A Brother, an Epiphany, and the Resurrection

so my little brother, who is a mere thirteen years of age, is one of the most hilarious people ever. he is sweet and funny and he loves Jesus and i just think he's awesome. anyway, while i was at home this weekend, he left this on a digital post-it note on my computer:
Things to do in the big D:

(1) give KJ a big hug

(2) give KJ $50

(3) give KJ a video game

(4) pet the dogs without washing my hands right after (EWWWWWWWWWWWW)

don't you just love little brothers? :-D (ps all i actually accomplished was #1, but i did that repeatedly - we're a huggy family; what can i say? and he did offer to buy me a ringtone so i don't have to deal with the laughing baby anymore.)

my epiphany was related to the scripture meditation i heard at my home church on good friday. actually, it centers on a verse that rev. settle didn't comment on at all, but it struck me. those of you who know me in person will not be surprised that it relates to the whole sabbath thing.

luke 23:56b - on the sabbath day they rested according to the commandment.

context: Jesus has just died, and joseph of arimathea has taken His body to be buried in his family tomb. then we get this in verse 55 - "the women who had come with him from galilee followed and saw the tomb and how His body was laid." so Jesus is for sure dead. but get this: their resting on the sabbath day was the first REAL sabbath since the Fall.

when Jesus said "it is finished," He meant it. our redemption was accomplished. and since the sabbath is all about the fact that it is the work of God that makes us holy before Him, not our own (see exodus 31:12-17), it seems to me that since that first sabbath after the crucifixion was the first one on which the work needed to make us holy in this way was done. crazy-cool, huh?

so guess what. my pastor at home preached an amazing sermon on easter, or as we like to call it, "resurrection sunday," about the necessity to our faith and the gospel for a historical resurrection. bashing such highly regarded theologians and philosphers as bultmann and van buren, he talked about how important it is for Jesus to have actually come back to life. without a real resurrection, dead people cannot come to life. in fact, there is absolutely no hope for mankind if Jesus did not rise from the dead. so all this warm-fuzzy stuff about having "an easter event in your heart" is hogwash without a living Lord to make it possible.

theology is more relevant than we could imagine, folks...

HE IS RISEN! Christ is risen indeed!

all authority and power
all authority and power, every status and domain
now belongs to One Who suffered, our redemption to obtain
angels, demons, kings and rulers - over all shall Jesus reign

all the nations owe Him worship; ev'ry tongue shall call Him Lord
how are men to call upon Him if His Name they have not heard?
therefore, go and make disciples, preach His gospel, spread His Word

all the clear commands of Jesus must be heeded and obeyed
full provision for our weakness in His teaching He has made
in the gospel words and symbols - saving truth to us conveyed

all the time He will be with us, always, to the end of days
with His own believing people who keep steadfast in His ways
God the Father, Son, and Spirit bless us and to God be praised!
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1) "rejoice! the Lord is King!" comes to mind :) talk about a benevolent dictator - if our Savior and the passionate Lover of our souls is calling the shots, we surely have nothing to fear.
2) again we see the strong connection between the gospel taking hold of our hearts and missions. it's a necessary correlation.
3) the third verse is sooooooooooooooooooo rich. i don't khow what to do with it, where to begin breaking it down. it's pretty amazing stuff. Jesus makes demands of us - commands, if you will - and yet we have this: "full provision for our weakness in His teaching He has made" - "He knows we are but dust."
4) Jesus is coming back for us, but He is also with us always. we are not alone.
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Flesh and Blood
flesh and blood, born a Babe
flesh and blood, You lived and breathed
amazing love!
You came and gave your flesh and blood
to set me free

so hallelujah for the bread, it is His body
and the wine, it is the blood that binds us now
and the living bread remains,
the communion of the saints
sing the mystery of faith, flesh and blood

flesh and blood, you are my children
flesh and blood, if you believe
so take this cup,
and when you take My flesh and blood
remember Me

so hallelujah for the bread, it is His body
and the wine, it is the blood that binds us now
and the living bread remains,
the communion of the saints
sing the mystery of faith, flesh and blood

