“He is Jesus!” ~ Reader’s Theater Script

This Reader’s Theater script may be presented in a local church without cost or further permission.  See our usage permission information at the end of this post for full details.

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HE  IS  JESUS!

DIRECTOR’S  NOTE:  This Reader’s Theater Script calls for 3 readers.  Two of the readers should be male, and one should be female.  A media presentation could be added for greater impact, with appropriate slides to aid in telling the story.  This script could be used at any time of year, but it would be especially effective on Palm Sunday or Easter Sunday. 

 

Female Reader:  Prophets foretold His birth centuries before it occurred.
An angel appeared to His mother to announce the miracle of his conception.

Male Reader:  His Father chose as His mother an unknown maiden with a heart inclined to God and ready to surrender herself to God’s will.

Female Reader:  He left His heavenly home to come into a world that seemed to have no room for Him.

Male Reader:  He was born in Bethlehem to fulfill prophecy of His royal birth.

Female Reader:  And yet, He was born in the humblest of circumstances in order to identify fully with humankind and because He had no intention of becoming an earthly King.

Male Reader:  His birth was celebrated by angels and accompanied by a phenomenal Heavenly star in order to proclaim His deity.

Female Reader:  Modest working men were the first to hear of His coming, demonstrating that no wealth is necessary to know Him.

Male Reader:  Wise men of wealth and position travelled from far away to bring gifts to Him and worship the One whose birth could be seen in the Heavens, showing that He was and is the King of Kings.

Female Reader:  He astonished the well-educated scholars in the temple at a young age, demonstrating that He is the Word made flesh.

Male Reader:  He healed sickness, demonstrating His compassion and His power over human frailty.
He raised the dead, demonstrating His power over death and the coming end of sorrow.

Female Reader:  He multiplied the provisions of men, taking care of earthly need and demonstrating that God can take what we offer and do more with it that we could imagine.
He walked on water and calmed the storm, demonstrating His supremacy over all created things and what we call the “laws of nature.”

Male Reader:  He taught with authority because He was the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
Female Reader:  He taught profound truth through the simplicity of parables so that all people and even children could understand.

Male Reader:  He wept at the sorrow of death and at the tragic cost of rejecting God’s plan, demonstrating His incarnation.

Female Reader:  He is Emmanuel, God with us,… even in grief, in sorrow, in rejection, and in loss.

Male Reader:  He demonstrated humility in washing the feet of His own disciples.

Female Reader:  He foretold His own death and resurrection and the denial of one of His closest followers.

Male Reader:  He chose God’s will for Himself and submitted to a mockery of a trial so that He could take our guilt.

Female Reader:  He was beaten, despised, humiliated and condemned so that we could be redeemed.

Male Reader:  He carried much more than a heavy wooden cross on His back.
He carried the weight of the sin of all mankind.

Female Reader:  The hands that blessed and healed were nailed to a cross.

Male Reader:  The beautiful feet that had carried the message of God’s love and mercy were pierced so that He could carry our sin to the mercy seat.

Female Reader:  The heart that beat with more love than you or I could fathom was stilled as He gave up His life so that we could have life everlasting.

Male Reader:  He commited His spirit to God and spoke the words of victory that echo through eternity: “It is finished!”

** (Drama  Director’s Note:  Here, a flash of light followed by momentary darkness would be very dramatic and appropriate.  At the very least, there should be a slight pause before the reading resumes.)

Prophetic Voice:  “He was in the beginning with God, and with Him everything that was created was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.”

Male and Female Readers:  He is life, and He came to give life. And yet, …He endured death, …and darkness, …and Hell.

Prophetic Voice:  “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”

Male Reader:  He did not stay in the tomb. He was no longer there, for He had risen, just as He said.

Female Reader:  He appeared to Mary, to his disciples, and to other followers. He was not bound by death or by the walls of a tomb.

Male and Female Readers:  He is alive!

Male Reader:  After spending some time with them, He told His followers that He must leave so that the Holy Spirit could come and inhabit the hearts of all believers.

Female Reader:  He told them what he would be doing while they were apart.
He is preparing a place in Heaven, reigning as Sovereign Lord at the right hand of God the Father, and praying for believers.

Male Reader:  He gave them their mission:

Prophetic Voice:  “Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always even unto the end of the world.”

Male Reader:  He is with us. He is praying for us. He is preparing a place for us.

Female Reader:  He is still changing lives, touching hearts, and healing hurts.

Male and Female Readers:  He is the Savior of the world.

Male Reader:  He is the Redeemer whose love for mankind could not be crucified.

Female Reader:  He is the Lord of All.

Male Reader:  He is the beginning and the end.

Female Reader:  He is the Bridegroom, whose love for His bride, the Church, is the most pure and sacrificial of all loves.

Male Reader:  He is the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world.

Female Reader:  He is the Living Water, bringing unquenchable life.

Male Reader:  He is the King of Glory and the hope of mankind.

Female Reader:  He is the joy of man’s desiring.

Male and Female Readers:  He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!

Prophetic Voice joins Male and Female Readers:  He is Jesus!

 

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This post originated in the heart of God before the foundation of the World.
The words were put together by Cynthia A. Boyd to proclaim Jesus as Lord and Savior.

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Do you know someone who is looking for answers?

Thank you for spending your valuable time reading the contents of this page. We hope that it has been helpful to you. If you or someone that you know is looking for answers about life, we hope that you will visit our page called “Do You Know Jesus?”. The links provided on this page will help to answer life’s deepest questions. Here is the link to “Do You Know Jesus?”: http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com/do-you-know-jesus/

Please feel free to share this URL with anyone who is looking for answers about life and eternity.

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“He is Jesus!”, copyright 2012 by Cynthia A. Boyd, all rights reserved.
* Sharing in a publication or on a website: To share this post, only the URL (see below) may be copied or posted unless permission is obtained. Permission may be requested through a comment on this post. The comment will not be seen by anyone but our blog editor, and we will correspond with you by e-mail. http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com/2012/01/03/he-is-jesus/
* Reader’s Theater presentation: Permission is granted for printing copies for 3 readers and a drama coach in order to present this as a reader’s theater presentation in a local church. However, permission must be obtained for audio or video recording if this is used as a reading.
We’ve done the preparation work for you! (See link below)
Note: A  non – Reader’s Theater  version of this post, written as prose, can be found at:

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Our Choral Anthems and Solos for Easter and Spring

Two of our songs which are available as both Choral Anthems and Vocal Solos are “I Can’t Explain” and “Into His Hands”.

“I Can’t Explain”

“I Can’t Explain” is a worship ballad with a reflective message about the wonder of God’s great love, demonstrated in the life, death, and resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ.  Written by Worship Pastor and composer Travis L. Boyd, this song is available as an SATB Choral Anthem, as heard in this demo, and as a Vocal Solo, in 3 keys for Low, Medium, and High Voice.

The SATB Choral Anthem can be performed with live instruments or with the Anthem Trax heard here, a separate Mp3 download.  It could also be sung on Palm Sunday or one of the other Sundays leading up to Easter.

