Given November 6, 2016

As happens to me quite often, I see or hear something that begins a video playing in my mind of how a scene might play out.  It happened this morning in church as we sang the song, “Death Was Arrested” by North Point InsideOut.  These lyrics began the video:

“Our savior displayed on a criminal’s cross.
Darkness rejoiced as though heaven had lost.
But then Jesus arose with our freedom in hand.
That’s when death was arrested and my life began.”

I saw the demons of darkness dancing, rejoicing and partying at the base of the cross where Jesus hung dying and then in front of the tomb where He was laid.  I saw us as prisoners of darkness standing nearby in chains because, supposedly, our Savior had been eliminated.  But then…the heavy stone sealing the entrance to the tomb began rolling away to the right and Jesus came walking out of the tomb with the key to our chains in His hand.  The demons stopped their merriment in fear and screamed, “Oh no!”  “Where did he come from?”  “We thought he was dead!”  The demons could not move except to turn around with their hands behind their backs as Jesus put on the cuffs and arrested them.  Then He walked over to us with His blood-stained key and freed us from our chains.  Now, we are the ones rejoicing because Jesus has set us free forever!

“Yes we’re free, free forever amen.
When death was arrested and my life began.”