He's Alive: Don Francisco

At the top of the playlist, I've added a few songs by Don Francisco. Some of you that are younger than 40 may not know Don Francisco. He is one of the original contemportary Christian singers coming out of the 1960s with other singers the likes of Chuch Girard, Nancy Honeytree, and others.

I've always liked Don Francisco's music. It is simple, acoustic, and scriptural. It is not just "feel good" Christian music. Like Keith Green's music, it has a strong basis. Don Francisco's music shows his humble spirit and God's power.

The most familiar of Don Francisco's songs is the very first one in the playlist, a song called "He's Alive!" Of course, the song is about Jesus' resurrection, but it is sung from a specific person's perspective. Listen to the song and see if you can tell whose perspective the song represents. This is a good song to ponder or a good song to share with your friends.

I share this music with the young readers of this blog. I know there are a number of teens who read, and I wish to add to your history of contemporary Christian music. Enjoy!

He is Risen! Alleluia!

Luke 24

Now on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, bringing the spices which they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, But when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. And it happened that while they were perplexed about this, behold, two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling apparel; and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, "Why do you seek the living One among the dead? He is not here, but He has risen...."

Good Friday

O sacred head, now wounded,
With grief and shame weighed down,
Now scornfully surrounded
With thorns, Thine only crown!
O sacred head, what glory,
What bliss till now was Thine!
Yet though despised and gory,
I joy to call Thee mine.

What Thou, my Lord, has suffered
Was all for sinners' gain:
Mine, mine was the transgression,
But Thine the deadly pain.
Lo, here I fall, my Savior!
'Tis I deserve Thy place;
Look on me with Thy favor,
Vouchsafe to me Thy grace.

What language shall I borrow.
To thank Thee, dearest Friend,
For this Thy dying sorrow,
Thy pity without end?
O make me Thine forever;
And should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never, never,
Outlive my love for Thee.

----Bernard of Clairvaux

In the Shadow of the Cross

Welcome to Holy Week everybody!

This is a time of reflection on the most important event in Christian history--the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Some believers think that Jesus' birth on Christmas is the focus of our faith, and other people find Easter the main celebration in Christianity. But I think that Holy Week, the passionate steps leading to Easter, are central to our faith.

I am sure that you have pondered the importance of Holy Week within your churches and as individual followers of Christ. Each year, God offers me new insights into the importance of Holy Week, and this year appears to be no exception. In other years, God has shown me the significance of the skull (Golgotha), the journey down the road to Calvary (the Via Dolorosa), and the sacrificial lamb. I have also pondered what it may have been like to be Simon the Cyrene as he carried the Cross, Mary the mother of Jesus as she watched her son die, the Roman centurian as he realized his place in Jesus' death, and Peter's denial of Jesus.

This year, God is impressing upon me something that I hope you find interesting, if I can put the thought into adequate words for you. I have been meditating not on the significance of the Cross. That seems too logical a concept. God has shown me this year the importance of the shadow of the Cross, and this idea has given me great awe of God's ways and great comfort in my journey as a follower of Christ.

So here is my explanation of the significance of the Cross's shadow:

Have you ever sat in one place that is open to the sun--say while you were at the beach--and watched the shadow around you that was made and that elongated by the rising of the sun in morning until noon, and then shortening of the shadow occurring from the setting of the sun in the afternoon toward evening? It is a law of nature, a cycle that faithfully occurs each and every day, without fail. No matter where you move, as long as you are in the sun, you always are covered by a shadow.

The same principle applies to the rising and setting of the sun across the Earth. The sun rises in the East and gives light and shadow all across the world over a 24 hour period. The light of the sun is also responsible for the shadow. The Earth is enlivened by the light and protected by the shadow. In order for life to be sustained, we need both the light and the shadow, the heat and the cool.

Fast forward to Good Friday. The real day that Jesus died on the Cross. On the hill called Calvary, Jesus was nailed to the Cross. He hung on the Cross for hours until "it was finished." His body was removed. But what happened to the Cross? Was it taken down or did it remain on the hill?

I believe that the Cross remained standing, at least for a while, at least for one day, one complete 24-hour period. During this time, there was one complete revolution in which the sun rose and set. One day in which the shadow of the Cross touched the Earth. For one 24-hour period every corner of the world was protected by the shadow of the Cross.

The shadow of the Cross protects us even today. During this Holy Week, as you go about your activities, close your eyes and picture yourself hidden safely in the shadow of the Cross. Do you attend the Stations of the Cross? See your reflection in the Cross etched in the stained glass. Do you participate in foot washing? Envision the shadow of the Cross hovering over you in this act of service. Any other Holy Week tradition? Watch as the shadow of the Cross moves with you. Watch as the shadow protects you from sin, iniquity, and infirmities.

Very simply, watch.