'Better Than We Thought' - Spoken Word

Written and performed by Mike Young

1.
Different than we expected
But better than we thought
Sunday morning we see the triumphant entrance of Jesus
Messiah
Savior
Ride into town
Just as it is written
Not knowing that by Friday night it’d be finished
He’d be dead.
The crowd shouted Hosanna, Save us
But whispered who could this be?
Our promised king?
They wanted a King but got a carpenter.
Thought they wanted vengeance, but got forgiveness.
Wanted to win the war over their oppressors, but got a Son of God who waved a white flag in the form of surrender to a greater plan
Redemption.
Resurrection.
For all.
He was different than we expected
But better than we thought.

2.
This king came to save and serve
Not to judge and condemn
The One bore witness to “let there be light”
Made himself known so that we might know life
The Son of God made son of man
So that man might see God for how he really is
Not demanding, but inviting
Not demeaning, but redeeming
Not distant, but closer than our breathe
closer than our heart beat.
This king who would trade a crown of every one of heaven’s stars
for thorns and scars
This king who owes nobody nothing
Chooses to give up his life
And on the way to the cross
Stops to wash the feet of those who seek to serve him
And dries our every tear

3.
Different than we expected
But better than we thought.
Death that brings life.
Like a seed buried just before spring
Working deep in the soil till it sprouts up in sunlight
God working behind the scenes of all of history
to make Himself seen
Hindsight’s 20/20
But we still only know in part
All creation keeps singing out the mysteries of the God who made the world
Sent his son to save the world
And every step we take towards the light of his glory
We see resurrection illuminate our own stories as they are sewn into His
The more we seek Him
The more we find Him
The more we know Him
The more we love Him
Until the day we see Him
Face to face

4.
What do we do in the waiting?
What do we do with a dream deferred?
A promise not yet kept?
A hope not yet fulfilled?
What do we do when it feels darkest
But there’s no way to know when the Dawn is coming to set us free?
Feels like heaven wrote a check but didn’t write the date
But we don’t have to wait to cash in on the treasure of your Presence
We don’t have to wait to know peace
We can rest easy on the God who’s never failed
conquered death
and is making all things new.
What do we do in the shadow of the valley of death?
Keep walking.
Keep seeking.
Keep finding.
Ever onward towards our North Star
Who shows us the way to life and life abundant.

5.
Different than we expected
But better than we thought.
Because what a way to say I love you,
Pierced hands pulled as far apart as east is from west is
Pulling us as far from Cursed is as blessed.
What a way to say I never left you
By standing beside a broken humanity
to feel the weight of sin
to feel the sting of separation from the perfection of God
What a way to say I’m with you
living the same kind of life as me
What a way to say I’m for you
dying the death that i earned for myself with my sin
What a way to say I love you
Paying the debt that I could not pay
Defeating the enemy that I could not slay
Giving me the gift of living
What a way to say, when words fail,
Spelled out in broken body language of a sacrificial savior
I L O V E Y O U like this
Feet nailed together, forging a crimson rescue cord that still remains unsevered
I L O V E Y O U like this
Pierced hands nailed to tree, blood spilled to spell out you to me
I L O V E Y O U like this
Most high, humbled himself to die
So that you and I can finally be alive
Different than we expected
But better than we thought
A love so much stronger than we thought.

6.
And then He rose again
As if it wasn’t enough to mold creation out of chaos with bare hands
As if it wasn’t enough to spare Noah from the flood.
As if it wasn’t enough to lead his people out of Egypt
God proved true his power once again
By raising the same savior we’re still praising to this day.
As if it wasn’t enough to carry our sin to the cross
As if it wasn’t enough take our burden to the grave
As if it wasn’t enough for once and for all to give up his life for one and for all
Jesus defeated death for himself and for all who look to him for life
rose in victory to set all people free
Reconciled and reconnected the world and the Great God who so loved
To show his Father’s power
To show our Father’s love
To show that God’s not angry or apathetic or far away at all
He is here
He is risen
He is Lord of All