Cross-Centered Adjectives....

Go on up to the mountain of mercy
To the crimson perpetual tide
Kneel down on the shore
Be thirsty no more
Go under and be purified

Follow Christ to the holy mountain
Sinner, sorry and wrecked by the fall
Cleanse your heart and your soul
In the fountain that flows
For you and for me and for all

At the wonderful tragic mysterious tree
On that beautiful scandalous night you and me
Were atoned by His blood and forever washed white
On that beautiful scandalous night

On the hillside you will be delivered
At the foot of the cross justified
And your spirit restored
By the river that pours
From our blessed Savior’s side

At the wonderful tragic mysterious tree
On that beautiful scandalous night you and me
Were atoned by His blood and forever washed white
On that beautiful scandalous night

Go on up to the mountain of mercy
To the crimson perpetual tide
Kneel down on the shore be thirsty no more
Go under and be purified

At the wonderful tragic mysterious tree
On that beautiful scandalous night you and me
Were atoned by his blood and forever washed white
On that beautiful scandalous night
Miraculous night



I really like this worship song. I mean really like it. I like it for a number of reasons, some trivial, some not. I like it because it's easy to play on the guitar, but it sounds like it's a tough song. I like it because of its use of dissonance, that sound that makes it sound like the chord is going to resolve but then it doesn't but then it does. I like it because the recording I have of it is sung by the amazing voice of Leigh Nash (lead singer of the late great Sixpence None the Richer, one of my favorite bands). But I think I like this song mostly because of it's adjectives and how they paint the picture of the Cross in a brand new yet strangely familiar light.


Mercy-- ok, in this sense, it is a noun, but calling Calvary "the mountain of mercy" points to the fact that God had pity, compassion, and love enough for us that he killed his own son

Crimson-- Blood, pain, sacrifice, substitution. Someone shed their blood so I don't have to shed mine.

Perpetual-- There are no bounds no Christ's propitiation for my sin. No end. No limit.

Thirsty-- the state of the seeker, of the lost. Before salvation, we are missing something, longing for something, whether we recognize it or not. In Christ we are satisfied.

Purified-- On our own, we can't make ourselves clean. Yet with the work of God in our lives, we can stand before him as white as snow. This is why Isaiah 1:18 is my new favorite verse. Look it up. If it doesn't make your heart sing, then I don't know what will.

Sorry-- in our state of death before salvation, we are pathetic.

Wrecked-- we are desperately broken before the Spirit enters our lives and makes us new.

Wonderful-- the act of God providing peace for sinners who by nature are "children of wrath" is a profound wonder.

Tragic-- That God had to die to save ungrateful sinners is definitely tragic.

Mysterious-- How the shedding of blood of a man who was God covers the sin and makes us righteous before a Divine Judge is an immense mystery .

Beautiful--Reconciliation to God through something we could never accomplish on our own is truly beautiful.

Scandalous--The biggest scandal of all time is the fact that God died for wretches like you and me.

Delivered--Like someone snatched from the clutches of death, in Christ's sacrifice we are rescued from eternal doom.

Justified--We stand guilty before the Judge, and yet He pounds His gavel and says "I know you deserve Hell, but there was One who paid the price. You are free. Enter Heaven."

Restored--In Adam's sin, we fell. Imputed guilt, we are tainted from birth. Yet in the Cross, the guiltless standing mankind had before the Fall is returned to the elect.

Blessed--Christ is blessed; He is God's beloved Son, and therefore Blessed by Him; and we should spend our lives blessing His name for what He has done for us.

Miraculous--The event of God's sacrifice was miraculous in that not only did He die for us, but He rose Himself from the dead. The miracle of the Resurrection is what gives us hope to hold on to.


You can see why I really like this song.