we remember, blessed Jesus, we remember
God help us all if ever we forget
that the Author of the story
cast off His crown of glory
for a crown of thorns
and flesh and blood

so hallelujah for the bread, it is His body
and the wine, it is the blood that binds us now
and the living bread remains,
the communion of the saints
sing the mystery of faith, flesh and blood

we remember, blessed Jesus, we remember
(bread, it is His body)
God help us all if ever we forget
(blood that binds us now)
that the living Bread remains
the communion of the saints
sing the mystery of faith, flesh and blood
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not really a hymn, but it is a new andy peterson - and one of my very favorites ever. it really drives home the utter fleshiness of the incarnation - all this flesh and blood buisness is amazing. and the fact that we are given a physical representation of all of this - communion. and that physical representation is bigger than the bread and the wine. (i'm with calvin on this - no consubstantiation or transubstantiation or any of that buisness.) anyway, i think this is a BEAUTIFUL communion hymn.
and a fun sovereignty line goes with this: "the Author of the story cast off His crown of glory for a crown of thorns and flesh and blood."
y'all, the gospel is AMAZING.
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Rock of ages (when the day seems long)
Rock of ages, when the day seems long
from this labor and this heartache i have come
the skies will wear out, but You remain the same
Rock of ages, i praise Your Name

Rock of ages, You have brought me near
You have poured out Your lifeblood, Your love, and Your tears
to make this stone heart come alive again
Rock of ages, forgive my sin

Rock of ages, Rock of ages, bind Your children till the kingdom comes,
Rock of ages Your will be done

Rock of ages, when in want or rest
my desperate need for such a Savior i confess
now pull these idols out of my heart-embrace
Rock of ages, i need Your grace

Rock of ages, broken, scorned for me
who am i that You would die to make me free?
to give me glory, You took the death and the pain
Rock of ages, my offering

Rock of ages, 'it is done!' You cried
the curtain's torn and i see justice satisfied
now write Your mercy on my heart and hands
Rock of ages, in faith i stand

Rock of ages, my great Hope secure
Your promise holds just like an anchor to my soul
bind Your children with cords of love and grace
Rock of ages, we give You praise

Rock of ages, Rock of ages, bind Your children till the kingdom comes
Rock of ages, Your will be done
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another new hymn, this one written by kevin twit and cut by sandra mccracken. i'm actually not going to comment on this. :) i think it stands for itself.

Christ the Lord Is Risen Today

Christ the Lord is risen today - allelujah
all creation join to say - allelujah
raise your joys and triumphs high - allejuah
sing, ye heavens, and earth reply! - allelujah

love's redeeming work is done - allelujah
fought the fight, the battle won - allelujah
death in vain forbids Him rise - allelujah
Christ has opened paradise - allelujah

lives again our glorious King - allelujah
where, o death, is now thy sting? - allelujah
once He died our souls to save - allelujah
where thy victory, o grave? - allelujah

soar we now where Christ has led - allelujah
following our exalted Head - allelujah
made like Him, like Him we rise - allelujah
ours the cross, the grave, the skies - allelujah!
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no, this song wasn't hard to find. i gave up on "all authority and power" because it was just not working for me. maybe we'll sing it tomorrow at church and i can get it from there. it's a great song.

anyway, here's my thoughts on this one:
1) the doctrine of imputation - that what belongs to and was done by Christ is now ours. "made like Him, like Him we rise; ours the cross, the grave, the skies" - isn't htat beautiful?
2) Jesus loves us. He loves us SO much. and, dude, He's ALIVE. how amazing is that?
3) He is tougher than death. He is stronger than sin. He is our God and our Savior.
4) "love's redeeming work is done" - wow. "it is finished" indeed.

All Praise to Christ

all praise to Christ, our Lord and King divine
yielding His glory in His love's design
that in our darkened hearts His grace might shine
allelujah!

Christ came to us in lowliness of thought
by Him the outcast and the poor were sought
and by His death was our redemption bought
allelujah!

