What’s So Good About Good Friday?

W.O.W. – Faith United Methodist Church “Way of Worship”  Vol. 1. No. 4

Welcome to this very special Holy Week edition of the Way of Worship devotion series.  I’d like to invite you to join me this coming Friday night at 7:30 PM in the sanctuary at Faith UMC for a contemporary Good Friday worship gathering.  We’ll be singing the songs from the last two W.O.W. emails as well as the song from this week’s edition – plus a few others.  Rev. Ken will be sharing a brief meditation and it will be a wonderful time to gather together as we reflect on the meaning of the cross.

What’s So Good About Good Friday?

Have you ever wondered why we call the Friday before Easter “good?”  What’s good about torture, humiliation, crucifixion and death?  We don’t call it good Friday because we want to celebrate suffering.  No, we call it “good” because, were it not for Friday, we wouldn’t have Easter Sunday.  In order for Christ to conquer sin, death and darkness, he first had to enter into it – wholly and completely.  He took all that ugliness and pain on himself so that we don’t have to.  What Jesus suffered was bad – even unimaginable.  But what it means for you and me is good because he was motivated by a love so deep, so complete, and so all-encompassing that’s it’s almost impossible to comprehend.

As we reflect on his sacrifice this week, I urge you not to rush ahead to the celebratory tones of Easter Sunday.  Spend some time meditating on the very real love-motivated sacrifice of Christ on the cross.  When we gather this Friday we’ll be singing a song by Kathryn Scott called “At the Foot of the Cross.”  The lyrics challenge us to linger “at the foot of the cross” as we remember that through his death we have life.  That liberating truth allows us to release our burdens and gives us the confidence to reaffirm our trust in the One who loves us so much that he was willing to give up his own life for you and me.

Following is a link to “At the Foot of the Cross” on Youtube, as well as the lyrics.  I look forward to singing it together on Friday.

Many blessings,
Scott

At The Foot Of The Cross

At the foot of the cross
Where grace and suffering meet
You have shown me Your love
Through the judgment You received
And You’ve won my heart
And You’ve won my heart

Chorus
Now I can trade these ashes in for beauty
And wear forgiveness like a crown
Coming to kiss the feet of Mercy
I lay every burden down
At the foot of the cross

At the foot of the cross
Where I am made complete
You have given me life
Through the death You bore for me
And You’ve won my heart
And You’ve won my heart

(Scott Bomar is the Contemporary Worship & Praise Leader at Faith UMC in Torrance, CA)

At The Foot Of The Cross

Nothing But The Blood

W.O.W. – Faith United Methodist Church “Way of Worship” Vol. 1. No. 3

Isaiah 53:5 says, “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.”

Have you ever wondered why Jesus had to suffer through such a horrific death on the cross? As we reflect on his sacrifice during this season of Lent, I am reminded of the words of an old hymn that was written in 1876 called “Nothing But the Blood.” It’s a beautifully simple song consisting of only two chords and a five note range, but it’s not one we hear very often anymore. It seems a bit uncomfortable to sing about blood, doesn’t it? Maybe even a little weird! Sometimes, however, it’s the theological realities that we find a little unsettling that are the most important for us to pause and absorb. The lyrics say:

What can wash away my sin? / Nothing but the blood of Jesus
What can make me whole again? / Nothing but the blood of Jesus
 
Refrain:
Oh, precious is the flow / That makes me white as snow
No other fount I know / Nothing but the blood of Jesus
 
For my pardon, this I see / Nothing but the blood of Jesus
For my cleansing this my plea / Nothing but the blood of Jesus
 
Nothing can for sin atone / Nothing but the blood of Jesus
Naught of good that I have done / Nothing but the blood of Jesus
 
This is all my hope and peace / Nothing but the blood of Jesus
This is all my righteousness / Nothing but the blood of Jesus

The reality is that we, as humans, have a broken relationship to God thanks to the fact that we are inclined toward sinfulness and selfishness. In response, throughout the Hebrew Bible, we find God’s people offering animal sacrifices to Him as a ritualistic act of atonement. But that couldn’t bring about the relational reconciliation of “once and for all” atonement. In the grandest irony of all, God’s sacrifice – and not ours – was his plan for restoring the balance. He allowed his son to die to receive all the punishment for all the sins that would ever be committed. Jesus became the scapegoat for every last one of us. It was through that sacrifice – that shedding of blood – that we were made as clean as snow. Singing about blood might feel strange, but what we’re really singing about is the greatest act of sacrificial love in human history. We’ll be doing an updated version of this song at the contemporary Good Friday service at 7:30 pm on April 6th.