The Vocal Solo versions of “I Can’t Explain” (Low, Medium, and High Voice) each have an Accompaniment Track, which is an Mp3 download, with a PDF lead sheet.  In addition Solo Sheet Music is available in each of the 3 keys.

“Into Your Hands”

“Into Your Hands” is a moving power ballad with choral accompaniment.  This song is a musical prayer of total surrender to the Lordship of Christ.

There is also an SATB anthem with Solo throughout.

ADDITIONAL ANTHEMS  FOR  SPRING / EASTER / PALM  SUNDAY:

1.  “Early in the Morning”

2.  Our “Songs of the Cross” playlist of Easter and Palm Sunday Anthems

3. Our “Anthems with Hymn Lyrics” playlist

Thank you for your worship ministry and your interest in Worship Sounds Music.  All of our music is designed to be practical for worship ministry, Biblically sound, musically memorable, and lyrically meaningful.  Blessings to you in your life and ministry,

Travis L. Boyd, Worship Sounds Music

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In Addition, several of our Published anthems would work very well for Springtime, Easter, or Palm Sunday. 

These include:

FROM  LORENZ, INCOPORATED  (LORENZ  MUSIC)

( A )  “Amazing Grace!  Eternal Life!”  Published by Lorenz (Monarch Division)
An SATB power ballad, this anthem contains a whole gospel message, with a bridge section that is a lyrical paraphrase of John 3:16 & 17. The anthem steadily builds in intensity to the victorious ending.
* Listening link: http://www.lorenz.com/med/sample/10_3228M.mp3
* Sample pages link: http://www.lorenz.com/med/pages/10_3228M.pdf (Use back arrow to return to blog after viewing!)
* A Full Orchestration is available, as heard in the Studio Demo. A Performance/Accompaniment CD is also available.

(NOTE:  See the blog post entitled “Blessings Through Worshipping Together” for information about the CD and DVD recordings of this piece by The Singing Churchmen of Oklahoma, The Singing Churchwomen of Oklahoma, and The Oklahoma Baptist Symphony).
This anthem has also been recorded by the evangelistic group, The Farrells, as the title song of one of their CDs; and many videos can be found on YouTube and Vimeo of this anthem being sung in English, Mandarin, Korean, and Italian.  “Amazing Grace! Eternal Life!” has also been published in the Mandarin language in a book for Chinese Choirs.

( B ) “All the Praise”… An upbeat SATB anthem of praise with lyrical verses and a rhythmic chorus:
“Holy, holy, holy
You are God Almighty.
Holy, holy, holy
Holy is Your Name.
Only You are worthy
Worthy of all honor.
All the praise belongs to You!”

* Listening link: http://www.lorenz.com/med/sample/10_3033M.mp3
(minimize Listening link & click Sample page link to view & hear)
* Sample pages link: http://www.lorenz.com/med/pages/10_3033M.pdf
(Use back arrow to return to blog after viewing!)
A Brass & Rhythm score + parts set is available. A performance/accompaniment CD is also available.

( C ) “God is Faithful”… SATB with solo throughout

Lorenz product page link for “God is Faithful” http://www.lorenz.com/product.aspx?id=10_2978M
* Listening link: http://www.lorenz.com/Med/Sample/10_2978M.mp3
* Sample pages link: http://www.lorenz.com/Med/Pages/10_2978M.pdf (Use back arrow to return to blog after viewing!)
(See our blog post entitled “Blessings Through God’s Faithfulness” for more information about the story of this song & recordings by both The Singing Churchmen of Oklahoma and The Sons of Jubal)
* Performance video link: (TTBB arrangement, recorded at a Sons of Jubal concert in September, 2010) http://vimeo.com/15390308
A full orchestration is available for this piece, as heard in the studio demo. A performance/accompaniment CD is also available.

( D ) “Magnificent Praise”… An SATB mix of traditional style and contemporary rhythms, this anthem has a message about giving our best to God as we praise Him and “tell of His excellent ways.”
* Listening link: http://www.lorenz.com/Med/sample/10_3445M.mp3
* Sample pages link: http://www.lorenz.com/Med/Pages/10_3445M.pdf (Use back arrow to return to blog after viewing!)
A Brass & Rhythm Score + parts set is available. A performance/accompaniment CD is also available.
“With all that is in us, we give You magnificent praise!”

( E ) “The Great I Am”… An SATB anthem with a bold declaration of faith.
* Listening link: http://www.lorenz.com/med/sample/10_3281M.mp3
* Sample pages link: http://www.lorenz.com/med/pages/10_3281M.pdf (Use back arrow to return to blog after viewing!)
A Brass & Rhythm Score + parts set is available. A performance/accompaniment CD is also available.

FROM SHAWNEE PRESS / HAL LEONARD

( 1 ) “Children of Light”… 2 & 3 part, S(A)B
Here’s a great recording with the full orchestration: http://www.salvoaudio.com/audio/music/mus_2515.mp3
This youthful, vibrant recording was made by the Pasadena Tabernacle Songsters.
For the story of this group & recording see our blog post entitled “Blessings Through Testimony.”
* The Shawnee Press Studio Demo recording (with rhythm section only) can be heard at this link:
http://www.pinelakemusic.com/Results.aspx?search=Travis+Boyd (click listening link for “Children of Light”)

“Children of Light” is still available through several music distributors and from Hal Leonard/Shawnee Press on a print-on-demand basis.

( 2 ) “Give Thanks to the Lord”… SATB
This upbeat, rhythmic song of thanksgiving provides a joyful reminder of many reasons to give thanks.
Be sure to listen for the descant and for the verses, which give a call to thanksgiving for faithful hearts (with a quiet intensity, contrasting the energetic chorus). “Give Thanks to the Lord” was also recorded, in a special TTBB arrangement by Travis, on the “God is Faithful” CD made by The Singing Churchemen of Oklahoma, then under the direction of Dr. Bill Green. (The audio of the TTBB recording can be found in our SoundCloud set of “Recordings made by BGCO groups” (Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma).