....
He was a servant that we might be free
humbling Himself to death on calvary
allelujah!

and so we see in God's great purpose how
Christ has been raised above all creatures now
and at His Name will every nation bow
allelujah!
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this hymn has been the single hardest to track down, and most of it i had to rely on my memory for. tomorrow's is almost tied with it ("all authority and power") in this respect. therefore, the first line of the third verse is missing. sorry about that. i can't find it anywhere without paying like 9 pounds (the english money kind, not flesh - no worries).
1) i just like the lyricism of this song. it's so pretty form a literary standpoint.
2) "yielding His glory in His love's design, that in our darkened hearts His grace might shine" - i mean, really, how incredible is that?! of course, we know that in the end this means more glory for our God - both because of His great love as evidenced in His great sacrifice, and because He gets us in the bargain. :)
3) Christ comes down low - to our level - and seeks the low - which would be us. and yet in the same breath we can proclaim " and by His death was our redemption bought!" allelujah indeed.
4) stanza three makes me think of this: "for our sake He made Him Who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 cor. 5:21)
5) amazing how God's self-humbling becomes His glorification, and how all the low-ness of this incarnation and passion buisness was "in God's great purpose."

how great is our God?!

Lift High the Cross

Lift high the Cross, the love of Christ proclaim

Till all the world adore His sacred Name

Come, Christians, follow where our Savior trod

Our King victorious – Christ, the Son of God

Lift high the Cross, the love of Christ proclaim

Till all the world adore His sacred Name

All newborn children of the Crucified

Bear on their brows the seal of Him Who died.

Lift high the Cross, the love of Christ proclaim

Till all the world adore His sacred Name

Let every race and every language tell

Of Him Who saves our souls from death and hell

Lift high the Cross, the love of Christ proclaim

Till all the world adore His sacred Name

O Lord once lifted on the glorious tree

As Thou hast promised, draw the world to Thee

Lift high the Cross, the love of Christ proclaim

Till all the world adore His sacred Name
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in the most respectful way possible , let me say that my parent's internet access is WAY slower than mine at school and for that reason, this site wouldn't even load for me last night. so that's why we're doing it today.
1) the Gospel makes us missionaries
2) this is a really cool song musically; very much a battle victor tune, full of majesty and pomp and all that stuff. i really think that suits the words well, and makes them richer because more of us is involved...
3) "come Christians - follow where our Savior trod" - i love this reminder that Jesus never takes us to places He hasn't been before us.
4) the "seal of Him Who died" bit sends shivers down my spine because it sounds so permanent - AND IT IS!!!!!!!!!!! (perserverance of the saints, baby)
5) the Gospel transcends racial and national borders - He saves all kinds of people's souls from death and hell, and that (+ that seal, the Holy Spirit) give us all equal footing in the kingdom of God.
6) you know, so much of this song is centered around numbers 21. the people of Israel get whiny, and God sends a bunch of "fiery serpents" down to bite them, and alot of them die. but He has moses make a bronze snake and put it on a pole, so that if anyone looks up at it he will not die. gee, does that sound prophetic to you? so anyway, this song is really about perishing people looking up to the cross and being made well. we just have to lift that cross HIGH so that it can be seen - no hiding under bushels or any of that business.

i am sick, have been for a while in fact. i feel awful. but at least i'm home!

Thou Lovely Source of True Delight

Thou lovely Source of true delight
Whom i, unseen, adore
unveil Thy beauties to my sight
that i might love Thee more, oh that i might love Thee more

Thy glory o'er creation shines
but in Thy sacred Word
i read in fairer, brighter lines
my bleeding, dying Lord, see my bleeding, dying Lord

tis here whene'er my comforts droop
and sins and sorrows rise
Thy Word with cheering beams of hope
my fainting heart supplies, my fainting heart supplies

and - ah, too soon! - the pleasing scene
is clouded o'er with pain
my gloomy fears rise dark between
and i again complain, oh, and i again complain

Jesus, my Lord, my Life, my Light
o, come with blissful ray
break radiant through the shades of night
and chase my fears away - won't You chase my fears away?

