The Darling of Heaven, Crucified

Worthy is the Lamb
Seated on Your throne
Crown You now with many crowns
You reign victorious
High and lifted up
Jesus Son of God
The Darling of heaven crucified
Worthy is the Lamb
Darlene Zschech, 2000

There are a few songs that are, truly, in a league of their own for the simple reason that they have moved me to tears. Songs like Lenny LeBlanc's Above All, Mark Schultz' Letters From War and, most recently, Darlene Zschech's Worthy is the Lamb.

I happened to be listening to music casually some weeks ago when a line jumped up at me out of the tunes: "the Darling of Heaven crucified." What horror! Jesus was crucified. He was actually, even brutally, nailed to a cross and left to hang for 3 hours while the whole world walked on by. And there, alone, far removed from the glory of heaven - where he had legions of magnificent angels at his beck and call, where he had his Father's ear, where he was undisputed prince - there, on the cross, he died in pain and despair. From glory to grave, from Heaven to Hades.

At the height of his suffering Jesus he called out, "My God, my God. Why have you forsaken me?" Dead silence. Not even his Father would answer him now. There, at that moment, he had become sin. He was sin embodied that sin might die. It was as though God had cut off his own right hand and thrown it in the fire. The Darling of Heaven was crucified. Heaven's best Son was abandoned to death.

And most fittingly, all earth fell silent and the sun refused to shine. Creation rebelled for her Master was defiled. And with a word and a cry he breathed his last.

And there, right there in the darkness, in the silence - with the women weeping in muffled tones while the soldiers mocked - there does history find its finest moment. Christ crucified so that I could escape death.

Do we so much mourn Christ's death as we celebrate it? Perhaps not quite so much, and with good reason too - for if the full weight of the injustice of that moment should descend on us, and if we realized that we too held the hammer that spring afternoon, we might be driven to depths of despair. But thanks be to God, all that is done and the bitterness of death is past. So go ahead, mourn and then celebrate Christ's death. The Darling of Heaven crucified, so that I could become Heaven's darling.

With love, Doosuur.

Banking in January

I remember it all … the feeling of hitting the bottom. But there's one other thing I remember … God's loyal love couldn't have run out, his merciful love couldn't have dried up. They're created new every morning. How great your faithfulness!

Lamentations 3:20-23

In truth, I did not expect much activity when I walked into the banking hall today, but I was quite startled by what I witnessed. The silence was absolutely deafening. The peace and quiet was a long way removed from the hustle and bustle of just a few weeks earlier when last-minute Christmas shoppers had crowded the tills, waiting to clear out their accounts in the spirit of the season. It was quite unusual to see jobless tellers, idly waiting for the odd customer and, I would imagine, playing an interminable game of solitaire on their tabletop monitors. So much for Monday morning banking.

I had come in to deposit a cheque and the irony of it was not lost on me. What a time to deposit money! Who doesn't feel the crunch of the last few days of January? Who doesn't reel from the shock of binge spending at the height of the holidays? Most of us just grind out these bare days, one hour at a time, making every red cent count while the elusive paycheck takes its jolly good time in coming.

I would proffer that the undulations of our salary accounts parallel the zeniths and nadirs of our spiritual lives. It would seem that as soon as we experience a season of refreshing, peace and genuine communion it is soon followed by the lows of guilt, disappointment and sin that leave us feeling depleted and overdrawn. And when we've made that last withdrawal, there is nowhere left to turn. We tell ourselves that our credit is finished. There is no more mercy, no more grace, no more love.

Enter Jesus. In one momentous act of redemption, he credited our accounts with love, mercy and grace … forever. We are never too far gone, never stuck too deep, never fallen too low. It is at the lowest moments that he is there, waiting, with open arms. If only we would write that cheque and present it, we would find that our account is never overdrawn. Not in January, not ever. There is enough mercy, enough grace, enough love to help us through the difficult times until we can again stand on our feet to receive the abundance that God has stored up for us. His mercies are new every morning; how great His faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:23)

With love, Doosuur

God's Masterpiece

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

2 Corinthians 9:8

As me and some friends sat down yesterday eve to recount the year 2007 over kebabs and some of the best roast chicken (thanks Ovie!), words like "blessing", "favor", and "wonderful" were plentiful. We ran out of superlatives to describe God's goodness. Our God has been exceedingly benevolent, surprisingly provident, persistently faithful, a loving teacher.

And as we talked, one thing became clear - in the midst of the greatest trial and difficulty, the best response was to thank God. Without doubt there are several things that have made you, as they have me, feel ungrateful, but then when we take a look at things and see our situation through His eyes, we realize that all things do work together for our good, who have been called according to God's purpose (Romans 8:28).

Some of us look toward 2008 with a sense of apprehension and uncertainty; it's never comfortable not to know what the future holds. For others there is a sense of expectancy and promise as we look towards another year of blessing, favor and wonder. Whichever the case, the best lesson I've learned for 2007 I'll carry over to the next year, and that is - be patient. God is at work and it never did anyone any good to rush Him.

It is so easy to want to handle our own lives, to take the paint brush and finish our own portrait. But as you step forward into the new year, take a step back, remember the mess you have made when you've done it your way, and turn the brush over to the Master. Give him a fresh new canvas to work it. It will take time, and His brushstrokes are not always pleasant, but He works with love and care, and when He has finished His Masterpiece, "you" will have been worth the wait.

God bless you in 2008.

With love, Doosuur.