Victor's Crown -- Darlene Zschech, Israel Houghton, Kari Jobe

 

Their ‘vision’ defied what their eyes would have told them. There’s another way to say that – ‘Don’t believe what your eyes are seeing’. And so, try reading from the International Standard Version of the Bible when you look up John 19:2-5, and notice how it’s different than virtually all of the other translations. That’s apparently what Darlene Zschech and her two collaborators, Israel Houghton and Kari Jobe, noticed, and what spurred “Victor’s Crown” in 2011. (See here the image of Christ Carrying the Cross, and wearing a crown of thorns, by 16^th Century artist El Greco.) Jesus stood on its head what wearing the thorns on one’s brow typically meant, and what the Roman soldiers evidently intended when they thrust them down on His head to cause one more stab of pain to His physical body. It was also their way to poke fun at Him, to heap yet one more bit of ignominy upon His person. We can thank Him that He was capable of enduring whatever they did to Him, and in fact turning it all upside down.

 

Darlene and her husband Mark Zschech left the Hillsong Church in Sydney, Australia to become the pastors of the Hope Unlimited Church in New South Wales in 2011; it was from there just a couple of years later that ‘Victor’s Crown was written by Darlene, along with her collaborators. Darlene has shared in a video explanation (see the link below) the song’s inspiration, and what all that scene in John 19 has meant for believers. In short, his bleeding forehead and what would happen in the next few moments and hours were not the end of the story. The ‘final victory’ was in the resurrection, the defeat of death. With that, as Darlene explained, some of the lyrics that she, Israel, and Kari wrote describe what naturally results from such an amazing sequence of events. The ‘high things…come down’ and ‘strongholds…broken’. Pilate and the others, Darlene observed, thought their own power had been victorious; one has to wonder why they thought this way. Had they not perceived that He was more than a magician, that He had raised others, perhaps most notably Lazarus whom so many credible witnesses had observed (see John 11 and 12), so that His opponents even plotted to kill Lazarus too? But, they just didn’t have the power to eliminate all of the evidence; that’s what ultimately convicts criminals – they cannot erase all of the evidence. They cannot overcome because there’s too many evidence trails that lead back to them. On the other hand, Jesus has ‘overcome’, and He wants the evidence trails to lead inexorably to Himself. Darlene reminds us in the video that God underscores this point for us --- He’s ‘greater than anything anybody may be facing, and that’s the joy of the Victor’s Crown’. He doesn’t wear it just to help Himself; it’s for you and me, too.

 

The ‘Victor’s Crown’ really says it all, so this blogger doesn’t need to expound on it more here. Listen/watch it here, and just celebrate that what is sung is true, forever. Tell-show others that whatever dogs them in their terrestrial life, whatever feels like a crushing weight on their shoulders, whatever gnaws at their guts or feels empty deep inside, to get in touch with what the words of the song communicate. Bet your life on its truth.  Victor's Crown w/Darlene Zschech

 

See/hear the song story here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X100Fzd5PP8

 

See here information on the image of Jesus: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Christ_Carrying_the_Cross_1580.jpg …This work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 100 years or fewer. This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1930. The image may be found inside this link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crown_of_thorns

 

See here for information about the coat of arms of New South Wales: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Coat_of_Arms_of_New_South_Wales.svg …The author died in 1922, so this work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 100 years or fewer. This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1930. Find this image within this link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_South_Wales

Christ Is Risen, He Is Risen Indeed -- Keith and Kristyn Getty, Ed Cash

 

It’s a celebration, best used as the opening of a worship service. That’s how Keith Getty describes “Christ Is Risen, He Is Risen Indeed” that he and his wife Kristyn, and Ed Cash co-wrote in 2012, as a nod to their church fellowship’s historical roots and a reaffirmation of what matters most to such a group of believers. The title words of the song encapsulate what for centuries has been a traditional declaration and response by Christians each time they gather, but especially on the annual Easter Sunday, oftentimes captured in pictures or recreations of the event (see the Resurrection image here -- Icon of the Resurrection [depicting Christ having destroyed the gates of Hades and removing Adam and Eve from the grave. Christ is flanked by saints, and Satan is depicted as an old man bound and chained].) You may call it the Pascal greeting, or maybe the Easter Acclamation, but no matter how you identify it, this salutation is packed with meaning and an implicit acknowledgement: the Messiah’s rising supersedes all other events in one’s life. It’s just gotta be accompanied by an exclamation mark, or even multiple ones, since the phrase is actually two assertions…!!

 

Irish natives Keith, Kristyn, and their American collaborator Ed have taken straight from some 20 centuries of history the most important aspect of Christ’s life: his triumph over death. They had probably heard it themselves any number of times that they had gathered on Easter, and not unlike others, had decided that the magnitude of what they were celebrating could not be confined to that one special day of the year. Indeed, as they opened their bibles, they no doubt noticed that the events of that first Resurrection Day were not confined to just one of the books of the bible, but recorded in all four accounts of His revival. Particularly in the three accounts known as the synoptics (Matthew 2:6-7; Mark 16:6; and Luke 24:6), the first half of the song’s title phrase is told to unsuspecting women as the arrive at the tomb to tend to the dead man’s body. Shocked and amazed are perhaps too tame to describe what they must have felt when they heard this stunning news from angels that were there to greet them. The response phrase may originate with what two disciples heard from the 11 remaining Apostles when they returned to Jerusalem (Luke 24:34), following their own startling encounter with this risen Lord. None of us 21^st Century disciples have the advantage of eyeballing what those 1^st Century people did, obviously. But, we believe that day’s events have become the fulcrum of human history, and there’s just no way to overstate its impact, nor diminish our response. Calendars have been rewritten and countless lives have been upended ever since that day. Keith, Kristyn, and Ed have chosen ‘He’s alive!’ as their most potent phrase in the song, just one of many that recount what Christ accomplished for all time. It’s what can happen for all of us.

