The Final Touch

 Len Douglas, worship leader, musician and songwriter gave me this song to record in 2019.  Len, his wife Gail, our friend Marcia and I are an Intercessory Worship Team, Incense Rising.  We meet to worship, pray and plant God’s desires for our region through decreeing His Word and prophetic song. 

Last year Len had been meditating on John 20 and Mary Magdalene’s encounter at the empty tomb on the day of resurrection.  This song is filled with a depth of emotion; of loss, then surprise and unspeakable joy. 

“We seek the one we love so such, we brought the spices for a final touch. It’s an act of worship, in our own way but His love was greater and He couldn’t stay.”  Later in the song the lyric changes to, “He brought the spices for a final touch.”

That resurrection morning the women came with their precious spices for Jesus.  It was their act of love that compelled them to go with their spices to the tomb that morning.  At that moment they didn’t know the end of the story.  They only knew the loss of the one they so desperately loved and who they knew now as, LOVE Crucified. 

LOVE Crucified, now LOVE Resurrected met Mary Magdalene at the empty tomb.  In desperate love Mary sought to touch Jesus but He prevents her because He had not yet presented Himself to God, His Father.   Though He remained with them for a time in the flesh before His ascension, Jesus knew He could not stay.  His love for us was so great He could not stay here on earth with us.  His Father had greater plans.  God desired for His people to receive the indwelling presence of Holy Spirit.  This was the desire of God, the Father for Holy Spirit to dwell in the hearts of His sons and daughters.  So, Jesus, not only left us with His presence when He ascended to heaven.  He gave us the fruit of His Spirit, precious spices from His garden heart.  He left so the Great Gardener, Holy Spirit would come to cultivate in the sons and daughters of God,  His spices, His fruit of: Love, Joy, Peace, Forbearance, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control.  That was the final touch of Jesus.

We come to Jesus with our worship.  We pour out our precious spices to LOVE Crucified, LOVE Resurrected.   We yield to the gardening hand of Holy Spirit to grow the fruit of Jesus in us.  May it grow big and feed the people of this broken world.  Jesus desires to see that fruit grow and flourish.  He also desires to receive the precious spices of our worship. 

 

John 20

The Passion Translation

20 Very early Sunday morning, before sunrise, Mary Magdalene made her way to the tomb. And when she arrived she discovered that the stone that sealed the entrance to the tomb was moved away! ² So she went running as fast as she could to go tell Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved.^[b] She told them, “They’ve taken the Lord’s body from the tomb, and we don’t know where he is!” ³ Then Peter and the other disciple jumped up and ran to the tomb to go see for themselves. ⁴ They started out together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.^] 5 He didn’t enter the tomb, but peeked in, and saw only the linen cloths lying there. ⁶ Then Peter came behind him and went right into the tomb. He too noticed the linen cloths lying there, ⁷ but the burial cloth that had been on Jesus’ head had been rolled up and placed separate from the other cloths. ⁸ Then the other disciple who had reached the tomb first went in, and after one look, he believed! ⁹ For until then they hadn’t understood the Scriptures that prophesied^[e] that he was destined to rise from the dead. ¹⁰ Puzzled, Peter and the other disciple then left and went back to their homes. ¹¹ Mary arrived back at the tomb, broken and sobbing. She stooped to peer inside, and through her tears ¹² she saw two angels in dazzling white robes, sitting where Jesus’ body had been laid—one at the head and one at the feet! ¹³ “Dear woman, why are you crying?” they asked. Mary answered, “They have taken away my Lord, and I don’t know where they’ve laid him.” ¹⁴ Then she turned around to leave, and there was Jesus standing in front of her, but she didn’t realize that it was him! ¹⁵ He said to her, “Dear woman, why are you crying? Who are you looking for?” Mary answered, thinking he was only the gardener, “Sir, if you have taken his body somewhere else, tell me, and I will go and . . .”¹⁶ “Mary,” Jesus interrupted her.  Turning to face him, she said, “Rabboni!” (Aramaic for “My teacher!”)  ¹⁷ Jesus cautioned her, “Mary, don’t cling to me, for I haven’t yet ascended to God, my Father. And he’s not only my Father and God, but now he’s your Father and your God! Now go to my brothers and tell them what I’ve told you, that I am ascending to my Father—and your Father, to my God—and your God!” ¹⁸ Then Mary Magdalene left to inform the disciples of her encounter with Jesus.