then shall my soul with rapture trace
the wonders of Thy love
but the full glories of Thy face
are only known above, they are only known above
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1) Jesus is the lovely source of true delight, and He's the unseen one (not me)
2) "unveil Thy beauties to my sight that I might love Thee more" - oh Lord, that's the cry of my heart! nota bene that he turns immediately to scripture...
3) special revelation (the Bible) bests general revelation (nature) because the sacrifice of Christ is revealed in the Bible
4) Jesus' love for me, expressed to me in scripture, restores my heart when life sucks (either because of me or something outside me)
5) though i am encouraged by the gospel, and my heart is lifted by its glorious description of my glorious God, i'm quick to forget and i turn back to my favorite hobby: whining. (believe me, this is totally autobiographical.)
6) whining and fear and lauren's tendency to over-analysis all go together...
7) Lord Jesus, save me from me
8) as christians,we live in the already but not yet - we know Jesus, but not like we will; He is King, but not like He will be... this should make us HUNGER for His return, since that is when he will come get us and make everything right.

i'm going HOME tomorrow. :-D

It Is Well

when peace like a river attendeth my way
when sorrows like sea billows roll
whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say
"it is well, it is well with my soul."

it is well with my soul
it is well, it is well with my soul

though satan should buffet, though trials should come
let this bless'd assurance control:
that Christ has regarded my helpless estate
and has shed His own blood for my soul!

it is well with my soul
it is well, it is well with my soul

my sin - o! the bliss of this glorious thought -
my sin, not in part but the whole
is nailed to the cross and i bear it no more
praise the Lord, praise the Lord, o my soul!

it is well with my soul
it is well, it is well with my soul

and, Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight
the clouds be rolled back as a scroll
the trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend
even so, it is well with my soul

it is well with my soul
it is well, it is well with my soul
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1) ok, first verse is pretty easy: whether life is rolling along smoothly or i'm being overwhelmed by all the tough stuff coming at me - regardless of how my situation is or how i feel - i'm alright. in fact, i'm WELL.
2) second verse is a little more thought-provoking: no matter how awful it gets, or what kind of awful (satanic, just sinful, circumstantial - you name it), my comfort and assurance is that Christ died for me because He took a hard look at where i am and said "that won't do."
3) verse three is fabulous and def my favorite part of this hymn: no matter how screwed up i am, and how just awful things get because of me, that statement ("it is well with my soul") is still true. all that stuff that was mine is now nailed to the cross of Christ and it's mine no longer. i don't carry that burden. "praise the Lord" is right!
4) Jesus is coming back for us, y'all! can you believe that??? i'm so excited. that's what the last verse is about, but the one line that has confused me is "even so, it is well with my soul" - i mean, when Jesus comes back for me, gosh darn it i will be glad! why wouldn't i be well - better than ever in fact? (not that i'll be more secure, but you should see A Debtor to Mercy Alone for more on that...) it has occurred to me that maybe what's referenced here is fear and trembling - Jesus won't be coming peacefully this time - or perhaps the fact that we - at least i - have things i would like to do before He comes. like get married and have babies. and that our selfish and stupid hunger for those things more than for the Savior won't shatter us either.

regardless, IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL. our God made sure of that for good on resurrection sunday around 2000 years ago...

Thoughts (assuming they deserve that title)

today has been highly - HIGHLY - productive, so i have time to write more than lent stuff, which i already did earlier. so now i just get to ramble.

my schedule next semester is going to be SO weird. my first class on m/w/f will be at 1:00, but my first class t/th will be at 9:30. and at the moment it will be my ONLY class on t/th. but i have this directed reading thing that has to be scheduled and then voice that has to be scheduled and of course there's this lovely thing called I WILL LIVE OFF CAMPUS that means that i will be cooking ALOT (thank You, Jesus!) and hosting alot and hanging out alot and YAY i'm SO EXCITED. plans for next year are going well - i have to call the power company and the cable company and all those fun folks in the next few days to set up accounts, and we move in may 1. i have a signficant amount of stuff figured out - furniture purchased, borrowed, stolen (jk); ISP determined; moving situation figured out; glasses and china and other such things purchased. we're looking pretty good and i am PUMPED.

oh, and when i GO HOME FOR EASTER, i'm getting to interview with the b&n children's section head and hopefully will come back with a real summer job! no more cutco ever again!

boy i am all over the place tonight... and you'll notice i'm not being particularly heady. that's because i have no brain left.

i like salmon.

