The Resurrection of Repentance

"But the other rebuked him, saying, 'Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.' And he said, 'Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.' And he said to him, 'Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.'" (1)

"And when he had said this, he cried out in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out! The dead man came out, tied hand and foot with burial bands, and his face was wrapped in a cloth. So Jesus said to them, "Untie him and let him go." (2)

Come Home!

My Lord, I have denied You thrice:
The devil, flesh, and world won;
My soul succumbed to sin and vice --
The bitterness had just begun.

When I betrayed Mercy's embrace,
For thirty pence of selfish pride,
My spirit lost its sense of grace;
And slowly, life within me died.

The bitterness of sin is death:
A tomb of unforgiven grief;
But I recall, near Your last breath,
You rescued the repentant thief.

A lifeless soul is what I've earned;
Lord, I renounce my sin and vice.
The contrite heart will not be spurned;
Lord, draw me home to paradise.

Lord, roll away my stone of pride,
And call me forth to live anew:
Your mercy reclaims what has died;
The humble heart finds life in You.

Courage, my soul, the Lord draws near:
"Come home! Come home!" is all I hear.


(c) Paul Buis, 2002