Christ Is Risen! The Lord Is Risen Indeed!

From the Squalor of a Borrowed Stable
from the squalor of a borrowed stable,
by the Spirit and a virgin's faith;
to the anguish and the shame of scandal
came the Savior of the human race.
but the skies were filled with the praise of heav'n,
shepherds listen as the angels tell
of the Gift of God come down to man
at the dawning of Immanuel.

King of heaven now the Friend of sinners,
humble servant inn te Father's hands,
filled with power and the Holy Spirit,
filled with mercy for the broken man.
yes, He walked my road, and He felt my pain,
joys and sorrows that i know so well;
yet His righteous steps give me hope again:
i will follow my Immanuel.

through the kisses of a friend's betrayal,
He was lifted on a cruel cross;
He was punished for a world's transgressions;
He was suffering to save the lost.
He fights for breath; He fights for me!
loosing sinners from the claims of hell;
and with a shout our souls set free:
death defeated by Immanuel.

now he's standing in the place of honor,
crowned with glory on the highest throne,
interceding for His own beloved
till His Father calls to bring them home!
then the skies will part as the trumpet sounds -
hope of heaven or the fear of hell;
but the Bride will run to her Lover's arms,
giving glory to Immanuel.
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this is a newish one for me - and not surprisingly, i love it. i love the way it covers Jesus' life and death both as aspects of our justification: that His righteousness is imputed to us and our punishment is borne by Him. i love the triumphant Hero language of revelation. i love the vividness of words like "scandal" and phrases like "loosing sinners from the claims of hell."

has everybody read piper's 50 reasons why Jesus came to die? i'm working on it right now - read 10 chapters last night - and so far it's fantastic. now i just have to wrestle it away from daddy before i hop on a plane to go back to school tomorrow.

ok, one more today... and then a bonus one tomorrow. :)

note the similarities between this song and the one above, both thematically and in terms of the types of language used
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Rise and Shine (by andrew peterson)
i remember how the snow fell in december,
the angels flew in pageants and in dreams.
and i came in at 6 o'clock from a long, hard day of playing
to the warmth of mama's cooking,
or was it the warmth of mama's love?

there were cardboard pirate ships and mud-puddle seas
and the backyard was a battleground for cowboys.
when daddy drug me out of bed on early sunday morning,
i remember how he smiled at me and said,

he said, "rise, rise and shine.
the day is coming on
and you know the night is gone
so rise."

i remember how the shepherds lay in slumber
and the angels came and broke them from their dreams;
and mary raised her weary head
and joseph stood there grinning
when the world awoke to the coming of a King

but there were haystacks in His palace,
and a manger was His throne
as a hush fell on the little town of david.
the hillside never shined so bright
as early christmas morning -
you could almost hear the very heavens sing.

they sang, "rise, rise and shine.
the sun is coming in
and the morning light is shining in
your eyes; o, rise and shine.
the day is coming on
and you know the night is gone
so rise."

i remember how the sunlight turned to thunder
and people ran for shelter from the rain;
and the curtain tore and the saints awoke
and the whole earth seemed to tremble
from the fury of God's anger,
or was it the fury of His love?

there were shadows on the tomb there in the garden
and the mist was rising slowly through the trees;
and when mary saw the silhouette on early easter morning
i remember how He smiled at her and said,

He said, "rise, rise and shine.
the sun is coming in
and the morning light is shining in
your eyes; o, rise and shine.
the day is coming on
and you know the night is gone
so rise."
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y'all, the night is gone. hallelujah!

:-D

my favorite smell right now is smoke from burning wood. it's all in my hair right now and it's the most wonderfully comforting smell i can think of. :)

Amazing Grace
amazing grace! how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me!
i once was lost but now am found; was blind but now i see.

twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved.
how precious did that grace appear the hour i first believed!

through many dangers, toils, and snares i have already come,
tis grace hath brought me safe thus far and grace will lead me home.

and when this flesh and heart shall fail, and mortal life shall cease,
i shall possess within the veil a life of health and peace.

when we've been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun
we've no less days to sing God's praise than when we'd first begun.
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can't believe i waited this long to get to such a song!
ok, so everyone needs to see the movie amazing grace. it's awesome. :)
i won't dwell on what most people do - "wretch like me," the supremacy of grace throughout the christian life, etc - because instead i want to focus on the last stanza. it totally blows my mind. this was the first exercise in thinking about eternity i ever had - singing this song in like 4th grade i started thinking about what it would mean to have time be something so endless. i mean, think about it this way: what if you went labor day weekend to the beach. you left on friday, got there friday night, and saturday morning you got up and went for a jog on the board walk, had breakfast with your friends or whoever you were with, went to the beach to play volleyball, jump waves, and sunbathe, and then went home to shower and change before dinner out. you went to dinner, and then went back to the hotel/house to play cards and laugh till 1 am... and then when you woke up the next morning, labor day had been moved to tuesday and you had off monday also! and what if that happened every day?! i mean, it's a childish example, but it works... and it's soooooooooooo weird, but quite relieving at the same time to know that at some point we'll stop counting days because they won't run out!
[lots of exclamation points today, sorry about that.]
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Saved By Grace (shane & shane)
just a'singing a gospel song today
getting ready to send the years of guilt and shame away
years of failing, years of nailing of yourself to a cross you can't bear
that's why He's there

