What Have I Done?

Oh, this one,

This song for Good Friday.

I may be telling a story,

But my heart feels the weight -

That this song's really about me.

Do songs get any harder to sing than this one?

Thank You, God, for Grace.

Post by Mary Schieferstein.

What Have I Done?
by Mary Schieferstein
©2014 Mary Schieferstein

I wake to chaos and commotion.
I dress and run to see what's going on.
A crowd has gathered before Pilate.
I spot Jesus, bound and beaten, near the front.

Pilate refuses to condemn Him.
The mob won't settle for less than their demands.
Their words resound throughout the courtyard,
"Crucify Him!"

And I find the same cry
Coming from my mouth and my heart.
This Jesus, He changes everything,
And I just want things to stay the way they are.
It hurts less.
I can't take this.

They drag Him through the streets to Golgotha.
He is so weak that He can barely stand.
I can hardly watch but feel compelled to follow,
So I go up to the place of death.

I see His agony as they hang Him,
Yet my heart sits like a stone within my chest.
The Rabbis and the soldiers all mock Him,
"If He's the Son of God, let Him save Himself from this!"
 
And I find the same cry
Coming from my mouth and my heart.
This Jesus, He changes everything,
And I just want things to stay the way they are.
It hurts less.
I can't take this.

I can barely hear that He is speaking,
But, I swear, His eyes pierce me right through.
He prays to God in heaven,
"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."

And my heart shatters apart,
I fall to the ground, utterly undone.
I find that it's not the government,
But it's my self that I need saving from.
What have I done?
What have I done?

I hear Jesus take His last breath,
I feel the earth tremble under me.
My tears wet the bloodstained ground.
Truly, this Man was Who He claimed to be.


2014 Easter Songs Series:
Palm Sunday - Hosanna
Monday - House of Prayer
Tuesday - No One Ever Spoke Like This Man
Spy Wednesday - Who He Claims to Be
Maundy Thursday - Seder
Good Friday - What Have I Done?
Holy Saturday - This Wait
Easter Sunday - Victory



 

Seder

Thursday,

Maundy Thursday,

"Thursday of the Commandment".

Thursday, Jesus celebrates the Passover Seder with His disciples.

Beth Moore's Passion 2013 message comparing the Biblical account with the traditional ceremony has never left my mind,

Symbolism buried deeper than I would have understood.

I stayed up late Wednesday to listen.

My favorite part is where she speaks of "dayenu" - "it would have been enough" or "it would have been sufficient",

And she says it wouldn't have been sufficient.

If Jesus had just been born of a virgin, it would have been a miracle, but it would not have been sufficient.

If Jesus had just taught the Word of God, it would not have been sufficient.

If He had healed the sick,

Cast out demons,

Raised the dead,

It would not have been sufficient.

If He had been beaten and scorned and mocked, but never shed a single drop of blood, it would not have been sufficient.

That part didn't make it into the song,

But it's sure been in my heart.

Here's my (summary) retelling of the Seder.

Post by Mary Schieferstein.

Seder
by Mary Schieferstein
©2014 Mary Schieferstein

I slip into the house where they're eating.
I shouldn't be there, but I really have to know.
I sit on the stair as Jesus reads
How we were delivered long ago.

He pours the first cup of promise,
Recounts how God said, "I will bring you out."
They drink the wine and say,
"Blessed be the Lord!"

I know that it is time for the hand washing,
I inch closer, trying to peek.
I can see Jesus kneeling,
Washing their feet.

He says, "A servant is not greater than his master,"
Teaches them to do as He has done.
The disciples aren't sure what to think.
I, too, have never seen a Seder like this one.

They take the second cup of promise,
Recount how God said, "I will deliver you."
They drink the wine and say,
"Blessed be the Lord!"

Jesus takes the matzah and He breaks it,
They eat the bitter herbs until they cry,
But I think it's much more than the pain of Egypt
Flowing from His eyes.

He says that one of them will betray Him,
Gives the dipped bread to the man I saw yesterday.
Jesus tells the man to go on with his plans,
I barely have time to get out of the way.

He pours the third cup of promise,
But only into His own glass.
Is this not God's Word - 
"I will redeem you with an outstretched hand"?

He breaks the bread and says it's His body,
Tells them to take it and eat.
The cup, His blood of the covenant,
He passes around to drink.

And, Jesus, He doesn't pour the fourth cup,
God's promise, "I will take this people as my own."
They sing Hallel and leave.
I sit, too stunned to see where they go.


2014 Easter Songs Series:
Palm Sunday - Hosanna
Monday - House of Prayer
Tuesday - No One Ever Spoke Like This Man
Spy Wednesday - Who He Claims to Be
Maundy Thursday - Seder
Good Friday - What Have I Done?
Holy Saturday - This Wait
Easter Sunday - Victory



 

Who He Claims to Be

Song for Spy Wednesday -

The day that seemed too quiet,

Yet so much was going on.

Oh, I know these need work,

But they've sure been working on my heart.

Post by Mary Schieferstein.

Who He Claims to Be
by Mary Schieferstein
©2014 Mary Schieferstein

He teaches in the temple this morning.
I hear the thunder echo in the sky.
He speaks of judgment and says He'll be lifted up,
Tells us to believe and become sons of light.

The others in the crowd voice my objections -
That the Law says the Christ will remain.
How then can the Messiah be lifted up?
Or is this Jesus not what He claims?

And the whispers rustle through the crowd
Like the wind blowing in the trees,
"Will He not bring prosperity?"
"Will He not bring us peace?"
"Is He a liar?"
"Is He crazy?"
"Is He Who He claims to be?"

The high priest has called a secret meeting,
Invited members of the council to his home.
From where I stand, I have seen them walking in,
But, what they speak of, God only knows.

Someone to my left says that they're praying.
Another to my right says they're afraid
Of the punishment if Jesus leads the people to rebel.
Still another says they're jealous of His fame.


And the whispers rustle through the crowd
Like the wind blowing in the trees,
"Will He not bring prosperity?"
"Will He not bring us peace?"
"Is He a liar?"
"Is He crazy?"
"Is He Who He claims to be?"

I see one more slip into the meeting -
Swift as a shadow, yet he catches my eye.
He comes out later holding a bag in his hands,
I glimpse his face and see it's one of Jesus' friends.
Something here just doesn't seem quite right.

Will He not bring prosperity?
Will He not bring us peace?
Is He a liar?
Is He crazy?
Is He Who He claims to be?


2014 Easter Songs Series:
Palm Sunday - Hosanna
Monday - House of Prayer
Tuesday - No One Ever Spoke Like This Man
Spy Wednesday - Who He Claims to Be
Maundy Thursday - Seder
Good Friday - What Have I Done?
Holy Saturday - This Wait
Easter Sunday - Victory