Song of The Week (3/29 - 4/4) Holy Week - "At The Cross" by: Hillsong

CLICK THE LINK to download "At The Cross" on iTunes:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/mighty-to-save-live/id716227384

"At The Cross" Lyrics:

Oh Lord You've searched me

You know my way

Even when I fail You

I know You love me

Your holy presence

Surrounding me

In every season

I know You love me

I know You love me

At the cross I bow my knee

Where Your blood was shed for me

There's no greater love than this

You have overcome the grave

Your glory fills the highest place

What can separate me now

You go before me

You shield my way

Your hand upholds me

I know You love me

At the cross I bow my knee

Where Your blood was shed for me

There's no greater love than this

You have overcome the grave

Your glory fills the highest place

What can separate me now

At the cross I bow my knee

Where Your blood was shed for me

There's no greater love than this

You have overcome the grave

Your glory fills the highest place

What can separate me now

You tore the veil

You made a way

When You said that it is done

You tore the veil

You made a way

When You said that it is done

And when the earth fades

Falls from my eyes

And You stand before me

I know You love me

I know You love me

At the cross I bow my knee

Where Your blood was shed for me

There's no greater love than this

You have overcome the grave

Your glory fills the highest place

What can separate me now

At the cross I bow my knee

Where Your blood was shed for me

There's no greater love than this

You have overcome the grave

Your glory fills the highest place

What can separate me now

You tore the veil

You made a way

When You said that it is done

You tore the veil

You made a way

When You said that it is done

You tore the veil

You made a way

When You said that it is done

You tore the veil

You made a way

When You said that it is done

Reflection:

As we enter into Holy Week, this song, "At The Cross," encourages us to recognize the depth of God's love for us, even when we fail. Through Christ, we have freedom from our sins and a personal invitation to newness of life. In humility, we are to bow down, as Hillsong sings so beautifully, for "At the cross I bow my knee. Where your blood was shed for me. There's no greater love than this. You have overcome the grave. Your glory fills the highest place. What can separate me now." Let us open our hearts to Jesus, on this Holy Week journey, and be filled with His love.



Romans 8: 31-39 - "If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but handed him over for us all, how will he not also give us everything else along with him? Who will bring a charge against God’s chosen ones? It is God who acquits us. Who will condemn? It is Christ [Jesus] who died, rather, was raised, who also is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword? As it is written: 'For your sake we are being slain all the day; we are looked upon as sheep to be slaughtered.' No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." 

Rev. Gary Janak

Pastor

Our Lady of Victory Parish

Song of The Week (3/22 - 3/28) - "40 Days" by: Matt Maher

CLICK THE LINK to download "40 Days" on iTunes:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/welcome-to-life/id464900288

"40 Days" Lyrics:

Forty days to wander

Forty days to die to self

Forty days to grow stronger

As faith breaks open the gates of hell

The jubilee is over

But grace is far from gone

In the hearts of the faithful

Broken on the wheels of love

'Cause in the dessert of temptation

Lies the storm of true conversion

Where springs of living water drown and refresh you

And as the Jordan pours out change

Your true self is all that remains

Where springs of living water bind and break you

Bind and break you

Forty days to remember

The Paschal Sacrifice

Forty days to discover

His passion calls us to new life

The jubilee is over

But mercy's far from gone

In the arms of the Father

As the wayward child comes home

'Cause in the dessert of temptation

Lies the storm of true conversion

Where springs of living water drown and refresh you

And as the Jordan pours out change

Your true self is all that remains

Where springs of living water bind and break you

Bind and break you

Bind and break you

Bind and break you

Reflection:

So, how's your Lenten journey? Forty days of taking on something extra or giving up something enjoyable is not always easy. In fact, it can be down right difficult! Yet, with sacrifice comes learning and with learning comes a new beginning. As Matt Maher sings in his song, 40 Days, we have "forty days to wander, forty days to die to self and forty days to grow stronger." In his desert experience, Jesus teaches us how those forty days can be transforming. Our Savior shows us how we can overcome temptation and find ways to seek comfort from God alone. Yes, as Matt writes and sings so well, "in the desert of temptation lies the storm of true conversion...And as the Jordan pours out change, your true self is all that remains." Lent is about transformation; Lent is about discovering our true self. These forty days are not merely some kind of endurance test. These forty days are an opportunity to "die to self...to grow stronger." Thanks, Matt, for singing the Truth!