Original studio demo of the Choral Anthem by Shawnee Press

( 3 ) “Jesus, My Redeemer”… SATB
*Hear the original studio demo for this beautiful anthem on our Sound Cloud or on our BoydbrainMusic.com HOME PAGE in the red sidebar at left. Just click on the title to hear “Jesus, My Redeemer.”
This anthem utilizes the beautiful hymn tune known as “Slane” (“Be Thou My Vision”) with a completely new text. The lovely, flowing piano accompaniment features a recurring motif. There is a Song Story about this anthem on our Worship Sounds Music blog. (Song Story for “Jesus, My Redeemer”)

( 4 ) “Praise God”… SATB
* “Praise God” features a beautiful new melody and setting for the traditional “Doxology” lyrics, with a portion of the hymn “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty” added to this amazing arrangement. You’ll love this inventive and meaningful new tune and setting for the Doxology! Hear the entire studio demo for this majestic anthem on the sound cloud below.
Or, hear a portion of the original studio demo at: http://listeninglab.stantons.com/title/praise-god/269877/

( 5 ) “Sing a Song to the Lord”… SATB
* Hear the original studio demo for this joyful, upbeat anthem of exhortation at http://listeninglab.stantons.com/title/sing-a-song-to-the-lord/335710/

( 6 ) “Tender Mercies”… SATB, with Solo
This gentle, lyrical anthem features a solo on the first verse, which continues as a descant later in the piece, along with the SATB voice parts.
* Listening: “Tender Mercies” can be heard at this link: http://listeninglab.stantons.com/title/tender-mercies/354831/
* Info: The publisher’s info page for this anthem can be found at : http://shawnee.halleonard.com/product/viewproduct.do?itemid=35022627&lid=620&seriesfeature=&menuid=10984&subsiteid=204

( 7 ) “Walking by Faith”… SATB, with Solo
This lovely ballad features a solo and was performed by The Singing Churchmen of Oklahoma, written for soloist Royce Brown. The original studio demo can be heard at:
http://www.jwpepper.com/8065838.item

FROM CHURCH STREET MUSIC (LIFEWAY)

(1) “You Are a Spring”… SATB, with Solo or unison section
This lyrical piece about our need for the refreshing of God’s Spirit is available at:

“You Are a Spring” was recorded on The Singing Churchwomen of Oklahoma’s CD entitled “The Lord is My Light.” This recording can be found in our Sound Cloud set of BGCO (Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma) Groups recordings. (See the blue Sound Cloud logo on our blog’s sidebar. It is a link to these BGCO group recordings made by The Singing Churchmen of Oklahoma, The Singing Churchwomen of Oklahoma, and The Oklahoma Baptist Symphony.)

The demo recording for this anthem can be heard below:

There are several additional pieces published by Lifeway in their periodical publications for Childrens Choir, Senior Adult Choir, Adult Choir, and congregational praise. These are listed on our facebook page, along with contact information for re-printing these songa and anthems. http://www.facebook.com/WorshipSoundsMusic
We have not yet tracked down all of the studio demos for these publications but will do so as time permits.

(2) One of the additional Anthems published by Lifeway is “More Than a Cross”

This anthem explores the true significance of the cross, with the lyrics of the refrain stating, “More than love and mercy, life and hope, on a hill called Calvary…More than a cross, it was God reaching out for me.”

“MORE THAN A CROSS” was published in the Winter 2005-06 edition of ‘Glory Songs’ SATB, pages 27 through 32. This anthem can be reprinted with permission from Lifeway. Use this link: http://www.lifeway.com/PermissionsRequest/ to contact Lifeway. Then, choose the option “to use or publish music”. You will then be given the opportunity to enter all pertinent information in order for your request to be sent to the right individual at Lifeway for processing.

In this case, you would enter the following information:

Glory Sounds, Winter 2005 – 2006
“More Than a Cross” by Travis Boyd
Page numbers 27 through 32

NOTE:  There are links to Publishers and Distributors of my music in the right sidebar of this blog.  Each link takes you to a page listed all of my Anthems offered by that publisher or distributor.

The Reality of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ

RESURRECTION  SCRIPTURES

If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.    Romans 8:11

Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised— who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.    Romans 8:34

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.    Romans 10:9

He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces.    Isaiah 25:8

But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; on him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and by his stripes we are healed.   Isaiah 53:5

“As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last He will take His stand on the earth.”    Job 19:25

God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power.    1 Corinthians 6:14

…who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.    1 Peter 1:21

“If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.”   1 Corinthians 15:17

Resurrection Quotes

The tomb of Christ is famous because of what it DOES NOT CONTAIN.  —  Sam Morris

We live and die; Christ died and lived!  —  John Stott

The resurrection of Jesus changes the face of death for all His people. Death is no longer a prison, but a passage into God’s presence.  Easter says you can put truth in a grave, but it won’t stay there.  —  Clarence W. Hall

The primary source of the appeal of Christianity is Jesus – His incarnation, His life, His crucifixion, and His resurrection.  —  K. Latourette

…Luke associates John with Peter in Acts, when, after the Resurrection, that strange boldness had come upon the disciples.  —  Alfred Noyes

“The cross is a one time visual representation of God’s grief over sin.”  —  Dean L. Harvey

“Live in the awareness that Christ lives and that He lives in His people.”  —  Julien B. Weil

“The cross is the victory, the resurrection is the triumph…The resurrection is the public display of the victory, the triumph of the crucified one.”  —  Leon Morris

“The best proof that Christ has risen is that He is still alive. And for the immense majority of our contemporaries, the only way of seeing Him alive is for us Christians to love one another.”   —  Louis Evely

♪ ♫  “Christ the Lord is risen today, sons of men and angels say. Raise your joys and triumphs high; Sing ye heavens, and earth reply.”   —  Charles Wesley (from the Hymn “Christ the Lord is Risen Today”)

All of heaven is interested in the cross of Christ, hell afraid of it, while men are the only ones to ignore its meaning.   —  Oswald Chambers

According to the laws of legal evidence used in courts of law, there is more evidence for the historical fact of the resurrection of Jesus Christ than for just about any other event in history.  —  Harvard Law Professor Dr. Simon Greenleaf

♪ ♫ “Hear the bells ringing!
They’re singing that we can be born again!
Hear the bells ringing!
They’re singing, ‘Christ is risen from the dead!’

The angel up on the tombstone said, He is risen just as he said!
Quickly now, go tell His disciples that Jesus Christ is no longer dead

Joy to the world!  He is risen!  Alleluia!”

—  Keith Green, The Easter Song

There is no historic incident better or more variously supported than the resurrection of Christ.  —  Brooke Foss Wescott

The Gospels do not explain the Resurrection; the Resurrection explains the Gospels. Belief in the Resurrection is not an appendage to the Christian faith; it is the Christian faith.   —  John S. Whale

♪ ♫  “Up from the grave he arose; with a mighty triumph o’er his foes!
He arose a victor from the dark domain,
and He lives forever with His saints to reign!
He arose!  He arose!  Hallelujah!  Christ arose!

