A KING IN A CATTLE TROUGH

How do you capture the ascents of angels?
How do you put words to the taste of their light?
You cannot describe how their words burn right thru you
How you became dizzy with heart pounding fright

In the midst of your fear, how they sang you a song
To the glory of God most High
How all of a sudden, that when they departed
That they left a hole in the sky

How do you worship a king in a cattle trough?
When you cannot bow any lower than he?
And what king of gift to give Someone with nothing?
In humiliating humility

Wrapped up in rags, what a heart-breaking sign
Yet on his sweet face, what a delight
The darkness that prows here cannot comprehend
This impossibly bright point of light

So everyone listened in awe and amazement
To all we?d been told ?bout this beautiful boy
But Mary, his mother, she wordlessly wondered
And pondered her treasure of joy

Who could conceive how the Savior was born
In a place only fit for the cattle to feed
His poverty made him our perfect Provision
The one hope for our every need

2010 Covenant Artists, ASCAP

guitar, vocals, Michael Card
bass, Keith Compton
accordion, Jeff Taylor

A VIOLENT GRACE

A mural of memories moves by in a blur
His prayers all seem unanswered and unheard
His pleading petitions, his loud cries and tears
A last reprieve will simply not appear

So ruthless, He loves us, So reckless His embrace
To show relentless kindness, To a hardened human race
The joy that was before Him
On the Man of Sorrows face
And by His blood He bought a violent grace

Most willing of victims, And with His final breath
Destroyed the one who holds the power of death
The hate heaped upon Him, scorning all the shame
But all for love He died and overcame

So ruthless, He loves us, So reckless His embrace
To show relentless kindness, To a hardened human race
The joy that was before Him
On the Man of Sorrows face
And by His blood He bought a violent grace

In all of time no one had ever heard
And to the world the thought seemed so absurd
Beyond their wildest dreams no one could ever tell
Of a high priest who would sacrifice Himself

So ruthless, He loves us, So reckless His embrace
To show relentless kindness, To a hardened human race
The joy that was before Him
On the Man of Sorrows face
And by His blood He bought a violent grace

So ruthless, He loves us, So reckless His embrace
To show relentless kindness, To a hardened human race
The joy that was before Him
On the Man of Sorrows face
And by His blood He bought a violent grace 2x

ABBA FATHER

Michael Card
Until Your Son called out to me I was lost
For years my cradle swung above the grave
It is a wondrous thing to be adopted by a king
To know a love that crowns and crucifies
When Your Spirit moves I breath a prayer to You
A cry not from my mouth but from the heart
Because the Spirit came, I can use Your holy name
The tender name a son could only use
Chorus
Abba Father, I cry out to You
Since that word became Your adoptive name
Abba Father, Abba Father,
Knowing You will hear my plea
For You've adopted me

Your Spirit of adoption came and filled my heart
To smile upon the earth behind my eyes
Urging me to give, teaching me to live
To show the family likeness of Your love
So Jesus has become for me a brother Lord
The special son that died to set us free
His cross for me has won the right to be Your son
A blessed son You'd never cast aside
Repeat Chorus

ARISE MY LOVE

"Arise, My Love" Michael Card
Arise, my love, my lovely one come,
Winter is past and the rains are gone.
The flowers appear, it's the season of song,
My beautiful one, arise and come with me.
Who is it that appears like the dawn?
As fair as the moon, as bright as the sun?
Show me your face, let me hear your voice.
My beautiful one, arise and come with me.
Set me like a seal on your heart,
For love is unyielding as the grave.
The flash of it is a jealous fire,
No flood can quench,
For love is as strong as death.
Arise my love and come with me
Before the dawn breaks and the shadows flee.
You ravished my heart with just one glance
My beautiful one, arise and come with me.
Do not arose or awaken love
Until it so desires.
Arise, my love, my lovely one come,
The Winter is past and the rains are gone.
The flowers appear, it's season of song,
My beautiful one, arise and come with me.
I am my love's, my beloved is mine.
Arise and come with me.

