2. In Christ Alone

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my Light, my strength, my song
This cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest draughts and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strifings cease
My comforter, my all in all
Here in the love of Christ I stand

In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe
This gift of love, and righteousness
Scorned by the ones he came to save
Till on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied;
For every sin on Him was laid—
Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay,
Light of the world by darkness slain;
Then bursting forth in glorious day,
Up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory,
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me;
For I am His and He is mine—
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death—
This is the power of Christ in me;
From life's first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home—
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand.

This song, by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend, is one of the greatest modern, hymn-like worship songs. It's one of my favourite Christian songs of all time, but I didn't vote for it this year (though I did last year). Why not? I think I'd heard it way too many times. Not just in church - also in my head. A couple of years ago, while I was going through a particularly tough time with anxiety and depression, I adopted it as my calming down song. I'd sing it to myself when I was being kept awake at night by palpitation, and to distract myself from vicious cycles of thought running around in my head. This song is perfect for that purpose - fantastic words, and a slow, steady rhythm.

Even though I've heard it a bit too often lately, I still love this song. If I ever got married, this song would have to be sung during the service. I told that to my mother once, after a wedding featuring rather uninspiring music. She thought it sounded a bit morbid - the part about "from life's first cry to final breath." To me, it's such a beautiful expression of the Christian life - it's all about Christ - and that's exactly what marriage is about too.

(Yes, some girls dream about what their wedding dress might be like if they ever get married. I do that too, from time to time (I'm such a girl), but I also like to plan out all the music for the whole service!)