i want to sleep not on an airmattress on a bad dorm mattress on a springy thing ever again! thankfully, at least i'll be in my own bed in only a few nights - let's see, in... 3 nights from now! holy moley! :-D

guess what?! i am so totally writing a paper on marriage vs. being live-in lovers for one of my english classes! it's really cool because it'll be fun and relatively wholesome, which if you and i have talked about that class at all (af am lit post vietnam) you know is tough to pull off given the books we've been reading. but one of the books i'm using is this fabulous, amazing book - second book (not counting the Bible) ever to make me cry. it was called Mama Day, and it was even better than a breath of fresh air in the middle of belen in iquitos, peru.

i'm kinda gonna be sad when lent is over. i have really really enjoyed and benefitted from all this blogging-about-a-propitiatory-atonement-hymn-every-day stuff. i might keep doing hymns and just change themes... thoughts?

Thine Be the Glory

i feel like doing this earlier than normal. maybe i'm still procrastinating, but i think it's just that it's stuck in my head...

Thine be the glory, risen, conqu'ring Son
endless is the victory Thou o'er death has won
angels in bright raiment rolled the stone away
kept the folded grave-clothes where Thy body lay

Thine be the glory, risen, conqu'ring Son
endless is the victory Thou o'er death has won

lo! Jesus meets us risen from the tomb
lovingly He greets us, scatters fear and gloom
let the Church with gladness hymns of triumph sing
for her Lord now liveth - death has lost its sting!

Thine be the glory, risen, conqu'ring Son
endless is the victory Thou o'er death has won
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1) the tune of this song is so amazingly triumphant. i love it. it fits perfectly.
2) Christ is risen, y'all! i mean He really and truly was dead and now is alive. can you get your mind around that? (if you do, let me know how cause i'm still in shock and i've believed it my whole life!)
3) death is defeated :) Jesus lives!
4) in case you didn't notice, we are victorious because JESUS IS ALIVE. and that is why we get to sing "hymns of triumph." craaaaaaaaaaaaaaazy, man.
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"grace travels outside of karma..." life is not about "what goes around comes around" - we aren't getting what we deserve, and that's only because Jesus didn't get what He deserved. and, dude, you surely don't want to be in the position where you DO get what you deserve. grace is beyond what is earned or deserved. and that means that to love those who love us and say sweet things to people who are nice to us - there is no grace in that. not that it's bad, but it's not where grace comes in. grace should show up when people are mean and petty and unkind. it should show up when you are betrayed. as Gospel people, we should know this well. and we should be living it.

We Have Heard the Joyful Sound

we have heard the joyful sound - "Jesus saves! Jesus saves!"
spread the tidings all around - "Jesus saves! Jesus saves!"
spread the news to every land, climb the steeps and cross the waves
onward! - tis our Lord's command; Jesus saves! Jesus saves!

waft it on the rolling tide: "Jesus saves! Jesus saves!"
tell to sinners far and wide: "Jesus saves! Jesus saves!"
sing, you islands of the sea; echo back, you ocean caves;
earth shall keep her jubilee: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!

sing above the battle strife: "Jesus saves! Jesus saves!"
by His death and endless life Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
shout it brightly through the gloom, when the heart for mercy craves;
sing in triumph o'er the tomb: "Jesus saves! Jesus saves!"

give the winds a mighty voice: Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
let the nations now rejoice - Jesus saves! Jesus saves!
shout salvation full and free; highest hills and deepest caves;
this our song of victory: "Jesus saves! Jesus saves!"
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1) the gospel should drive us to be loud about it.
2) "earth shall keep her jubilee" - that's pretty incredible.
3) Jesus saves us "by His death and endless life" - which is a pretty amazing double-whammy.
4) the heart craves mercy, and the desire is fulfilled in the salvation bought for us by Christ.
5) we can "sing in triumph" over death - NO one else can do this.
6) "shout salvation full and free"
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i have 5 papers, 6 tests, a bunch of housing stuff, homework, planning stuff for summer conference, and at least one party to plan before May 4.
on the other hand, i'm going home for easter! our entire immediate family will be in OUR house for the first time since last august!!!! can't complain about that, man.