Songs for Meditation on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday

I have been searching in my music library for some music appropriate for playing during this Holy Week, from Maundy Thursday to Good Friday, and came up with 3 songs that would be perfect for listening as you meditate this Holy Week. Some are not as orchestral and not played with strings or the clarinet but the lyrics are great. 

The first song is "Thank You for the Cross", written and composed by Mark Altrogge. This is from the album "Chosen Treasure" and below are its lyrics.

Thank You For The Cross 

Verse:
Thank you for the cross the mighty cross
That God Himself should die for such as us
And everyday we’re changed into Your image more and more
Yes by the cross we’ve truly been transformed

Chorus:
And we’re so amazed
And we give You praise
That You would save us at such a cost
We’re so amazed
And we give You praise
For the power of the cross
For the power of the cross


The second song is "Redeemer, Savior, Friend" by Darrell Evans. I first heard this from the album "The Smithton Outpouring."

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Thoughts to Ponder During the Holy Week | The Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ

Tomorrow is the start of a holiday in the Philippines known as the Holy Week. It is a commemoration of the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Usually, majority of Filipinos visit catholic churches, fast, and make physical sacrifices even to the point of having themselves nailed on a wooden cross. Most do this to sort of pay for the sins committed.

But what I have learned from the Bible, as I have read in different forms such as book-form, kobo ereader or an ebook reader, is that these sacrifices are unnecessary, unacceptable and actually not enough to satisfy God’s righteous and holy justice when it comes to sin in general. The only acceptable sacrifice was already made by Christ.

Why? Because no matter what man does or whatever man offers, we are still sinful and everything we offer or do has been tainted with sin. On the other hand, Jesus, who claimed to be 100% God and 100% man, lived a sinless life. That made Him the only sacrifice that was acceptable to God.

A great parallelism is the lamb that was brought by the Jews for their annual sacrifice for their sins. The lamb had to be spotless, without blemish or defect. Any other animal that was not perfect was unacceptable. Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. He was figuratively spotless, without blemish or defect because He was sinless and only His sacrifice was accepted by God.

His death, burial and resurrection was the only solution to satisfy God’s justice system for all mankind. That is why whoever “believes” in Him shall not perish but shall have eternal life. This is not a matter of religion but is about having a right relationship with God - the forgiven sinner, because of faith in Christ, becomes the child of God.

The Bible is clear that we can know that we have eternal life. So, the question is, do you know that you have eternal life? Do you know that when you die you are going to heaven? Do not be deceived because the apostle John clearly declared, ”And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.” (1 John 5:11-13)

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Black Saturday Meditation 2010

Here is another passage from Charles Spurgeon's devotional. This is an appropriate meditation for this Holy Week as most Filipinos focus on Jesus' passion and sacrifice.

"They took Jesus, and led Him away."
John 19:16

He had been all night in agony, He had spent the early morning at the hall of Caiaphas, He had been hurried from Caiaphas to Pilate, from Pilate to Herod, and from Herod back again to Pilate; He had, therefore, but little strength left, and yet neither refreshment nor rest were permitted Him. They were eager for His blood, and therefore led Him out to die, loaded with the cross. O dolorous procession! Well may Salem's daughters weep. My soul, do thou weep also.
What learn we here as we see our blessed Lord led forth? Do we not perceive that truth which was set forth in shadow by the scapegoat? Did not the high-priest bring the scapegoat, and put both his hands upon its head, confessing the sins of the people, that thus those sins might be laid upon the goat, and cease from the people? Then the goat was led away by a fit man into the wilderness, and it carried away the sins of the people, so that if they were sought for they could not be found. Now we see Jesus brought before the priests and rulers, who pronounce Him guilty; God Himself imputes our sins to Him, "the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all;" "He was made sin for us;" and, as the substitute for our guilt, bearing our sin upon His shoulders, represented by the cross; we see the great Scapegoat led away by the appointed officers of justice. Beloved, can you feel assured that He carried your sin? As you look at the cross upon His shoulders, does it represent your sin? There is one way by which you can tell whether He carried your sin or not. Have you laid your hand upon His head, confessed your sin, and trusted in Him? Then your sin lies not on you; it has all been transferred by blessed imputation to Christ, and He bears it on His shoulder as a load heavier than the cross.

Let not the picture vanish till you have rejoiced in your own deliverance, and adored the loving Redeemer upon whom your iniquities were laid.

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On Good Friday, Religious Practices and the Bible

Today is Good Friday, one day of the Holy Week, and it is the time of the year when many Filipinos, who are mostly religious, take time to do penance or pay for their sins. Sacrifices are done by each person in his or her own little way like going to different churches (known as the “Bisita Iglesia”). Others practice a different sacrifice by trying to replicate Christ’s passion, carrying their own crosses, some even going to the extent of having themselves nailed to the cross.



As a pastor, I see these practices and feel for the people who do them. Many of these people are sincere about finding peace with God because of past sins they have committed. Some honestly think of the grave decisions they have made in life like maybe getting an abortion, leaving a spouse behind but others may think of wrong doings like drinking and smoking Black and Mild and the like.

But what does the Bible say about these things? I realize that all of us are on our own spiritual journey and have our own ways of making peace with God, but what does Jesus say about all these?

Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” This is a statement where He claims that there is no other way - not religion, not a religious practice, and no other belief system is the way to God but through Him alone. For skeptics, this statement is an arrogant statement. But what about if we take a step back and evaluate Christ’s and the Bible’s claims? For those who already believe in Christ and the Bible, what about re-evaluating what we have done based on tradition and religious practices based on what Christ and the whole Bible says?

Below are passages from the Bible about this topic. Take time to read, consider these things and re-evaluate your own spiritual journey.

Hebrews 9:22 “In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”

But whose blood sacrifice does God accept?

Romans 3:20-28 “Therefore no one will be declared righteous in His sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. 21 But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in His blood. He did this to demonstrate His justice, because in His forbearance He had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26 He did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. 27 Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith. 28 For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law.”

Ephesians 2:8-9 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.”

Titus 3:5 “…He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy.”

Galatians 2:16 “…Know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified.”

We make peace with God by simply coming to Him and confessing our sins and asking forgiveness and recognizing that He will forgive us because Christ has already paid the only acceptable sacrifice for all man’s sins.

Romans 10:9-10 “That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”

Romans 10:13 “For, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’”

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How I Spent Maundy Thursday

As Maundy Thursday came, people spent the day in different ways. Some of my friends spent the Holy Week outside the country while others chose to take a vacation in other parts of the country. I, on the other hand, chose to spend Maundy Thursday at home.'

At first, I wanted to go take a long drive with my family but decided to just stay put. It turned out to be a productive day as I was able to update my other blogs, spend time with my three-year-old son and my wife, play Medal of Honor and capped the day attending a service at a church in UP Diliman.

It was a very meaningful service which began with the Lord's Supper and ended with a very short teaching about Jesus' prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. In between, the choir sang songs describing the Passion of Christ. It was a very solemn event, appropriately facilitating meditation of Jesus' sacrifice.

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