is God’s greatest declaration of love, and we stand in awe.

Or as the spiritual puts it, “Sometimes it causes me to tremble.”

As well it should. And so the invitation today is to embrace the trembling reality of the cross, for only there can we begin to grasp the breathtaking reality of God’s love. We may not have been there, but we can still linger there as we mark this holiest of days.

Scripture for Meditation:

“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”
—1 John 4:10 (NIV)

Song: Were You There

Were you there when they crucified my Lord
Were you there when they crucified my Lord
O sometimes it causes me to tremble tremble tremble
Were you there when they crucified my Lord

Were you there when they nailed Him to the tree
Were you there when they nailed Him to the tree
O sometimes it causes me to tremble tremble tremble
Were you there when they nailed Him to the tree

Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb
Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb
O sometimes it causes me to tremble tremble tremble
Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb

Frederick J. Work | John W. Work Jr.
© Words: Public Domain; Music: Public Domain

Praying at the Foot of the Cross:

For our reflection today, you are invited to enter into a spiritual discipline called “Praying With Imagination.” It is an ancient practice that invites us into a Scripture text in a way that engages our whole being: soul, mind, and spirit. It is a powerful reminder that the word of God is “living and active” (Heb. 4:12), as we prayerfully imagine that we are right in the midst of it.

In the novel Sensible Shoes, retreat leader Katherine Rhodes gives very simple instructions for praying with imagination:

—Listen to the story.
—Imagine you are there.
—What do you see? Hear? Feel?
—Where are you in the story?
—Then talk to God about whatever you notice.

Begin by asking the Holy Spirit to let this story from the Scriptures come alive for you in a new way. Then read the story out loud, slowly, perhaps a couple of times. After reading it, sit with the questions, and finish by talking to God about what you notice. You might want to consider having a journal handy to record your reflections and reactions. After the text below you will find a closing prayer for Good Friday.

Our text is the Good Friday story from the gospel of Luke 23:33-49:

When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.”

The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.”

There was a written notice above him, which read: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”

But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”

Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

The Death of Jesus

It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last.

The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, “Surely this was a righteous man.” When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away. But all those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.

A Closing Prayer

Lord Jesus, you carried our sins in your own body on the tree,
You came so that we might have life.
May we and all who remember this day find new life in you,
Now and in the world to come,
Where you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
One God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Maundy Thursday (Thursday, 28 March 2024)

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(please note—versions of songs on the playlist may differ from those used here)

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Words of Reflection

It is the night before Jesus’ death. A time for one final meal, one last celebration of the Passover with his closest friends. As he serves the meal, Jesus gives it new meaning that has been central to Christian worship ever since:

“While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, ‘Take and eat; this is my body.’

Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”—Matthew 26:26-29 (NIV)

Jesus knows this is the last time he will sit at this table with his disciples. Even though there is a promise of a new table in a new kingdom one day, it does not diminish the sadness of this moment, a sadness that will reach further depths in what happens next.

After the meal, Jesus and his disciples make their way to Gethsemane, a garden at the foot of the Mount of Olives. He takes Peter, James, and John with him to a secluded place in the garden and makes clear what is on his heart in this moment:

“My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”—Matthew 26:38 (NIV)

It is a difficult thing to imagine, the Son of God being sorrowful “to the point of death.” But Jesus is fully human, and as much as he knows the importance of what is about to happen, as much as he knows that it will not end with his death…the enormity of it all seems too much to bear. And what is it that he asks in this heartrending moment?

He asks his friends to stay with him and keep watch with him while he prays.

Much has been made through the centuries of the failure of Peter, James, and John to stay awake and do what Jesus has asked. It is incredibly sad that Jesus has to face that night alone, and I can only assume that the disciples (as usual) simply don’t understand the significance of what is taking place.

But we do. And knowing the significance of what the next few days mean, perhaps the best way to mark this Holy Thursday is to simply sit with Jesus and pray.

Stay with me here
Stay with me
And keep watch with me

Scripture for Meditation:

And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me, yet not what I want but what you want.” Then he came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, “So, could you not stay awake with me one hour? Stay awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Again he went away for the second time and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.”
—Matthew 26:39-42 (NRSV)

Song: Stay With Me Here

My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow
My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow
To the point of death
My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow
Stay with me here
Stay with me here
Stay with me
And keep watch with me
Stay with me here
And keep watch with me

Fernando Ortega
℗ 2017 Fernando Ortega

Questions for Contemplation:

How will you keep watch with Jesus today? As you sit with him, what images or words from Jesus’ last night before his death resonate most with you? How does that lead you into prayer?

Read and contemplate this quote from author and speaker Kathy Howard. Who does it bring to mind? Spend some time in prayer for them as they sit in their own Gethsemane.

“As I think about His solitude in that garden, I am reminded to pray for all of those who are sitting up in their own Garden of Gethsemane tonight. I think of anxious hearts that feel all alone while the rest of the world is sleeping away…Tonight, as I reread the final earthly prayer of Jesus, my soul needs to keep watch, as if to give to Him this small gesture of love.”—Kathy Howard

Sitting with Jesus is often a time of silent waiting. Spend some time in silent prayer as you allow God to prepare your heart for what the next few days hold.

Wednesday of Holy Week (Wednesday, 27 March 2024)

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(please note—versions of songs on the playlist may differ from those used here)

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Words of Reflection

Tomorrow the journey to the cross takes a crucial turn. Events are set in motion on Thursday of Holy Week that lead quickly to Christ’s arrest, torture, and execution. Each of the coming days has a specific event or theme that will guide us in our devotional journey, and if we’re honest they will take us to places that are sad and difficult. We know where the story lands come Sunday morning, but the journey to that day is not an easy one.

From the very beginning of this Lenten journey it has been our prayer that you have been keenly aware of the passionate, pursuing love of God that sits at the heart of what this week is all about. It is love that brought Jesus to earth, and it is love that now brings him to the cross.

How can we begin to even imagine so great a love? What words can we use to describe it? Our vocabulary isn’t extensive enough to capture it in its completeness. Paul himself acknowledged this, saying that the love of Jesus “surpasses knowledge” (Eph. 3:19). There are many words and terms available to us, yet the word that sits at the center of today’s song is one that may catch us off guard, and may even cause us to push back:

Reckless

At first glance it may seem an inappropriate word to associate with God. Songwriter Cory Asbury responded to that concern by referencing the incident in Luke 15 where Jesus is criticized for eating with sinners and tax collectors. Jesus responds by sharing parables of love that goes to great lengths, even putting oneself at risk, to reclaim that which was lost. In the eyes of the world, Asbury says, that kind of love is seen as reckless.

"When I used the phrase 'the reckless love of God,' when we say it, we're not saying that God himself is reckless. He's not crazy…What I mean is this: He's utterly unconcerned with the consequences of his actions with regard to his own safety, comfort, and well-being....His love doesn't consider himself first. It isn't selfish or self-serving. He doesn't wonder what he'll gain or lose by putting himself on the line."—Cory Asbury (you can listen to him share more about the song here)

Embracing the idea that God’s love is “reckless” is to acknowledge that the kind of love we see in the cross makes no sense from a worldly perspective. In fact, Paul called it “foolishness” (1 Cor. 1:18). But in the context of divine love it is not foolish at all. It is willing to give itself away for the hope that we will respond in kind and return to the one who “paid it all for me.”

