The Sinner's Cure
I often think of how it was
When Jesus was a boy,
What kind of child was he
And what things did he enjoy?
Did he have a favorite color
Did he like to sing and run,
Did he hang out with his sisters
I bet he was so much fun.
Did he love a bedtime story
To be read to him at night,
Did he have a dog he slept with
Have a candle lit at night?
Yes, I think about him often
Growing up here on this land
Never needing to be disciplined
Or hear a reprimand.
Did he like the heat of Summer
Did he dive into the waves,
Count the stars up in the sky
And call each one of them by name?
Did his friends think he was different
When they played games on the street,
How they must have loved his laughter
Nothing could have been as sweet.
Born in just a simple stable
Not a single trumpet sound,
Wrapped in swaddling clothes to warm him
Though he should have worn a crown.
He grew up a Nazarene
No attraction, no allure,
Just an average-looking brother
Who would be the sinner's cure.
All the days he walked among us
Destined from eternity
To be nailed upon a cross
To set the captive sinner free.
From the time he was a baby
Til he took his final breath
He was sinless and unblemished
Yes, his life defeated death.
But for now, I will envision
Jesus on that other shore,
Til I see Him on His throne
Where He will reign forevermore!
They call us fools because we bow
To a Prince who was born just a pauper,
For they cannot imagine how
We could think He had something to offer.
And when we tell them of the night
God lay sleeping surrounded by shepherds,
They cannot see, their hearts still blind
To the one who healed outcasts and lepers.
And when they say it is a lie
When they speak of Him, filled with defiance,
The Savior born to bear our pride
Takes it all for His love has no bias.
Our hate, our anger, and our scorn
Poured on Christ so that we'd be delivered,
The one God gave on Christmas morn
Would bear all for the wretch and the sinner.
No mortal man can stop or faze
What was destined by God the Creator,
For when He comes and lights the way
It will change even scoffers and haters.
And those who call us mindless fools
Will find they are a blessed receiver.
When faith comes in and makes them new
And by grace, they become a believer.
For God shows no respect to man
What He chooses will come to fruition,
The atheist who ran and ran
Will be singing His praise in the kitchen.
His thoughts and ways they are not ours
He has given a righteous redeemer,
No man can thwart His mighty power
Not the skeptic, the scamp, or the schemer.
Oh man, who told you we had sway
And that we have the will to reject Him,
Our days were written, hear me say
Only God can bring men to subjection.
So, on this Christmas, let us sing
To the one who is reigning in glory,
The Lord who holds our everything
Is the start and the end of the story.
The One God Gave On Christmas Morn'
In Human Skin
It was a sacred, holy night
His time had come, a wondrous sight,
The moon was full, so was the inn
As God was born in human skin.
Our Savior came into the world
No fireworks or flags unfurled,
The wind was calm, the earth was blessed
With hope and peace and righteousness.
More than a simple tale of old
This was the prophecy foretold,
A child is born, Immanuel
The Mighty God would give Himself.
He came to bear the weight of sin
This baby born in Bethlehem
Would be the scapegoat for our strife
To give transgressors brand new life.
And from the moment He was born
He lived to die and wear our thorns,
To set the captive sinner free
And give us back eternity.
His deeds and thoughts were always pure
So that our ransom was secure,
No haughtiness, no pride, no gall
The second Adam did not fall.
He loved the Lord, heart, soul, and mind
And to His neighbor, always kind,
In every single deed and act
He carried us upon His back.
No, Jesus never ever sinned
We are absolved because of Him,
His birth, His life, His cross, His blood
All labors of His selfless love.
Oh, sing ye saints, for grace is long
Our God has righted every wrong,
We are adopted, now His own
By grace through faith in Christ alone.
The Means and The End
From the time we understand it
We begin a quest to hide,
Underneath a guise of glory
Any glory we can find.
Some have found their work sufficient
Others seek a life of fame,
Money does the job quite nicely
Even better is a name.
But we know from the beginning
Who we are and what we lack,
And we're driven to conceal it
For the truth, we cannot hack
How would anybody want us
If they knew behind the mask,
Lives a fearful, anxious sinner
Who's afraid that he won't last.
It's a never-ending struggle
Climbing validation's hill,
Pining on for what is futile
And will never ever fill.
It's exhausting, and it's empty
Not to mention all in vain,
Running hard to catch some value
On this unrelenting train.
It's a train that leads us nowhere
Til the tracks of life are turned,
And we see the truth before us
What we long for can't be earned.
It is given from the Father
By His grace through faith alone,
The Redeemer that He promised
Gives us access to the throne.
Dressed in righteousness and honor
Heirs with Jesus Christ, His Son,
Not because of what we offer
But because of what He's done.
Yes, this gift that came from Heaven
Is the One the Father sent.
Only He can bring true meaning
He's the means, and He's the end.
All the glory that we long for
Can be found in just one place,
Through the life and death of Jesus
Underneath His robe of grace.