what a beautiful day
when He washed our sins away
what a beautiful day

by grace you have been saved
by grace you have been saved
by grace you have been saved
by grace, through faith, through faith

and even the faith i have to sing
'alle, alle, allelujah" to my King
is freely given, that i might not boast in myself
but Him

what a beautiful day
when He washed our sins away
what a beautiful day

by grace you have been saved
by grace you have been saved
by grace you have been saved
by grace, through faith, through faith

i can't sing it enough, say it enough, play it enough, when will i get it?
o, i can't earn it, and Lord i don't deserve it
i can't say it enough

by grace you have been saved
by grace you have been saved
by grace you have been saved
by grace, through faith, through faith
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this song is a good way to say it more often - these guys are right: this is a hard thing to remember. i can't help but think about what martin luther said when he was approached by a parishoner. "pastor," the guy said to luther, "why do you keep preaching to us, sunday after sunday, about justification by faith alone?" luther replied, "because every sunday, you've forgotten it again." that's me.
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How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds
how sweet the Name of Jesus sounds in a believer's ear!
it soothes his sorrow, heals his wounds, and drives away his fear.

it makes the wounded spirit whole and calms the troubled breast;
tis manna to the hungry soul, and to the weary, rest.

dear Name, the rock on which i build, my shield and hiding place,
my never-failing treasury, filled wiht boundless stores of grace!

by Thee, my prayers acceptance gain, although with sin defiled.
satan accuses me in vain, and i am owned a child.

Jesus, my Shepherd, Brother, Friend, my Prophet, Priest, and King,
my Lord, my life, my way, my end - accept the praise i bring.

weak is the effort of my heart, and cold my warmest thought,
but when i see Thee as Thou art, i'll praise Thee as i ought.

till then i would Thy love proclaim with every fleeting breath,
and may the music of Thy Name refresh my soul in death.
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why is all that true? how is it possible that a just God should be our hope and balm and joy?

ladies and gentlemen, happy resurrection sunday!

Arise, My Soul, Arise

arise, my soul, arise - shake off your guilty fears.
the bleeding Sacrifice in my behalf appears.
before the throne my Surety stands
before the throne my Surety stands:
my Name is written on His hands.

arise! arise! arise, arise my soul arise!
arise! arise! arise, arise my soul, arise!
shake off your guilty fears and rise!

He ever lives above for me to intercede,
His all-redeeming love, His precious blood to plead.
His blood atones for every race
His blood atones for every race
and sprinkles now the throne of grace.

arise! arise! arise, arise my soul arise!
arise! arise! arise, arise my soul, arise!
shake off your guilty fears and rise!

five bleeding wounds He bears, received on calvary;
they pour effectual prayers, they strongly plead for me.
"forgive her, o forgive!" they cry.
"forgive her, o forgive!" they cry,
"nor let that ransomed sinner die!"

arise! arise! arise, arise my soul arise!
arise! arise! arise, arise my soul, arise!
shake off your guilty fears and rise!

my God is reconciled; His pardoning voice i hear.
He owns me for His child - i can no longer fear.
with confidence i now draw nigh
with confidence i now draw nigh
and "Abba, Father, Abba" cry.

arise! arise! arise, arise my soul arise!
arise! arise! arise, arise my soul, arise!
shake off your guilty fears and rise!
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so this goes nicely with "and can it be," especially given the "with confidence i now draw nigh." that was an unintended parallel, but it works really well, which is cool. :)
i love all the hebrews language, focusing on Jesus' constancy as our mediator, who "ever lives above for me to intercede."
i put in the "her" instead of "him" because i sing it that way unless i'm leading. it makes it more personal for me. and the truth of the matter is, i need the gospel to soak into me as much as possible. it is so helpful to be reminded so richly of what Christ's sacrifice means for us. :-D

A Couple More Hymns

sorry that this will be brief, but i am quite ill.

And Can It Be
and can it be that i should gain an interest in the Savior's blood?
died He for me, who caused His pain? for me, who Him to death pursued?
amazing love! how can it be that Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

amazing love! how can it be that Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
amazing love! how can it be that Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

He left His Father's throne above, so free, so infinite His grace,
emptied Himself of all but love and bled for adam's helpless race.
tis mercy all immense and free, for, o my God, it found out me!

amazing love! how can it be that Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
amazing love! how can it be that Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

long my imprisoned spirit lay, fastbound in sin and nature's night;
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray; i woke; the dungeon flamed with light!
my chains fell off; my heart was free; i rose, went forth, and followed Thee.

amazing love! how can it be that Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
amazing love! how can it be that Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

no condemnation now i dread - Jesus and all in Him is mine!
alive in Him, my living Head, and clothed in righteousness divine,
bold i approach the eternal throne and claim the crown through Christ my own!

amazing love! how can it be that Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
amazing love! how can it be that Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
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love this song. highlights include the monergism shout out in verse 3 and the idea that we can approach the throne of God Almighty "bold" and wearing the righteousness of Christ.
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My Jesus, I Love Thee
my Jesus, i love Thee, i know Thou art mine.
for Thee all the follies of sin i resign.
my gracious Redeemer, my Savior art Thou -
if ever i loved Thee, my Jesus, tis now.

i love Thee because Thou hast first loved me
and purchased my pardon on calvary's tree.
i love Thee for wearing the thorns on Thy brow.
if ever i loved Thee, my Jesus, tis now.

i love Thee in life and i'll love Thee in death;
i'll love Thee as long as Thou lendest me breath;
and say when the death-dew lies cold on my brow:
"if ever i loved Thee, my Jesus, tis now."

in mansions of glory and endless delight
i'll ever adore Thee in heaven so bright;
and sing with a glittering crown on my brow
"if ever i loved Thee, my Jesus, tis now."
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ok, so i'm completely dead. i have nothing to say. we're lucky these are actually complete sentences... i hope my essays for my exam this afternoon had mostly complete sentences.

