Reflections – Series 2, Vol. 4
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Reflections – Series 2, Vol. 3
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Resurrection
O God of my exodus,Great was the joy of Israel’s son,
when Egypt died upon the shore,
Far greater the joy
when the Redeemer’s foe lay crushed
in the dust.
Jesus strides forth as the victor,
conqueror of death, hell, and all opposing
might;
He bursts the bands of death,
tramples the powers of darkness down,
and lives forever.
He, my gracious surety,
apprehended for payment of my debt,
comes forth from the prison house of the grave
free, and triumphant over sin, Satan, and death.
Show me herein the proof that his vicarious offering
is accepted,
that the claims of justice are satisfied,
that the devil’s scepter is shivered,
that his wrongful throne is leveled.
Give me the assurance that in Christ I died,
in him I rose,
in his life I live, in his victory I triumph,
in his ascension I shall be glorified.
Adorable Redeemer,
thou who wast lifted up upon a cross
art ascended to highest heaven.
Thou, who as Man of sorrows
wast crowned with thorns,
art now Lord of life wreathed with glory.
Once, no shame more deep than thine,
no agony more bitter,
no death more cruel.
Now, no exaltation more high,
no life more glorious,
no advocate more effective.
Thou art in triumph car leading captive
thine enemies behind thee.
What more could be done than thou hast done!
Thy death is my life,
thy resurrection my peace,
thy ascension my hope,
thy prayers my comfort.
From The Valley of Vision, Arthur Bennett, The Banner of Truth Trust, 1975
Love Lustres at Calvary
My Father,Enlarge my heart, warm my affections,
open my lips,
supply words that proclaim ‘Love lustres
at Calvary.’
There grace removes my burdens and heaps them
on thy Son,
made a transgressor, a curse, and sin for me;
There the sword of thy justice smote the man,
thy fellow;
There thy infinite attributes were magnified,
and infinite atonement was made;
There infinite punishment was due,
and infinite punishment was endured.
Christ was all anguish that I might be all joy,
cast off that I might be brought in
trodden down as an enemy
that I might be welcomed as a friend,
surrendered to hell’s worst
that I might attain heaven’s best,
stripped that I might be clothed,
wounded that I might be healed,
athirst that I might drink,
tormented that I might be comforted,
made shame that I might inherit glory,
entered darkness that I might have eternal light.
My Savior wept that all tears might be wiped
from my eyes,
groaned that I might have endless song,
endured all pain that I might have unfading health,
bore a thorny crown that I might have
a glory-diadem,
bowed his head that I might uplift mine,
experience reproach that I might receive
welcome,
closed his eyes in death that I might gaze
on unclouded brightness,
expired that I might for ever live.
O Father, who spared not thine only Son that thou
mightest spare me,
All this transfer they love designed and
accomplished;
Help me to adore thee by lips and life.
O that my every breath might be ecstatic praise,
my every step buoyant with delight, as I see my
enemies crushed,
Satan baffled, defeated, destroyed,
sin buried in the ocean of reconciling blood,
hell’s gates closed, heaven’s portal open.
Go forth, O conquering God, and show me
the cross, mighty to subdue, comfort and save.
From The Valley of Vision, Arthur Bennett, The Banner of Truth Trust, 1975
Reflections – Series 2, Vol. 2
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Reflections – Series 2, Vol. 1
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A Prayer for a Spring Day
Oh Lord, the Creator, the Giver and the Sustainer of all Life,
You are the God who awakens the earth and all its creatures from their winter slumber.
Lord, You bring forth life each spring and turn it’s still and icy nights into choruses of song,
You fill empty branches of trees with the source of all of the world’s life.
The animals make their way from their winter homes to the fields and streams
overflowing with the winter snow melt and the spring rains.
How can we experience this rebirth, this new life, this transformation each year
and not immediately turn to the new life given to us through Your Son Jesus?
In the spring, when the entire world is awakening, Your Son went instead to sleep,
When life arrived from what appeared to have been dead, Your Son died,
With the arrival of scented flowers and fruitful trees, filled with singing birds,
Jesus lay three days in a silent tomb, having only the aroma of death.
Yet the world and all that’s in it would one day go to sleep again,
to experience death, Lord you planned it this way,
But You also planned for our Jesus, to come alive, more alive than the best spring day.
Jesus rose from His death, to live forever, to give hope that all of creation would one day be rescued
from its assured death, to be delivered from its winter slumber.
And Your Son’s return to life on that spring morning, is a promise to us, who put our faith in Him,
that we too will not be bound by the eternal winter, but will one day live forever in a place
where there will be no winter, where there will be no death,
but only life found on the best spring day ever and one that will never end.
Amen
The Beach or the Mountains, or the …?
I remember late night debates with friends about which were better – the mountains or the beach? At the heart of the debate was the romantic calling of the sea and the laid back life on the beach versus the adventure and majesty of the mountains. What both have in common is that they show the immense size and beauty of God’s creation while often creating existential crises because they make us feel so insignificant in their midst.
When pressed in those debates I always landed on mountains as my choice. But over the last 15 years my preference has slowly shifted. As our family traveled down to Myrtle Beach for spring break I posed the question to them – mountains or beaches? After a bit of discussion they asked my choice to which I answered – neither.
You see a couple of years ago I realized that my answer was now “C. None of the above”, though I still love and appreciate both (especially the beach after a long Michigan winter), my first choice has become, what I call, the great north woods, especially the forests and glades around the Great Lakes.
There is nothing I love more than a summer morning filled with the sweet smell of firs, pine and poplar combined with the coolness that the natural air conditioning of the Great Lakes provide, or watching the sunset over a spring fed lake or over the coast of Lake Michigan. I still love to watch white tail leap a fence or catch a trout in a lake or a stream.
There’s just so much that I love about great north woods, but in the end, I find the same majesty of the mountains and the same romantic calling of the sea but in an environment that’s personal, intimate and accessible. They have truly become my sanctuary.
What’s your favorite place?
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Reflections – Volume 4
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