Tears on the Altar

It was a Sunday morning to remember; as clear as the finest of crystal - as vivid as the red sunsets in Autumn. Spiritually, one would have heard an avalanche of release. This I speak of, was the release at the altar.

That morning, people walked into the sanctuary with a mixed collection of thoughts, mindsets, and motives. They took their seats and settled in. Some would sing. Some would not. Some would smile. Some would speak loudly without opening their mouth - they would have rather slept in from whatever their Saturday night did to them. Some looked as if they were forced there. But some ... would have it a privilege to be there.

What ALL of them did not know was the message the Lord would deliver through the Pastor that powerful day. That day, people were given the opportunity to assess the un-confessed sin in their life; to be free of what hindered there very life from being in the rich abundance the Lord has willed us to have. You could see it in their face, they didn't want to give up their worldly treasure or ways of thinking. The world gives pleasure, but not fullfillment.

Each person would write their heaviest sins on a sheet of paper and would be told to nail it to the cross. Don't let your mind visualize this without the biggest detail I am about to give you. Picture this: A sanctuary of about 500 people. Not one of them is talking. What you hear is silence distorted by the sound of hammering sheets of paper - these sins - to the cross. If you were blind, you might believe you were in a construction zone. Each hit on the head of the nail equates to the hammering of Jesus to the cross. You could almost see the image flash from the nailing of paper to the cross, to Jesus in agony on that same cross, and back to the paper ... with every strike of the hammer.

Still, no other sounds but the striking of hammers to nails. Minutes pass before you begin to hear the sound of hearts breaking, self-serving motives shattering, baggage dropping, and repentence shouting. One could only experience these sounds, as they indescribably echoed in the sanctuary, and in my mind.

When my time came to deliver to the Lord what I had been holding onto for so long, I found myself articulating in concert with those who also came to the cross. I heard the echo of my hammer strike on the cross - I had hammered Jesus to the Cross. Oh, the image of him looking at me as I hammered my sin. I was absolutely broken and humbled to my knees. By this time, the sounds of release had amplified. The altar was full and the Spirit moved thickly through the place I had welcomed Him.

I finally rose from my knees, and I was about to return to my seat when my eyes caught a scene beyond what words could manifest: tears on the altar. Not just one singular drop. Not even a few, but many, many tears. I must have stared at the vast amount of tears for what seemed minutes. Time seemed irrelevant then. They showed brokenness. They shouted confession. They pleaded for healing. They declared the Lord is good and merciful. They brought praise to the Lord...


Remember, dear friend, what Christ has done for you. Take time right now to look at your life. When you step into eternity, how would answer to God if He asked you what you did with His son, Jesus Christ? With your time? With your abilities? You have a purpose. Not finding your purpose is like spinning in circles - you go nowhere. I encourage you to get right with God for you will never know just how soon it will be before you face Him. Don't be blinded by the ways of the world, or even by the blinding vail of religion. It's a relationship with Jesus. Not knowing "of" Him, but knowing Him. Proclaim, out loud, your determination to be faithful to the Lord. When you speak, rather than simply think what you would say, you bring words into existence. God did not "think" the world into existence, he "spoke" the world into existence. He's not asking you to be perfect, but to look to His Son and no other idol. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life...an abundant Life.


⁴ Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
⁵ But he was wounded for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his stripes we are healed.

-Isaiah 53:4-5, ESV


Love to you all,

Samuel