Hi

after friday night's campus-wide dance party, i was incapable of developed thought. then i went to raleigh with a friend to visit her family. so i'm now resuming the hymn series. can't believe easter is so close! this is my favorite time of year.

oh, btw, check out psalm 112, particularly vs. 6-8.
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Beneath the Cross of Jesus
beneath the cross of Jesus i feign would take my stand,
the shadow of a mighty Rock within a weary land,
a Home within the wilderness, a Rest upon the way
from the burning of the noontide heat and the burden of the day.

upon the cross of Jesus mine eye at times can see
the very dying form of One Who suffered there for me;
and from my stricken heart with tears two wonders i confess:
the wonders of redeeming love and my unworthiness.

i take, o cross, thy shadow for my abiding place.
i ask no other sunshine than the sunshine of His face,
content to let the world go by, to know no gain nor loss.
my sinful self my only shame; my glory all the cross.
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isn't that just so beautiful? i love that we are confessing the "two wonders" together: that is so healthy! it's not "boy do i suck" or "yay i'm a child of the King, holy and dearly loved" - it's BOTH. at the same time. always. isn't that cool?
i also love the line "i ask no other sunshine than the sunshine of His face," because that kind of solidarity and joy in the Lord is what i want. so precious to be so deeply rooted in the "rich and free" love of Christ.
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Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing
come, Thou Fount of every blessing - tune my heart to sing Thy grace.
streams of mercy, never ceasing, call for songs of loudest praise.
teach me some melodious sonnet, sung by flaming tongues above.
praise the mount, i'm fixed upon it, mount of God's redeeming love.

here i raise my ebenezer; hither by Thy help i've come.
and i hope, by Thy good pleasure, safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger wandering from the fold of God.
He, to rescue me from danger, interposed His precious blood.

o, to grace how great a debtor daily i'm constrained to be!
let Thy goodness, like a fetter, bind my wandering heart to Thee.
prone to wander, Lord i feel it; prone to leave the God i love.
here's my heart, o, take and seal it; seal it for Thy courts above.
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another gorgeous hymn and one my RUF minister is pretty much obsessed with, so we sing it alot. i love the cause and effect connections drawn in this song: the never-ceasing "streams of mercy" veritably shout out, "you need to praise God for this!"
and we (the Church) should totally be "fixed upon" the "mount of God's redeeming love," which is wayyyyy bigger than mount everest and wayyyyyyyyyy cooler than mount rushmore. reminds me of "Thy Mercy" - "Thy mercy, my God, is theme of my song, the joy of my heart, and the boast of my tongue."
in case we don't all know what ebenezers are, they are monuments constructed in the old testament to memorialize a time God powerfully showed up and provided what was needed. i believe the first time that word appears in the bible is when the israelites cross the jordan into the land of canaan and God has them build an ebenezer to remind them for all time how far and through what He'd brought them. what's interesting is that this was intended to prompt children to ask their parents about the big heap of rocks... the story was meant to be told over and over again. no hiding what God has done under a bushel or anything like that...
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this last one is an andy peterson song (again, i know). it's a cool one: Jesus is the cowboy-gunslinger-hero and who gets kicked the heck outta dodge? the "wages of sin," of course! (added my notes in brackets cause with this song it's easier that way)
High Noon
high noon in the valley of the shadow, [battle/dueling time; psalm 23: '...of death']
when the deep of the valley was bright, [because of Who's there]
when the mouth of the tomb shouted, "Glory!
the Groom is alive!"
go on, you wages of sin;
go on, don't you come back again:
i've been raised and redeemed;
you've lost all your steam to the Victor of the battle
at high noon in the valley,
in the valley of the shadow.

now the demons, they danced in the darkness
when that last ragged breath left his lungs,
and they reveled and howled at the war that they thought they had won.
but then, in the dark of the grave, the stone rolled away,
in the still of the dawn on the greatest of days

it was high noon in the valley of the shadow,
when the shadows were shot through with light.
Jesus took in that breath and shattered all death with His life. [how cool is that!!!!]
go on, you wages of sin! go on, don't you come back again:
i've been raised and redeemed;
you've lost all your steam to the Victor of the battle
at high noon in the valley
in the valley of the shadow.

let the people rejoice.
let the heavens resound.
let the Name of Jesus, Who sought us
and freed us forever ring out.
all praise to the Fighter of the night
Who rides on the light
Whose gun is the grace of the God of the sky.

high noon in the valley of the shadow
when the shadows were shot through with light
when the mouth of the tomb shouted, 'glory!
the Groom is alive!"
go on, you wages of sin,
i said, go on, don't you come back again:
i've been raised and redeemed,
all praise to the King,
the Victor of the battle
at high noon in the valley,
in the valley of the shadow.

all hail the power of Jesus' Name...

