sue c. smith, songwriter
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“A poet is, before anything else, a person who is passionately in love with language.” 
W.H. Auden

Write Sue

dancing like lazarus

4/14/2014

 
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I've always loved the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. Mary and Martha sent for their friend, but Jesus delayed coming. Lazarus died, and his sisters didn't understand why the rabbi they loved, the one they knew could heal the sick, didn't show up to heal their brother. You can hear the accusation first in Martha's voice, then Mary's. "Lord, if you had only been here..."

Jesus had them take him to the tomb. Here's the story from John 11:

“Roll the stone aside,” Jesus told them.

But Martha, the dead man’s sister, protested, “Lord, he has been dead for four days. The smell will be terrible.”

Jesus responded, “Didn’t I tell you that you would see God’s glory if you believe?” So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me. You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me.” Then Jesus shouted, “Lazarus, come out!” And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound in graveclothes, his face wrapped in a headcloth. Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him go!”

I just love thinking about what happened next. What did Lazarus do when those wrappings fell away? I couldn't help myself. I had to write a song about it, and I asked Joseph Habedank and Tony Wood to help me do it. Karen Peck & New River recorded it last year, and it makes me so happy every time I hear it. 


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    sue c. smith

    • Staff songwriter for Universal/Capitol CMG Publishing
    • Writer of 9 #1 songs
    • Winner of 5 Dove Awards
    • AGM Songwriter of the Year, 2013
    • AGM Song of the Year, 2012, and AGM Progressive Song of the Year, 2012
    • Diamond Award, Song of the Year, 2010
    • Writer/Creator of more than 50 musicals sung in churches around the world
    • Founder/Director of the Write About Jesus Workshop for Christian Songwriters, since 2000
    Internationally known songwriting teacher and mentor


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Photo used under Creative Commons from Brett L.