Let the Nails Tell the Story of Love

A couple of years ago we designed a Lenten sermon series based on the nails of the cross. I wanted to write a theme song to go along with the series at the time, but like so many times, things get too hectic - too quick and it didn't happen. Then after moving from Omaha to the Cleveland area, I was sitting in our apartment and found some notes I had scribbled in a notebook and the words and tune started flowing. There were a number of rewrites, and the bridge was written a little later, but the basic thought was simple: "each of those nails tell a story of Christ's love."

One of my all time favorite Lenten songs is a song by Michael Card entitled: "Why?" In the last verse of the song, he asks the question: "Why did they nail his hands and feet - His love would have held him there." I love these lines and believe them to be powerful. Michael may be right in saying Christ's love for us is that strong, and yet it was real nails that were driven into the flesh of our Lord - all because of "the joy set before him" (Hebrews 12:2) so that He could rescue us and restore our lives in Him.

When I was in Hermitage (Nashville), we had a practice of ending every Good Friday service in silence and near darkness and then hammering nails into a cross with pieces of paper with our personal prayer of confession on them. It was always an erry sound to hear those hammers pounding those nails into the wood. Every year I found myself with tears running down my face in that holy time. I found myself offering prayers of thanksgiving to the Lord who demonstrated such a wondrous love.




That is the background of the final verse of the song. I like the fourth verse standing in contrast to the first three. Those first verses declare all that Christ has done by allowing nails to be driven through those loving hands and feet. Verse four, however, focuses more on our response to "bowing down and worshipping at the foot of the cross." We are invited to a different kind of life - one where:




We will lay down our hearts and then pick up our cross
And we will live understanding how much our lives cost
And we’ll seize ev’ry moment as the Risen Lord’s own
And let the nails tell this story of love




Production Note: On the recording I really like Steve's drumming. It reminds me of some of the old John Mellencamp stuff from his "Little Pink Houses" days. In fact Steve was really a one man band on this particular song - playing every instrument I believe. (At least he did let me sing :) ) I chose to make this the lead song on the CD because it really gives a nice introduction to the themes of Lent - letting the nails tell the story of love.