There’s no shadow You won’t light up
Mountain You won’t climb up
Coming after me
There’s no wall You won’t kick down
Lie You won’t tear down
Coming after me

Scripture for Meditation:

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
—Ephesians 3:14-19 (NRSV)

Song: Reckless Love

Before I spoke a word You were singing over me
You have been so so good to me
Before I took a breath You breathed Your life in me
You have been so so kind to me

Oh the overwhelming never-ending reckless love of God
Oh it chases me down fights 'til I'm found
Leaves the ninety-nine
I couldn't earn it I don't deserve it
Still You give Yourself away
Oh the overwhelming never-ending reckless love of God

When I was Your foe still Your love fought for me
You have been so so good to me
When I felt no worth You paid it all for me
You have been so so kind to me

Oh the overwhelming never-ending reckless love of God
Oh it chases me down fights 'til I'm found
Leaves the ninety-nine
I couldn't earn it I don't deserve it
Still You give Yourself away
Oh the overwhelming never-ending reckless love of God

There's no shadow You won't light up
Mountain You won't climb up
Coming after me
There's no wall You won't kick down
Lie You won't tear down
Coming after me

Oh the overwhelming never-ending reckless love of God
Oh it chases me down fights 'til I'm found
Leaves the ninety-nine
I couldn't earn it I don't deserve it
Still You give Yourself away
Oh the overwhelming never-ending reckless love of God

Caleb Culver | Cory Asbury | Ran Jackson
© 2017 Richmond Park Publishing; Bethel Music Publishing; Cory Asbury Publishing; Watershed Worship Publishing

Questions for Contemplation:

How do you respond to the word “reckless” being used to describe the love of God? Use your reaction, positive or negative, to start a conversation with God about how you understand his love.

Overwhelming...never-ending…reckless…three words from today’s song used to describe God’s love. What other words come to your mind, maybe even gleaned from other songs/hymns?

What does it mean for you to be “rooted” and “grounded’ in love? Spend some time in prayer asking God to build that foundation of his love into your life in new and deeper ways.

Tuesday of Holy Week (Tuesday, 26 March 2024)

If you’re new to Lenten Song Reflections, click here to learn about it

Click here to follow the Lenten Song Reflections playlist on Spotify.
(please note—versions of songs on the playlist may differ from those used here)

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Words of Reflection

Yes, you read that correctly. Today’s song is “Come Thou Long Expected Jesus.” Why a Christmas hymn in the middle of holy week? It has to do with the teaching Jesus offers after arriving in Jerusalem for the Passover, a passage we traditionally refer to as the “Olivet Discourse.” It’s understood to have been preached on the Tuesday of Holy Week from the Mount of Olives.

The Olivet Discourse is not an easy teaching by any means, which is consistent with the mood of the week. It begins with a question from the disciples in response to Jesus’ declaration that one day the temple itself will be razed to the ground:

“As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. ‘Tell us,’ they said, ‘when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?’”—Matthew 24:3 (NIV)

The teaching that follows in Matthew 24 and 25, and the picture of the end times that Jesus paints, have been debated by theologians time and again, and will be until the words in those passages come to pass. It isn’t fruitful, especially during Holy Week, to get too distracted by the desire to “figure it out.” What is helpful is to draw from it some simple, yet important, spiritual truths and principles:

1. Jesus will return.

2. Nobody knows when Jesus will return except God himself.

3. The days leading up to his return will be fraught with chaos, in both the spiritual and natural realms.

4. His return will bring a revelation of each person’s soul.

5. The people of God, while they wait for his return, should be wise and expectant.

Jesus thought it important to share this teaching with his disciples in the days leading up to his crucifixion, so it makes sense for us to ponder it as well as we journey through Holy Week.

But why a Christmas hymn?

“Come Thou Long Expected Jesus” is indeed a song for the Christmas season, but, like so many of our reflections on the coming of Jesus at the nativity, it also points us to his second coming. The language of the hymn is filled with wonderful and significant kingdom language for us to ponder as Easter approaches. This particular carol reminds us that Jesus is:

—The one who has come to set us free from fear and sin
—Our deliverer and desire
—Our strength, consolation, hope, and joy
—The one who rules in our hearts
—The King who brings in his gracious kingdom
—The one who will one day raise us to his glorious throne

As we look ahead to the cross outside Jerusalem, we are also invited to look back to where it all began: a stable in Bethlehem. And we also look up, knowing that the day is coming when God’s Kingdom will come in all of its fullness and glory. Until that day we heed the words of Christ to be diligent and good stewards of our time and kingdom resources, and also his call to “keep watch.”

Come, thou long expected One.

Scripture for Meditation:

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,

“See, the home of God is among mortals.
He will dwell with them;
they will be his peoples,
and God himself will be with them and be their God;

He will wipe every tear from their eyes.
Death will be no more;
mourning and crying and pain will be no more,
for the first things have passed away.”

And the one who was seated on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new.”
—Revelation 21:1-5a (NRSV)

Song: Come Thou Long Expected Jesus

Come Thou long expected Jesus
Born to set Thy people free
From our fears and sins release us
Let us find our rest in Thee
Israel's strength and consolation
Hope of all the earth Thou art
Dear desire of every nation
Joy of every longing heart

Born Thy people to deliver
Born a child and yet a King
Born to reign in us forever
Now Thy gracious Kingdom bring
By Thine own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone
By Thine all sufficient merit
Raise us to Thy glorious throne

Charles Wesley | Rowland Hugh Prichard
© Words: Public Domain; Music: Public Domain

Here are a few different versions of the carol for you, depending on your musical mood today:

A LILTING CELTIC VERSION:

A QUiET PEACEFUL VERSiON:

AN UPBEAT WORSHIP VERSION (WITH A NEW CHORUS):

A CAPPELLA VOCAL WITH CHOIR:

Questions for Contemplation:

How does looking back on the nativity impact your reflections during Holy Week? Spend some time sitting with the wonder of the incarnation, knowing that the baby in the manger is now the man on the cross, offering his life for you.

From what “fears and sins” do you most need to be released? Spend some time with God being honest about them, and find rest in the one who is the “hope of all the earth.”

Which of these descriptions of Jesus from the hymn speaks most to you today? Why?

—The one who has come to set us free from fear and sin

—Our deliverer and desire

—Our strength, consolation, hope, and joy

—The one who rules in our hearts

—The King who brings in his gracious kingdom

—The one who will one day raise us to his glorious throne

Monday of Holy Week (Monday, 25 March 2024)

If you’re new to Lenten Song Reflections, click here to learn about it

Click here to follow the Lenten Song Reflections playlist on Spotify.
(please note—versions of songs on the playlist may differ from those used here)

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Words of Reflection

The excitement of Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem has subsided. The religious leaders are on alert, having been greatly concerned by the crowd’s fervor in welcoming Jesus to the city. The events that will lead to Friday have started to unfold.

You can almost imagine the disciples, aware of mounting tension and danger in the city, quietly hoping Jesus will keep to himself and not cause too much of a stir. That’s not what happens, not by a long shot, as all three Synoptic gospels go on to tell:

“Then they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling and those who were buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves, and he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. He was teaching and saying,

Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.’

And when the chief priests and the scribes heard it, they kept looking for a way to kill him, for they were afraid of him because the whole crowd was spellbound by his teaching. And when evening came, Jesus and his disciples[a] went out of the city.”—Mark 11:15-19 (NRSV)

The people coming to Jerusalem for the Passover need animals for the sacrifice, and out of that need the merchants and money changers see an opportunity for profit, even here at the temple. It seems the laws of supply and demand have overshadowed the Law of God.

Jesus is rightfully upset, and it shows. He throws the money changers out, blocks their way, and begins to teach the crowd, who stand amazed at what he says. And the religious leaders take note. They perceive a threat.

Jesus is a threat. That’s not a word we necessarily want to associate with Jesus, but it’s an accurate one. In Jerusalem that first Holy Week Jesus is a threat to entrenched systems of religious abuse and hypocrisy. And as the week plays out, he will show himself to be a threat to the entrenched powers of sin and death, which will tremble and fall in defeat as he fulfills God’s plan of salvation.

To anything that sets itself up against God, Jesus will always be a threat. He still moves through temples, and he still overturns those practices and idols that do not belong there. The temples he cleanses today can be churches, but they are also the hearts of those who desire to follow him. Especially during Lent, we invite Jesus into our hearts and lives and give him permission to do what he did that day in the temple. We invite him to cleanse us of anything that is not of him.

