The Real Deal

I watched "The Passion of The Christ" after coming home from a Wednesday night service recently. Just me and the DVD. It's impossible to watch that film and remain unmoved. I was once again overwhelmed with the incredible suffering our Lord withstood during His brutal scourging. "Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrow that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God's path to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all." Isaiah 53:4-6 NLT. As I visited the hospitals today I saw both ends of the human life cycle. A child in infant ICU, born 1 pound 3 ounces at 24 weeks, fighting to grow. And a precious saint of the church battling cancer. In both cases, hope is an undeniable key. Both families trust in the Lord. They trust in His promises. They believe that Jesus suffered in their place for a reason. Why then is there still suffering on the earth? The answer lies in what Christ did for us. Jesus took the penalty for sin upon Himself. But we must still live under God's conditions placed upon this earth resulting from our fallen world. Death is a slippery variable in this life. It is inevitable. But God has promised He will heal. We don't understand it's timing and surely have not completely come to grips with how God chooses to heal. But one thing is certain, He does heal. And hope is intended to be a remaining constant (our mind set) when we place our trust in Him. I saw that hope today. If I could bottle what I've seen just in these two cases and give it away - I would. Like most churches we're preparing for Easter. Two performances of an Easter musical is our music department's attempt to reach our community with this hope. To give it away. This Easter, may God's very special promises become reality to as many as hear the message you declare. And our prayer is that every church would articulate the purpose of Jesus' incredible sacrifice clearly, with wonderful results. God bless you in your preparation.
- Tim Covert

Tags: Christian Music, Devotional, Worship