—  from ‘Up from the Grave He Arose’

Our Lord has written the promise of resurrection, not in books alone, but in every leaf in springtime.   —  Martin Luther

The resurrection power of Jesus broke Satan’s captive power. When He led the Old Testament saints from paradise to heaven, He led captivity captive!   — Leon Morris

Our justification hinges on a risen life, present in us now because Christ is present with us now.   —  Paul F.M. Zaul

Our old history ends with the cross; our new history begins with the resurrection.   —  Watchman Nee

The entire plan for the future has its key in the resurrection.   – – Billy Graham

There is more evidence that Jesus rose from the dead than there is that Julius Caesar ever lived or that Alexander the Great died at the age of thirty-three.  – – Billy Graham

Note:  The quotations and scriptures above were found at  http://www.unlockingthebible.org/resurrection-easter-quotes-bible-verses/

“It was no accident, no coincidence, that the seasons came round and round year after year. It was the Lord speaking to us all and showing us over and over again the birth, life, death, and resurrection of his only begotten Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ, our Lord. It was like a best-loved story being told day after day with each sunrise and sunset, year after year with the seasons, down through the ages since time began.”  ―   Francine Rivers  The Last Sin Eater

“…left to ourselves we lapse into a kind of collusion with entrophy, acquiescing in the general belief that things may be getting worse but that there’s nothing much we can do about them. And we are wrong. Our task in the present…is to live as resurrection people in between Easter and the final day, with our Christian life, corporate and individual, in both worship and mission, as a sign of the first and a foretaste of the second.”  ―   N. T. Wright   Surprised by Hope:  Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church

“It is not easy to convey a sense of wonder, let alone resurrection wonder, to another.  It’s the very nature of wonder to catch us off guard, to circumvent expectations and assumptions.  Wonder can’t be packaged, and it can’t be worked up.  It requires some sense of being there and some sense of engagement.”  ―   Eugene H. Peterson

“I know the resurrection is a fact, and Watergate proved it to me. How? Because 12 men testified they had seen Jesus raised from the dead, then they proclaimed that truth for 40 years, never once denying it. Every one was beaten, tortured, stoned and put in prison. They would not have endured that if it weren’t true. Watergate embroiled 12 of the most powerful men in the world-and they couldn’t keep a lie for three weeks. You’re telling me 12 apostles could keep a lie for 40 years? Absolutely impossible.”
―   Charles Colson

“The devil, darkness, and death may swagger and boast, the pangs of life will sting for a while longer, but don’t worry; the forces of evil are breathing their last. Not to worry…He’s risen!”  ―   Charles R. Swindoll

“He, the Life of all, our Lord and Saviour, did not arrange the manner of his own death lest He should seem to be afraid of some other kind. No. He accepted and bore upon the cross a death inflicted by others, and those other His special enemies, a death which to them was supremely terrible and by no means to be faced; and He did this in order that, by destroying even this death, He might Himself be believed to be the Life, and the power of death be recognised as finally annulled. A marvellous and mighty paradox has thus occurred, for the death which they thought to inflict on Him as dishonour and disgrace has become the glorious monument to death’s defeat.”  ―   Saint Athanasius of Alexandria   On the Incarnation

“Christianity, unlike any other religion in the world, begins with catastrophe and defeat. Sunshine religions and psychological inspirations collapse in calamity and wither in adversity. But the Life of the Founder of Christianity, having begun with the Cross, ends with the empty tomb and victory.”  ―   Fulton J. Sheen   Life of Christ

“No tabloid will ever print the startling news that the mummified body of Jesus of Nazareth has been discovered in old Jerusalem. Christians have no carefully embalmed body enclosed in a glass case to worship. Thank God, we have an empty tomb. The glorious fact that the empty tomb proclaims to us is that life for us does not stop when death comes. Death is not a wall, but a door.”
―    Peter Marshall  (Congressional Chaplain)

“The Bible says He was raised not just after the blood-shedding, but by it. This means that what the death of Christ accomplished was so full and so prefect that the resurrection was the reward and vindication of Christ’s achievement in death.”  ―   John Piper   Passion of Jesus Christ

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Note:  The quotations above were found at  http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/resurrection?page=1

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MORE  RESURRECTION  SCRIPTURES

John 11:25-26 Jesus  said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though  he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall  never die. Do you believe this?”

Romans 6:4 We were buried  therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was  raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of  life.

Romans 6:5 For if we have  been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him  in a resurrection like his.

Romans 6:9 We know that  Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has  dominion over him.

1 Corinthians 15:3-5 For I  delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died  for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,  that he was buried, that  he was raised on the third day pin accordance with the Scriptures,  and  that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.

Read more: http://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/quotes-about-the-resurrection-23-good-sayings/#ixzz2PBXHkv6X

Our old history ends with the cross; our new history begins with the resurrection.     Author: Watchman Nee

The Word of truth teaches in the clearest and most positive terms that all of the dead will be raised.  No doctrine of the faith rests upon a more literal and emphatic body of Scripture authority than this, nor is any more vital to Christianity. Author: C.I. Scofield

The first thing that stuck in the minds of the disciples was not the empty tomb, but rather the empty grave clothes – undisturbed in form and position. Author: Josh McDowellOn what does the Christian argument for Immortality really rest?  It stands upon the pedestal on which the theologian rests the whole of historical Christianity — the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Author: Henry Drummond

