Music Monday: With You

Today’s song is “With You” by Elevation Worship:

Beneath the surface
Of my anxious imagination
Beckons a calmness
That is found in You alone

It washes over
Every doubt, every imperfection
Jesus, Your presence
Is the comfort of my soul

There’s nowhere I’d rather be
When You’re singing over me
I just wanna be here with You
I’m lost in Your mystery
I’m found in Your love for me
I just wanna be here with You

Here in the waiting
I won’t worry about tomorrow
No need to focus
On the things I can’t control

All my attention
On the wonder of this moment
Jesus, your presence
Is the comfort of my soul

So let all that I am
Be consumed with who You are
All the glory of Your presence
What more could I ask for?

So let all that I am
Be consumed with who You are
All the glory of Your presence
What more could I ask for?

Music Monday: As it is in Heaven

Today’s song is another from Elevation which I heard at a recent concert in San Diego, “As it is in Heaven”:

The atmosphere is changing now
For the spirit of the Lord is here
The evidence is all around
That the spirit of the Lord is here

Overflow in this place
Fill our hearts with your love
Your love surrounds us
You’re the reason we came
To encounter your love
Your love surrounds us

Spirit of God fall fresh on us
We need your presence
Your kingdom come
Your will be done
Here as in heaven

A miracle can happen now
For the spirit of the Lord is here
The evidence is all around
That the spirit of the Lord is here

Music Monday: O Come To The Altar

Before I left San Diego, I had the opportunity to go to the Outcry Tour where the band Elevation performed. Today’s song was my favourite from their set, O Come to the Altar:

Are you hurting and broken within
Overwhelmed by the weight of your sin
Jesus is calling
Have you come to the end of yourself
Do you thirst for a drink from the well
Jesus is calling

O come to the altar
The Father’s arms are open wide
Forgiveness was bought with
The precious blood of Jesus Christ

Leave behind your regrets and mistakes
Come today there’s no reason to wait
Jesus is calling
Bring your sorrows and trade them for joy
From the ashes a new life is born
Jesus is calling

Oh what a Savior
Isn’t he wonderful
Sing alleluia, Christ is risen
Bow down before him
For he is Lord of all
Sing alleluia, Christ is risen

Bear your cross as you wait for the crown
Tell the world of the treasure you’ve found

He-Man, Christian Allegory & Transubstantiation

Christians have long made use of allegory to narrate the story of salvation. We have done this because, by utilizing fiction to retell the story of Jesus, we can present to an unbelieving world the archetypal themes of Christianity, as well as providing for ourselves a “novel” way 😉 to meditate upon our tale of grace…

A Common Example…

One popular example of Christian allegory would be “The Lion, the witch and the wardrobe”  by C.S. Lewis. This is one of the first novels I can recall hearing as a child. However, it wasn’t until I was quite a bit older that I started to realize why the story felt so familiar…

C.S. Lewis’ goal in writing “The Chronicles Of Narnia”  was to write a good story rather than simply a Christian story. Fortunately for us he does both! In “The Lion, the witch and the wardrobe”  Lewis tells the story of the great lion Aslan who offers his life in place of the disobedient boy Edmund. Even with this brief outline, it is clear to see that this story is an allegory of Jesus’ Crucifixion and the offering of His life for sinners.

In my mid-twenties I did a lot of babysitting and, because of this, I got to read the book out loud for the children I was babysitting (complete with voices, of course). Reading the book as an adult, I was stunned to find Christ on every page.

Read more