O Praise The Name

At church this morning we shall sing this song. It gives an overview of the Easter story. We see the whole picture. We’re called to respond in praise…

I cast my mind to Calvary
Where Jesus bled and died for me.
I see His wounds, His hands, His feet.
My Saviour on that cursed tree

His body bound and drenched in tears
They laid Him down in Joseph’s tomb.
The entrance sealed by heavy stone
Messiah still and all alone

O praise the name of the Lord our God…

And then on the third at break of dawn,
The Son of heaven rose again.
O trampled death where is your sting?
The angels roar for Christ the King

O praise the name of the Lord our God…

He shall return in robes of white,
The blazing Son shall pierce the night.
And I will rise among the saints,
My gaze transfixed on Jesus’ face

O praise the name of the Lord our God
O praise His name forever more
For endless days we will sing Your praise
Oh Lord, oh Lord our God.

Christians follow the Easter story… a succession of incidents… Jesus rides into Jerusalem… He washes feet, shares bread and wine, prays in Gethsemane… He’s arrested, tried, condemned, crucified… We follow themes – loneliness, suffering, loyalty, love…

There’s the empty tomb, Jesus’ resurrection appearances, Mary in the garden, Thomas in the locked room, Peter on the sea shore… There’s life, power, forgiveness, compassion… We zoom in, look at each incident in detail.

Or we can also stand back and look at the whole picture. Some Christians do that through a creed.

I particularly appreciate this Celtic Creed.

We believe in God above us, maker and sustainer of all life, of sun and moon, of water and earth, of male and female.

We believe in God beside us, Jesus Christ, the word made flesh, born of a woman, servant of the poor, tortured and nailed to a tree. A man of sorrows, he died forsaken. He descended into the earth to the place of death. On the third day he rose from the tomb. He ascended into heaven, to be everywhere present, and His kingdom will come on earth.

We believe in God within us, the Holy Spirit of Pentecostal fire, life-giving breath of the Church, Spirit of healing and forgiveness, source of resurrection and of eternal life.

This morning standing back, musing on the big picture, the broad brush strokes, I ‘Praise the name of the Lord our God’