The season of Lent has always been a meaningful time for me; in fact, it is my favorite period on the church calendar. It is a time in which the people of the Church reflect on Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and His victorious resurrection from the dead. Every year, I take part in the worship services over the Easter weekend, and at each service, I am struck with something new amidst this amazing outpouring of God’s grace and mercy.
This year as I provided music for many of the services, the lyrics to a modern hymn continued to speak to my heart. The lyrically stunning “How Deep the Father’s Love for us” by Stuart Townend reminds the worshipper that it was our sin that held our Savior to the cross until the act of redemption was complete. Now, in growing up in the church, I have always been aware of Christ’s ultimate sacrifice on the cross on what we have come to know as Good Friday. But truthfully, it wasn’t until this Easter weekend that I fully comprehended that it was my sin that nailed Jesus to that cross.
Jesus went to the cross carrying a heavy burden of sin— the sins of you and me. You see, He knew each one of us before we even came to be, and He knew we wouldn’t measure up. After all, to sin means to miss the mark, and that’s what you and I do every day of our lives. Yet, even though we often repent of our sins, we continue to grieve our Heavenly Father with our faults every day. We are stubborn, willful people, and there is no hiding from the reality of our indebtedness to Him.
To finally and fully make that connection that Christ want to the cross for me and paid that debt in full for me— I was overwhelmed with this tremendous sense of awe and wonder. The message was nothing new to my ears, because like I said, I had grown up in the church and knew all about the true meaning of Easter. But this year, I was able to comprehend a much deeper meaning.
I think this new perspective comes from witnessing deep, spiritual growth in the lives of many of my friends. I see the wonder and experience their joy when they make a new discovery or connection in the scheme of God’s story in their lives. And as I sat in the pew and led music from the piano this weekend, I thought about what it must be like to be in their shoes during this meaningful week on the church calendar. It just reconfirmed to me how incredible it is to view a well-known story and set of truths through new eyes.
It is finished! The debt of sin has been paid in full; His wounds have paid my ransom! What a promise to hold to as we move beyond Holy Week and into continual service with Him. Even though Easter Sunday has passed, may we never forget what took place on that Resurrection Sunday.
cassiecontemplates 