I went to a psychologist friend and said if 500 people claimed to see Jesus after he died, it was just a hallucination. He said hallucinations are an individual event. If 500 people have the same hallucination, that’s a bigger miracle than the resurrection. Author: Lee StrobelThe truth of the resurrection gives life to every other area of gospel truth. The resurrection is the pivot on which all of Christianity turns and without which none of the other truths would much matter. Without the resurrection, Christianity would be so much wishful thinking, taking its place alongside all other human philosophy and religious speculation. Author: John MacArthurNote:  The quotations above were found at http://christian-quotes.ochristian.com/Resurrection-Quotes/page-3.shtml Here (below) is an article about proof for the resurrection of Jesus Christ from  http://christianity.about.com/od/easter/a/7-Proofs-Of-The-Resurrection.htm Is the resurrection of Jesus Christ an historical event that really happened, or is it only a myth, as many atheists claim? While no one witnessed the actual resurrection, many people swore they saw the risen Christ after his death, and their lives were never the same. Archaeological discoveries continue to support the Bible’s historical accuracy. We tend to forget that the Gospels and book of Acts are eyewitness accounts of the life and death of Jesus.  Further nonbiblical evidence for Jesus’ existence comes from the writings of Flavius Josephus, Cornelius Tacitus, Lucian of Samosata, and the Jewish Sanhedrin. The following seven proofs of the resurrection show that Christ did, indeed, rise from the dead. The Resurrection Proof #1: The Empty Tomb of Jesus The empty tomb may be the strongest proof Jesus Christ rose from the dead. Two major theories have been advanced by unbelievers: someone stole Jesus’ body or the women and disciples went to the wrong tomb. The Jews and Romans had no motive to steal the body. Christ’s apostles were too cowardly and would have had to overcome the Roman guards. The women who found the tomb empty had earlier watched Jesus being laid away; they knew where the correct tomb was. Even if they had gone to the wrong tomb, the Sanhedrin could have produced the body from the right tomb to stop the resurrection stories. Jesus’ burial cloths were left neatly folded inside, hardly the act of hurrying grave robbers. Angels said Jesus had risen from the dead. The Resurrection Proof #2: The Women who were Eyewitnesses The women who were eyewitnesses are further proof that the Gospels are accurate historical records. If the accounts had been made up, no ancient author would have used women for witnesses to Christ’s resurrection. Women were second class citizens in Bible times; their testimony was not even allowed in court. Yet the Bible says the risen Christ first appeared to Mary Magdalene and other women. Even the apostles did not believe Mary when she told them the tomb was empty. Jesus, who always had special respect for these women, honored them as the first eyewitnesses to his resurrection. The male Gospel writers had no choice but to report this embarrassing act of God’s favor, because that was how it happened. The Resurrection Proof #3: Jesus’ Apostles’ New-Found Courage After the crucifixion, Jesus’ apostles hid behind locked doors, terrified they would be executed next. But something changed them from cowards to bold preachers. Anyone who understands human character knows people do not change that much without some major influence. That influence was seeing their Master, bodily risen from the dead. Christ appeared to them in the locked room, on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, and on the Mount of Olives.  After seeing Jesus alive, Peter and the others left the locked room and preached the risen Christ, unafraid of what would happen to them. They quit hiding because they knew the truth. They finally understood that Jesus is God incarnate, who saves people from sin. The Resurrection Proof #4: Changed Lives of James and Others Changed lives are yet another proof of the resurrection. James, the brother of Jesus, was openly skeptical that Jesus was the Messiah.  After the death and resurrection of Jesus, James became a courageous leader of the church at Jerusalem, even being stoned to death for his faith. Why? The Bible says the risen Christ appeared to him. What a shock to see your own brother, alive again, after you knew he was dead. James and the apostles became effective missionaries because people could tell these men had touched and seen the risen Christ. With such zealous eyewitnesses, the early church exploded in growth, spreading west from Jerusalem to Rome and beyond. For 2,000 years, encounters with the resurrected Jesus have changed lives. The Resurrection Proof #5: Large Crowd of Eyewitnesses A large crowd of more than 500 eyewitnesses saw the risen Jesus Christ at the same time. The Apostle Paul records this event in 1 Corinthians 15:6. He states that most of these men and women were still alive when he wrote this letter, about 55 A.D. Undoubtedly they told others about this miracle. Today, psychologists say it would be impossible for a large crowd of people to have had the same hallucination at once. Smaller groups also saw the risen Christ, such as the apostles, and Cleopas and his companion. They all saw the same thing, and in the case of the apostles, they touched Jesus and watched him eat food. The hallucination theory is further debunked because after the ascension of Jesus into heaven, sightings of him stopped. The Resurrection Proof #6: Conversion of Paul The account of the conversion of Paul records the most drastically changed life in the Bible.  As Saul of Tarsus, he was an aggressive persecutor of the early church. When the risen Christ appeared to Paul on the Damascus Road, Paul became Christianity’s most determined missionary. He endured 5 floggings, 3 beatings, 3 shipwrecks, a stoning, poverty, and years of ridicule. Finally the Roman emperor Nero had Paul beheaded because the apostle refused to deny his faith in Jesus.  What could make a person willingly accept—even welcome—such hardships? Christians believe that the conversion of Paul came about because he encountered Jesus Christ who had risen from the dead. The Resurrection Proof #7: They Died for Jesus Countless people have died as martyrs for their faith in Jesus, absolutely certain that the resurrection of Christ is an historical fact. Tradition says 10 of the original apostles died as martyrs for Christ, as did the Apostle Paul. Hundreds, perhaps thousands of early Christians died in the Roman arena and in prisons for their faith. Down through the centuries, thousands more have died for Jesus because they believed that the resurrection is true. Even today, people suffer persecution because they have faith that Christ rose from the dead. An isolated group may give up their lives for a cult leader, but Christian martyrs have died in many lands, for nearly 2,000 years, believing Jesus conquered death to give them eternal life. (Information in this article was compiled and summarized from the following sources: gotquestions.org, xenos.org, faithfacts.org, newadvent.org, tektonics.org, biblicalstudies.info, garyhabermas.com, and ntwrightpage.com) READ MORE! Here are links to two excellent articles about proof of the resurrection of Christ: http://www.peterkreeft.com/topics-more/resurrection-evidence.htm http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/articles/historical-evidence-for-the-resurrection Here are links to some wonderful articles about the resurrection of Christ and what it means: http://www.jesus.org/death-and-resurrection/resurrection/what-does-the-resurrection-mean- for-us.html http://www.cru.org/how-to-know-god/did-jesus-christ-really-rise-from-the-dead/ http://www.beliefnet.com/Inspiration/Articles/What-the-Resurrection-Means-for-You.aspx http://www.gotquestions.org/resurrection-and-life.html <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> The information in this post was compiled from the sources noted by Cynthia A. Boyd <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> Looking for answers for yourself or for a friend? Thank you for spending your valuable time reading the contents of this page.  We hope that it has been helpful to you.   If you or someone that you know is looking for answers about life, we hope that you will visit our page called “Do You Know Jesus?”.   The links provided on this page will help to answer life’s deepest questions.   Here is the link to “Do You Know Jesus?”:  http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com/do-you-know-jesus/ Please feel free to share this URL with anyone who is looking for answers about life and eternity and salvation found in Jesus Christ. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Songs of the Cross

“God proved His love on the Cross.  When Christ hung, and bled, and died, it  was God saying to the world, ‘I love you.'”

— Billy Graham

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/b/billygraha150661.html#rQXbTKzmRxUdLX4C.99

Below you will find 5 songs with messages about the cross.  The music players take a moment to load.  If you wait a moment to click “play” until  the music players are completely loaded, they will work.

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.”

Ephesians 1:7

“This is how God’s love was revealed among us: God sent His only Son into the world so that we might live through Him.  This is love: not that we have loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.”

I John 4:9 – 10

“He himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed.”

I Peter 2:24

“For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit.”

I Peter 3:18

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.”

John 3:16 – 17

* INFORMATION  ABOUT  THE  MUSIC *

Song 1:  “Jesus, My Redeemer” was written by Travis L. Boyd and published as an SATB Choral Anthem by Shawnee Press / Hal Leonard.
(more complete information, including purchasing links, can be found at this link:  https://soundcloud.com/#travis-l-boyd/jesus-my-redeemer )

Song 2:  “More Than a Cross” was written by Travis L. Boyd and published by Lifeway.
(more complete information, including purchasing info, can be found at this link:  https://soundcloud.com/#travis-l-boyd/more-than-a-cross )

Song 3:  “He Took Up A Cross”  was written by Travis L. Boyd and recorded by The Singing Churchwomen of Oklahoma, then under the direction of Dr. Bill Green, on their CD entitled, “The Lord is My Light”.  (The SATB Choral Anthem for “He Took Up a Cross” is available on the Adult Choir page of our Worship Sounds Music website at http://www.worshipsounds.com )

Song 4:  “For the Sins of All” was written by Travis L. Boyd and is available as a Vocal Solo and as an SATB Choral Anthem on our Worship Sounds Music website at http://www.worshipsounds.com  )

Song 5:  “Amazing Grace!  Eternal Life!”  was written by Travis L. Boyd and published as an SATB Choral  Anthem with Full Orchestration available by the Lorenz Corporation.
(More information, including purchasing links, is available at this link:  https://soundcloud.com/#travis-l-boyd/amazing-grace-eternal-life )

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Do you know Jesus?

