We Remember — a spoken word for Resurrection Sunday

We Remember — written by Jasmine Etterman & Leslie Medlin

remember / v.

to have in, or to be able to bring to one’s mind an awareness of someone or something that one has seen, known, or experienced

–
Seen.

He breathed

–

With dust and a breath

He formed the ones He would walk with

All created things brought forth by Him

Goodness declared at the completion of them

He partnered with man to give identity to all

Communion face-to-face with the creator, no walls

Feasting, enjoying and being enthralled

It was as it should have been all along

And we remember.

He breathed out a call

“Where are you?” amidst sin’s fall

But He saw them

Not the skins they used to hide it all

Shame condemned

He fashioned covering for them

A glimpse of His awaiting plan

To rescue and reconcile them

And we remember.

The ones who

Saw descendants in the stars, the rain of cleansing, 

The promise in the sky, and the ram in the bush for atoning

Saw the sea split in two, the stone’s of love’s laws, 

The cloud by light, and the water from the rock

Saw The fire by night, rahab’s life spared, 

The marched walls fall, and entering the promised land

Haagar saw Him as El Roi, Job said I’ve seen you with my eyes, 

David gazed upon his beauty, Isaiah saw Him robed and enthroned on high.

And we remember.

Moses seeing glory, over his face a veil was worn

A foretelling of a greater veil, one that in two would be torn

Abraham seeing a ram in the bush, a replacement for a love’s life

A foreshadow of a higher passion, the great sacrifice

Isaiah, faithful in remembering 

The story God was rendering

The Seeing knowing the need for Saving

From fallen, enslaved, wandering and afraid

To covered, free, and found in the promised place

A prophesy to unfold

Of the sacrifice and lamb’s reward

A shadow type of atoning 

the One Savior who was coming.

–

Known.

He came

–

In Mary’s womb the awaited One grew

Born to shepherds’ and kings’ ovation

Simeon Seeing Salvation 

With pure hearts they saw and knew

Close to Him, the twelve He drew

So that with everything in him, Peter knew

This is the son of the living God 

The revelation on which the kingdom would scale

And the gates of hell will not prevail

And we remember.

The blind, deaf, oppressed, and lame came

Each coming to know the power of His name

In humility and wisdom He said let this be between you and me

But their zeal could not quiet that this was truly He

The Pharisees were called to rid their tombs of wash-white

The collectors, rich young rulers, adulterers, and Martha-types

Were called out of their hiding, pride, and sin

Known completely, sins forgiven

And we remember.

The twelve questioned, “What do these parables mean?

The sheep, the coin, the wheat, the seeds?”

“Because you long to know,

Open your ears to hear; I’ll show:

It’s to know and be found

chosen fruit sprung up from the ground

“I know my own and my own know me

I Am the Great Shepherd, you are my sheep”

And we remember.

The High Priest’s prayer, to make known the Father’s heart

This truth setting bound free and the beloved apart

“I in You and they in Me, Us becoming perfectly one”

Consecrated, His time had now come

And He knew at The supper’s last sit

Of friends and bread

Where one’s pursuit of coin and kiss lead

Still He went, through blood dripped prayers and drowsy watchers

There in Gethsemane, hearts and wills were soldered 

The Anointed King, chose the road to suffering 

And we remember.

His obedience to the cross

The walk to Calvary for us

Mocked and abused, the twelve looked on, angry and afraid

But the joy set before Him, worth the cost to be paid

As the sun disappeared, He was faithful to the end

Blood, water, tears, so estranged could become friend

“Forgive them for they know not what they do”

A final breath and His love was proved

This couldn’t be the end, yet three days dim

Hearts crushed, knowing where their Messiah lie

Not knowing that in their waiting, a war on death was waging 

Tomb sealed, bread broken, poured out wine

But behold, bursting light and glorious benevolent breath!

Death would not be the end of the fall

The stone rolled away and our Lord made a way

Death and sin defeated once and for all 

And now we have come to know:

How his blood tore the veil

How His love conquered the grave

How He came so they could know, 

But knew He couldn’t stay

How we are known in His coming 

Are saved in His dying

Are found in His rising

How the miracle of Him became

Our doorway to abiding.

How He was seen but wasn’t known

Until He called Mary by name

“The stone!” She cried, “I have seen the Lord

He has been raised!”

How, with scars, He walked with them

How He welcomed Peter back in

How His ascension wasn’t the end

He breathed and ushered the Holy Spirit in.

–

Experienced.

He never ends.

–

And thus the church was born

From the ones He called friends

Receiving power as promised

When the Holy Spirit fell on them

The mighty rushing wind

Their hearts burning within

New tongues and interpretations

Not filled with wine, the sons and daughters prophesying,

But filled to do wonders and signs

even greater than those of the One True Vine

And We remember.

Given authority to graft the gentile in

Dismantle the blinding grip of religion

From Saul to Paul, the road of transformation 

Equipping and empowering the coming generations

His kingdom on earth

Reconciled as in Heaven

Tribes and nations receiving salvation 

By belief becoming a new creation

This experience of the Known made possible

by Holy Spirit and power of the gospel.

And we remember.

No longer called slaves, we’ve experienced adoption

He calls us child, conqueror, heir, and predestined

There’s now nothing that can separate us from Him

Forgetting our sin, He tosses it to the sea

We join creations’ groaning, the coming of perfect complete

We experience His consistency

No shadow of turning with Thee

The fruit of the spirit, growing on the branches of our heart trees

He showed us how to run the race

How to turn the other face

How sufficient is His grace

How in his return we’ll see Him

Face-to-face

And we remember. 

Who we’ve seen, known, experienced, 

Our redeemer

IT IS JESUS

God the Father, Risen Son, and Spirit

We’re just recording 

What he’s been doing

A reflection in a mirror, what we see dimly

Now part, but then fully

Known in the now, and then wholly holy

We’ll see it all then

Know Him outside & in

Experience the wrap-around presence of Him

Jesus, the last Adam, the passover lamb, where we’re back in the garden

In true communion 

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!

Jesus, the rejected turned cornerstone

Jesus, the revelation and the resurrection

Jesus, the life and light of eternity

Jesus, the Father made known to me

Jesus, the bright and morning Sun

Jesus, who was and is and is to come

So we will continue to see His glory

So we will continue to know His name

So we will continue to experience His kingdom 

Jesus!

Jesus!

Jesus!

The beginning

The end

The who, what, where, why, and when

The see, the know

The experience 

The end goal

We will continue to make you known!

Jesus, we are Yours & Yours alone

You are permanently seated on The Throne

You are who You have always been

You are coming back again

Jesus,

The Risen King who has no end!

—

link to watch the spoken word on video: https://youtu.be/x9v6H2I370o