As we approach the cross of Calvary, may this be our prayer:

Give us clean hands give us pure hearts. Let us not lift our souls to another.

Scripture for Meditation:

Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
—Hebrews 10:19-23 (NIV)

Song: Give Us Clean Hands

We bow our hearts we bend our knees
Oh Spirit come make us humble
We turn our eyes from evil things
Oh Lord we cast down our idols

Give us clean hands give us pure hearts
Let us not lift our souls to another
Give us clean hands give us pure hearts
Let us not lift our souls to another
Oh God let us be a generation that seeks
That seeks Your face oh God of Jacob
Oh God let us be a generation that seeks
That seeks Your face oh God of Jacob

Charlie Hall
© 2000 sixsteps Music; worshiptogether.com songs

Questions for Contemplation:

How do you respond to the idea that Jesus is a “threat” to the things in our lives that are not of God? What would it look like for you to accept him in that way, while always remembering his motivation is love?

When you ponder the song lyrics, “Let us not lift our souls to another,” what is that “other” in your life? What desires, forces, habits, or entities can often replace God in your life as an object or worship?

Here is the text of an ancient prayer of confession. Offer it to God, substituting “I” for “we,” and watch for the movement of your soul as you pray. Is there any part of this prayer that signals something in your life that needs attention, maybe even needs to be overturned?

Merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed. We have not loved you with our whole heart and mind and strength; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. In your mercy, forgive what we have been, help us amend what we are, and direct what we shall be, so that we may delight in your will and walk in your ways, to the glory of your holy name. Amen.

Palm Sunday (Sunday, 24 March 2024)

If you’re new to Lenten Song Reflections, click here to learn about it

Click here to follow the Lenten Song Reflections playlist on Spotify.
(please note—versions of songs on the playlist may differ from those used here)

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Words of Reflection

During Holy Week we often face a temptation to “fast forward.” We normally talk about that in relation to the time between Good Friday and Easter, but there is another temptation to jump ahead that we face: moving too quickly from Palm Sunday to Good Friday.

This is our last “mini-Easter” before the real thing. And as we’ve learned on our Lenten journey, these are days of celebration. We may not embrace the Easter imagery in all of its fullness, but on these Sundays we remind ourselves that what is taking place is something amazing, wonderful, and worthy of praise. We remind ourselves that the cross we are journeying towards is not the place where the story ends. On these days we let our rejoicing be loud and real.

In that respect, the crowd welcoming Jesus into the city had it right. They may not have understood the real reason the Messiah had come, but they certainly recognized that the Messiah was in their midst. Their shouts confirm this:

“The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,

‘Hosanna!’

‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’

‘Blessed is the king of Israel!’”—John 12:12-13 (NIV)

These are purposeful words. The shouts of Hosanna literally mean, “Save!” The imagery of palm branches is often linked to Messianic victory, and Jesus is referred to as “King" (and is even linked to King David in Mark’s account), all of which point to the crowd’s clear understanding that something historical is taking place. The Messiah has come to Jerusalem. The promised deliverance is about to be made real in their midst. Even if they don’t see clearly how it will take place, they at least see it.

And they celebrate.

The coming days are not for the faint of heart. They weren’t 2,000 years ago. They aren’t now. They are filled with anger, grief, injustice, false accusations, torture, and death. And we do well to meditate on them before we proclaim the fullness of the empty tomb.

But as we enter into this week, we also do well to celebrate what God is doing. So let’s welcome Jesus into our midst anew. Let’s throw the doors open wide and let the music play. On this mini-Easter, let songs of hope and joy lift our spirits, even as we know what the coming days hold. Because what they ultimately hold is our deliverance. The darkness is trembling, sin and death are facing their defeat, and the injustices that have defined humanity’s existence since the garden are about to meet their match.

We can celebrate that today.

Scripture for Meditation:

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace,
who brings good news, who announces salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”

Listen! Your sentinels lift up their voices, together they sing for joy;
for in plain sight they see the return of the Lord to Zion.

Break forth together into singing, you ruins of Jerusalem;
for the Lord has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem.

The Lord has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations;
and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.
—Isaiah 52:7-10 (NRSV)

Song: Hosanna (Praise is Rising)

Praise is rising
Eyes are turning to You
We turn to You
Hope is stirring
Hearts are yearning for You
We long for You

'Cause when we see You
We find strength to face the day
In Your presence
All our fears are washed away, washed away

Hosanna hosanna
You are the God who saves us
Worthy of all our praises
Hosanna hosanna
Come have Your way among us
We welcome You here Lord Jesus

Hear the sound of
Hearts returning to You
We turn to You
In Your Kingdom
Broken lives are made new
You make us new

'Cause when we see You
We find strength to face the day
In Your presence
All our fears are washed away, washed away

Hosanna hosanna
You are the God who saves us
Worthy of all our praises
Hosanna hosanna
Come have Your way among us
We welcome You here Lord Jesus

Brenton Brown | Paul Baloche
© 2005, 2006 Integrity's Hosanna! Music; Thankyou Music

Questions for Contemplation:

Today we simply focus our time of contemplation on our celebration of this day:

-How will you celebrate today?
-What will you do today to rejoice at the coming of the Messiah?
-How will you shout “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” on this Palm Sunday?
-What makes you thankful and overflowing with praise at the arrival of Jesus?

Here are some additional celebration songs to help you enter into the joy of this important day:

Here’s a song that was written for Christmas, but pay attention to the lyrics and how they speak to our Lenten journey and especially Palm Sunday:

Thirty-Fourth Day of Lent (Saturday, 23 March 2024)

If you’re new to Lenten Song Reflections, click here to learn about it

Click here to follow the Lenten Song Reflections playlist on Spotify.
(please note—versions of songs on the playlist may differ from those used here)

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A reminder that during our Lenten journey, Saturdays will be somewhat different as we sit with an instrumental version of a beloved hymn or song and take time to ponder the meaning of its lyrics. Only a brief word about the history of the hymn will serve as an introduction, and then after our Scripture reading you are invited to read the lyrics slowly and prayerfully while you listen to the instrumental rendition.

Words of Reflection

When we consider the wounds of Jesus we focus on the nails that pierced his hands and feet, as well as the sword that pierced his side. But there is another wound mentioned in the gospel accounts which has captured the hearts and minds of theologians and artists alike through the years:

“Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole cohort around him. They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and after twisting some thorns into a crown they put it on his head. They put a reed in his right hand and knelt before him and mocked him, saying, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’ They spat on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. After mocking him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.”—-Matthew 27:27-31 (NRSV)

The crown of thorns is a powerful symbol of the week into which we are about to enter. It was given as a symbol of mockery, but it is also a symbol of truth: Jesus is King. And now this King willingly lays down his life for his subjects. There is, indeed, no greater love.

The familiar Lenten hymn, “O Sacred Head Now Wounded” has uncertain origins. It has been dated by scholars to somewhere between the 11th and the 14th century. Many of those who believe the earlier dating attribute it to Bernard of Clairvaux, a Benedictine monk who served as Abbot of Clairvaux Abbey from 1115-1128 A.D., and who was known for his rich understanding of theology, poetry, and music.

“O Sacred Head Now Wounded” is part of a much larger work known as Salve Mundi Salutare (“Hail the World’s Salvation”), a poem about Christ’s suffering on Good Friday. The poem itself is divided into seven sections, each addressing a different part of Jesus’ body: his feet, knees, hands, side, breast, heart, and his head.

As you spend some time with the haunting melody of this hymn and the penetrating words, here is just a stanza of that larger poem to begin your journey of contemplation for today. May it draw you near to Jesus the Crucified King as you prepare to begin the journey of Holy Week.

