Audio

A Reading Inspired by Nichole Nordeman’s “Why”

By admin ⋅ November 9, 2007 ⋅  Print This Post ⋅ Post a comment

Here’s an Easter idea from a couple of years ago. I wanted to do a spoken word thing to set up the song Why by Nichole Nordeman on her This Mystery CD. Why tells the story of girl and her father on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. They happen upon Jesus being condemned to die by the crowd. It’s a real tear-jerker that won Nordeman a Dove Song of the Year award. It’s perfect for a young girl to sing.

I opted for a sonnet form and recorded it with an ambient background. Listen for the piano teasing the song in minor key (a sadder, darker sound), especially the last phrase which plays a variation of the line “Why does everyone want him to die?”

As with any purely audio (non-performance) event, you probably want to have some sort of visual accompanying this piece. Maybe a depiction of any (or all) of Passion events or using lighting to focus attention on the cross or something else in your sanctuary.

Please feel free to use this for your church. Attribution would be nice, but isn’t necessary.

Download A Child at Calvary mp3

A Child at Calvary - Sonnet

A thousand and a thousand years ago
He took a cross to lay upon his back
Although the week before a crowd had cheered
The time was opportune for an attack

They hurled their hate on love; they called for death
Not knowing blood would gladly spill for sin
His love was without limit, without end
And all within its bounds would be forgiven

How from a child’s eyes this must appear
Who knew the man as Mighty and as Good
To see the mob insult him without fear
March to a hill and nail him flesh to wood

Would that child know that he must die
Or would she need to learn the reason why?

Tags: communion, crucifixion, easter, free mp3, music, poem, spoken word