Hosea 13:5 - "I fed you in the wilderness, in the parched land"

Isaiah 48:21 - "They did not thirst when he led them through dry lands; Water from the rock he set flowing for them; he cleft the rock and waters welled forth"

Rev. Gary Janak

Pastor

Our Lady of Victory Parish

Song of The Week (3/8 - 3/21) - "Sweetly Broken" by: Jeremy Riddle

CLICK THE LINK to download "Sweetly Broken" on iTunes:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/sweetly-broken/id122659373

"Sweetly Broken" Lyrics:

To the cross, I look, and to the cross, I cling

Of it's suffering, I do drink, of its work, I do sing

On it, my Savior, both bruised and crushed

Showed that God is love and God is just

At the cross, You beckon me

You draw me gently to my knees

And I am lost for words, so lost in love

Im sweetly broken, wholly surrendered

Yeah, yeah, oh Lord

What a priceless gift, undeserved life

Have I been given through Christ crucified

Youve called me out of death

Youve called me into life

And I was under Your wrath

Now, through the cross, Im reconciled

Ooh, and at the cross, You beckon me

You draw me gently to my knees

And I am lost for words, so lost in love

Im sweetly broken, wholly surrendered

At the cross, You beckon me

You draw me gently to my knees

And I am lost for words, so lost in love

Im sweetly broken, wholly surrendered

And in awe of the cross, I must confess

How wondrous Your redeeming love

And how great is Your faithfulness

At the cross, You beckon me

You draw me gently to my knees

And I am lost for words, so lost in love

Im sweetly broken, wholly surrendered

At the cross, You, You've beckoned me

You draw me gently to my knees

And I am lost for words, so lost in love

Im sweetly broken, wholly surrendered

Yeah, yeah, I'm broken for you

I'm broken for you, my Lord, yeah

Jesus, Your love is there

I am sweetly broken

Reflection:

I love the title of this song, “Sweetly Broken.” It honestly sounds like an oxymoron because when do we gaze upon something broken and think, “that’s pretty.” If you knock over a picture frame in the house and the glass shatters and the picture is torn, you don’t think “oh, now it’s lovely.” Of course not. However, that’s exactly how God sees us. That despite our brokenness, our sinfulness, our weakness, our limitations, etc., God sees through our humanity and our sins and still thinks of us as His beautiful creatures. At the crucifixion, Jesus took our sins and nailed them to cross and then completed redeeming us by rising from the grave. We are still sinners because we are human, we still make mistakes and offend God. But, we have been redeemed and our sins have been forgiven. God still sees our goodness and beauty within us. How sweetly broken indeed we are. What God said about Jesus at his baptism and the transfiguration, God says to all of us, “You are my beloved son/daughter. With you, I am well pleased.”


Mark 1:11 – “And a voice came from the heavens, ‘You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.’”


1 Peter 2:24 – “In his own body he brought your sins to the cross, so that all of us, dead to sin, could live in accord with God’s will. By his wounds, you were healed.”


Deacon Scott Hill

Our Lady of Victory Parish

Song of The Week (3/1 - 3/7) - "Because of Your Love" by: Phil Wickham

CLICK THE LINK to download "Because of Your Love" on iTunes:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/heaven-earth-expanded-edition/id388244223

"Because of Your Love" Lyrics:

Jesus you endured my pain

Savior you bore all my shame

All because of your love

All because of your love

Maker of the universe

Broken for the sins of the earth

All because of your love

All because of your love

Because of your cross my debt is paid

Because of you blood my sins are washed away

Now all of my life, I freely give

Because of your love, Because of your love I live

Innocent and Holy king

You died to set the captive free

All because of your love

Lord you gave your life for me

So I will give my life for you

All because of your love

All because of your love

Because of your cross my debt is paid

Because of your blood my sins are washed away

Now all of my life I freely give

Because of your love, because your love I live

You did it for me, you did it for love

I'ts your victory, Jesus you are enough

Reflection:

"You did it for me; you did it for love." What powerful Truth is revealed by these simple words in Phil Wickham's song, Because of Your Love. He remind us that we are never forsaken; never alone. We are loved and, because we are loved by God, we are empowered with the ability to love. Sometimes we find love to be difficult in either accepting it or sharing it. It is not difficult for God for "God is love" (1 John 4:8). Yes, Jesus has endured our pain and our shame for love of us. In this time of Lent, let us open our hearts to God's love and choose to share it with each other.

1 John 4:9-12: "In this way the love of God was revealed to us: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might have life through him. In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also must love one another. No one has ever seen God. Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us, and his love is brought to perfection in us."


Romans 5:8: "...and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the holy Spirit that has been given to us."

Galatians 2:20: "...yet I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me; insofar as I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God who has loved me and given himself up for me."

Rev. Gary Janak

Pastor

Our Lady of Victory Parish