O force me, best Beloved, to draw to Thee,
Transfixed and bleeding on the shameful Tree,
Despised and stretched in dying agony!
All my desire, O Lord, is fixed on Thee;
O call me, then, and I will follow Thee.

I have no other love, dear Lord, but Thee;
Thou art my first and last; I cling to Thee.
It is no labor, Lord; love sets me free;
Then heal me, cleanse me, let me rest on Thee,
For love is life, and life is love--in Thee.

Scripture for Meditation:

I will declare your name to my people; in the assembly I will praise you.
You who fear the Lord, praise him!
All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!

For he has not despised or scorned the suffering of the afflicted one;
He has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help.
—Psalm 22:22-24 (NIV)

Song: O Sacred Head, Now Wounded

Time of Contemplation:

Read through the lyrics of this hymn slowly and prayerfully. Read them more than once, and pay attention to the movement of your soul as you pray. What words or phrases grab your attention? Why? As you finish, sit in prayerful silence before God and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you something of your need and God’s provision that emerges from these words.

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 lanquish
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 to Thee

Bernard of Clairvaux | Hans Leo Hassler | James Waddell Alexander | Paulus Gerhardt
© Words: Public Domain; Music: Public Domain

Thirty-Third Day of Lent (Friday, 22 March 2024)

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Click here to follow the Lenten Song Reflections playlist on Spotify.
(please note—versions of songs on the playlist may differ from those used here)

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This week we focus on the Lenten theme of meditating on the wounds of Christ.

Words of Reflection

We have spent this week reflecting on Christ’s wounds, the scars that tell the story of God’s love for us. These wounds tell the story of our salvation. The scars mark the darkest moment of human history, yet also speak to the greatest victory in that same history.

We tend to treat scars with a hint (and sometimes more than a hint) of shame. We hide them when possible, and when it isn’t possible we sometimes spend a good deal of money to have them removed. Scars are seen as blemishes, things that mar us in ways that we’d rather not think about. And truth be told, some scars tell unbelievably difficult stories of horrific abuse and pain, and their presence can be crippling to the victim. Scars are reminders of what has taken place, and they often mark the darkest moments of our lives.

As we spend time at the foot of the cross, considering the wounds of Jesus, we are also invited to consider our own woundedness. At Calvary we have the opportunity to think about the story told by our scars. Whether physical or emotional, we all bear scars that speak to how we have been hurt in the past, and at the cross we are reminded that we are not alone in our pain. Christ knows our suffering because he has lived it himself. He is a “man of sorrows, acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:30), and he weeps with us because he knows what it is like to be one of us.

As Christ walks with us in our suffering, we find that our scars are not shameful at all. They are, like the scars that brought Thomas to his knees (John 20:28), a testament to what God has done. They give us a story to tell to others who travel similar paths, “…so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” (2 Cor. 1:4, NIV) Author Linda Hogan latched on to an important truth when she had a character in one of her novels utter these words:

“Some people see scars, and it is wounding they remember. To me they are proof of the fact that there is healing.”—Linda Hogan, Solar Storms

For some of us the wounds are too fresh to see how God is bringing about that healing. The scars have yet to tell their story. Even then, the place of woundedness is holy ground if we will let it be. One day the story will be clear, but for now we fall on our face and ask God to meet us in our pain. And we ask him to begin not only the work of healing, but the work of using our woundedness for his glory. “Even here,” we pray, “May you be known and glorified.”

That is the prayer of Calvary. And as we meditate on the cross, it becomes the prayer of our own woundedness as well. May God use our scars to tell the story of his healing power and love.

Scripture for Meditation:

But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us. We are afflicted in every way but not crushed, perplexed but not driven to despair, persecuted but not forsaken, struck down but not destroyed, always carrying around in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies. For we who are living are always being handed over to death for Jesus’s sake, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our mortal flesh.
—2 Corinthians 4:7-11 (NRSV)

Song: Scars

Waking up to a new sunrise
Looking back from the other side
I can see now with open eyes
Darkest water and deepest pain
I wouldn't trade it for anything
'Cause my brokenness brought me to You
And these wounds are a story You'll use

So I'm thankful for the scars
'Cause without them I wouldn't know Your heart
And I know they'll always tell of who You are
So forever I am thankful for the scars

Now I'm standing in confidence
With the strength of Your faithfulness
And I'm not who I was before
No I don't have to fear anymore

So I'm thankful for the scars
'Cause without them I wouldn't know Your heart
And I know they'll always tell of who You are
So forever I am thankful for the scars

I can see, I can see
How You delivered me
In Your hands, in Your feet
I found my victory

I'm thankful for Your scars
'Cause without them I wouldn't know Your heart
And with my life I'll tell of who You are
So forever I am thankful

I'm thankful for the scars
'Cause without them I wouldn't know Your heart
And I know they'll always tell of who You are
So forever I am thankful for the scars

So forever I am thankful for the scars

Ethan Hulse | Jon McConnell | Matthew Armstrong | Matthew Hein
© Curb Wordspring Music; Eyes Up Songs; Be Essential Songs; EGH Music Publishing; I Am "They" Publishing

Questions for Contemplation:

How has God used the scars of your life to tell a story of his power and grace? How has he used the scars in another person’s life to speak power and grace to you?

Brokenness can bring us to God, but it can also cause us to try and hide from him. How can we “stand in confidence” trusting in his strength, faithfulness, and healing power even when we are tempted to hide?

Are you in the midst of a season of woundedness even now, with pain that is still raw and yet to find healing? How might this season of meditating on the suffering of Jesus allow even this time to become “holy ground?”

Thirty-Second Day of Lent (Thursday, 21 March 2024)

If you’re new to Lenten Song Reflections, click here to learn about it

Click here to follow the Lenten Song Reflections playlist on Spotify.
(please note—versions of songs on the playlist may differ from those used here)

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This week we focus on the Lenten theme of meditating on the wounds of Christ.

Words of Reflection

Today’s song is a somber one. Like yesterday’s song, it is rooted in a verse from Isaiah 53:

“Surely He has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted.”—Isaiah 53:4 (NKJV)

There are, again, such direct connections to the events of Calvary that we can’t help but be astonished. Those gathered around the cross mocked Jesus, and in their eyes he was receiving the just punishment for blasphemy. As they understood it, the cross was just punishment for his sins, and he was “stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted” because of what he had done.

Yet Isaiah’s words echo the truth that the crowd’s understanding of justice is completely wrong. Yes, Christ is being crucified for sin, but not his own. What sent Jesus to the cross is not what he had done, but what we had done. It is our griefs, our sorrows, and our sin that he bears to Calvary. Christ is stricken, smitten, and afflicted not because God’s anger at him is unleashed, but because God’s love for us is unstoppable.

To meditate on the wounds of Christ is not only to meditate on his brokenness, but our own. In the words of a popular modern hymn, “it was my sin that held him there.” As we gaze upon the wounded one, we are humbled and brought to repentance. But as we considered back at the beginning of our Lenten journey, this is not a place of shame. It is a place of love. It is God’s desire for our wholeness and healing that calls us to the cross, that turns our eyes to the wounded One, and that brings us to our knees to receive the healing those wounds have procured.

None shall ever be confounded, who on him their hope have built.

Scripture for Meditation:

I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing.
—Galatians 2:19b-21 (NRSV)

Song: Stricken, Smitten, and Afflicted

Stricken smitten and afflicted
See him dying on the tree
'Tis the Christ by man rejected
Yes my soul 'tis he 'tis he
He's the long expected Prophet David's Son
Yet David's Lord
By his Son God now has spoken
He's the true and faithful Word

Tell me you who hear him groaning
Was there ever grief like his
Friends in fear his cause disowning
Foes insulting his distress
Many hands were raised to wound him
None would interpose to save
But the deepest stroke that pierced him
Was the stroke that Justice gave

You who think of sin but lightly
Nor suppose the evil great
Here may view its nature rightly
Here its guilt may estimate
Mark the sacrifice appointed
See who bears the awful load
He's the Word the Lord's Anointed
Son of Man and Son of God

Here we have a firm foundation
Here the refuge of the lost
Christ's the Rock of our salvation
His the name of which we boast
Lamb of God for sinners
Wounded sacrifice to cancel guilt
None shall ever be confounded
Who on him their hope have built

Thomas Kelly | Trudy E. Poirier
© 2002 Pear Tree Music

Questions for Contemplation:

For today’s time of contemplation, simply sit with these images of Jesus that come to us from today’s hymn. Pray through these and consider what each means to you. Which ones speak most powerfully to your heart and soul today?

