O Come and Mourn with Me a While
"O come and mourn with me awhile
O come near to the Savior's side
O come together, let us mourn
Jesus our Lord is crucified
Seven times He spoke
Seven words of love
And all three hours His silence cried
For mercy on the souls of men
Jesus our Lord is crucified
O love of God, O sin of man
In this dread act your strength is tried
And victory remains with love
Jesus our Lord is crucified
O break, O break hard heart of mine
My weak self-love and guilty pride
His Pilate and His Judas were
Jesus our Lord is Crucified
O love of God, O sin of man
In this dread act your strength is tried
And victory remains with Love
Jesus our Lord is crucified
O come and mourn with awhile
A broken heart, a fount of tears
Ask and they will not be denied
A broken heart love's cradle is
Jesus our Lord is crucified
Jesus our Lord is crucified
Jesus our Lord is crucified
Our Lord is crucified
And victory remains with love
Jesus our Lord is crucified
O love of God, O sin of man
In this dread act your strength is tried
And victory remains with love
Jesus our Lord is crucified"
-Jars of Clay, click here to hear the song:
Today marks the fulfillment of God's mission in Christ on Earth. Though not as it may seem to the Roman authorities and the Pharisees, victory has been declared.
Are you able to stand beside the cross this day? Can you stay in the fear and grief of a life without the Christ who has claimed victory for you? Can you put yourself in the shoes of Peter whose denial will forever be a part of history? Maybe you can relate to Mary, the pain and suffering that only a parent who has lost a child can know.
Grief is something we have all experienced, and the challenge for today is to stay there; to allow the violence a bit of a space in our hearts. It isn't something we like to think about, and yet it is the way we have overcome. Today is Good, not just good. Good in the eternal sense of the Almighty God having chosen each of us. Not only do we have a Savior, but we have a Savior who knows what it is like to have the human struggles of grief, pain, loss...and the excitement of joy, blessing, and love.
I hope that you have been able to experience worship today, somewhere - someplace. (If not, get in the car...we worship at 7). If you haven't, at least take a few minutes to reflect on the meaning of today for you. What does the cross mean to you?
Prayer: God today we find ourselves caught in the juxtaposition of grief and joy. Help us to understand fully the gift of the cross and just what it means for us. In the midst Lord, show us how to love others as you have called us to do, recognizing that this gift is a universal one. Amen.
Amen.
ReplyDelete