Third Sunday
One of the most frustrating things to deal with in life is an incomplete story. It’s only human nature to want resolution, to see the tale brought to its conclusion so that the “open loops” in the narrative no longer take up emotional space in our lives.
The folks behind blockbuster movies and television shows understand this need well. A well-placed cliffhanger in a popular franchise ensures that folks will return to see how it plays out. Will the heroes emerge victorious? (most likely yes) Will the villains get their comeuppance? (it’s almost assured) Will the audiences be happy? (some will, some won’t) Will the studios make enough money to keep churning out more for years to come? (you can be sure of that)
This idea of an incomplete story figures into our Lenten journey as we shift from Saturday to Sunday. For six days of the week we are called to focus our attention on the passion of Jesus: his betrayal, arrest, torture, and death. We contemplate the cross and its meaning, along with our call to repentance and a deeper yielding of our lives to Christ. It is a needed time of reflection, but the tension of the unfinished story can rest heavy on our souls.
As we enter the “mini-Easters” of these Sundays during Lent, we are invited to remember the rest of what happened after Jesus died. We turn the page from the cross to the empty tomb and find the much-needed reminder that the story didn’t end on Calvary—it continued (and continues) on in the truth of a risen Savior who conquered the grave as a definitive victory over the one who tempted him in the wilderness. We may hold back a bit on a full-blown celebration of the resurrection until Easter, but we let the reality of it once again refresh our souls with the knowledge that sin and death did not have the last word.
There are powerful worship songs available that do a wonderful work of telling the entirety of the gospel story, from Jesus’ birth (and sometimes before) all the way through to Easter (and sometimes beyond). When we soak in the fullness of their storytelling, we are inhabiting the completeness of God’s work and the fullness of his promises. “Hymn of the Saviour” is one of these worship songs, a stirring, poetic retelling of all that has happened for our salvation. Here are some others that have that same “complete story” theme at work in their lyrics, and they are a wonderful complement to each “mini-Easter.” (And if you know of another hymn/worship song that does a good job of telling the whole gospel story, please post it in the comments below—thanks!)
"Glorious Day (Living He Loved Me)” by Casting Crowns
“I Cannot Tell” by Emu Music
“What a Beautiful Name” by Hillsong
“Magnificent, Marvelous, Matchless Love” by Matt Boswell and Matt Papa
For the song we raise, the works of our hands
Are in service of the King
When a thousand tongues cry, ’Glory to God’
Forever his praise we’ll sing
Read the rest of the lyrics here.
Questions for Reflection
1) As you make your way on this Lenten journey, are you finding ways to make Sundays different? What could you do, even today, to spend some intentional time in “the rest of the story?”
2) Can you think of hymns or songs that have been particularly meaningful for you in focusing on the resurrection of Jesus? What was particularly striking to you about those songs?
3) Even as we remember that the story of Jesus didn’t end at the cross, we also do well to remember that it didn’t end at the empty tomb either. In what ways does anticipating the return of Jesus and the culmination of the Kingdom story impact our “mini-Easters?”
4) The story we’re meditating on is also our story. What Jesus did, he did for you, and you are part of the story he’s weaving in the world right now. And it’s important to remember that our sins, failures, and troubles in this life are not the final word of our story, neither will death mark the end. As “Hymn of the Saviour” reminds us:
At the end of the ages, the world passed away
I will gaze on my Saviour’s face
When my heart is perfected, and free from my sin
I will rest in your glorious grace
Spend some time in prayer giving thanks to God for the ways he is at work crafting your story, and for the promises of a final chapter of intimacy with him that will never end.
5) Read and reflect on these verses. Let them lead you into prayerful worship and gratitude:
“For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.”—2 Corinthians 5:14-15 (NIV)