Prophet
David’s Son
David’s Lord
True and Faithful Word
The Lord’s Anointed
Son of Man
Son of God
Firm Foundation
Refuge of the Lost
The Rock of Our Salvation
Lamb of God
Wounded Sacrifice

Thirty-First Day of Lent (Wednesday, 20 March 2024)

If you’re new to Lenten Song Reflections, click here to learn about it

Click here to follow the Lenten Song Reflections playlist on Spotify.
(please note—versions of songs on the playlist may differ from those used here)

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This week we focus on the Lenten theme of meditating on the wounds of Christ.

Words of Reflection

It’s pretty amazing that one of the Scripture passages we turn to most often during Lent and Holy Week as we reflect on the sacrifice of Christ was written generations before Jesus was even born:

“But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed.”—Isaiah 53:5 (NIV)

These familiar words from Isaiah are so precise and specific that they could have been written in the aftermath of the crucifixion, but they weren’t. Like most Old Testament prophecies these words operate on multiple levels, to be sure, but they paint a clear picture of God’s “suffering servant” whose wounds lead to our healing. The language is intense, and even though this verse is only 29 words in this English translation, it is packed with meaning and spiritual depth.

Here’s an interesting experiment that provides us with a unique way of reflecting on this verse: read it multiple times out loud, and each time you read it emphasize different words. The first time through, emphasize the words that refer to Christ: “he,” “him,” and “his.” Then read it again, putting the emphasis on what Christ suffered: “pierced,” “crushed,” “punishment,” and “wounds.” Then read it a third time, emphasizing our presence in this event: “our,” “us,” and “we.” Finally, read it a fourth time and note the shift halfway through from the things that are taken away and the things that are received: “transgressions,” “iniquities,” “peace,” and “healed.”

As you read prayerfully in this way, note your reactions. What movement do you notice in your soul as you read each time? What does it stir you to think about the sacrifice of Jesus? About his wounds? About yourself?

Isn’t it amazing to think that 29 words written so long before Christ can bring us closer to the cross and help us understand better the wounds of Jesus?

Because he was pierced, because he was crushed, we have peace and we are healed.

Scripture for Meditation:

Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.

After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.
—Isaiah 53:10-11 (NIV)

Song: By His Wounds

He was pierced for our transgressions
He was crushed for our sins
The punishment that brought us peace was upon Him
And by His wounds by His wounds
We are healed

We are healed by Your sacrifice
In the life that You gave
We are healed for You paid the price
By Your grace we are saved
We are saved

What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus

David Nasser | Mac Powell
© 2007 Meaux Mercy; Redemptive Art Music; Kobalt Music Copyrights SARL

Questions for Contemplation:

How have you experienced healing and peace as a result of Jesus’ sacrifice? Spend some time in prayer naming to God the ways you have seen the efficacy of Christ’s woundedness in your own life.

In what ways are you still pleading with God for healing and peace? As you contemplate the wounds of Jesus, give thanks for the ways in which he knows and understands your longing and lament.

Offer the phrase “by his wounds we are healed” as a breath prayer. If you’re unfamiliar with breath prayer, simply sit in stillness and prayerful attentiveness and take slow, deep breaths. As you breathe in, offer in silent prayer the words “by his wounds,” then as you breathe out, offer in silent prayer the words “we are healed.” Try this for a few minutes and allow the powerful truth of this verse to saturate your soul. This kind of prayer is a wonderful way to meditate on Scripture, finding a short phrase that splits well into two parts which can be prayed while breathing in and out.

Thirtieth Day of Lent (Tuesday, 19 March 2024)

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Click here to follow the Lenten Song Reflections playlist on Spotify.
(please note—versions of songs on the playlist may differ from those used here)

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This week we focus on the Lenten theme of meditating on the wounds of Christ.

Words of Reflection

Yesterday we looked at the story of Thomas and his doubts that Jesus had really risen from the dead. As John (an eyewitness) tells the story, Thomas has a very distinct reaction when he finally is face-to-face with the risen Christ:

“Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’”—John 20:28 (NRSV)

It is the wounds of Christ which prompt this reaction, because it is the wounds of Christ which convince Thomas that this is really Jesus, resurrected, alive, and with them. The nail marks on his hands and the wound in his side from the soldier’s sword become for Thomas an invitation to worship. These are the same marks Jesus shows to the disciples in another post-resurrection appearance, this one recorded by Luke:

“When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet.”—Luke 24:40 (NIV)

It’s a telling thing that the resurrected body of Christ still bears the marks of his sacrifice. It may seem suprising, but it’s clear that the wounds of Jesus are an integral part of his identity as the risen One. As one pastor has put it:

“We might assume the Father would have chosen to remove the scars from his Son’s eternal glorified flesh, but scars were God’s idea to begin with. He made human skin to heal like this from significant injury. Some of our scars carry little meaning, but some have a lot to say, whether to our shame or to our glory, depending on the injury. That Luke and John testify so plainly to Jesus’s resurrection scars must mean they are not a defect, but a glory.”—David Mathis

The scars of Jesus are not a defect, but a glory. They can become for us, like for Thomas, an invitation to worship. As we remember the sacrifice they represent, we can’t help but fall before him with a cry of “My Lord and My God!” They are a reminder to us of how deeply we are loved, and how costly was our redemption. We do not worship a God who is distant and unknowable, we worship a risen Savior who has walked paths of suffering on our behalf, and who walks with us still.

As we approach Holy Week, let’s see in these coming days an opportunity to worship Jesus of the Scars.

Scripture for Meditation:

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
—Galatians 1:3-5 (NIV)

Song: Jesus of the Scars

When skies grow dark and all we see are shadows
The road too rough the mountains rise too far
When pain runs deep and wounds cry out for answers
We come to you O Jesus of the Scars
What other god chose to be born in weakness
Knew toil and tears and felt our deepest woe
Then to a cross to bear our sin and sorrow
And so we worship you O Jesus of the scars

When nights are long and daylight weighs so heavy
Where can we go to ease the troubled mind
The Man of grief once crushed in dark Gethsemane
Says do not fear I’ll take you by the hand
Our wounds cry out
But yours will have the final word
And in your scars we glimpse our story’s end
O glorious Day death swallowed up in victory
For this we worship you O Jesus of the scars

When all is healed and every might have been will be
And every sad sad story comes untrue
When heaven’s love floods back
Through time and history
And all things lost and broken are made new
When clouds are gone and earth’s illusions disappear
When faith is sight and hope reality
We’ll see your face and nothing else will matter
And there we’ll worship you O Jesus of the scars

Graham Kendrick
© Make Way Music

Questions for Contemplation:

How do the wounds of Christ invite you to worship? Spend some time imagining each: his hands, his feet, his side, his head once crowned with thorns. What do each of these speak to you and how do they prompt you to give God glory, honor, and praise?

What does this lyric from the song say to you? How does it speak to your soul right now?

“Our wounds cry out but yours will have the final word.”

Spend some time in prayer of preparation for the upcoming remembrance of Holy Week. Ask the Holy Spirit to keep you aware of how Christ’s woundedness might be a place of worship for you and for others.

