The Song of Our Salvation

Good Friday is the day when the Son of God poured out all his love on the cross. From Calvary’s tree, our Savior spoke words so wondrous, mysterious, and profound. Our Lord willingly walked the road to Golgotha, scorning the shame of the cross, for the joy set before him, the joy of fulfilling his Father’s will and opening the way to salvation for you and me. 

Were You There? 

One of my favorite songs of this sacred season is “Were You There.” Years ago, I wrote and produced a Passion Play for a Connecticut Christian radio station. The play answered that question by taking us there to the crucifixion as it featured the characters from the Passion – everyone from Peter and John, to Mary and Mary Magdalene, from the servant of Caiaphas, to Claudia, the wife of Pontus Pilate. Each person was present at the crucifixion of Christ. Each of them was moved in a profound way as the drama of the Passion unfolded before them. The words they spoke in the drama came from my imagination; but they reflected the story salvation laid out in the Scriptures and presented to the listening audience the significance of the sacrifice of our Savior on the cross.

As I’ve reflected on the words to the song, “Were You There,” I have come to realize that I was indeed there from the beginning. From eternity past, to the Incarnation of Christ, to his life and ministry, and all the way to the cross, I was there in the mind and heart of my Savior. So were we all. Jesus, left the mansions of heaven for the warmth of his mother’s womb, and lived among the people he so dearly loved. To picture in my mind our Lord walking along the dusty roads of the Holy Land, eating and drinking with sinners, calling men and women to take of their crosses and follow him, healing the sick, casting out the unclean spirits, and calming the violent storms on the Lake – it inspires such feelings of love within me. To know that Jesus touched the broken and the lost, molded mud into new eyes for a blind man, and raised the dead to life brings me to my knees in wonder and awe.

 A Song of Love Poured Out

 Every moment of our Lord’s life was a sacred song of love, sung out in words and deeds so wholly mysterious and beautiful. Every utterance was a poetic parable, a song of prophecy fulfilled, a refrain love so overwhelming that it spilled out into the lives of every person Jesus met. John’s Gospel gives us so many of these lyrics of love – especially at the Last Supper. Jesus first spoke to his disciples of that love by washing their feet; and then he shared the beauty of the relationship he held with his Father as he left his brothers the words they would need in the days to come. And then he shared the Bread and Wine, made into his Body and Blood, the same body that would be broken for us, the same blood that would be poured out on our behalf for the forgiveness of sins.

This great love has inspired my writing and my poetry. I cannot help but sing my own song of praise to the One who loved me to the full, who so beautifully emptied himself of all his love on the cross. To those who say that God turned his face away from the Son, I say no! From the Garden to the trial to the tree, Jesus reversed the curse of Adam who faced his trial at the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden. Our Lord demonstrated, manifested, displayed in all its profundity the love of the Trinity, and God’s love for the world.

Singing Our Song to the One who Sang His Song of Love for Us

When Jesus spoke the words, “My God, my God – why have you forsaken me?” he was not expressing abandonment or despair, but shared the awesome mystery of redemption in the fulfillment of that blessed psalm. If we read through the 22^nd Psalm, we see the One who suffers, his hands and feet pierced, his heart melting away, a man rejected, ridiculed and reviled. But we also see the One who is vindicated and raised up, the Savior who sees the dawn of salvation and his restoration to the Father’s side. What a marvelous and moving song of love fulfilled!

As you celebrate Good Friday and Easter, meditate on this sacred song of love poured out for you in perfection. Sing your own melody of love back to your Savior in your prayers, hymns, and sacred songs, and in the words and deeds you pour out in response to the gift of salvation Christ poured out for you.

I’d like to close by sharing a few links to some songs that celebrate the love given to us by Jesus through his life, death, and resurrection, and the mystery and majesty of Easter. I hope they bring you joy and peace. God bless you and may you have a Blessed Easter!

I Was There – https://youtu.be/dtUghtyfkhs

Highest Prayer – https://youtu.be/gqPhlXGWsFY

Praising Our Mighty, Victorious Lord – https://youtu.be/gqPhlXGWsFY

Resurrection Song – https://youtu.be/hWtzZeYMzuw

Christ is Risen, Come Rejoice – https://youtu.be/T2H-XFY36u8