O Love That Will Not Let Me Go

o Love that will not let me go,
i rest my weary soul in Thee.
i give Thee back the life i owe,
that in Thine ocean depths its flow
may richer fuller be.

o Light that followest all my way
i yield my flickering torch to Thee;
my heart restores its borowed ray,
that in Thy sunshine's blaze its day
may brighter, fairer be.

o joy that seekest me through pain,
i cannot close my heart to Thee;
i trace the rainbow through the rain
and feel the promise is not vain
that morn shall tearless be.

o cross that liftest up my head,
i dare not close my heart to Thee;
i lay in dust, life's glory dead,
and from the ground there blossoms red
life that shall endless be.
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hopefully y'all know the story behind this song. if you don't, read the explanation on the bottom of this page. it's really really really worth reading.
i'm tired and needing to go to sleep, so i'll just say this: the fact that i can "feel the promise is not vain that morn shall tearless be" is indicative of the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, not some trumped up emotionality...

O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus

o the deep, deep love of Jesus -
vast, unmeasured, boundless, free -
rolling as a mighty ocean
in its fullness over me.
underneath me, all around me
is the current of Thy love
leading onward, leading homeward
to Thy glorious rest above.

o the deep, deep love of Jesus,
spread its praise from shore to shore!
how He loveth, ever loveth,
changeth never, never more!
how He watches o'er His loved ones,
died to call them all His own!
how for them He intercedeth,
watcheth o'er them from the throne!

o the deep, deep love of Jesus -
love of every love the best!
tis an ocean vast of blessing;
tis a haven sweet of rest.
o, the deep, deep love of Jesus:
tis a heaven of heavens to me.
and it lifts me up to glory,
for it lifts me up to Thee!
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this song is so exclamatory it'd be ridiculous if it wasn't so warranted. the thing that gets me about it is that the traditional way it is sung is ridiculously inappropriate given the words. the indelible grace version is wayyyyy faster, which i think gives the tune the energy that the words have.
as a single woman who very much wants to get married, i find particular resonance with this song. i'm sure married people can say the same thing, but i'm not one, so here's what i think: i think this song shouts from the rooftops, "i have the greatest thing imaginable, the ultimate gift - a loving relationship with God Almighty! God does not withold Himself from me; instead, He wraps me in His love and gives me rest!" alot of things i want - to love what i do, to work with RUF, to make a difference, to lead people to Christ, to have awesome friends, to get married and make babies, to write a novel, etc (i could just keeeeep going) - are great things, but i have the best thing already. that doesn't make the things i want irrelevant, but it does change the way i look at them. it's like being given lots of fun presents - books, music, a new set of speakers for the living room, a puppy - when you've already received a heart transplant. it changes the way you view and relate to the other stuff to have something so huge, so monumental, given to you. and since all good things come from God, we know that must include the good things we do, especially since it says so here. pretty trippy, huh? God must love us an awful lot to give us things to do that actually help extend His kingdom. despite the total mess we make of things, i think it's cool that He uses us - and that it's all Him when something actually goes right. :)

Psalm 130 (martin luther style)

from the depths of woe i raise to Thee the voice of lamentation.
Lord, turn a gracious ear to me and hear my supplication.
if Thou iniquity dost mark, our secret sins and misdeeds dark,
o, who shall stand before Thee?
o, who shall stand before Thee?

to wash away the crimson stain, grace, grace alone availeth.
our works, alas!, are all in vain; in much the best life faileth.
no man can glory in Thy sight; all must alike confess Thy might
and live alone by mercy,
and live alone by mercy.

therefore my trust is in the Lord and not it mine own merit.
on Him my soul shall rest; His Word upholds my fainting spirit.
His promised mercy is my fort, my comfort, and my sweet support;
i wait for it with patience.
i wait for it with patience.

what though i wait the live-long night and till the dawn appeareth,
my heart still trusteth in His might; it doubteth not, nor feareth.
do thus, o ye of israel's seed, ye of the Spirit born indeed,
and wait till God appeareth,
and wait till God appeareth.

though great our sins and sore our woes, His grace much more aboundeth.
His helping love no limit knows - our utmost need it soundeth.
our Shepherd, good and true is He Who will at last His israel free
from all their sin and sorrow,
from all their sin and sorrow.
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i love all of the verses. i love to just swim around in them, because they are scripture and obviously thus they are true. right now my favorite verse is #4. it reminds me of that rich mullins song (my Deliverer) from the Jesus record with the fantastic line: "He will never break His promise, though the stars shoulid break faith with the skies." goes back to that penelope/odysseus metaphor - we are waiting for the Groom Who is assuredly coming, Who is definitely listening and will answer us, even if we have to wait. and all our needs, no matter how messy and gross they get, are fully met by His love. hallelujah.

oh, and i can't wait to be free from all my sin and sorrow.

While We're On the Topic of Suffering...

