Christ is RISEN! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
I have always been a huge fan of this Easter greeting. It says so much in just a few words. While I tend to be a wordy writer, I love succinctness - just tell me like it is :)
This Easter has been quite different from those of years past. I didn't sit in the pew and listen to my daddy proclaim the Lord's resurrection...weird. My daddy wasn't even here...double weird. I almost didn't feel like it was really Easter Sunday...outside of the beautiful knowledge that our Lord IS RISEN and that He DID CONQUER DEATH! WHOOP! You can't know that and
not get even just a little excited. Aside from Daddy-o being in Cali, it was a pretty decent day. The Wee Ones and I (The Momma went home sick..) were incredibly blessed to go to lunch with the Hensel crew - just love them! Spent the rest of the day chillaxin at home...and, ehem..searching for reliable & affordable vehicular devices...but that's for another day.
So, many of you may be familiar with this wonderful old hymn, but I just wanted to share it with you anyways. It really resonated with my soul this Easter. Don't you just love that when you sing a song (or read a book/story, or something) that you have been singing your whole life and then it finally just
clicks?? I do...it's super cool.
"I Know That My Redeemer Lives"
I know that my Redeemer lives;
What comfort this sweet sentence gives!
He lives, He lives, who once was dead;
He lives, my ever-living Head.
He lives triumphant from the grave;
He lives eternally to save;
He lives all-glorious in the the sky;
He lives exalted there on high.
He lives to bless me with His love;
He lives to plead for me above;
He lives my hungry soul to feed;
He lives to help in time of need.
He lives to grant me rich supply;
He lives to guide me with His eye;
He lives to comfort me when faint;
He lives to hear my soul's complaint.
He lives to silence all my fears;
He lives to wipe away my tears;
He lives to calm my troubled heart;
He lives all blessings to impart.
He lives, my kind, wise, heav'nly friend;
He lives and loves me to the end;
He lives, and while He lives, I'll sing;
He lives, my Prophet, Priest, and King.
He lives and grants me daily breath;
He lives, and I shall conquer death;
He lives my mansion to prepare;
He lives to bring me safely there.
He lives, all glory to His name!
He lives, my Jesus, still the same;
Oh, the sweet joy this sentence gives:
I know that my Redeemer lives!
Just wanted to share that beautiful praise with you. I love how in-depth the composer went with the verses. I mean, he covered all of it - so awesome. It's one of those hymns that will stick with me always. I love being able to whip it out on good days and bad days...such a blessing. I truly pray that you were all able to meditate in the Lord this Easter and to really embrace the gift that He gave to each and everyone of us so freely...but with huge cost to Him.
Shalom!
~MW
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The following story is something my lovely Kacydilla posted on Sunday. I was so moved by it and it is such an awesome reminder that I couldn't help but re-post it here. PLEASE take a few more moments and read it. Really read it and meditate on it. Trust me, it's worth it:
There was a certain Professor of Religion named Dr. Christianson, a studious man who taught at a small college in the western United States.
Dr. Christianson taught the required survey course in Christianity at this particular institution. Every student was required to take this course their freshman year, regardless of his or her major. Although Dr. Christianson tried hard to communicate the essence of The Gospel in his class, he found that most of his students looked upon the course as nothing but required drudgery. Despite his best efforts, most students refused to take Christianity seriously. This year, Dr. Christianson had a special student named Steve. Steve was only a freshman, but was studying with the intent of going onto seminary for the ministry. Steve was popular, well liked, and he was an imposing physical specimen. He was now starting center on the school football team and was the best student in the professor’s class. One day, Dr. Christianson asked Steve to stay after class so he could talk with him.
“How many push-ups can you do?”
Steve said, “I do about 200 every night.”
“200? That’s pretty good, Steve,” Dr. Christianson said.
“Do you think you could do 300?”
Steve replied, “I don’t know…I’ve never done 300 at a time.”
“Do you think you could?” Dr. Christianson asked again.
“Well, I can try,” said Steve.
“Can do you do 300 in sets of 10? I have a class project in mind and I need you to do about 300 push-ups in sets of ten for this to work. Can you do it? I need you to tell me you can do it,” said the professor.
Steve said, “Well…I think I can…yeah, I can do it.”
Dr. Christianson said, “Good! I need you to do this on Friday. Let me explain what I have in mind.”
Friday came and Steve got to class early and sat in front of the room. When class started, the professor pulled about a big box of donuts. No, these weren’t the normal kinds of donuts; they were the extra fancy, big kind with cream centers and frosting swirls. Everyone was pretty excited—it was Friday, the last class of the day, and they were going to get an early start on the weekend with a party in Dr. Christianson’s class!
Dr. Christianson went to the first girl in the first row and asked, “Cynthia, do you want one of these donuts?”
Cynthia said, “Yes.”
Dr. Christianson then turned to Steve and asked, “Steve, would you do ten push-ups so that Cynthia can have a donut?”
“Sure!” Steve jumped down from his desk to do a quick ten. Then Steven again sat in his desk.
Dr. Christianson put a donut on Cynthia’s desk. Dr. Christianson then went to Joe, the next person, and asked, “Joe, do you want a donut?”
“Yes,” said Joe.
Dr. Christianson asked, “Steve, would you do ten push-ups so Joe can have a donut?”
Steve did ten push-ups, Joe got a donut.
And so it went, down the first aisle, Steve did ten push-ups for every person before they got their donut.
Walking down the second aisle, Dr. Christianson came to Scott. Scott was on the basketball team, and in as good condition as Steve. He was very popular and never lacking for female companionship.