 

Try on some of these words and phrases that the three songwriters employ to re-tell the story: ‘…borne our sin through sacrifice’, and ‘conquer…sting of death’ (v.1); ‘joy awakes’…’dawning light’ (v.2); ‘doubt and darkness’ (until) ‘saw Him…hearts believed’ (v.3); ‘once bound by fear, now bold..’, and ‘life everlasting’ (v.4); and ‘power raised him…from the grave’, and ‘frees our hearts’ (v.5). The story does have its grim facts, but these are countered by the elation that thrills anyone who dreads the grave. So, a few ‘Hallelujahs!’ populate the lyrics, along with a reminder at the song’s end that Jesus hasn’t gone heavenward to merely sit and watch us, to be ‘glorified’ in a solitary way, but that ‘heaven’s gates are opened wide’. He’s done what only He could do, so you and I can join Him there. It makes you want to jump and shout. Indeed, He’s Risen, and He awaits us!  

  

 

 

See here for brief information on the phrase’s orgin: Where does the saying “He is risen; He is risen, indeed” come from? | GotQuestions.org  and here also: 'He Is Risen Indeed' - Meaning and Easter Origin (crosswalk.com)

 

Read about the song’s title history/meaning here: Paschal greeting - Wikipedia

 

Hear/see brief song story here at 2:00-2:17 of the video link: Bing Videos (Hymns for the Christian Life video)

See here for information about the Resurrection image: File:Resurrection (24).jpg - Wikimedia Commons  …Re: the copyright status of the image, the following statement accompanies it: I, the copyright holder of this work, release this work into the public domain. This applies worldwide. In some countries this may not be legally possible; if so: I grant anyone the right to use this work for any purpose, without any conditions, unless such conditions are required by law. (Image date is 11 December 2009)

What He's Done -- Jacob Sooter, Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Anna Golden, Kristian Paul Stanfill

 

It wasn’t really a surprise that the words these four songwriters would compose would try to match the passion of the event they were attending. Jacob Sooter, Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Anna Golden, and Kristian Paul Stanfill were, in fact, being very intentional, since they were in Atlanta to write a song for the Passion Conference, coming up in January 2022. Their recall of that time and how “What He’s Done” emerged from their session together says as much about how much they were listening, versus what they were saying to each other in order to create this song. ‘It’s not about you and me’, they might say in retrospect, but about putting Him in the place He deserves. That’s their sense of how to make all other interactions among humans fall into their best places. Jesus didn’t get what He had prayed earlier (in the garden) to His Father to give Him, but look at how things turned out. What would we and history look like if He had avoided the mission He was sent to complete?

 

This group effort began in the months prior to January 2022 with just Kristian and Jacob sharing some seemingly unrelated information with each other, opening the door for a time when Anna and Tasha would add to the spirit of their four-part collaboration. It was a ‘real’ exchange, as Kristian remembers, in which he and Jacob were talking about their respective families and life in general. That set the tone, apparently, for an authentic exchange and reflection on what’s most important, touching Jacob first with the song’s chorus and title theme – ‘What He’s Done’. It was a ‘wow’ moment for the other three, who needed no other inspiration for a foundation upon which to contribute their own thoughts for the remainder of the writing session. God was there, they believed, giving them all they needed. They acknowledged the contrast with how some other songwriting episodes proceed; in this case they received, rather than worked themselves to create the lyrics and accompanying music. A baby’s birth might be the closest metaphor to what happens when a song like this one is conceived and given life. And, such a gift from Him needs no more adornment, no clever words added to make it better – just describe simply His act on the cross and what that does for you and me. This event’s unique nature and its import stands on its own, without a lot of flowery adjectives. It’s enough just to turn one’s eyes upon Him, and voice words like ‘bled’ ‘wounds’, ‘sacrifice’, ‘honor, ‘glory’, ‘freedom’, ‘forgiven’, ‘grace’, and of course, ‘heaven’. With the focus on the One who made it all happen, these songwriters could not leave out some of His ‘name(s)’ – ‘Savior’, ‘Son’, ‘God’, and ‘Father’ – so that our eyes would be fixed on this one who’s made life, and conquered death.  

 

These four songwriters were contemplating not only the Passion Conference’s upcoming schedule, but any Sunday morning that routinely arrives among a believer’s weekly activities. They reminded themselves and those who might sing ‘what He’s done’ that everyone has ‘stuff’ going on. It’s sometimes hard to leave all those other concerns at the door of a worship facility, but how’s it all stack up, compared to what happened on a hill and in a tomb 2,000 years ago? Re-center on those two moments. He’s capable of intervening for me, with whatever aid I find most needful in a troubling situation. But it seems that Jacob, Tasha, Anna, and Kristian are saying that what He’s done already proves that He’s the Almighty. How do you calculate the value of His death and rising? Let the Infinite One transform you infinitely.       

 

What He's Done // Passion feat. Kristian Stanfill, Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Anna Golden // New Song Cafe (youtube.com) (story between 8:10 and 12:00 minute marks)

Read some of the story here also: ‘What He’s Done’ Acoustic Performance From Passion Featuring Kristian Stanfill | Christian Radio

 

See here for image of Atlanta seal and its public domain status -- File:Seal of Atlanta.svg - Wikimedia Commons This work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 50 years or fewer. This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1928.