Be Still, My Soul
be still, my soul; the Lord is on thy side.
bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.
leave to thy God to order and provide;
in every change, He faithful will remain.
be still, my soul: thy best, thy heavenly Friend
through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

be still, my soul: thy God doth undertake
to guide the future as He has the past.
thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;
all now mysterious shall be bright at last.
be still my soul: the waves still know His voice
Who ruled them while He dwelt below.

be still, my soul, when dearest friends depart,
and all is darkened in the vale of tears,
then shalt thou better know His love, His heart,
Who comes to soothe thy sorrow and thy fears.
be still, my soul - thy Jesus can repay
from His own fullness all He takes away.

be still, my soul; the hour is hastening on
when we shall be forever with the Lord.
when disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,
sorrow forgot, love's purest joys restored.
be still my soul, when change and tears are past,
all safe and blessed we shall meet at last.

be still, my soul; begin the song of praise
on earth, believeing, to thy Lord on high;
acknowledge Him in all thy works and ways,
so shall He view thee with a well-pleased eye.
be still, my soul: the Sun of life divine
through passing clouds shall but more brightly shine.
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i want to "better know His love, His heart, Who comes to soothe [my] sorrows and [my] fears."

i love the way this song puts us in the position of talking to our own souls - of preaching the gospel to ourselves. very psalmist-like.

i'm especially glad that all these things are true given that i'm graduating and moving to a new city. in a matter of months.

The Silence of God

this is an andy peterson, both his most controversial and one of his best songs. i think i will leave it to stand on its own with one thought: i intentionally juxtaposed it with yesterday's laden with guilt and full of fears.
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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 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.

and if a man has got to listen to the voice 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 -
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,
and He's kneeling in the garden, as silent as a stone,
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.

Laden with Guilt and Full of Fears

laden with guilt and full of fears, i fly to Thee, my Lord;
and not a glimpse of hope appears but in Thy written Word.
the volumes of my Father's grace doth all my griefs assuage.
here i behold my Savior's face in every page.

this is the field where hidden lies the pearl of price unknown.
that merchant is divinely wise who makes the pearl his own.
here consecrated water flows to quench my thirst of sin.
here the fair tree of knowledge grows; no danger dwells within.

this is the judge that ends the strife where wit and reason fail,
my guide to everlasting life through all this gloomy veil.
o, may Thy counsel, mighty God, my roving feet command,
nor i forsake the happy road that leads to Thy right hand.
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oh how i love this song! (can you name the movie that's from?) i am reminded of the piper article greg referenced over at his wife's blog. God speaks to us all the time today in the 21st century through His Word. when we are freaking out about the stuff of life, sometimes we need to be still and quiet, but often i've found the only way to shut up the noise of the world is to drown it out by reading scripture. i mean, we are talking about the very words of God here - the place to go when "wit and reason fail." scripture ought to guide and direct us because wit and reason DO fail, and the Word of God does not.

10,000 x 10,000

ten thousand times ten thousand in sparkling raiment bright,
the armies of the ransomed saints throng up the steeps of light.
tis finished, all is finished - their fight with death and sin;
fling open wide the golden gates and let the victors in.

what rush of allelujahs fills all the earth and sky!
what ringing of a thousand harps bespeaks the triumphs nigh!
o, day for which creation and all its tribes were made!
o, joy for all its former woes a thousand-fold repaid.

o, then what raptured greetings on canaan's happy shore!
what knitting severed friendships up, where partings are no more!
then eyes with joy shall sparkle, that brimmed with tears of late -
orphans no longer fatherless, nor widows desolate.

bring near Thy great salvation, Thou Lamb for sinners slaine;
fill up the roll of Thine elect, then take Thy power and reign;
appear, Desire of nations, thine exiles long for home;
show in the heaven Thy promised sign;
Thou Prince and Savior, come.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
this is an appropriate follow-up to yesterday's post i think, since its about Jesus coming back. i especially appreciated this song's 3rd verse when so many of my friends were abroad in the fall of 2005. overall, the focus on healed relationships is beautiful to me, but so is the war-language. by now you probably have picked up on my "thing" for military talk, so this should not be surprising. the first stanza in particular is spectacular, speaking of us as "the armies of the ransomed saints." the kicker in this whole song for me is the idea that one day we will be finished fighting death and sin, both externally (like in the world, in our friends, etc) and internally (in our own hearts). we will be done. as paige brown says, it's the difference between D-Day and V.E.-Day ~ Christ has already insured the outcome by His life, death, and resurrection. now it's just a matter of formally ending the war. then we get to go home as "victors" - victors because of what Christ has done and given to us. gotta love that divine substitution thing. :)

Jesus, Lover of My Soul

Jesus, Lover of my soul, let me to Thy bosom fly
while the nearer waters roll, while the tempest still is high.
hide me, o my Savior, hide till life's storm is past;
safe into the haven guide; receive my soul at last.

other refuge have i none; i, helpless, hang on Thee.
leave, o leave me not alone; support and comfort me.
all my trust on Thee is stayed, all help from Thee i bring.
cover my defenseless head in the shadow of Thy wing.