Twenty-Ninth Day of Lent (Monday, 18 March 2024)

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(please note—versions of songs on the playlist may differ from those used here)

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This week we focus on the Lenten theme of meditating on the wounds of Christ.

Words of Reflection

As we have discovered over these past few weeks, there are many themes we are called to consider during the season of Lent: our sin and need for repentance, our call to humility, our need to embrace self-denial as we lay down our lives…all of them opportunities for self-reflection that are fruitful and much-needed. We spend a good deal of time during these 40 days looking inward to the state of our soul.

But we are also called to look outward during Lent as we consider the sacrifice of Jesus, a practice which asks us to turn our gaze towards the brutal reality of what happened at the cross. We might embrace this call a bit more reluctantly, hesitant to confront the depth of the pain Christ suffered on our behalf. But it is an inescapable piece of our Lenten path, one that can’t be ignored without missing the heart of what this season is really all about.

Meditating on the wounds of Christ is an integral part of Lent, because the wounds of Christ are an inseparable part of our salvation.

It’s important to note that when Thomas is wrestling with doubt after the resurrection, it is the wounds of Jesus which bring him to the place of recognition and worship. The body of Jesus still bears the marks of his horrific death. As one of the characters in the Sensible Shoes book series reflects in her journal:

“…the testimony of Easter is that suffering isn’t erased from Jesus’ resurrected body. His wounds have been made glorious. They point to what he has done and how the Father has been glorified in the suffering, death, and resurrection of the Son. The wounds tell the story of our salvation and God’s victory over the forces of evil, of death. Life wins.” (An Extra Mile p. 274).

The wounds of Christ tell the story of our salvation. As difficult as it might be to spend time reflecting on them, it’s a necessary part of understanding the depth of what God has done for us. And understanding the depth of what God has done for us enables us to understand more deeply the breadth of his love for us.

In the wounds of Jesus we find the fulfillment of one of the most moving prophecies in all of scripture:

“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.”—Isaiah 53:5 (NIV)

Wounds that heal. That’s what we find in the nail-scarred hands and the sword-pierced side of Jesus. Because of those wounds, we can be made whole. Because of those wounds, all the things that rise to the surface in our time of self-reflection can be met head-on by the transforming love of God. There has been nothing else, there is nothing else, and there never will be anything else that can accomplish that for us. For this reason, we do well to meditate on those wounds as we approach Jerusalem and Holy Week. As Pope Francis said in a Lenten homily a few years ago:

“Enter into His wounds and contemplate the love in His heart for you, and you, and you, and me, for everyone.”—Pope Francis, 3/2/2018

Scripture for Meditation:

A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”
—John 20:26-29 (NRSV)

Song: Only His Wounds

The Author of Life,
The King of all Kings
Was wounded, and beaten, and hung on a hill
The Truth of the world
The sacrifice made
Has risen, was given the power to save

Only His wounds can heal the broken
Only His wounds can save us from sin
Only His wounds give faith to the faithless
Only His wounds can restore us

The day of the Lord
The promise foretold
The judgment upon us is soon to unfold
But still there is hope
The way has been made
Before us is Jesus, with power to save

Only His wounds can heal the broken
Only His wounds can save us from sin
Only His wounds give faith to the faithless
Only His wounds can restore us again

Brian Moss
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.

Questions for Contemplation:

Do you sense any resistance in yourself to the idea of contemplating the wounds of Jesus? If so, what might be behind that resistance, and how might you offer it to God in prayer?

What does the phrase “his wounds have been made glorious” inspire in you? What might that communicate to us about our own woundedness?

Michael Card’s song says the wounds of Christ “heal the broken,” “save us from sin,” give faith to the faithless,” and “restore us.” Which of these seems to resonate more deeply with your soul at this point in your journey?

Fifth Sunday of Lent (Sunday, 17 March 2024)

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(please note—versions of songs on the playlist may differ from those used here)

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Words of Reflection

As our Lenten journey enters its final days, we see the city of Jerusalem in the distance and we know what is coming soon. Like Peter, we may feel the impulse to avoid what lies ahead (Matthew 16:22), but we know it can’t be avoided. Jesus is resolute. He invites us to be the same.

But before we continue our journey, today is Sunday, another “mini-Easter” break in our 40 day fast of meditation, repentance, and remembrance. On Sundays we are reminded that the journey to the cross does not end at the cross, and we rejoice in that truth with all that we are.

On Sundays, as is appropriate and biblical, we are also invited to cease our laboring. It is a “Sabbath rest for the people of God” (Hebrews 4:9), a time of refreshing in the presence of the one who loves us most. But we don’t always enter into that rest, if we’re honest. We may find it hard to embrace at any time of year, but perhaps it’s even a bit harder during Lent. Our desire to be resolute and committed can be hard to switch off and put aside. In fact, if we’re not careful, Sabbath-keeping can become the very last thing it was meant to be: a burden.

In her article, “” writer and teacher K.C. Ireton defines Sabbath this way:

“Sabbath is margin and gift and joy. Sabbath is soaking myself—or rather, letting myself be soaked—in the unmerited, unmeritable grace of God.”

Margin. Gift. Joy. Letting ourselves be soaked in the unmerited, unmeritable grace of God. These are good truths to embrace during Lent, one which, if we let it sink in deep, will impact our experience of Sabbath at any season of the calendar.

Today, wherever you may find yourself, you are invited to let it resonate deep in your soul. Embrace the Sabbath rest to which God calls you. Hear spoken to you the same invitation Jesus gave to his disciples:

“Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”—Mark 6:31(NIV)

Scripture for Meditation:

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
—Matthew 11:28-29 (NIV)

Song: You Give Rest

You give rest to the weary
You bring strength to the weak
As they wait in Your presence
There is grace for their need

So I'll wait
I'll wait yes I'll wait
I'll wait for You

I will say of the Lord
He is my refuge
I will say of the Lord
He is my strength
I will say of the Lord
He is my shelter
My hiding place

You can come in the silence
You can come in the noise
Bringing peace in a moment
Bringing comfort and joy

So I'll wait
I'll wait yes I'll wait
I'll wait for You

I will say of the Lord
He is my refuge
I will say of the Lord
He is my strength
I will say of the Lord
He is my shelter
My hiding place

I will come to the source of all creation
I will drink from the well that never dries
I will draw from the One who won't grow tired
The Lord of all

Lou Fellingham | Mike Busbee | Nathan Fellingham
© 2005 Thankyou Music; The Livingstone Collective

Questions for Contemplation:

How are you at receiving the gift of rest on the Sabbath? Do you find that rhythm easy or difficult? How might God be inviting you to enter it in a new way this Lenten season?

Theologian Marva Dawn names four practices that help us “reclaim” the Sabbath. Spend some time meditating on which have already been meaningful for you, and which you might find ways to incoporate into your Sabbath-keeping.

Ceasing
Resting
Embracing
Feasting

Read this quote about Sabbath and let it lead you into a prayer of gratitude, joy, and “celebratory space.”

“Theologically speaking, every Sunday is a celebration of Jesus’ resurrection. Every Sunday is a celebration of unmerited, unmeritable grace. Sabbath is an invitation to live in that celebratory space. I want to accept the invitation. I want to live in Sabbath grace more often, more fully. I want to live in Sabbath joy, the joy of receiving a great, big, unearned gift.”—K.C. Ireton

Twenty-Eighth Day of Lent (Saturday, 16 March 2024)

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(please note—versions of songs on the playlist may differ from those used here)

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A reminder that during our Lenten journey, Saturdays will be somewhat different as we sit with an instrumental version of a beloved hymn or song and take time to ponder the meaning of its lyrics. Only a brief word about the history of the hymn will serve as an introduction, and then after our Scripture reading you are invited to read the lyrics slowly and prayerfully while you listen to the instrumental rendition.

Words of Reflection

The songs we’ve been sitting with on Saturdays, up until now, have been fairly old-school classic hymns. Today’s song is a bit newer—it’s not yet even 30 years old.

