[Piano version of chorus] [Vocal sound file sung by the composer] [Video recorded live at Spiritual Explosion XIV] [Score of song]
A free-style rap in 3 with a chorus mostly in 4.
I saw the Passion of the Christ;
The thorns, the beatings. Oh the price
He paid for all my sin,
So that I might enter in
To his eternal dwelling.
And that is why I’m telling
The world about my savior
And how he gave me favor
To be who I ought to be,
To be saved, to be his, to be free.
Chorus:
Lord, give me a passion for your passion;
Give me grace to tell of your grace.
Give me mercy and love, compassion.
Let my face, in all your glory
Be a reflection of your face.
Lord, give me a passion for your Christ;
A need, a desire to be nice
To ev’ryone around,
To all within the sound
Of my voice as I shout it,
There is no doubt about it:
He has forgiven me.
His child I delight to be.
Lord, let people hear your voice
As I tell them about your joys.
The theme of the 2014 Spiritual Explosion youth rally at Riverside church of Christ in Albuquerque was “Passion” This song was written for that event. It is a slight departure from my usual songs because the verses are written as a spoken rap. The format was suggested by a song by TobyMac, which also was a rap with a musical chorus.
Note: the video version was recorded live. There were some errors in the performance, but will give a good idea of what the work is supposed to sound like.