Thou, o Christ, art all i want - here more than all i find.
raise the fallen, cheer the faint, heal the sick, and lead the blind.
just and holy is Thy Name; i am all unrighteousness.
false and full of sin i am; Thou art full of truth and grace.

plenteous grace with Thee is found; grace to cover all my sin.
let the healing streams abound; make and keep me pure within.
Thou of life the fountain art; let me take of Thee;
spring Thou up within my heart for all eternity.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
i just finished reading the time traveler's wife, which, in the words of my cousin heather (who recommended the book rather insistently), "that book broke my heart (in a beautiful, altering, flowers-growing-out-of-the-cracks, my-heart-never-looked-so-good-before sort of way, of course, hehe)." couldn't have said it better myself. which, of course, is why i quoted it. anyway, i'm not going to recommend that everyone run out and buy it or check it out of the library. this is not a book for everyone. if you want my 5-minute schpiel on what to expect, email me at my opheliarhiana yahoo email address. it's not something i can sweepingly recommend, not by a longshot. but boy did it serve God's purposes in my heart and draw me into His love more deeply and to trust Him more fully. now of course there are alot of other extenuating circumstances which He lovingly ordained to bring me here, but that book sure helped tie them together.
so why bring this up? because one way that ttw really changed my way of thinking is that me and my lil classical self have gotten all into the idea that, in a way, i (and really the whole church) am penelope waiting for odysseus to come back. Jesus is (of course) odysseus. and there are plenty of problems with this analogy. but what makes it so helpful to me are these two ideas: 1) that Jesus really is coming back to get us. really really really. for sure. it's like the surest thing there is. 2) the fact that He's coming doesn't mean He isn't already here. this is one of those fun "already but not yet" things in the christian life. the Holy Spirit lives inside us. where we go, He's there. always. and not only that, but we feel Him. we are reminded of our security in Christ, in our hope for the future, in the depth of the Father's love for us, by His presence literally IN us. this is a huge fact - the level of intimacy i share with God (merely by reason of His nearness - He's actually INSIDE us - do not misread me and think i mean He's chilling out with our pancreas or something, but hopefully you see what i'm getting at. if not, holler.) is wayyyyyyyyyy more close and permanent than any other kind of intimacy - AND JESUS IS NOT EVEN BACK WITH US YET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"Jesus, Lover of my soul" is such an understatement. consider my mind blown.

Jesus, I Come

out of my bondage, sorrow, and night,
Jesus, i come; Jesus, i come;
into Thy freedom, gladness, and light,
Jesus, i come to Thee.
out of my sickness into Thy health,
out of my wanting and into Thy wealth,
out of my sin and into Thyself,
Jesus, i come to Thee.

out of my shameful failure and loss,
Jesus, i come; Jesus, i come;
into the glorious gain of Thy cross,
Jesus, i come to Thee.
out of earth's sorrows, into Thy balm,
out of life's storms and into Thy calm,
out of distress into jubilant psalm,
Jesus, i come to Thee.

out of unrest and arrogant pride,
Jesus, i come; Jesus, i come;
into Thy blessed will to abide,
Jesus, i come to Thee.
out of myself to dwell in Thy love,
out of despair into raptures above,
upward forever on wings like a dove,
Jesus, i come to Thee.

out of the fear and dread of the tomb,
Jesus, i come; Jesus, i come;
into the joy and light of Thy home,
Jesus, i come to Thee.
out of the depths of ruin untold,
into the peace of Thy sheltering fold,
ever Thy glorious face to behold,
Jesus, i come to Thee.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
i am tired and getting sick, so i'll make this super-brief. my favorite line is "out of the depths of ruin untold" because, as my campus minister says, "cheer up, you're worse than you think!" God's love is, unlike us, not ignorant of the deepest ways sin has penetrated and spread in our hearts. and it's still set on us. :-D

I'm Back!

spring break was wonderful - drove from nc to tx and back, with a couple of fun stops along the way. my room mate and i had fun on the road and in the big D, and it was fun to hang out with the fam, of course. big news items: 1) i got a new camera. it's brown and adorable and (this is the kicker) it works. so yay for that. 2) i got into rts charlotte, and i'm going there. so yay for that. i'm seriously thrilled beyond verbal expression. that's saying alot for me.

i obviously took spring break off from blogging - didn't initially decide to do that, but i definitely think it was for the best. however, i would like to blog 40 hymns again this lent, so this week i'm doubling up. whoohoo!

picking up where we left off, in the middle of a "welcome to the church - we're screwed up too!" mini-series....

Come, Ye Disconsolate
come, ye disconsolate, where e'er ye languish
come to the mercy seat, fervently kneel.
here bring your wounded hearts, here tell your anguish;
earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal.

Joy of the desolate, Light of the straying,
Hope of the penitent, fadeless and pure!
here speaks the Comforter, tenderly saying,
"earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal."

here see the Bread of life; see waters flowing
forth from the throne of God, pure from above.
come to the feast of love, come ever knowing,
earth has no sorrow but heaven can remove.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ok, so this is less of a communal hymn than a private one, but i think the fact that it's specifically addressing those of us who are especially broken and wounded. ours is not a "get fancy and then come" religion, but one which is the only hope of those who are total trainwrecks. you know, people like us.

