Lazarus Rising

There is no light within the tomb;
no candle flickers to reveal the gloom
that shrouds the dead in linen cloth,
confirms the truth that all is lost,
for death has won the mournful day;
the massive stone is here to stay.
Darkness, my home forever more,
I rest upon this cold stone floor,
no breath, no struggle with right or wrong,
no more the joy of a living song.
I am resigned to the common fate
for which all humans fearfully wait.
I am consigned to death's long sleep
here in this tomb where I shall keep
the only light that will not part,
the light that remains a flame in my heart.

And yet, in this moment I look to see
a faint ray of sunlight smiling on me.
Just there, where my tomb is not fully sealed,
just there is the glimmer of light revealed.
The ray falls across the cold stone floor
and I feel the rise of hope once more.
But I am bound; I have no choice.
I cannot respond to the welcoming voice.
But that voice is more than death can bear.
It comes as a song in the stifled air,
a commanding, yet melodious sound
that rocks the stone and shakes the ground.
"Unbind my friend and set him free."
And then the strangest thing happened to me:
I stood, still bound, and began to sway
as the enormous stone slowly rolled away.
Brilliant light flooded the tomb
like a hundred candles in a darkened room.
It was then that his voice said to me:
"Lazarus, my friend, come here.  You're free."
My Master reached out and he took my hand
and I could feel, as his life-blood ran,
through my body, my soul, my heart
that this was the day my life would start,
not the way it used to be,
for now, in Him, I am truly free.