In the mean time, I hope you’ll enjoy this link, and maybe even sing along with a new perspective.

Many blessings,
Scott Bomar

(Scott Bomar is the Contemporary Worship & Praise Leader at Faith UMC in Torrance, CA)

Lead Me to the Cross

W.O.W. – Faith United Methodist Church “Way of Worship” Vol. 1. No. 2

Welcome to the second edition of the “Faith UMC Way of Worship (W.O.W.),” a mid-week communication designed to encourage us as we seek to incorporate worship into our daily lives – at work, at school, at home, or wherever we may be!  Generally, it will be a meditation focused on the lyrics of a particular song, along with some relevant Scripture.  When possible, I’ll provide a link to the song so you can hear it and will post the lyrics so you can follow along.  Even if you prefer traditional songs to contemporary worship selections, I think you’ll find these messages encouraging.

Lead Me to the Cross

This week’s “Way of Worship” meditation is built around the song “Lead Me to the Cross” by Brooke Fraser and the Hillsong United group.  The following link will take you to a YouTube video that pairs the song’s lyrics with scenes from the The Passion of the Christ.  Though conceived and directed by a flawed man, this film is the most powerful, unsettling, and moving depiction of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross that I’ve ever seen.  I’ll warn you that some of the scenes in this video are difficult to watch.  Crucifixion isn’t pretty.  Our own sins and shortcomings that were conquered on that cross are not pretty.

Sometimes the season of Lent can bring up difficult emotions as we reflect on the true meaning of the cross.  There were dark moments before the triumphant resurrection, but the words of this song remind us that it’s a real part of the Christian story.  The lyrics encourage us to present ourselves to God with a mindfulness of the sacrifice of Calvary.  It’s the place where Christ suffered for you.  And for me.  For every single individual human life.  And he still would have done it if you were the only one on earth.  It’s breathtaking when we pause to reflect on it.

At the core, this song is about letting go of all those earthly things we are tempted to cling to – the things we think bring us comfort and meaning.  A career.  A nice car.  A great house.  The right social group.  An impressive list of personal accomplishments.  Any of these things can become idols when they begin to shape our identity.  As we humble ourselves before God and ask him to lead us back to the cross, we must empty ourselves and ask those difficult questions about identity.  Who am I?  Whose am I?  As we reflect on “Lead Me to the Cross” my prayer is that the God of mercy would lead us back to his heart for what really matters in the shadow of the greatest sacrifice of love in human history.

Many blessings,
Scott

Lead Me to the Cross

Savior I come
Quiet my soul remember
Redemptions hill
Where Your blood was spilled
For my ransom
Everything I once held dear
I count it all as lost

Lead me to the cross
Where Your love poured out
Bring me to my knees
Lord I lay me down
Rid me of myself
I belong to You
Lead me, lead me to the cross

You were as I
Tempted and trialed
You are
Te word became flesh
Bore my sin and death
Now you’re risen

To your heart
To your heart
Lead me to your heart
Lead me to your heart

(Scott Bomar is the Contemporary Worship & Praise Leader at Faith UMC in Torrance, CA)

New Sermon Series: The Last Seven

Hello friends,

Praise God for His amazing love that meets us wherever we are.    May you know His amazing love today.

Just wanted to let you know that we are starting a new sermon series, “The Last Seven”, this Sunday, March 1-April 5, Faith UMC, reflecting on the the last seven statements of Jesus from the cross.

This Sunday, the key word is “Broken”, and we will reflect on “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they are doing.”

Please pray, attend, and/or invite many to come reflect on God’s amazing love that meets us where we are.

Have a blessed weekend.

In God’s amazing love,

Rev. Ken