When words get repeated, especially in a short amount of time, I pay extra attention. Last night one of my boys, who had not made the best decisions all day, drew a picture and placed it on my pillow. I called him aside to ask for more details. His simple words hit the mark and I thought again of all I want to learn this summer. He drew a picture of what sin makes him feel like inside. He said sin makes him feel dead. He said he saw a picture of himself in chains. I don’t know about you, but at 8 years old I could not have summed up the state of us sinners like he did. He’s right you know, but it doesn’t have to be this way.

This morning our pastor repeated a message similar to what I heard last night. We took communion together as an act of remembrance and worship. We remember all that Jesus did in his 33 years here on earth. How he died a horrible, painful death on a cross. Then after 3 days of being in a borrowed tomb, he arose. He remained on this earth for 40 days and then took to the heavens. Just trying to wrap my mind around this act of grace is overwhelming. Trying to keep the tears from falling is not easy when we make time for this at church. I am so grateful for what he did for me and I will spend the rest of my life pointing others to this eternal gift. How can I not?

After communion, we continued worshipping together. We sang a song called Glorious Day by Passion. The words so perfect. “I was buried beneath my shame. Who could carry that kind of weight? It was my tomb, ’til I met you. I was breathing but not alive. All my failures I tried to hide. It was my tomb, ’til I met you. You called my name and I ran out of that grave.” (As I type, a sweet girl of mine sits beside me singing the last line because she sang it in her class too!)

Sin, shame, unrepentance, unforgiveness and the list could go on, become chains that keep us bound to a tomb. To remain in a place of death, when the stone has been rolled away on our behalf, is not necessary! As this song goes, “I needed rescue, my sin was heavy, but chains break at the weight of your glory.” The weight of glory that breaks our chains is the cross. Look at this verse – “He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and broke their chains in pieces.” (Psalm 107:14). Can you just hear the metal pieces falling to the ground?

“Out of the darkness into your glorious day. You called my name and I ran out of that grave. Out of the darkness into your glorious day.” That is how the song ends and can I tell you it was very hard to keep from sprinting with joy out of the church pew after singing this!

I pray you’ve heard him call your name too. I pray you’ve felt the weight of the chains sin so binds us with and asked for the breaking freedom that only he can give. I’ll close by typing out some of the scripture we read today at church. “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together in Christ…”. (Ephesians 2:4-5). Friend, you are so dearly loved. Freedom and real life is waiting outside of the tomb. Come running out today!