Chris Tomlin was serving as worship leader at a Christian conference in 1997* when he heard a speaker preach fom Revelation chapter 4, where John has a vision of twenty-four elders gathered around a heavenly throne in heaven. It’s a vision of eternal worship, which includes wondrous creatures encircling the throne shouting, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God the Almighty, who was and is and is to come.” Then John records this:

“And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to the one who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall before the one who is seated on the throne and worship the one who lives forever and ever; they cast their crowns before the throne, singing,

‘You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they existed and were created.’”—Revelation 4:9-11 (NRSV)

This image of eternal worship stayed with Tomlin, and late at night in his hotel room he started singing what he called a “little song—just right out of the Scripture.” At three in the morning Tomlin made his way to the preacher’s room, and finally rousing him awake, shared the song with him. There was a moment of silence before the preacher looked at Tomlin directly and proclaimed, “Chris…I think the whole world’s going to be singing that song.”

It proved to be a prophetic word, as “We Fall Down” has become one of the most popular worship songs of the past few decades. As we think about both the song and the story behind it, a couple of thoughts come to mind:

• Sometimes the best hymns and songs are simple adaptations of Scripture.

• As we wrap up a week thinking about humility, this song reminds us that the most humble posture we can assume is the posture of worship.

Let’s enter that posture as we ponder Scripture, listen to a beautiful instrumental rendition of the song, and sit prayerfully with the lyrics.

*You can hear Chris Tomlin tell the story of this song in this video: The Story of We Fall Down.

Scripture for Meditation:

After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice:

“Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”

All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying:

“Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor
and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!”
—Revelation 7: 9-12 (NIV)

Song: We Fall Down

Time of Contemplation:

Read through the lyrics of this song slowly and prayerfully. As it’s a short song, you have the opportunity to read them more than once, and pay attention to the movement of your soul as you pray. What thoughts or images come to mind as you pray with these words? What hopes? What needs? Spend some time in this humble posture of worship and ponder what it means for us to “cast our crowns before him, lost in wonder, love, and praise.”

We fall down
We lay our crowns
At the feet of Jesus
The greatness of mercy and love
At the feet of Jesus

And we cry holy holy holy
And we cry holy holy holy
And we cry holy holy holy is the Lamb

Chris Tomlin
© 1998 Rising Springs Music; Vamos Publishing; worshiptogether.com songs

Twenty-Seventh Day of Lent (Friday, 15 March 2024)

If you’re new to Lenten Song Reflections, click here to learn about it

Click here to follow the Lenten Song Reflections playlist on Spotify.
(please note—versions of songs on the playlist may differ from those used here)

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This week we focus on the Lenten theme of humility.

Words of Reflection

As we often discover on our Lenten journey, if we are ever struggle with pride (and we do), if we ever think too highly of our efforts (and we do), and if we ever fool ourselves into thinking that God’s kingdom depends on the cleverness of us (it can happen), there is a place we can go that provides an immediate corrective:

The cross of Christ.

At the cross we are overwhelmed by the greatest expression of love the world has ever seen…or will ever see. In the light of such amazing love we can see clearly our own inadequacy and need. At the cross we are reminded that our best efforts, our human wisdom, and our natural accomplishments are empty apart from the love and power of God shown in Christ. As we gaze on the cross, the words of Isaiah once again become heart-breakingly clear:

“All of us have become like one who is unclean,
and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;
we all shrivel up like a leaf,
and like the wind our sins sweep us away.”—Isaiah 64:6 (NIV)

But the wonder of Lent and the approach of Holy Week is this: the wind of sinfulness does not have the final word. When we put our trust in Christ, crucified and risen, we are not swept away. Instead, we are cleansed and restored, and what was once a shriveled leaf becomes a fruit-bearing branch of the True Vine. At the cross we are invited to lay down our broken lives as an offering and receive the life we were always meant to know.

If that doesn’t humble us, nothing will.

To gaze upon the cross of Christ is humbling, to be sure, but never in a way that shames us. We are humbled because we are brought face-to-face with the depth of God’s love for us. And in response we can do nothing…but offer everything.

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small.
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.

Scripture for Meditation:

When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the testimony of God to you with superior speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I came to you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. My speech and my proclamation were made not with persuasive words of wisdom but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.
—1 Corinthians 2:1-5 (NRSV)

Song: When I Survey the Wondrous Cross

When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died
My richest gain I count but loss
And pour contempt on all my pride

Forbid it Lord that I should boast
Save in the death of Christ my God
All the vain things that charm me most
I sacrifice them to His blood

See from His head His hands His feet
Sorrow and love flow mingled down
Did ever such love and sorrow meet
Or thorns compose so rich a crown

Were the whole realm of nature mine
That were an offering far too small
Love so amazing so divine
Demands my soul my life my all

Isaac Watts
© Public Domain

This classic hymn has been put to a number of different tunes through the years. We are sharing a more contemporary version by Tim Hughes. See the end of the “Questions for Contemplation” section for links to other familiar tunes for this text.

Questions for Contemplation:

What helps you keep the cross before you, either literally or inwardly? What Scripture, practices, or songs have helped you focus on the love of God shown at Calvary? What might you build into your walk with God to make it even more central?

How do you find yourself humbled by the cross of Christ? Are you able to receive that humility without falling into shame? Spend some time in prayer asking God to show you anew the depth of his love and the meaning of Christ’s sacrifice for you in a way that leads to wholeness and healing.

What are the “vain things that charm (you) most?” How might God be calling you to sacrifice them as you continue on your Lenten journey of repentance, surrender, and humility?

Additional Tunes:

Here are some other tunes often used for this hymn text:

Twenty-Sixth Day of Lent (Thursday, 14 March 2024)

If you’re new to Lenten Song Reflections, click here to learn about it

Click here to follow the Lenten Song Reflections playlist on Spotify.
(please note—versions of songs on the playlist may differ from those used here)

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This week we focus on the Lenten theme of humility.

Words of Reflection

One of the most striking images of humility in Scripture comes towards the end of the book of Job following God’s reply to Job’s protestations. Job, who has lost everything, has come before God with some pretty direct accusations about all of his pain and heartache.

To put it simply: Job tells God he’s doing a lousy job being the sovereign Lord of all creation. After Job lays this accusation at God’s feet, the Lord himself speaks to Job out of a whirlwind and reminds him that it’s not possible for a mortal man to fully comprehend the ways of the divine. God does this through a series of penetrating rhetorical questions, such as:

“Where were you when I Iaid the foundations of the earth?” (38:4).
“Have you ever in your days commanded the morning light?” (38:12).
“Where does light live, or where does darkness reside?” (38:19).
“Can you lead out a constellation in its season?” (38:32).

God poses seventy-seven questions like this to Job, all designed to remind the mortal man that he is just that: mortal. Temporal. Limited in his perspective. It reminds me of a great line from the movie “Rudy,” where a priest tells the main character:

“Son, in thirty-five years of religious study, I've come up with only two hard, incontrovertible facts: there is a God, and, I'm not him.”

When Job comes face-to-face with the limits of his understanding, when he accepts that there is a God and it’s not him, it’s here that we find a powerful image of humility:

“Then Job answered the Lord: ‘I am unworthy—how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth. I spoke once, but I have no answer—twice, but I will say no more.’”—Job 40:3-5 (NIV)

Sometimes humility is expressed entirely in a wordless quiet. Job puts his hand over his mouth and declares that he has spoken out of turn, and will therefore speak no more. When we are granted a glimpse of who God really is, at first our lips fall silent. They will eventually turn to praise, but not before they still themselves before the One whom words can’t describe.

If you are wrestling with some big things right now, or if you are feeling overwhelmed, or if you are struggling to put your ego and pride in check, maybe there’s some wisdom in taking a page out of Job’s story.

Maybe we all need to place our hands over our mouths.

