Voices

I hear the voice of Guilt,
The guilt of centuries gone by,
Senseless hatred, unchecked greed,
All-consuming lust...
This voice of guilt is heard by all.
It sounds the gong of the fall.
When we were separated from our Father.
This voice is the cry of humanity.

Then off in the distance
Amidst this steady cry,
I faintly hear another voice
It's the sweet cry of a newborn baby.
And suddenly, with startling volume, I hear a chorus of voices.
The voices of an angel host shouting,
"Glory to God in the Highest
And on earth peace and goodwill
Toward men!"

But I also hear the voice of Pain.
It is ridden with sorrow
For sin goes both ways.
It is not merely inflicted upon us
But also by us; serving to compound
And multiply the volume of these voices.
For it continues to separate us from our Father.
We are getting farther and farther.
This voice of Pain is the groan of humanity.

Wait, listen! Do you hear this private conversation?
Between a Father and a Son?
For the baby grew up.
Now His time has come.
He is ready to fulfill His purpose.
But listen to His groan.
So similar to ours.
He does not know Guilt or Pain personally,
But their voices reached the Father's ears.
Now the Son groans,
Because of what His Father has asked Him to do.
He must take Guilt and Pain,
And die in our stead.
He groans because He too
Will be separated from Father.

I watch as the Son carries the weight of the world
He climbs the Hill of Calvary in silence.
The voices of Guilt and Pain are still deafening.
They seem to mock and taunt me.
Getting louder and louder.
Meanwhile the Son is carrying the cross.
It's getting heavier and heavier.
Guilt and pain tell me there's no way out!
"You are guilty!"
The guards nail Jesus' hands to the cross.
"You are wounded!"
They put a nail through His feet.
"IT WILL NEVER END!" they shout.

But then I hear the faintest whisper.
It comes from the lips of the Son.
And His words I will never forget.
For when they left His mouth
The ground began to shake,
The veil in the Temple was torn.
And the most beautiful thing took place.
The voices of Guilt and Pain were silenced.
All because of what the Son whispered that day:
"It is finished."

Now what do I hear, you may ask?
What voice do I listen to?
Well, sometimes I hear Guilt and Pain.
They're like ghosts coming to taunt me.
They are like lions without teeth.
They have no power; no validity.
So I remind them every so often,
"Um, excuse me, you're dead!"

Now the voice that I hear is the voice of Victory.
It's the voice of the saints that cry out to the Son.
Adoration fills their voices as they say,
 "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain,
And to Him who sits on the throne
Be glory and honor and power and praise.
Forever..... Amen."