WORSHIP LEADERS
HALF A CROSS IS NOT A CROSS // CHOOSING SONGS THAT TELL THE WHOLE STORY | Grant Norsworthy
Photo by Jonas Allert on Unsplash
By the time you’ re reading this, Easter is behind us. But as I’ m writing, I’ m selecting songs for my home church’ s Easter services.
As I cast my eye down the list of titles that comprise my repertoire— or my“ song garage” as I like to call it— I see plenty of songs that celebrate Jesus’ resurrection and His defeat of death, but very few that direct our attention to the full, paradoxical nature of the cross and what it means for us today.
I have no shortage of songs that express gratitude for the cross of Jesus, but very few that remind us of the carrying of our own cross that following Him requires of us.
Matthew 16:24-25( NIV)“ Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.”
We love singing songs about what Jesus has done for us on His cross: The cross has spoken, I am forgiven The King of kings calls me His own Beautiful Saviour, I’ m Yours forever Jesus Christ, my living hope From 2017’ s“ Living Hope”( CCLI Song # 7106807).
We praise God and thank Him for the cross Jesus bore for us:‘ Cause He hung up on that cross Then He rose up from that grave My God’ s still rolling stones away From Phil Wickham’ s“ House of the Lord”( CCLI Song # 7168995).
We fervently sing about coming to Jesus’ cross— to repent and lay down our burdens: Bring all your failures
Bring your addictions Come lay them down at the foot of the cross Jesus is waiting there With open arms From We The Kingdom’ s“ God So Loved”( CCLI Song # 7138599).
But we don’ t often— or easily— sing about carrying our own cross.
Granted, this is a tough truth for disciples of Jesus to grapple with. Yes, Jesus died for us! Salvation is freely given. No obligations. No strings attached. We simply receive the free gift of Jesus dying on His cross and His resurrection. True!
But paradoxically, this free gift costs everything. Surrendering to the Lordship of Jesus requires laying down my desire to be my own lord, my own small-” g” god. As we receive the free gift of life to the full through Jesus dying on His
34 April 2026 Subscribe for Free...