A few weeks ago, particularly the Saturday before Easter, I posted a video of Andrew Peterson’s “Is He Worthy?” video “sight unseen.” As many others, I did my best to hold off on listening to Resurrection Letters Vol. 1 until Easter morning (and contenting myself with the “prologue” ep). I’ve listened to the song a number of times since Easter Sunday, often in my classroom through the main speakers. And I admit to tearing up a number of times.
The song, which features a back-and-forth between Peterson and a choir, acts as a kind of responsive confessional (or at least that’s what I’m calling it). It echoes part of the liturgy, where questions are asked and answered with “He is.” What makes this song especially affective for me is the content of the questions. It’s not just “is Jesus the Son?” or “did God create everything?” Instead, the song draws together a number of significant Christian beliefs that often don’t make it into these kinds of songs through simple declarations concerning the brokenness of the world, the deepening darkness we feel, the groaning of creation (and its waiting for renewal), the idea (present all the way through Scripture) that God desires to dwell with His people. All there and all heartbreakingly beautiful.
So here’s the video again. The whole album is a worthy purchase and can be found here. I’m looking forward to many years of living with this music and singing these songs with others.