Here is a new hymn for a new day to rejoice in.
O sing my heart within me,
Let loose a song of love,
Rejoice in all before thee,
His boundless life of love.
O may our hearts before Him,
In thankfulness resound.
That every voice now present
In His sweet grace be found.
O sing with joyful gladness,
For now the price is paid.
Sin’s cruel reign is over,
And life from death remains.
Yet, ever Satan’s forces
Persist unyieldingly,
And tho’ our foe is vanquished,
He mocks Christ’s saving tree.
So what is our endeavor,
When faced with worldly hate?
Christ’s love will ever conquer,
A victory so great!
Forgive as we’re forgiven,
And speak the truth in love.
Keep every thought committed,
For Christ’s strength is enough.
And now on hallowed footsteps,
We live this life of grace,
With mercy and love’s kindness,
Undaunted, challenges face.
What hope gives us endurance,
To quench each fiery dart?
‘Tis Christ’s own spirit in us,
His words within our heart.
So now we look unto him,
And to that glorious day.
With spiritual bodies clothed,
No sorrow, tears remain.
O sing my heart within me,
Let loose a song of love,
Rejoice in all before thee,
This endless life of love.
[Sung to the tune of “O Sacred Head Now Wounded”]
Good Friday. I had a nice chat at the YMCA on Wednesday with a young man about WHEN Jesus was actually crucified. He was surprised to learn that Jesus may have died on a Wednesday afternoon [at the very time we were chatting], and not on a Friday according to tradition. Here are some of the things that I shared with him.
How many times should I forgive someone? Peter had the same question.
The Gospels are full of records of Jesus healing people and casting evil spirits out of them. In fact, in the Gospel of Mark [where Jesus is portrayed as a servant] there are the most records of him commanding evil spirits to leave the bodies and lives of men.
We learned a bit about the Pharisees last time: “Because of their refusal to humble themselves to God’s offer of righteousness through Jesus Christ, the Pharisees and lawyers continued in their own legalistic ways to establish their own righteousness. And they continued to lord over the people by imposing their own expanded version of the Mosaic law upon them.”
This morning I mowed our front and back lawn. I’ve been mowing yards since it was my first job at the age of 10 (when I could hand over a quarter and fill my gas can). I’ve always enjoyed so much about this kind of work: figuring out how to geometrically divide the lawn around bushes and buildings to use my time most efficiently, the smell of freshly mown grass, and the “think time.”
