I have placed all my hope in a crucified man,
in the wounds in his side, his feet and his hands.
I have traded my pride for a share in his shame
and the glory that one day will burst from his pain.

 I’ve abandoned my trust in the wise and the proud
for this fragile, mysterious weakness of God.
And I dare to believe in his scandalous claim
that his blood cleanses sin for whoever will call on his name.
Live or die here I stand…I’ve placed my hope in a crucified man.

I believe as they beat on his beautiful face
he turned a torturer’s chair to an altar of grace.
Where the worst we can do met the best that God does,
where unspeakable hate met the gaze of unstoppable love.
At the crux of it all there he hangs…I’ve placed my hope in a crucified man.

I have buried my life in the cold earth with him,
like a seed in the winter, I wait for the spring.
From that garden of tombs Eden rises again,
and Paradise blooms from his body and never will end.
He’ll finish all he began…Creation hopes in a crucified man.

Pictures: Seiger Koder

Words: Graham Kendrick (“Crucified Man”, from the album “Out of the Ordinary”)