It Is Finished

A few weeks ago, Chad Cates and I wrote a new song for the boys and I to use in worship. We wanted a chance to declare something powerful. We wanted to shout three of the most important words in recorded history.

John records these three words as the final ones Jesus spoke on the cross before he breathed his final breath. “It is finished.” The gospel goes on to record his resurrection three days later (the event that Christians around the world will commemorate and celebrate this Sunday) and many other things Jesus did and said before his ascension into heaven. So what was actually “finished” in that moment on the cross. Jeremy, Markus, and I have discussed many of the things that were finally finished in that moment. I have heard and read many theologians contemplate all that was accomplished on the cross.

Certainly Jesus was speaking of the end of his earthly life and ministry. He communicates similar thoughts in the beautiful prayer recorded a few chapters before these words in John 17. On the cross, Jesus was accomplishing the task assigned Him by the Father. “The hour has come…” Jesus prays, “I glorified you on earth having accomplished the work you gave me to do” (John 17:4 ESV).

The reason the words “It Is Finished” mark such a tipping point in human history certainly reverberate beyond just that historical moment. Those words are the exclamation point on the end of the sentence spoken by Abraham in Genesis 22:8. They are the mirror reflection of Isaiah 53, the completion of a 700 year old prophecy about a suffering servant who would be “pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5 ESV).

Also finished in that historical moment was the separation that existed between the Creator and the created. Luke 23 records the climactic rending of the temple veil at the death of Jesus. The curtain used to separate people from the presence of Yahweh was split in two. Surely the symbolism was not lost on those present. Perhaps in that moment they remembered these words from Jesus recorded in John 14:6-7, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

Why not add your voice to the discussion. Use the comments to tell us what else Jesus accomplished on the cross. There are obviously some major elements that are not discussed above so chime in.

Heavens Perfect Gift

It’s an old song for me. I wrote Heavens Perfect Gift years ago as a choral piece for First Baptist New Orleans. Their choir performed it once. Dunwoody Baptist in Atlanta performed it once. My publisher at Universal was always convinced it would find a home some day but no one eveer recorded it. I’ve recorded it for personal use a few times over the years but I think it has finally found it’s LIFE as a Citizens Oath track.

David, Markus and I just recorded the pieces at my house for this little Christmas number. We hope it adds to the mystery and wonder of your Christmas season.

Manger small, baby quiet
Fire warm, mother by it
Wood and hay, child and blanket
Heaven’s perfect gift has come

Countryside, hill and valley
Quiet night sleeping soundly
Silence breaks rings the chorus
Heaven’s perfect gift has come

The angels raise their hallelujahs
They lift their praise to heaven’s King
This little baby, God among us
Can you hear the angels sing
Immanuel, Now our God is with us
Immanuel, Christ the King is with us
Heaven’s perfect gift has come

Winter sky, starlight glimmer
Beckoning saint and sinner
Hand of God reaching to us
Heaven’s perfect gift has come

Purchase a copy of “Heavens Perfect Gift” HERE.
Watch the song with lyrics HERE.

“We Are” by Kari Jobe

Sparrow Records artist Kari Jobe just released “We Are,” the first single off of her new record due out in January 2012. I woke up this morning to find it #1 on iTunes Christian songs chart. You can find it here: http://bit.ly/na05Rr. I co-wrote the song with Chuck Butler and Hillary McBride a while back and it’s the first time I’ve ever been directly asked to write a specific song by someone other than the artist.

I was sitting in a Sunday morning worship gathering listening to my good friend Scott Hill preach a sermon about our missional DNA as a faith family. Scott referenced Jesus’ words in the sermon on the Mount from Matthew 5:13-16. “We are the light of the world.” It’s our identity, our calling, the truest thing about those who follow Jesus. Sometimes we pretend to be children of the dark but that’s not our identity. We are the Light of the World. We talked about Philippians 2:14-16 and Paul’s encouragement that we “shine like stars in the Universe.”

Finally he turned to me and said, “James, there should be more songs that let us declare this when we get together, to remind ourselves of our true identity. We need to declare to each other, We Are the Light of the World!”

That Monday morning, I was scheduled to write with Chuck and Hillary. By the time I woke up, my wife had already left for work and I lay in bed thinking about the day. I start most mornings reading scripture on my phone and praying a bit before my feet hit the floor and in those moments of reflection I took up Scott’s challenge and began singing the chorus to “We Are.” I was reaching for a declaration with the same…authority…as classic stadium rockers like “We Will Rock You.” It felt playful but powerful, anthemic but still accessible for an artist.

