Change

Some of the worship at All Souls Church last night was this very stirring song:

In Christ Alone
(Townsend / Getty)
In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song.
This Cornerstone, this solid Ground,
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease.
My Comforter, my All in All,
Here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone, Who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones he came to save
'Til on the cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay,
Light of the World by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious day
Up from the grave He rose again!
And as he stands in victory,
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me,
For I am His, and He is mine,
bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death;
This is the pow'r of Christ in me.
From life's first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny.
No pow'r of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from his hand
'Til he returns or calls me home,
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand.


The pastor made an interesting point in the sermon, which was the "challenge" in personal change. He talked about the fear we have of change in ourselves. One of the things you have to face as you embark on your spiritual journey is deciding if you want to change (grow) or not. As everyone knows, growth is an option, not a certainty. It is often not the question, "What if I can't change?" that leaves us reticent but "What if I DO?" The change means we have to adapt to a whole new reality. We may not even know ourselves any more, or we feel we may not even like ourselves if we do change. One of the amazing things I have learned about God is that He gives us choice. It is really your choice whether you want to grow with Him or not.