The decision to ask Jesus to come into your heart and life as your Lord and Savior is the best decision you could ever make!  The one true God is ready to give you forgiveness and eternal life as soon as you understand your need for Him and believe on the name of His only Son, Jesus, for your salvation.  Here’s a blog page link to help you find the answers to your questions about Jesus.  http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com/do-you-know-jesus/

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Song story for “Jesus, My Redeemer”

“Jesus, My Redeemer” is an SATB choral anthem written by Travis L. Boyd and published by Shawnee Press (Hal Leonard).  It will always be one of my favorites of all of the choral anthems that Travis has written.  I can take credit only for loving the hymn, “Be Thou My Vision,” from which the tune for this anthem was taken.  I love both the original hymn tune and the traditional lyrics, but the “Jesus, My Redeemer”  lyrics and Travis’ accompaniment and choral arrangement are so meaningful and beautiful to me that I am more than willing to expand my love for the old hymn and include this new version.  Some readers may not be acquainted with the original hymn, so this song story will include some information about “Be Thou My Vision”  as well as the tale of how it inspired Travis to write “Jesus, My Redeemer.”

Here’s the story of “Be Thou My Vision,” as written by Sarah McCabe on suite101.com  (see the article URL at the end of this post):

“”Be Thou My Vision” is a Christian hymn written by  an Irish poet, and put to the tune of an old Irish folk song.  It has deep roots in the history  of Ireland.  St. Patrick played a major role in its inspiration, as did a pagan  king and a forbidden fire.  In 433 AD St. Patrick came to  the Hill  of Slane in County Meath. It was the night before Easter, as well as the beginning of  the Spring Equinox. High King Leoghaire (pronounced “Leary”) mac Neill had  issued a decree that no  fires were to be lit until the lighting of the blaze atop nearby Tara Hill  that would usher in the Spring Equinox.  The first fire, however, was not that of King Leoghaire. Rather, it was a  flame lit by St. Patrick to celebrate the resurrection of Christ.  Instead of executing him, King Leoghaire was so impressed by St. Patrick’s  courage that he allowed him to continue with his missionary work throughout  Ireland.

Considered Ireland’s chief poet during his time, Dallan Forgaill, who was  killed by pirates in 598, was known as a studious and scholarly man. It was said  that he spent so much time reading, writing, and studying that he became  blind.  Inspired by the events on the Hill of Slane about 100 years earlier, Dallan  Forgaill wrote the original words to “Be Thou My Vision” in old Irish, as a poem  entitled ” Rop tu mo baile.”  The poem was not translated into English until 1905 when Mary E. Byrne  (1880-1931) wrote a literal  translation of the words in English prose. The words were made into verse  and published by Eleanor H. Hull (1860-1935) in her 1913 work entitled Poem Book of the Gael.

The tune to “Be Thou My Vision” is called SLANE, an old Irish folk melody,  named for the Hill of Slane. Though centuries old, the melody was first  published by Patrick W. Joyce (1827-1914) in his 1909 collection, Old  Irish Folk Music and Songs, under the title “By the Banks of the  Bann.”  The melody was first coupled with Hull’s versified words to “Be Thou My  Vision” in 1919 by Leopold Dix (1861-1935) in the Irish Church  Hymnal.

Inspired by an event that helped change the spiritual climate of Ireland,  penned by a renowned Irish poet, and paired with the tune of an old Irish folk  song, “Be Thou My Vision” stands as a link between Ireland and its Christian  heritage. It is a tribute to a significant event in Ireland’s history and a reminder of the sovereignty, strength, and joy of Jesus.”

THE STORY OF “JESUS, MY REDEEMER”

“Jesus, my Redeemer, You died in my place… brought me salvation through Your matchless grace.”

Travis began to look at the hymn, “Be Thou My Vision” with the initial goal of doing a choral arrangement of the hymn with the well-known lyrics.  However, as he began to work with the hymn, he was inspired to write a new text with a different type of lyrical content.  The original lyrics are a prayer asking for the continued nearness of God’s presence to the heart of the believer and for the clarity of vision that comes with knowing Him through His word and through revelation.  The new lyrics for “Jesus, My Redeemer” are a text of testimony.   The believer thanks God for sending Jesus, for His power to save, and for his certain return and the eventual home in Heaven.  Both sets of lyrics have something very important to say, and both texts end with a final verse that talks about Heaven.

Travis’ SATB choral anthem, “Jesus, My Redeemer” was published by Shawnee Press (now with Hal Leonard) and is available through Hal Leonard at this link:  http://www.halleonard.com/product/viewproduct.do?itemid=35011508&lid=0&keywords=Travisboyd&subsiteid=1&

“Jesus, My Redeemer” is available from J. W. Pepper, where the entire publisher’s studio demo recording of “Jesus, My Redeemer” can be heard at this link:  http://www.jwpepper.com/8036907.item

It is also available from Sheet Music Plus at http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/Jesus-My-Redeemer/3734672

The publisher’s description of this anthem reads:
“Traditional Irish hymn, Be Thou My Vision; flowing accompaniment; easily learned – This anthem utilizes an original text set to the familiar Irish air commonly known as Be Thou My Vision. The accompaniment features a flowing motif, which recurs throughout the piece and is sure to appeal to your pianist. Jesus, My Redeemer contains wonderful harmonies that emphasize a rich text, thanking and praising the Savior for our redemption and grace. ”

“Forever we’ll sing…Amen!”

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Here’s the audio for the Publisher’s Studio Demo from our Sound Cloud recording of “Jesus, My Redeemer.”  (see lyrics below!)

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* A  TESTIMONY  OF  GRACE  AND  SALVATION *
The lyrics of  “Jesus, My Redeemer”, as written for the Slane hymn tune by Travis L. Boyd

Jesus, my Redeemer, My Savior and friend,
Author and giver of life without end,
Alpha, Omega, the Great I Am, Lion of Judah,
God’s meekly, lowly Lamb.

Jesus, my Redeemer, You died in my place,
Brought me salvation through your matchless grace
Your sacrifice came at such a great cost…
Bloodshed and agony on Calvary’s cross.

Such power to save!

Jesus, my Redeemer, Such power to save!
On the third day, You arose from the grave,
Sealing my pardon and setting me free,
Building a mansion in Heaven for me.

Jesus, my Redeemer, Returning some day!
All Your creation will bow down and say,
“You are Messiah!  Our Savior!  Our King!
Lord God Almighty, forever we’ll sing!” Amen!

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* A  PRAYER  OF  FAITH *
The lyrics to “Be Thou My Vision”  as written by Irish poet Dallan Forgaill,
translated in 1905 by Mary E. Byrne, and converted from English prose to verse by Eleanor H. Hull:

Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my wisdom, and Thou my true word;
I ever with Thee, and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Be Thou my battle shield, sword for my fight,
Be Thou my dignity, Thou my delight.
Thou my soul’s shelter, Thou my high tower.
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise;
Thou mine inheritance now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of heaven, my treasure Thou art.