Jesus, Cast a Look on Me
Jesus, cast a look on me;
give me sweet simplicity.
make me poor and keep me low,
seeking only Thee to know.

all that feeds my busy pride,
cast it evermore aside;
bid my will to Thine submit;
lay me humbly at Thy feet.

make me like a little child,
of my strength and wisdom spoiled -
seeing only in Thy light,
walking only in Thy might;

leaning on Thy loving breast,
where a weary soul can rest;
feeling well the peace of God
flowing from His precious blood.

in this posture let me live,
and hosannas daily give.
in this temper let me die,
and hosannas ever cry!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
i like this one. it is about what some puritan writer dude whose name escapes me calls "cheerful dependence" on God. the thing that is most amazing about this song in my opinion is that all these things we ask in it - to be laid humbly at God's feet; to have what makes us proud chucked by the wayside; to be revealed to ourselves as neither strong nor wise - these are good things for us! they are not self-sacrificial (ramen noodles) but the very meat and potatoes of human existence! they position us in the "posture" which we were made for - resting and rejoicing in God in the midst of the stuff of life.

Come, Ye Sinners

come, ye sinners, poor and wretched,
weak and wounded, sick and sore.
Jesus ready stands to save you,
full of pity joined with power.
He is able, He is able -
He is willing, doubt no more.

come, ye needy, come and welcome;
God's free bounty glorify.
true belief and true repentance -
every grace that brings you nigh.
without money, without money,
come to Jesus Christ and buy.

come, ye weary, heavy laden,
bruised and broken by the fall.
if you tarry till you're better,
you will never come at all.
not the righteous, not the righteous -
sinners Jesus came to call.

let not conscience make you linger,
nor of fitness fondly dream.
all the fitness He requireth
is to feel your need of Him.
this He gives you, this He gives you,
tis the Spirit's rising beam.

lo! th'Incarnate God ascended,
pleads the merit of His blood!
venture on Him, venture wholly,
let no other trust intrude.
none but Jesus, none but Jesus
can do helpless sinners good.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1) i love the image conjured by the phrase "Jesus ready stands to save you." the fact that "He is able" ensures for us as His protectees His competence.
2) we can obtain all that we need to be near God from Jesus directly - for free.
3-4) i love the way the third stanza totally decimates the "i have to get my act together before i can become a Christian" argument. Jesus did not come for the healthy, but for the sick. (like there are any healthy people...)
5) total dependence on Christ - His merit being utterly sufficient to pay off our debt - is as amazing as the fact that that we can gaze upon the face of the "Incarnate God" - the God-man, the Divine in skin and bones.
none but Jesus can do helpless sinners good. that is like the best news ever.

spring break starts tomorrow. we're driving to dallas - me and my roomie - but stopping to visit my sister and a friend on the way down. :-D yay for breaks.

Come & Welcome

from the cross uplifted high,
where the Savior deigns to die,
what melodious sounds i hear
bursting on my ravished ear:
love's redeeming work is done!
come and welcome, sinner, come.

"sprinkled now with blood the throne,
why beneath thy burdens groan?
on my pierced body laid,
justice owns the ransom paid."
bow the knee and kiss the Son.
come and welcome, sinner, come.

spread for thee the festal board;
see, with richest dainties stored.
to thy Father's bosom pressed;
yet again a child confessed.
never from His house to roam.
come and welcome, sinner, come.

"soon the days of life shall end.
lo, i come your Savior, Friend.
safe your spirit to convey
to the realms of endless day
up to my eternal home.
come and welcome, sinner, come."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
i think a song like ths should always be the call to worship on sunday mornings, because every day we need to be reminded that we stand before God because of grace, and we aren't fighting to earn anything from Him anymore. we need to be reminded that we stand on grace, and so, despite the fact that we are sinners, we are welcome in church. as kevin said last night, when people complain about RUF because of all the hypocrites, he always responds, "well, we need one more, so come on." this should be the attitude of the church toward outsiders. not to say that we should be down with sin, but that what we all have in common is that we bring nothing to God. "love's redeeming work is done" means that we are ok. we are set. our ransom has been paid - we are free! yay justification.
the kindness of God in loving us - in providing and preparing not just food, but party platters of yummy goodness; in pulling us in close and intimate to His heart and treating us as His children; in allowing us to pay tribute to Him - is assured by the cross as well.
not only are our pasts and our presents in God's hands, but our futures as well. and when we die, we will be welcomed because of that same justification, in the same spirit of the welcoming and embracing presence of God in our lives in the in between.
personally, i think we should be welcoming people into church on sunday mornings in this same spirit, if that makes sense.

Passover Us

this is an andy song which i conveys important truths, particularly for us covenant theologians. the continuity between old and new testaments - in short, between God's plan throughout the course of history - is so beautifully seen in the exodus, among many many other places. this song is from andy's christmas cd, behold the Lamb of God. andy does alot of fun things in the beginning of the cd with recapping OT history. it's a good one.

