On this Good Friday, one of the songs which brings me to prayer is called, “Here at the Cross.” The soulful melody accompanies deep, profound words which transport me to the foot of the cross, more than 2,000 years ago. There, at the cross, I kneel contemplating the cosmic and eternal impact of the events of that Good Friday.

The lyrics of this contemplative song by James Curnow say:

Chorus

Here at the cross in this sacred hour,

Here at the source of reviving power,

Helpless indeed, I come with my need;

Lord, for thy service, fit me I plead.

So, on this Good Friday …

I invite you to come to the cross.

Come with open eyes to see our wounded Lord hanging as if He were guilty.

Come with a heart ready to experience, in part, the untold suffering of our Messiah.

Come see the blood of our Lord trickle down the old rugged cross.  

Come see our Lord’s shoulder carry your sins, my sins, our sins.

Come with open ears to hear the labored groanings of our dying Savior.

Come hear the cry that pierces heaven: IT IS FINISHED!

Come live through the experience of indescribable silence, unfathomable darkness.

Come be tossed up and down, back and forth with seismic force of an earthquake announcing the death of God.

I invite you to come to the cross, because …

Here at the cross, we come face to face the reality of our sins.

Here at the cross, we cannot deny the depth of our hideous transgressions.

Here at the cross, we realize we could not save ourselves.

Here at the cross, Jesus becomes our Savior, Redeemer, and Atonement.

Here at the cross, our old lives end, our new lives born, and our salvation is sealed.

Here at the cross, our Savior declares His unconditional love to you, to me, to us all.

Hallelujah!!