I was planning the Easter Sunrise Service yesterday and ran into the same problem I have every year at this time: there really isn't a plethora of resurrection focused hymns or praise songs. At least one's that I'm familiar with. I found Mel Gibson's Passion of the Christ to be very devotional, convicting, challenging, Christ-centered. But it was exactly as advertised: the passion. There were about 15 seconds of resurrection. In comparison to songs focused on the cross, there are about 15 seconds of resurrection based songs in our hymnbook.
Contemporary praise songs might boast a few more (of the one's I'm familiar with), but not that many. It really reveals something about our "western" Christianity. We focus far more on the cross than the resurrection even though-if you want to play that game-Jesus was raised from the dead for our justification (Romans 4:25).
But the resurrection of Christ really destroys our typically Platonic (heaven or the spiritual realm is our ultimate reality/goal/destination). It reminds us that Jesus is the first fruits (the first of the harvest), then us, then all of creation. We get a whole new world. Heaven one day comes down, and is really in the process of coming down even now-just as He came down.
Remember Jesus' prayer-Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on Earth as it is in heaven.
We need some new hymn/praise song writers which focus on the resurrection of Christ and its significance to the Christian life and advancement of God's Kingdom. Hopefully they come soon and remind us to be active in bringing God's Kingdom (bringing His perfect will in heaven down to Earth).
2 comments:
"Joy to the World" is a great Easter song/resurrection song, that we should sing every Sunday! ..."He comes to make His blessings known far as the curse is found." ..."He rules the world with truth and grace." Good stuff!
Rebekah,
Well played! Great point. I've thought the same thing. Its a shame that its just a Xmas song. Maybe we can 'convert it.'
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