Scripture for Meditation:

For God alone my soul waits in silence;
from him comes my salvation.

He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall never be shaken.
—Psalm 62:1-2 (NRSV)

Song: In The Silence

In the silence of the heart you speak,
And your mercy is the air I breathe.
You come to me in whispers
And forgiveness sings.
In the silence of the heart you speak;
Lord, you speak.

To the quiet of this room you come;
I am captivated by this love.
You light these darkened corners,
And I'm overcome.
To the quiet of this room you come;
Lord, you come.

Silence, fall; oh I am listening.
I am listening; sing to me.
Spirit, fall; oh please stay with me.
I am listening now;
I am listening now.

In the stillness of my soul you know;
You are hope that will not let me go.
You are the voice I follow;
You lead me home.
In the stillness of my soul you know;
Lord, you know.

In the silence

Josh Blakesley | Sarah Hart | Sarah Kroger
© 2011 River Oaks Music Company; spiritandsong.com; spiritandsong.com

Questions for Contemplation:

There are no questions for contemplation today. Today you are encouraged to sit in silence before the Lord. We do so with no agenda other than to be present to the One who knows us best and loves us most. When you feel you have spent sufficient time in silence, you might wish to journal about what you sensed about God, his love for you, and his call on your life in that time of waiting before him.

Twenty-Fifth Day of Lent (Wednesday, 13 March 2024)

If you’re new to Lenten Song Reflections, click here to learn about it

Click here to follow the Lenten Song Reflections playlist on Spotify.
(please note—versions of songs on the playlist may differ from those used here)

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This week we focus on the Lenten theme of humility.

Words of Reflection

There’s a story that’s told about the famous 19th century evangelist D.L. Moody. It tells of large group of European pastors who came to one of Moody’s Northfield Bible Conferences in Massachusetts in the late 1800’s. Following the European custom of the time, each guest put his shoes outside his room to be cleaned by the hall servants overnight. But this was America, and there were no hall servants.

Walking the dormitory halls that night, Moody saw the shoes and worried that his guests might be embarrassed. He wandered the campus until he found some ministerial students who were still awake, and asked if they could help. He was met with only silence or pious excuses.

So Dwight L. Moody, the most well-known evangelist of his day, returned to the dorm, and gathered up the shoes. He returned to his room alone and cleaned and polished the shoes himself. Only the unexpected arrival of a friend in the midst of the work revealed the secret.

When the foreign visitors opened their doors the next morning, their shoes were waiting for them, spotless and shined. They never knew by whom.

This well-known story has echoes in it of Christ washing his disciples’ feet, and the command he later gave for them (and us) to do the same. Washing feet was the job of the servants, and Jesus used it to illustrate that true humility means giving yourself in service to others without thought of rank or position.

It can be easy for us to think that certain things are “below us,” but the call on our lives to emulate Jesus should silence that urge whenever it rises up. We need to always remember Christ’s words to the disciples when they began to argue which of them was the greatest:

“Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.”—Mark 9:35 (NRSV)

As we seek to emulate Christ’s servant humility, what dirty shoes or feet might he put in our path? And how will we respond?

Scripture for Meditation:

When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
—John 13:12-17 (NIV)

Song: Humble King

Oh kneel me down again
Here at Your feet
Show me how much You love
Humility
Oh Spirit be the star
That leads me to
The humble heart of love
I see in You

You are the God of the broken
The friend of the weak
You wash the feet of the weary
Embrace the ones in need
I want to be like You Jesus
To have this heart in me
You are the God of the humble
You are the humble King

Brenton Brown
© 1999 Vineyard Songs (UK/Eire)

Questions for Contemplation:

Who in your life has modeled humble service to you? Spend some time remembering how they showed Christ to you, and offer prayers of gratitude for their example.

When we think of Jesus’ washing the disciples’ feet, it’s striking to remember that he washed the feet of Peter, who would later deny him, and also Judas, who would betray him. How has God called you in the past to serve those you found difficult or with whom you had experienced a rift of some sort? Is he calling you to do the same today?

The lyrics of today’s song encourage us to serve the

-broken
-weak
-weary
-ones in need

Spend some time in prayer asking the Spirit to bring to your mind those you know who would resonate with these descriptions. Ask God to show you how best to serve them and be Jesus to them.

Twenty-Fourth Day of Lent (Tuesday, 12 March 2024)

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(please note—versions of songs on the playlist may differ from those used here)

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This week we focus on the Lenten theme of humility.

Words of Reflection

At one time or another, most Christians have probably experienced a troubling shift during a season of intentional spiritual pursuit, such as reading through the Bible in a year, or taking a Lenten prayer journey—a shift that changes the nature of what we’re doing and the reason we’re doing it.

In short, what was meant to be “devotion” becomes “work.” What began with an earnest and heartfelt desire to draw closer to God becomes less about communion and more about obligation. When that happens during Lent, the shift can turn us around and push us in the opposite direction from where we started. Instead of heading to the cross, with its powerful reminder of what Christ has done for us, we turn away and start focusing on the things we’re doing for him. We act as though the “success” of our journey depends on our performance, and when that belief takes over we find ourselves drifting off the path. Essentially we begin walking away from from Jerusalem instead of towards it.

This is a very tender place, and in this tender place God invites us to humble our hearts before him. Whenever we begin to think that our spiritual growth is primarily dependent on our own effort, God invites us to stop whatever it is we’re doing and simply gaze upon the cross of Christ. Only in being reminded of Christ’s work can we find what we need to stop focusing on ours.

Today we’re going to do just that, by allowing a wonderful, yet little-known, hymn of the cross serve as our invitation to remember that this journey is not about our work or our worthiness. It is about Christ’s work and his worthiness alone. As you read, be sure not to rush through the lyrics. Allow these words to become your own humble prayer of re-centering.

This particular recording features one instrumental verse before the vocals begin. You might wish to use that time to be still, breathe deep, and begin in a spirit of prayer. Focus on the cross, whether with your eyes or with your heart, and know that the one who traveled to that cross willingly is more than able to turn us around when we’ve strayed from the path.

Scripture for Meditation:

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
—Ephesians 2:4-10 (NIV)

Song: Not What My Hands Have Done

Not what my hands have done
Can save my guilty soul;
Not what my toiling flesh has borne
Can make my spirit whole.

Not what I feel or do
Can give me peace with God;
Not all my prayers and sighs and tears
Can bear my awful load.

Thy work alone, O Christ,
Can ease this weight of sin;
Thy blood alone, O Lamb of God,
Can give me peace within.

Thy love to me, O God,
Not mine, O Lord, to thee,
Can rid me of this dark unrest,
And set my spirit free.

I bless the Christ of God;
I rest on love divine;
And with unfalt'ring lip and heart,
I call this Savior mine.

His cross dispels each doubt;
I bury in his tomb
Each thought of unbelief and fear,
Each ling'ring shade of gloom.

I praise the God of grace;
I trust his truth and might;
He calls me his, I call him mine,
My God, my joy, my light.

'Tis he who saveth me,
And freely pardon gives;
I love because he loveth me,
I live because he lives.

Horatius Bonar
Public Domain

Questions for Contemplation:

Are you able to discern when an intentional spiritual journey shifts from devotion to “work?” What are the signs in your heart and soul that alert you to this? How might you prayerfully respond when this happens?

Spend some time simply meditating on these important words from Ephesians 2: “grace,” “gift,” and “kindness.” How has God demonstrated these words in your life? Spend some time in grateful prayer for those experiences, and ask God to keep you centered in their truth as you continue on your journey of faith.

Read again these words from today’s hymn. Pray them and simply sit in the joy and peace that comes from knowing these amazing truths: you are his, and he is yours.

I praise the God of grace;
I trust his truth and might;
He calls me his, I call him mine,
My God, my joy, my light.

'Tis he who saveth me,
And freely pardon gives;
I love because he loveth me,
I live because he lives.