Jesus Christ has risen the dead! He is risen indeed!
The first thing I did after getting out of bed this morning was listen to Don Francisco's He's Alive [Rhapsody Link]. If you have Rhapsody or have access to a recording of this song, do yourself a favor and in the quiet of the morning or the evening, stop everything and listen to the song.
Then, after some reading (Caspar Olevianus on the meaning and benefits of the resurrection) I wrote a quick poem. My poetry isn't the best, but I wanted to share this here anyway:
What we call "sins" are only evidence of our depravity.
Our nature, corrupt to the core, can only produce sin.
Deeds done with good intent are tainted.
Thoughts pondered in secret are void of light.
We are wholly fallen.
We need mercy.
We need grace.
We need Jesus.
Perfect God, perfect man,
Human, yet divine
Steps into time to redeem us.
Sin must be punished, else God would not be just.
Jesus, in perfection, takes our sin upon His own head.
Not simply our wrong-doings, but the source:
Our total wrong-being.*
Our nature, bent** from perfection to sin.
And He redeems us.
Praise God for His mercy and salvation. He is risen. Enjoy your day as you celebrate Christ's triumph over sin and death.
* "wrong doing" vs. "wrong being" comes from Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, the reading for October 7: "Sin is a fundamental relationship; it is not wrong doing, it is wrong being, deliberate and emphatic independence of God."
** the idea of a "bent" nature comes from C.S. Lewis' Out of the Silent Planet, the section where Dr. Ransom is attempting to explain the problem of sin to a society that has no knowledge of sin.