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
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, a sin for me;
There the sword of thy justice smote the man,
Thy fellow;
There thy infinite attributes were magnified,
and infinite atonement 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 a 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 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,
experienced 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.
Oh Father, who spared not thine only Son that thou
mightiest spare me,
All this transfer thy love designed and
accomplished;
Help me adore thee by lips and life.
Oh 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, edited by Arthur Bennett for The Banner of Truth Trust
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
