A Better Proclamation

For Christmas, Nicole and I traveled to Iowa to see her parents. We spent a lot of time in the car with her folks, and car rides with the Maberry's means that K Love is on the radio. Positive. Encouraging. All those things.

The thing about K Love is that they tend play the same five songs over and over again. And, they've had a tendency to play the same five songs for I can only imagine how long (Pun intended, kids).

One song they've continued to play on every fifth play is Indescribable by Chris Tomlin. While on vacation, I probably heard this song ten to fifteen times. Chris Tomlin is really likes natural theology. He likes to look at the stars, mountains, lightning bolts, and sing about how great God is. This is commendable. These things in a sense do reflect God's creative work. No doubt.

In my time at Lafayette First Church of the Nazarene, I've learned a new song (at least new to me) that I think speaks a better proclamation. A few years ago, my pastor blogged about this song, and the words are simply terrific. As an added bonus, I believe the worship leaders at our church do this song better justice than the original!

These are the words we sang to this song during advent:

Verse 1
Who is this child asleep in the manger?
Tender and mild, this intimate Stranger?
Recklessly, wildly loving a dangerous world
Who is this light invading our darkness?
Glorious might, the sun rising for us.
Conquering night, He captures the hardest of hearts
We sing:

Chorus 1
This is our God, living and breathing
Call Him courageous, relentless, and brave
This is our God, loving and reaching,
Scandalous mercy and mighty to save.
Hallelujah! This is our God!
Hallelujah! This is our God!
Hallelujah! This is our God!
Sing praise.

Verse 2
Who is this One who will not condemn us?
Why would He come to shoulder our sentence?
Nothing we've done will keep Him from giving us grace.
Who is this One we watch and we're speechless?
God's only Son embracing our weakness.
He overcomes all death and he frees us to live
And we sing:

Chorus 2
This is our God, suffering and dying.
Call Him the Hero redeeming the lost.
This is our God, love sacrificing,
All that is holy, accepting our cross.
Hallelujah! This is our God!
Hallelujah! This is our God!
Hallelujah! This is our God!
Sing praise.

Here's why I like this song: It is incredibly personal. While songs like Indescribable wonder about the intangible wonders of God, this song proclaims the vulnerability and reckless love of God to a broken world. We're reminded in this song that God came to live as we are; meek, humble, helpless. We're reminded that God lives, God breathes. We're reminded that God's love isn't safe; it's scandalous. Most of all, this song reminds us that we are not left in amazement because of a bolt of lightning, or that the sun shines, or that God knows the names of the stars in the sky; we are left in amazement and awe because of the suffering and dying that the holy one takes on our behalf. And that we are made free to live. These are the songs I like to sing, because its reminds me that God isn't far off. We serve a personal God who loves us.

This is our God.

Sing Praise.