When I Look Upon the Cross

A funny thing happened while I was preparing the music for our Good Friday service. There was a creeping dissatisfaction whenever I got to rehearsing "The Wonderful Cross" by Matt Redman and Chris Tomlin. It was a song that said all the right things, fit into the theme of the night perfectly, but that chorus simply felt too happy for Good Friday. When I think about Good Friday, I get in the mood of hopeful solemness. It's a time for believers to remember and reflect upon the death of our Savior. Yes He is alive, but on that night we remember the price He paid to save us. It is a hopeful solemness.

So the night before the service, still dissatisfied, I sat down tried to capture that feeling. I went back to the hymn "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross" and within minutes I wrote a chorus and later the next day I reworked one of the verses into a bridge. What came out of that late night session were some of the most honest and simple lyrics that I have ever written: "When I look upon the cross, I see love."

The power and simplicity of the Gospel are displayed fully on the cross. We are LOVED. Church let us proclaim this message proudly and passionately. Let our lives serve to point our friends and family to the cross, and may they see the love of God. I hope this song blesses you.