We have a benefit over those followers of Jesus in His day walking the earth. We remember the events leading up to the cross, but they lived it. However, we know before He dies, he will rise again. What an advantage! We see everything on this side of Easter.
Today we celebrate the empty cross, the Risen Lord and all we have learned about what comes after the discovery of the tomb that could not hold Him. Our grief yields to celebration. Despair turns to hope. We lift our heads and look high. A new Day has been born.
The Re Words.
There are dozens of them. I call them the “re” words. They are almost all powerful words. They are Spring words. Renewal. Revisit. Rejuvenate. Restart. Reconcile. Return. Reconsider. Rethink. Recommit. I love them all. They all blend “surrender” in with “power.” To yield is strength when we see from the back side of a decision.
These words apply to people, to relationships and to communities themselves. A visionary sees the entire continuum. A wife or husband can see the necessity of healing, and the results. Some fast-growing cities are overwhelmed with new growth. A mature mayor and city manager place equal joy on rebuilding the old parts of town. Birth and rebirth taken together result in resiliency and vibrancy.
Easter Song.
While I mentioned hymns on Good Friday, it is actually praise music that has added to my re-energized soul in recent years. Many churches have blended the old hymns with lively praise, often in the same song. I like that. I am one of those who firmly believes that Heaven will be filled with songs of praise and worship. It is the worship service today that gives me the best glimpse of Heaven. I don’t see Heaven being a passive experience.
It is this spirit that I direct you to a few links of some praise music. I searched with pleasure and found way too many to make it an easy choice. If you have never heard of Hillsong, then let me introduce them to you. This is a church in Australia that has turned their music into a ministry of its own. A highlight is a woman named Darlene Zschech. We were fortunate to see Hillsong and Darlene a few years back at a church in Carrollton.
The first song is called Hallelujah Choir Opener. I like this version (Darlene is not in this one) because it involves normal city scenes that show how we can be in a mindset of praise in the middle of our busy lives. It also gives me hope to see Gen-Xers and Millennials taking the lead.
The second song involves Darlene singing Shout to the Lord, one of my favorites. She is joined by Michael W. Smith. When our son Kenneth was a young teenager, he attended a Christian sports camp in Missouri. The owner of Kamp Kanakuk, Joe White, was a friend of Michael W. Smith and had him surprise the campers one night for their very own show.
If this music speaks to you, I promise you could fill your day searching YouTube, and you will be richly blessed.
Happy Easter! LFM
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