Youth of His Church, our thoughts are once more drawn to Christ on Calv’ry. Because we are each one a member of His chosen race, we seek to know the story and its meaning, though we surely cannot comprehend the reason why. Does mere man deem he knows the central motivation of that love wherewith the Father loves him? Or think that he can follow God’s decree that he, from all the rebel race of man, should be an honor vessel to His Name? He who is a sinner and himself the seeker of God’s throne? He thinks he plumbs the depth of this? Ah, no!! Our contemplation is too earthly; our comprehension cannot encompass Him who made us, that Wondrous Sovereign God, whose ways and thoughts much higher are than ours!

Yet surely, we must seek Him and we do. By grace, we seek to know much more, each day anew, concerning Jesus’ work so that our awe is multiplied, as are our praises to our covenant God. Thus, taught of God, we are the stronger in this vale to see our way and in it magnify His Name.

Your writer pens the verse below that we may note from whence all our perception comes; confess it, youth, that in ourselves we differ not a whit, and in so noting we may say that all His ways upon this earth until now-celebrated Easter’s dawn, from cradle-crib to cross of curse, were filled with lowly meekness of the Lamb of God, whose pow’r was not yet seen:

It was not ours: the sight that sees,
On night long past
In stable dim,
The Christ, born there because the town
Was full, no room for Him,

That sight was giv’n, a gift that’s free
To all His own:
To those who trod
Long miles from East, from nearby hills…
They saw the Son of God!

Long lines of women, children, men
Have traveled since,
Have since seen Him
In lowly shed; no palace cheers
For King, but cattle din.

‘Tis faith, the gift that makes our sight
See Majesty,
Where outwardly
Are only signs of poverty.
Faith tells us it is He.

Thus, we have seen the coming of our Lord. Though surely in His coming He saw sorrow, His Word reveals that depths were yet to come. The Righteous One, invested with the flesh of creature, dwelt in the midst of sin and death and shame! Small wonder, then, that all His earthly sojourn was: “way of sorrow,” “way of suffering” “way of death and shame”!

Before His coming was the veil, the wall of separation. Created good, man chose the lie, then sought it, spoke it, loved it in his soul. The Holy God winks not at sin, has purer eyes than evil to behold, cannot abide man’s foul abomination. What says the ancient prophet, Isaiah sent of God? Man’s sins have made a separation, ‘twixt the Righteous God and all the sons of men. The wall was there? Oh, yes. And sin caused its erection; no sin communes with God!

But look! The wall allows a passage to the yonder side, and yonder side means Father, joys of life and bliss, communion with the living God. One who was called and made to be the shedder and the bearer of lamb’s blood, by God’s decree, gained access to the mercy seat, and Israel was not consumed.
For God had spoken, at the fall, a word of promise sure and never could that word be broken. He made His covenant with His chosen race of men. Therefore, the wonder of the blood which penetrates the veil, which showed the ransomed chosen ones the faithfulness of God, the Lord, and let the dying breathe their last in peace.

The Lord was coming, and in the blood of sacrifice Israel saw the reason why. By faith they saw it, rejoiced in hope of faith, laid down their heads and died.
The Lord was coming, and when the time was full, He came. Rejoice, oh Church! Messiah, Christ Jesus, The Lamb of God has come! In Bethlehem? A stable? Yes, Bethlehem…a stable. The advent of our Lord.

The way of sorrows. The only Righteous One then dwelt upon this earth: He grew, He taught, He suffered in this vale. Made to be sin was He who knew no sin because it was the Father’s will, which will He came to do. That will led Jesus to the Cross so that His sheep might have the right, when all life’s din is done and finished is the walk of faith, to hear His word: “Well done!”

Let us beware our speech when telling of His work! He tells plainly: “limited’s the work for those that Father gave me.” He came to ransom all His sheep and this He does; the goats rejected scorn Him sent from heav’n above. Then the ghastly veil is rent from top to earth, and ended is the sacrificial work for which He came. And you and I, as chosen sons of God, have access to the Throne, have knowledge that our sins no longer are the barrier ‘twixt the Righteous God and us, the chosen creatures of His hand. Our sins are gone, clean gone and nevermore shall spectral rise before our soul, nor testify that we must dwell without, outside the glorious presence of our God.

Rejoice, young hearts, for all that God has done. It has been said, “What hath God wrought!!” Indeed, what hath God wrought!! All endless eons will not tell the sum.