BY YOUR NAME

Michael Card
I failed again to make the mark
Lost my way once more
I tried to do it by myself
Like so many times before
And now again I turn to You
I'm hungry and confused
By now my strength's dissolved away
And I feel like I've been used
Chorus
If You leave me to myself oh Lord
It will always be the same
It's You who'll have to hold my hand
And protect me by Your name
It's You who'll have to hold my hand
And protect me by Your name
I turn and find You there for me
You've been waiting all along
The open arms, the sweet relief
And You whisper me a song
At times like these I ask myself
How could I have ever strayed
And forgotten all You've given me
And lost sight of what You paid
Chorus
It's You who'll have to hold my hand
And protect me by Your name

CARMEN CHRISTI

Michael Card
Phillippians 2:6-11
Who being in vary nature God
Would not grasp equality with Him
But made Himself nothing
And took up a servant's nature
Made in human likeness
Found in appearance as man
He humbled Himself, was obedient
Even to death on a cross
Chorus
At Jesus' name every knee shall bow
In Heaven and in all the earth
To the Father's glory each tongue cried Jesus is Lord
[Repeat]
Jesus is Lord
And so He has been exalted
By God to the highest place
And given a name as exalted
Above every other name
Chorus

CELEBRATE THE CHILD

Chorus
Celebrate the Child who is the Light
Now the darkness is over
No more wandering in the night
Celebrate the Child who is the Light

You know this is no fable
Godhead and manhood became one
We see He's more than able
And so we live to God the Son

Chorus

First born of creation
Lamb and Lion, God and Man
The Author of Salvation
Almighty rapped in swaddling bands

Repeat Chorus

COME TO THE TABLE

Songwriters: Borop Iii, Niles A.; Card, Michael;Come to the table and savor the sight
The wine and the bread that was broken
And all have been welcomed to come if they might
Accept as their own these two tokens

The bread is His body, the wine is the blood
And the one who provides them is true
He freely offers, we freely receive
To accept and believe Him is all we must do

Come to the table and taste of the glory
And savor the sorrow, He's dying tomorrow
The hand that is breaking the bread
Soon will be broken

And here at the table, sit those who have loved You
One is a traitor and one will deny
But He's lived his life for them all
And for all be crucified

Come to the table He's prepared for you
The bread of forgiveness, the wine of release
Come to the table and sit down beside Him
The Savior wants you to join in the feast

Come to the table and see in His eyes
The love that the Father has spoken
And know you are welcome, whatever your crime
For every commandment you've broken

For He's come to love you and not to condemn
And He offers a pardon of peace
If you'll come to the table, you'll feel in your heart
The greatest forgiveness, the greatest release

Come to the table and taste of the glory
And savor the sorrow, He's dying tomorrow
The hand that is breaking the bread
Soon will be broken

And here at the table, sit those who have loved You
One is a traitor and one will deny
But He's lived his life for them all
And for all be crucified

Come to the table He's prepared for you
The bread of forgiveness, the wine of release
Come to the table and sit down beside Him
The Savior wants you to join in the feast

Come to the table He's prepared for you
The bread of forgiveness, the wine of release
Come to the table and sit down beside Him
The Savior wants you to join in the feast

COULD IT BE

Michael Card
I Corinthians 1:19-25
In the ebb and flow of living
As we wander through the years
We're told to listen to a voice
We can't here with our ears
They say to live by something
That you can't see with your eyes
Is there really any purpose
To this foolish exercise?
Chorus
Could it be You make Your presence known
So often by Your absence?
Could it be that questions tell us more
Than answers ever do?
Could it be that You would really rather die
Than live without us?
Could it be the only answer that means anything
Is You?
In our words and in our silence
In our pride and in our shame
To the genius and the scholar
To the foolish and insane
To the ones who care to seek You
To the ones who never will
You are the only answer even still
Chorus
It's a question you can't answer
An answer you cannot express
That the gentle Man of Sorrow
Is the source of happiness
You'll never solve the mystery
Of this magnetic man
For you must believe to understand
Chorus
Could it be the only answer that means anything
Is You?

CROSS OF GLORY

Michael Card
From the pages of the prophets
He stepped out into the world
And walked the earth in lowly majesty
For He had been creator
A creature now was He
Come to bare love's sacred mystery
He the Truth was called a liar
The only lover hated so
He was many times a martyr before He died
Forsaken by the Father
Despised by all the world
He alone was born to be the crucified
Chorus
Upon the cross of Glory
His death was life to me
A sacrifice of love's most sacred mystery
And death rejoice to hold Him
For soon He would be free
For love must always have the victory
Though no rhyme could ever tell it
And no words could ever say
And no cord is foul enough to sing the pain
Still we feel the burden
And suffer with your song
You love us so and yet you bid us sing
Repeat Chorus
For love must always have the victory