It was the first idea we chased and Hillary connected with it immediately and sounded great singing it. Chuck started building a killer track and together we filled out the verses in a way that balanced our identity as children of light with our calling as those who follow Jesus. The song sat waiting for the right voice to carry it for almost a year and finally when my publisher heard Kari was looking for another song he sent it over. Kari and producer Ed Cash have turned into something really special.

If you’re a follower of Jesus I WANT you to sing along with this one. It’s your identity, a part of your spiritual DNA. Every secret, every shame, every fear, every pain, live inside the dark but that’s not who we are. We are children of the day. So wake up sleeper, lift your head. We were meant for more than this. Fight the shadows, conquer death, make the most of the time we have left. We are the light of the world. We are the city on a hill. We are the light of the world. We gotta let the light shine.

JT & the CO Booklet

For those of you that have already downloaded the new record. The digital booklet is available for download here: DIGITAL BOOKLET.

Theres Something About That Name

Jesus. I know that name makes people uncomfortable. Religious and un-religious alike. I know that for some, seeing the song title “In Jesus” in the 9th spot on our new record means it’s a gospel record, songs written for Christians and about Christian things. I’ve decided the reason that name makes people uncomfortable is more complex than I have been willing to admit. I might have stood inside the church walls and declared that the name Jesus makes people uncomfortable because, as Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote, Jesus came to “Comfort the troubled and trouble the comfortable.” People’s discomfort with Jesus, I would posit, comes from the realization that the things he said, the way he lived, his very existence are a direct challenge to a comfortable, self-centered way of living. The name Jesus makes people uncomfortable because it inspires guilt in us. Perhaps this self-righteous view is true for some.

A more troubling realization came last week. Association. The name “Jesus” has become associated with a complex list of things, people, political views, and actions that bare little resemblance to the person of Jesus or to the God He made manifest among us.

Recently I was driving through downtown in a southern college town with two friends that are not followers of Jesus. We passed a man holding up a sign on a busy street corner with John 14:6 on it; not the words, just the reference. A silent man with a Bible address that meant nothing to my friends beyond “that’s from the Bible.” It might as well have been a street address in Ohio. “I can tell it’s from Ohio but I have no interest in finding out whose house it is.” Moments later we passed another man outside of a bar with a megaphone announcing judgement to the students wandering the street in front of him. Fear and shame swept over me. I wonder if having a song on my new album entitled “In Jesus” makes people outside of the church associate me with these two men. Being a follower of Jesus means that I am painted with the same brush as the very best AND the very worst of those who claim the same followship.

Then a deeper question flooded my anxious heart. Can I speak (or sing) the name of Jesus without the humiliating associations that come with it? If I longed for my songs to ONLY BE HEARD by those with an evangelical Christian background, I could freely use whatever RELIGIOUS language I wish. But there would be other words, pains or doubts that I might freely share among friends but that must stay out of my songs. With an evangelical Christian crowd, using the name of Jesus in your songs (or casual conversations) is safe. If I long for a wider audience to hear these songs and walk with me through the narrative that unfolds in these lyrics, then I should probably choose more innocuous faith-speak. I have learned well from other writers and artists what language it is acceptable to use when singing about issues of faith, words that are free of the ASSOCIATIONS I fear.

But that would be dishonest for me. As an artist and a songwriter I need to be (LONG to be) honest. I need to be transparent with the deep pain and resentment I’ve faced. I also need to be forthright about the source of hope I’ve found along the way in my journey. I’ve found ONLY ONE consistent source of peace in the middle of life’s chaos. I found it in Jesus. Not in reading about Jesus. Not in simply trying to imitate Jesus’ way of living. Not in faith or spiritual experience. I mean that I’ve found hope in the ebb and flow of an ever-deepening love relationship with the historical and eternal person of Jesus.

Does that make “Only Love” a gospel record? I don’t know. Labels like that have never been very helpful to me. Hopefully it makes “Only Love” an HONEST record. That’s my hope. This is my journey and “In Jesus” is a chapter of the story I found myself in.

If you’re not too offended, you can buy a copy of the album from ITUNES HERE or stream it on SPOTIFY HERE.