Here they are again––my favorite Irish band. Rend Collective’s latest album, Good News, is my favorite thus far. Their distinctive folk sound is as appealing as ever with the eclectic mix of instruments–Jingling Johnny, anyone–and the unique blend of their voices, but the lyrics have always been what drew me to this group. From their first popular hits, “Change the atmosphere, Build Your kingdom here,” and “My Lighthouse” to “the Joy of the Lord is my strength” and “every giant will fall, every mountain will move” and “You will never run away” from the 2015 album, As Family We Go, the lyrics have moved me to contemplate my relationship with Jesus.

In my opinion the Good News album pushes me even farther in that direction. Powerful lyrics, many direct scriptural quotes, address deeper aspects of the relationship God desires with each of His created beings. They are lyrics for times of joy and times of sorrow, because God loves us through both and wants to draw us close regardless of our situations.

Today, in honor of Holy Week , I am focusing on two of these songs. To begin “Nailed to the Cross” addresses man’s tendency to sin and the doubt and shame that accompany the act of sinning. But it reminds us that when we inevitably fall to our weakness, we need not bear the weight of our guilt. Jesus has already done that for us.

My sin is nailed to the cross. My soul is healed by the scars. The weight of guilt, I bear no more. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord.

from Nailed to the Cross, by Rend Collective

In “Resurrection Day” we experience the joy that comes with the knowledge each of us who are in Christ have been given a resurrection day. Each of us has been given new life and that new life begins the day we accept Jesus as our Savior and begin to live for him with the Holy Spirit inside of us.

Because Your cross is powerful. Because You rose invincible.

This is my resurrection day. Nothin’s gonna hold me in the grave. This is my resurrection day. Nothin’s gonna hold me down. Say goodbye to my yesterdays. Ever since I met You, I am changed. This is my resurrection day. Nothin’s gonna hold me down.

from Resurrection Day by Rend Collective

As we celebrate Heaven’s victory through the death and resurrection of Jesus, we are reminded that these events are equally Hell’s defeat. Both sides of this equation hold power for the Christian. If we only focus on the victory gained by Jesus on behalf of humanity, we neglect to realize that the power of Hell and Satan is completely broken in the eternal sense. Because Satan with his masterful arts of deception and trickery, still holds sway on the Earth, we tend to lose sight of the fact that his ultimate power has been stripped away in the very act he used to destroy Christ–the cross.

So I pray you have an unforgettable Easter, whether surrounded by family and friends or alone with your Savior, as you contemplate and claim as your own the promises of new life and freedom from Satan’s lies and chains through the sacrifice of Jesus on Calvary’s cross and His triumphant resurrection three days later.

Watch the music videos here. Nailed to the Cross. Resurrection Day.