Celebration of God's Mercy and Forgiveness

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it...

He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."

John 1:1-5,11-13

His Wounds, Our Cure

Matthew Hale

The Prince of Darkness, flushed with vict'ry

In our first parents' first apostasy,

Usurped a lawless sovereignty on man,

Revolted thus from his first Sovereign.

And though by that apostasy he found,

Under the chains of death, his vassal bound,

Yet to secure his empire, he overspread

The world with darkness, and thereby did lead

His captives as he please. Thus he bears

His rule usurped near four thousand years;

Except some small confined plantation,

within a family or nation.

But now to put a period to this reign

Of this usurper, and reduce again

Man to his just subjection, 'tis decreed

That man from this subjection shall be freed.

And this not by the absolute command

Of an immediate pow'r, nor shall the bands

Of angels, glorious hosts, engaged be

To rescue man from this captivity.

But God an unsuspected means intends,

And yet most suitable unto this end.

Sin stained our nature, and the serpent's wile

Did man of innocence and life beguile;

By man his head is crushed; the lawful Lord

Unto His creature man to his life restored;

A virgin's Son is born; this rising sun

The world's enthralling darkness overruns.

A Child to us is born, whose innocence

Our nature's spot and stain doth purge and cleanse;

His wounds, our cure; His bonds, our liberty;

His death becomes our life, our victory.

"But made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord."

Philippians 2:7-11