a song

Every Sunday afternoon, right after Pastor Jon pronounces his usual "Church, you are dismissed" to the congregation, I go down to the choir room and practice my favorite hymns.

I jostle my way through the bustling crowd of churchgoers towards the nearest exit, descend down the East Wing stairs, close the basement's sliding doors, and position myself snugly in front of an old run-down piano. When I hear the frantic and hurried pad-pad-pad of hundreds of feet all anxious to get out of church slow down to a few muffled steps, I crack my knuckles and start gliding my fingers through those ivory keys.

I've just started learning how to play full length songs without notes and just with the chords last week, but I'm still having a hard time mastering the rhythm of more contemporary songs, because I'm used to old hymns with regular beats. The following song deeply moved me when I tried to sing and play it myself.

---

Untitled Hymn
by Chris Rice

Weak and wounded sinner
Lost and left to die
O, raise your head, for love is passing by
Come to Jesus
Come to Jesus
Come to Jesus and live!

Now your burden's lifted
And carried far away
And precious blood has washed away the stain, so
Sing to Jesus
Sing to Jesus
Sing to Jesus and live!

And like a newborn baby
Don't be afraid to crawl
And remember when you walk
Sometimes we fall...so
Fall on Jesus
Fall on Jesus
Fall on Jesus and live!

Sometimes the way is lonely
And steep and filled with pain
So if your sky is dark and pours the rain, then
Cry to Jesus
Cry to Jesus
Cry to Jesus and live!

O, and when the love spills over
And music fills the night
And when you can't contain your joy inside, then
Dance for Jesus
Dance for Jesus
Dance for Jesus and live!

And with your final heartbeat
Kiss the world goodbye
Then go in peace, and laugh on Glory's side, and
Fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus
Fly to Jesus and live!