A man. Nail to a tree. A crown of thorns. And blood everywhere.
And yet... yet, this is all we can see. While the crucifixion is horrible to behold, the truly frightening scene is happening in heaven.
This Man. This One drenched in Purity and Beauty, Loveliness Divine. This is the Son of God. The Prince of Peace. Complete Perfection.
But something has changed.
As He hangs from the tree, His very soul is suddenly stained. A black mark grows, while generation after generation's horrific disgusting sin soaks into it. From every white lie to every unuttered heinous act, this Son of God is, in a moment, the ultimate target of the wrath of His Almighty Father. Everything that once cried "HOLY!" is now defiled and disfigured.
The Father turns away. His heart breaks. And yet it must be done. He lets loose the full fury of his righteous anger.
The Son of God writhes in anguish. Never had He felt the Father's wrath. Truly, this was hell. He screams in torture to the heavens:
My God, my God! Why have you forsaken me?!
Silence.
Yes, the physical pain of the cross is horrific. But it cannot compare to the sheer agony and suffering of His soul. After many long and terrifying hours, He lets out a final cry:
Father, into your hands I commit my Spirit!
The Son of God breathes His last breath.
It is over. The act is finished.
The Son of the Almighty King is dead. Only one things remains. He is carried down from the cross and buried. Mourned over.
But something else is happening, ready to be revealed at the right time. It has all of heaven watching entranced.
The resurrection.
The Son of God defeating death. He burst forth on that Glorious Day, clothed in Majesty, indescribable. Reconciled to the Father, reining over all heaven and earth.
The final debt is paid.
The ransom fulfilled.
Our eternity ensured.
For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die — but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
Romans 5:6-11
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Monday, July 19, 2010
musing.
Oh My Dear
Tenth Avenue North
I called you up, you were in bed, could barely make out the words that you said
But you wanted to see me instead, so I got dressed
So I stepped out into the snow, and walked for a mile or so
Felt the rush of blood come from the cold, within my chest
Well, you finally came to the door, and we talked for an hour or more
Until I asked if you would stay up until four, and you said that's fine
But you said theres something I have to say, and I can just because I am so afraid
And so I held you as you started to shake, that night
Oh, my dear, I'll wait for you
Grace tonight will pull us through
Until the tears have left your eyes
Until the fear can sleep at night
Until the demons that you're scared of
Disappear inside
Until the scale begins to crack
And this weight falls from your back
Oh, my dear, I'll keep you in my arms tonight
You slowly lifted your head from your hands
You said I just don't think you'll understand
You'll never look at me that way again
If you knew what I did
And so your tears fell and melted the snow
You told me secrets nobody had known
But I never loved you more, even though
Now I know what you did
Oh, my dear, I'll wait for you
Grace tonight will pull us through
Oh, my dear, I'll wait for you
Grace tonight will pull us through
Until the tears have left your eyes
Until the fear can sleep at night
Until the demons that you're scared of
Disappear inside
Until the scale begins to crack
And this weight falls from your back
Oh, my dear, I'll keep you in my arms tonight
Until the tears have left your eyes
Until the fear can sleep at night
Until the demons that you're scared of
Disappear inside
Until the scale begins to crack
And this weight falls from your back
Oh, my dear, ill keep you in my arms tonight
I'll keep you in my arms tonight
Tenth Avenue North
I called you up, you were in bed, could barely make out the words that you said
But you wanted to see me instead, so I got dressed
So I stepped out into the snow, and walked for a mile or so
Felt the rush of blood come from the cold, within my chest
Well, you finally came to the door, and we talked for an hour or more
Until I asked if you would stay up until four, and you said that's fine
But you said theres something I have to say, and I can just because I am so afraid
And so I held you as you started to shake, that night
Oh, my dear, I'll wait for you
Grace tonight will pull us through
Until the tears have left your eyes
Until the fear can sleep at night
Until the demons that you're scared of
Disappear inside
Until the scale begins to crack
And this weight falls from your back
Oh, my dear, I'll keep you in my arms tonight
You slowly lifted your head from your hands
You said I just don't think you'll understand
You'll never look at me that way again
If you knew what I did
And so your tears fell and melted the snow
You told me secrets nobody had known
But I never loved you more, even though
Now I know what you did
Oh, my dear, I'll wait for you
Grace tonight will pull us through
Oh, my dear, I'll wait for you
Grace tonight will pull us through
Until the tears have left your eyes
Until the fear can sleep at night
Until the demons that you're scared of
Disappear inside
Until the scale begins to crack
And this weight falls from your back
Oh, my dear, I'll keep you in my arms tonight
Until the tears have left your eyes
Until the fear can sleep at night
Until the demons that you're scared of
Disappear inside
Until the scale begins to crack
And this weight falls from your back
Oh, my dear, ill keep you in my arms tonight
I'll keep you in my arms tonight
Saturday, July 17, 2010
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