Passover Us
well, we all remember moses on the banks of the river;
he said, 'pharaoh, you've got to let my people go.
you don't want me to have to tell you this ten times over -
denial ain't just a river, you know.'

well, we all remember pharaoh, he just wouldn't do it.
so the plagues came upon egypt one by one.
his heart was hard and the other nine just couldn't move him,
so the last was the worst, the death of the firstborn sons.

o, but the Lord, He gave to moses a word for the people:
He said their firstborn sons would live to see another day.
'put the blood of the lamb on the doorway and death would pass right over.'
that night all the children of israel prayed.

they prayed, 'Lord, let Your judgment pass over us;
Lord, let Your love hover near.
don't let Your sweet mercy pass over us -
let this blood cover over us here.'

so the years went by and the people they whined and they wandered,
and only sacrifice atoned for the sins of the land.
so you see the priest, he placed upon the holy altar,
the body of a spotless lamb.

and he prayed, 'Lord, let Your judgment pass over us;
Lord, let Your love hover near.
don't let Your sweet mercy pass over us -
let this blood cover over us here.'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
the brilliance of this song is awesome. the overall conversational form of the lyrics reflects the tradition (biblically mandated, of course) of retelling the story of what God did. every year, like clockwork, the youngest child at the table would ask the oldest man at the table why this whole passover thing was being done, what it meant. "we all" would remember things in this conversational way.
obviously, the foreshadowing that the sacrifices provide to the sacrifice of Christ is extremely vivid. the blood on the lintels, the sacrificing to "atone for the sins of the land," - these things are given to God's people as a promise.
being washed in the Redeemer's blood means for us the end of sacrifices.
kevin (my campus minister) preached an fantastic sermon tonight. he talked about genesis 15, when God Almighty makes His covenant with abraham. God tells abraham that he needs to be faithful, obedient, and good, and God will be with him and his offspring forever. they go through the traditional covenant-/treaty-making ceremony, splitting animals apart, passing through the pieces, and swearing that if a party refuses to keep their side of the bargain, that same tearing apart shall happen to the unfaithful party. but God passed through the pieces for both of them - for Himself and for abraham. as kevin said tonight, the law was never intended by God for our salvation. justification by works - good luck with that. what is amazing - utterly amazing - is that God visits the curse, the being torn assunder, upon Himself.
amazing love! how can it be that Thou, my God, shouldst die for me!

The Church's One Foundation

the church's one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord.
she is His new creation by water and the Word.
from heav'n He came and sought her to be His holy bride,
with His own blood He bought her, and for her life He died.

elect from every nation, yet one o'er all the earth,
her charter of salvation: one Lord, one faith, one birth;
one holy Name she blesses, partakes one holy food.
and to one hope she presses, with every grace endued.

mid toil and tribulation and tumult of her war,
she waits the cosummation of peace forevermore;
'til, with the vision glorious, her longing eyes are blessed,
and the great church victorious shall be the church at rest.

yet she on earth hath union with God, the Three in One,
and mystic, sweet communion with those whose rest is won.
o, happy ones, and holy! Lord, give us grace that we
like them, the meek and lowly, on high may dwell with Thee.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
all the wedding imagery in this song is beautiful. it is THIS kind of love that the Lord has for us. it completely blows my mind and heart. i know that i say that a lot, but it's true. hymns tend to bring out the shock-factor, at least for me. somehow it's the simultaneous display of God's glory and His kind condescension to little ole us.
i feel like this song is extremely potent for me because i am a single woman, to an extent existing in a state of "waiting," which is what the church is represented as doing in this song. (that was an extremely poorly written sentence.) of course, the church knows what lies ahead ultimately: eternal marriage to Jesus. that is set in stone. there is absolutely no changing it.
the security of knowing you are loved, and that you have such a protected and blissful future, is remarkable. that this all is wrapped up in a Person, and that this Person is with us and taking care of us always, is still more remarkable.
Jesus is my Hero. and i mean that in the least trite and most literal sense possible.

Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken

this is the beginning of a miniseries (a very mini series) of songs on the church. yay the church. or, more appropriately, yay Jesus, Who has purchased and wooed His bride. the bride is pretty cool, but only because of the completely amazing, utterly ravishing, and perfectly beautiful Hero Who came for her.

Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken
glorious things of thee are spoken,
zion, city of our God.
He Whose Word cannot be broken
formed the for His own abode.
on the Rock of ages founded,
what can shake Thy sure repose?
with salvation's walls surrounded,
thou mayst smile at all thy foes.

see the streams of living Waters
springing from eternal love,
well supplies thy sons and daughters,
and all fears of want remove.
who can faint while such a River
ever flows their thirst to quench?
grace, which like the Lord, the Giver,
never fails from age to age.

blessed inhabitants of zion,
washed in the Redeemer's blood -
Jesus, Whom their souls rely on,
makes them kings and priests to God.
tis His love His people raises,
over self to reign as kings,
and as priests His solemn praises
each for a thank offering brings.

Savior, if of zion's city,
i, through grace, a member am,
let the world deride or pity:
i will glory in Thy Name.
fading is the worldling's pleasure,
all his boasted pomp and show;
solid joys and lasting treasures
none but zion's children know.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
this is such an amazing song. it's amazing that we are a people bought back from such an end and given a future and a hope - given life! - so remarkable that it can be called "glorious." the glorious things spoken of us are not things inherent to us, but things given to us, things cultivated in us, by God Himself.
the thing that strikes me more and more about the bible, and these hymns (which is what makes me like them so much), is the emphasis on our union with Christ being sufficient for us - for our happiness, for our well-being, for our good: "solid joys and lasting treasures none but zion's children know."
what an amazing thing to think about: we are a prized people, nourished by our Savior Himself.
we are very loved.