High King of heaven, my victory won,
May I reach heaven’s joys, O bright heaven’s Son!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my vision, O Ruler of all.

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This post was written by Cynthia A. Boyd  (with the exception of the excerpt from the article mentioned below).

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Here’s a link to the article “Be Thou My Vision:  The History of a Christian Hymn”
(which was edited by the author of this post and included in the article as informational background):

http://suite101.com/article/be-thou-my-vision-a249138

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Youtube video of  “Be Thou My Vision”  (with lyrics), by Robin Mark from “The Mandate”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zstKjGb6uAE&feature=related

There are many other videos of “Be Thou My Vision” on Youtube by such artists as 4Him, Selah, Allison Kraus, Eden’s Bridge, the Irish Tenors, and the Azuza Pacific University Men’s Chorale.

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The Old Irish poem from which the lyrics of the hymn, “Be Thou My Vision”, were translated:

Rop tú mo baile, a Choimdiu cride: ní ní nech aile acht Rí secht nime.
Rop tú mo scrútain i l-ló ‘s i n-aidche; rop tú ad-chëar im chotlud caidche.
Rop tú mo labra, rop tú mo thuicsiu; rop tussu dam-sa, rob misse duit-siu.
Rop tussu m’athair, rob mé do mac-su; rop tussu lem-sa, rob misse lat-su.
Rop tú mo chathscíath, rop tú mo chlaideb; rop tussu m’ordan, rop tussu m’airer.
Rop tú mo dítiu, rop tú mo daingen; rop tú nom-thocba i n-áentaid n-aingel.
Rop tú cech maithius dom churp, dom anmain; rop tú mo flaithius i n-nim ‘s i talmain.
Rop tussu t’ áenur sainserc mo chride; ní rop nech aile acht Airdrí nime.
Co talla forum, ré n-dul it láma, mo chuit, mo chotlud, ar méit do gráda.
Rop tussu t’ áenur m’ urrann úais amra: ní chuinngim daíne ná maíne marba.
Rop amlaid dínsiur cech sel, cech sáegul, mar marb oc brénad, ar t’ fégad t’ áenur.
Do serc im anmain, do grád im chride, tabair dam amlaid, a Rí secht nime.
Tabair dam amlaid, a Rí secht nime, do serc im anmain, do grád im chride.
Go Ríg na n-uile rís íar m-búaid léire; ro béo i flaith nime i n-gile gréine A Athair inmain,
cluinte mo núall-sa: mithig (mo-núarán!) lasin trúagán trúag-sa.
A Chríst mo chride, cip ed dom-aire, a Flaith na n-uile, rop tú mo baile.

(Wouldn’t the original author be amazed to know that these words still live and inspire the hearts of millions of believers!)

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WOULD  YOU LIKE TO READ MORE POSTS LIKE THIS ONE?

Here’s a link to our  “Song Stories”  category to see all of the song story posts:
https://worshipsounds.wordpress.com/category/song-stories/

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Click this image to go to our WorshipSounds website.

More Music by Travis L. Boyd

Many more Choral Anthems written by Travis L. Boyd can be found on our Worship Sounds Music website.  Our Choral Anthems are written to be practical for use in local church ministry and in Christian schools and Universities.  You will find that our music is worshipful, memorable, and very affordable.  We also have Anthem Orchestrations, Accompaniment Tracks, Vocal Solos, and Congregational Worship music.

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Looking for answers for yourself or for a friend?

Thank you for spending your valuable time reading the contents of this page.  We hope that it has been helpful to you.   If you or someone that you know is looking for answers about life, we hope that you will visit our page called “Do You Know Jesus?”.   The links provided on this page will help to answer life’s deepest questions.   Here is the link to “Do You Know Jesus?”:  http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com/do-you-know-jesus/

Please feel free to share this URL with anyone who is looking for answers about life and eternity.

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Introducing the choral anthem, “For the Sins of All”

“For God sent not His son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. John 3:17

There’s a new addition to the WorshipSounds Music Website!

The powerful message of the anthem “For the Sins of All” is now available for SATB Choir.  There is also a beautiful, full orchestration available.  The lyrics of this anthem tell the story of the amazing, sacrificial love of God and the incredible demonstration of grace in action as Jesus laid down His life in order to provide salvation for us…for the sins of all.

This anthem also has a Full Orchestration available.   In addition, there is a Vocal Solo in of this song on our website’s Home Page in the left sidebar.  The Vocal Solo is available in 3 keys.  Both the Orchestration and our brand new Accompaniment Track (which features the Orchestration) work with both our SATB Choral Anthem and the Medium Voice Vocal Solo.  We do not yet have Accompaniment tracks for the other 2 Solo keys.  You can hear the Accompaniment Track with a Vocal Solo demo at the end of this post.  Scroll down to our Sound Cloud recordings of “For the Sins of All”.

Here are the lyrics to “For the Sins of All”

(Verse 1)
“The tiny cries of a baby in a manger,
A rugged cross on a hill called Calvary,
The perfect plan of a holy, loving Father
Who gave His son to rescue you and me.

(Chorus)
For the sins of all
He walked the road to Calvary.
For the sins of all
He suffered on that tree.
With a final shout of victory,
He changed the course of history.
For only He could answer Heaven’s call
And die upon a rugged cross
For the sins of all.

(Verse 2)
Before the world was ever set in motion,
Before the dawn of mankind had begun,
Before the name of Jesus had been spoken,
The Father chose to sacrifice His Son.

(Repeat chorus)

(Bridge)
Through the life He led and the blood He shed
And the sacrifice He made,
He was reaching out with eternal love
To the ones He came to save.

(Repeat chorus, with tag ending)

* Lyrics to “For the Sins of All”, copyright Travis L. Boyd, WorshipSounds Music

See this and hear this anthem with our Video Demo on the WorshipSounds Music Website on the Adult Choir music pageat www.worshipsounds.com

Listen to the Medium Voice Vocal Solo Demo with Accompaniment Track on our Sound Cloud recording below.

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Do you know someone who is looking for answers? 

Thank you for spending your valuable time reading the contents of this page.  We hope that it has been helpful to you.   If you or someone that you know is looking for answers about life, we hope that you will visit our page called “Do You Know Jesus?”.   The links provided on this page will help to answer life’s deepest questions.   Here is the link to “Do You Know Jesus?”:  http://www.worshipsounds.wordpress.com/do-you-know-jesus/

 

Victorious Savior!

Have you ever been confronted by the reality of eternal truth in such a way that the experience is always remembered and can bring you to tears, even years later?  This post tells the story of such an occasion, when I was confronted with the reality of the resurrection (through “The Resurrection”) and the glory of my victorious risen Savior in an unexpected place.  I will never forget what it was like to gaze up into the depiction of the face of my Savior. with the central figure of the victorious, risen Christ over 7 feet tall and displayed impressively upon a long, raised platform, flanked with the figures of the two cowering Roman guards on the ground.  There was strength, life, vitality, and victory in the figure’s movement, love and benediction in His face, and a gesture of blessing through his raised hand.  Hallelujah, He is risen!

