Ah, dearest Jesus, how hast thou offended? Johann Cruger- 1640
Who was the guilty? Who brought this upon Thee?
Alas, my treason, Jesus hath undone Thee.
Twas I, Lord Jesus, I it was denied Thee;
I crucified Thee.
Therefore, dear Jesus, since I cannot pay Thee
I do adore Thee, and will ever pray Thee
Think on Thy pity and Thy love unswerving
Not my deserving.
Alas, and did my Saviour Bleed - Hugh Wilson-1766
Was it for crimes that I have done
He groaned upon the tree?
Amazing pity, grace unknown,
And Love beyond degree.
Thus might I hide my blushing face
While His dear cross appears;
Dissolve my heart in thankfulness
And melt mine eyes to tears
God is incredible- and I can't get over it. Time and time again, He shows his perfect timing and His perfect self. Yesterday was one crappy day. Sometimes it feels like God just takes off for a while~and as much as you try to mask how you are feeling around friends or whoever- there is this void; a sense that you are alone; the feeling that you are not right with the One Person who loves you the most. You can't shake the feeling, or the sadness that fills you as a result. It's terrible. But God sees you floundering.. and He hears your feeble voice.. and He gently pushes you to read His words, and listen. Today is Good Friday~ and it's been good timing..
To sit in church and be reminded of Christ crucified; what better way to put things in perspective? I see my constant failings, I feel the guilt and shame of my sins, I am exhausted by my attempts to deal with it on my own, and then I realize what Christ did. It doesn't get old-- He came here to be completely humiliated- beaten, ridiculed, spat on, whipped, stripped naked and nailed to a bloody cross, and for what? He was perfect. He is perfect. What crimes did He do??? It rips me up inside, trying to cope with the horror and the joy of Christ's death. But joy trumps the sadness, because Christ, out of sheer love for us would not let us die! In his death, I have life that I really don't deserve, and THAT is what "dissolves my heart in thankfulness and melts mine eyes to tears"
Halleluliah, what a Saviour!!!
3 comments:
amen
wow, I missed singing that Cruger hymn this easter. Just the poetry gives me goose bumps. This post really made me think. I don't think we ever can really can get over the mixed emotions of the cross. Are we supposed to be angry (perhaps..at ourselves) happy (of course), sad, confused (I mean...can we really know what actually happened during those three days from cross to cave?). But the emotions are such extreme ends of our human emotional spectrum can we ever fully experience the cross..emotionally (and intellectually) in one moment. I don't think its in our human capacity. Would we explode? or implode? p.s. this question has also been bothering me. Do you think that the moment Christ died something changed in us, spiritually, mentally, biologically? Did God do something, or was it just a simple shifting of habit that man now dares to come before God without material sacrifice? Or are we the sacrifices? I like to think something fundamental about man changed that day...and even across the world in the forests of North and South America...in the hearts of AFrica and Asia...men had some sudden intuition that life was now different. Or is this just crazy talk? Maybe i'll research this...i need somethign to do for the next four months. Take care REE
I think that's there's something to say about the gift of tears- they cover joy, sadness, frustration.. i mean, we feel it all- and when it comes to the cross, they can't be categorized.
As for your second thought- i really haven't thought about it.. but i'm going to say no. I don't think that's necessarily the case. I think it took a ton of work for the apostles and others to get people to let go of the sacrifice mentality. It wasn't easy. But what do I know? by all means, research it and get back to me..
love ya bro, thanks for the comment
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