Easter Weekend

View Him prostrate in the garden;
On the ground your Maker lies.
On the bloody tree behold Him;
Sinner, will this not suffice?
--from the hymn
"Come, Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy"
by Joseph Hart

I am a words person. (Surprise, surprise!) When I listen to a song, I can't tell you much about the music, tempo, beat, whatever, what have you, insert big impressive musical word here. But I can tell you about the lyrics, what I thought about them, how they made me feel, if they were grammatically correct.

I also love old hymns. (I am a traditionalist when it comes to worship. Nothing against contemporary worship at all--I'm just old-fashioned.) Anyway, I love the old hymns. I think of one in particular this time of year. It's "Come, Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy" by Joseph Hart. Fernando Ortega and Amy Grant recorded a version of this hymn, and you can hear it here.

I find the verse at the top of this post particularly haunting. It paints a poignant picture--one for which you and I are responsible. But, thanks be to God, that is not the end of the story. Christ paid the ultimate price for our sins, making it possible for us to escape eternal torment in hell and to spend eternity with Him in heaven, enjoying Him forever. And He calls us to Himself. No matter where we are in life, Christ is calling us. Don't wait. Go to Him today.

Come, ye weary, heavy-laden
Lost and ruined by the fall.
If you tarry till you're better,
You will never come at all.

Tomorrow is Easter. We'll get up and see what Kate got in her Easter basket. We'll get dressed in our Sunday best, attend church, have a ham dinner with family. We already did an egg hunt and visited the Easter bunny at the mall. These are all fine traditions, and I enjoy them very much--as many people do. You can bet that we'll have lots of photos to remember this special occasion. But the one thing I hope our little girl grows up to always remember--and to truly comprehend, as much as anyone can--is the importance of what this holiday celebrates. That God gave His one and only Son. That His Son conquered death so that we could enjoy eternal life. That as much as I love her and as much as her father loves her and as much the rest of her family loves her, Christ loves her so much more. So much more.

I will arise and go to Jesus.
He will embrace me in His arms.
In the arms of my dear Savior,
O, there are ten thousand charms.