When the professor asked, “Scott, do you want a donut?” Scott’s reply was, “Well, can I do my own push-ups?”
Dr. Christianson said, “No, Steve has to do them.”
Then Scott said, “Well, I don’t want one then.”
Dr. Christianson shrugged and then turned to Steve and asked, “Steve, would you do ten push-ups so Scott can have a donut that he doesn’t want?” With perfect obedience Steve started to do ten push-ups. Scott said, “HEY! I said I didn’t want one!”
Dr. Christianson said, “Look—this is my classroom, my class, my desks, and these are my donuts. Just leave it on the desk if you don’t want it.” And he put a donut on Scott’s desk.
Now by this time, Steve had begun to slow down a little. He just stayed on the floor between sets because it took too much effort to get up and down. You could start to see a little perspiration coming out around his brow.
Dr. Christianson started down the third row. Now the students were beginning to get a little angry. Dr. Christianson asked Jenny, “Jenny, do you want a donut?” Sternly, Jenny said, No.” Then Dr. Christianson asked Steve, “Steve, would you do ten more push-ups so Jenny can have a donut that she doesn’t want?” Steve did ten…Jenny got a donut.
By now, a growing sense of uneasiness filled the room. The students were beginning to say, “No!” and there were all those uneaten donuts on the desks. Steve also had to really put forth a lot of extra effort to get these push-ups done for each donut. There began to be a small pool of sweat on the floor beneath his face, his arms and brow were beginning to get read because of the physical effort involved. Dr. Christianson asked Robert, who was the most vocal unbeliever in the class, to watch Steve do each push-up to make sure he did the full ten push-ups in the set because he couldn’t bear to watch all of Steve’s work for all of those uneaten donuts. He sent Robert over to where Steve was so Robert could count the set and watch Steve closely.
Dr. Christianson started down the fourth row. During his class, however, some students from other classes had wandered in and sat down on the steps along the radiators that ran down the sides of the room. When the professor realized this, he did a quick count and saw that there were now 34 students in the room. He started to worry if Steve would be able to make it.
Dr. Christianson went on to the next person and next and the next. Near the end of that row, Steve was really having a rough time. He was taking a lot more time to complete each set. Steve asked Dr. Christianson, “Do I have to make my nose touch on each one?” Dr. Christianson thought for a moment, “Well, they’re your push-ups. You’re in charge now. You can do them any way that you want.”
Dr. Christianson moved on. A few moments later, Jason, a recent transfer student came to the room and was about to come in when all the students yelled in one voice, “NO! Don’t come in! Stay out!” Jason didn’t know what was going on. Steve picked up his head and said, “No, let him come.” Professor Christianson said, “You realize that if Jason comes in you will have to do ten push-ups for him?” Steve said, “Yes, let him come in. Give him a donut.”
Dr. Christianson said, “Okay, Steve, I’ll let you go get Jason’s out of the way right now. Jason, do you want a donut?” Jason, new to the room, hardly knew what was going on. “Yes,” he said, “give me a donut.”
“Steve, will you do ten push-ups so that Jason can have a donut?” Steve did ten push-ups very slowly and with great effort. Jason, bewildered, was handed a donut and sat down.
Dr. Christianson finished the fourth row, and then started on those visitors seated by the heaters. Steve’s arms were now shaking with each push-up in a struggle to lift himself against the force of gravity. By this time sweat was profusely dropping off his face, there was no sound except his heavy breathing; there was not a dry eye in the room.
The very last two students in the room were two young women, both cheerleaders, and very popular. Dr. Christianson went to Linda, the second to last, and asked, “Linda, do you want a doughnut?” Linda said, very sadly, “No, thank you.” Professor Christianson quietly asked, “Steve, would you do ten push-ups so that Linda can have a donut she doesn’t want?” Grunting from the effort, Steve did ten very slow push-ups for Linda.
Then Dr. Christianson turned to the last girl, Susan. “Susan, do you want a donut?” Susan, with tears flowing down her face, began to cry. “Dr. Christianson, why can’t I help him?” Dr. Christianson, with tears of his own, said, “No, Steve has to do it alone; I have given him this task and he is in charge of seeing that everyone has an opportunity for a donut whether they want it or not. When I decided to have a party this last day of class, I looked at my grade book. Steve, here, is the only student with a perfect grade. Everyone else has failed a test, skipped class, or offered me inferior work. Steve told me that in football practice, when a player messes up he must do push-ups. I told Steve that none of you could come to my party unless he paid the price by doing your push-ups. He and I made a deal for your sakes. Steve, would you do ten push-ups so Susan can have a donut?”
As Steve very slowly finished his last push-up, with the understanding that he had accomplished all that was required of him, having done 350 push-ups, his arms buckled beneath him and he fell to the floor.
Dr. Christianson turned to the room and said, “And so it was that our Savior, Jesus Christ, on the cross, plead to the Father, ‘Into thy hands I commend by spirit.’ With the understanding that He had done everything that was required of Him, He yielded up His life. And like some of those in this room, many of us leave the gift on the desk, uneaten.”
Two students helped Steve up off the floor and to a seat, physically exhausted, but wearing a thin smile. “Well done, good and faithful servant,” said the professor, adding, “Not all sermons are preached in words.”
Turning to his class, the professor said, “My wish is that you might understand and fully comprehend all the riches of grace and mercy that have been given to you through the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He spared not just his only begotten son, but gave Him up for us all, for the whole church, now and forever. Whether or not we choose to accept His gift to us, the price has been paid. Wouldn’t you be foolish and ungrateful to leave it lying on the desk?”
