Easter Meditation 2025

youtube link to He's Alive

Attached above is the link to Don Francisco singing "He's Alive," recorded (in this video) about 12 years ago on the TV show, The Gaither Homecoming Hour. Recorded for the first time many years earlier, the lyrics are taken from the biblical account of the Apostle Peter when he is in deep remorse for denying Jesus and then, 3 days later, seeing Jesus alive for the first time after His crucifixion. Click on the link above to listen to the song, if you are so inclined, and you will be glad you did.

Over the recent past my meditations have repeatedly been focused on not the lost (those who don't know Jesus as their Savior), but instead on those of us who do know Him as our Lord. In spite of our label as "Christians," we still sin. We make mistakes, use poor judgment, failing to think things over thoroughly before taking action, overlooking what begs our attention, and sometimes we blatantly do what we know we should not. We are all hypocrites at times. Yes.

Intentional sin. God forgives even that. This is perhaps what amazes me the most as I ponder Jesus' willingness to pay the price for my sins. He forgives even the intentional sins.

Here are the lyrics to the song above:

The gates and doors were barred and all the windows fastened down
I spent the night in sleeplessness and rose at every sound
Half in hopeless sorrow and half in fear, the day
Would find the soldiers breaking through to drag us all away

Then just before the sunrise, I heard something at the wall
The gate began to rattle, and a voice began to call
I hurried to the window and looked down to the street
Expecting swords and torches and the sound of soldiers feet

But there was no one there but Mary, so I went down to let her in
John stood there beside me as she told us where she'd been
She said, "They moved him in the night and none of us knows where
Oh, the stones been rolled away, and now his body isn't there"

So we both ran toward the garden, then John ran on ahead
We found the stone and the empty tomb just the way that Mary said
But the winding sheet they wrapped him in was just an empty shell
And how or where they'd taken him, it was more than I could tell

Perhaps something strange had happened there, just what I did not know
John believed a miracle, but I just turned to go
Circumstance and speculation couldn't lift me very high
'Cause I'd seen them crucify Him and then saw Him die

Back inside the house again, the guilt and anguish came
Everything I'd promised Him just added to my shame
When at last it came to choices, I denied I knew His name
And even if He was alive, it could never be the same

Then suddenly the air was filled with a strange and sweet perfume
Light that came from everywhere drove shadows from the room
Then Jesus stood before me with His arms held open wide
And I fell down on my knees and clung to Him and cried

Then He raised me to my feet and as I looked into His eyes
Love was shining out from Him like sunlight from the sky
Guilt and my confusion disappeared in sweet release
And every fear I'd ever had just melted into peace

'Cause He is (alive and alive, He's alive, alive, and alive, He's alive)
(Alive and alive, He's alive, He's alive)
He's alive, He's alive, He's alive, and I'm forgiven
Heavens gates are open wide
He's alive, He's alive, He's alive, and I'm forgiven
Heavens gates are open wide
He's alive (He's alive), He's alive (He's alive), He's alive (He's alive), and I'm forgiven
Heavens gates are open wide

He's alive, He's alive, He's alive, and I'm forgiven
Heavens gates are open wide
He's alive
He's alive (He's alive), He's alive (He's alive), He's alive (He's alive), and I'm forgiven
Heavens gates are open wide
He's alive, He's alive, He's alive, and I'm forgiven (He's alive)
Heavens gates are open wide
He's alive

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Don Richard Francisco

May your Easter be a time of peaceful reflections and joy. We have so much for which to be thankful. Until next time, magnify the Lord with me, let us exalt His name together. Psalm 34:3