First Corinthians 15:54 is a victorious scripture for all Christians.  Because of the resurrection of Christ, His victory over death, and God’s power over all that is, this verse tells us that “Death is swallowed up in victory!”  (a reference to Isaiah 25:8  “He will swallow up death in victory, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces…”)   The source of our victory is our victorious Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ, and our all powerful God of love, who will demonstrate His compassion with the tender act of personally wiping away our tears.

Here are several translations of this amazing promise from God’s word: 

I Corinthians 15:54

New American Standard Bible (©1995)
But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory.

King James Bible (Cambridge Ed.)

So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

International Standard Version (©2008)
Now, when what is decaying is clothed with what cannot decay, and what is dying is clothed with what cannot die, then the written word will be fulfilled: “Death has been swallowed up by victory!”

Aramaic Bible in Plain English (©2010)
Whenever this destructible puts on indestructibility and this mortal, immortality, then that word which is written shall come to pass, “Death is swallowed up by victory.”

GOD’S WORD® Translation (©1995)
When this body that decays is changed into a body that cannot decay, and this mortal body is changed into a body that will live forever, then the teaching of Scripture will come true: “Death is turned into victory!

Confronted by a powerful visual depiction, 
“La Resurrection”

When I visited the Louvre Museum in Paris a few years ago, one work of art struck me with the power of an image that has since been brought to my mind every time I think of our victorious Savior and His Resurrection.  On the ground floor, in the Richelieu Sculpture Gallery, one enters a large doorway to a section of the gallery and is immediately confronted with a sculpture of the Risen Christ striding victoriously from the tomb, with the awe-struck Roman guards on the ground on either side of the central figure.  Greater than life size at over 7 feet tall, the stature of the risen Christ is further magnified by the height of the pedestal on which all 3 figures are mounted.  I could have stood and looked up at this depiction of my Lord for hours, with tears and emotion overwhelming me.  For me, this image was so powerful and moving.  It is impossible to adequately describe the experience of seeing this work of art in person.  It was a visual representation of the very real power of God and His promise of eternal life in Christ.

French sculptor Germain Pilon (1537 – 1590 ) created this 3 piece work in marble in around 1572.  It had been commissioned by Catherine de Medicis, the widow of King Henry II of France.  It was to be housed in a circular funerary chapel built on one side of the Basilica of Saint-Denis (the burial place of the kings of France).  Construction of the Valois Rotunda began in about 1560, but the structure was never completed due to civil strife and lack of funds.   The Basilica still stands in a northern suburb of Paris (see photo), but the rotunda was destroyed in the early 18th century due to fears that the structure would collapse.

As a result of the incomplete structure, Pilon’s powerful sculpture, called “La Resurrection,”  never left the sculptor’s studio during his lifetime.  For part of it’s history, the sculpture’s three figures were then separated and displayed in different locations.  Now,  on display in the Louvre at the gallery entrance, in front of a wall which provides a backdrop and sections off this sculpture from all the others in that particular gallery, the three figures have been reunited in a setting that allows the emotional and spiritual power of the sculptor’s original vision to be seen and experienced once again.  Though I cannot help but marvel at the God-given talent that allowed the creation of “The Resurrection”, I can’t look upon this wonderful scene without thinking of our very real Savior and His love for mankind, His victory over death, and the salvation that is available to all in Him.  Below, you will see a photo of “The Resurrection.”  Though a picture can be powerful, there is no comparison to gazing up into the face of this depiction of the victorious Christ in person.  And, as powerful as that experience can be, it will pale and be nothing in comparison to meeting our Lord and Savior face to face.  Praise God!  Death is swallowed up in victory!

The Resurrection

Here is the description of the statue from the Louvre’s website
http://www.louvre.fr/en/oeuvre-notices/resurrection

“Two Roman soldiers have fallen to the ground in awe at the sight of the resurrected Christ. With head bent at a slight angle and lowered gaze, this handsome, athletic-looking, muscular-legged Christ seems to be rising upwards into the skies. The group was commissioned by the queen Catherine de Médicis for the Valois Chapel that she was having built in the abbey of Saint-Denis, but it never left the sculptor’s studio during his life.

A weightless Christ

If Germain Pilon did not design the sculpture himself, his execution imbues the work with its moving beauty. The slender, lithe, wiry legs, which seem too frail to support the muscular torso, stride forward and barely touch the ground. They thrust the figure upwards, as if the body were weightless, a justifiable impression since this is the glorious body of Christ ascending into Heaven. The position of the body emphasizes this impression of weightlessness: bust pushed forward, head bent, lowered gaze, the risen Christ appears to be leaning forward to bless mankind who must remain on Earth. The gesture of benediction is highlighted by the size of the hand, out of proportion with the rest of the body. Christ’s idealized facial features are combined with a very humane expression and gentle gaze.”

To the reader, it may seem that too much focus is placed upon a work made by a man and not enough focus is placed upon the work of God in providing salvation through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.  However, I think that it is fitting to recognize the works of men that do bring glory to God, which is our chief purpose for living.  The very image provided by this sculpture and the impact that seeing it has made in my life is a reminder to me of God’s power and his provision for us.  If I were a sculptor, I would want my hands to produce something that conveys the truth that death has been swallowed up in victory through the saving work of Christ on the cross and the power of our almighty God that raised him from the dead.  I don’t happen to possess this particular talent, but all of us can bring glory to God just by doing what we do “as to the Lord and not unto men”, seeking to bring Him glory.  If you are a singer, sing of His glory and grace, His victory and might, His love and compassion.  If you are a writer, write about it.  Whatever you do, do it to bring glory to the One who gave his all so that we might know him, have victory over sin and hell and death, and live forever in Heaven with the Lord.

None of the gospel accounts of the resurrection tell us exactly how Jesus left the tomb.  The account that follows, from Matthew’s gospel, tells us that he was already gone when the stone was rolled away.  Perhaps he did come striding right through the outer wall of that tomb, giving the guards the fright of their lives, as Pilon depicts in his sculpture.  Perhaps he left through the tomb’s ceiling, bursting through the rocky hillside above.  However he left that place of burial, I’m just glad he did!  I like to think of the risen Christ much as he is depicted in the statue, fully alive!…  strong and victorious! …confident in His purpose! … the compassionate and caring Lord of all creation, reaching out to all mankind in demonstration of the love, the amazing grace, and the power of God.

See Matthew’s thrilling resurrection account below:

Matthew, chapter 28
The Resurrection of Jesus

¹After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. ² There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. ³ His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. ⁴ The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

⁵ The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. ⁶ He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. ⁷ Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

⁸ So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. ⁹ Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. ¹⁰ Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

The Guards’ Report

¹¹ While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. ¹² When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, ¹³ telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ ¹⁴ If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” ¹⁵So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.

The Great Commission

 ¹⁶ Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. ¹⁷ When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. ¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

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Post written by C. Boyd, in celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Easter Sunday, 2012

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