Shadow and Nails

In darkest days, when shadows blended with the earth, And nails hung humanity in its blood-stained hands, While the priests looked on and smiled politely They stole the heart of everyone who saw truth In God’s own Son, yet left the gate wide open for death, And so, we enter the darkest hours, as life bereft, Becomes the ministry of devil’s powers, won for now, And shadows and nails hung the stars from the beam Oft seeing each broken scheme, the demons laughed While the Son of Man called out, “It is Finished!” And in the shadow of the cross the nails cried out The blood flowed freely, and the demons screamed Delighted at the thought they had won, all out, While the shadow gently flowed across the hill Touching all who believed Christ still, And they took his broken body off the nails Wrapped in shroud of the dead, buried in borrowed tomb, And the lights faded across the earth, amid tears That flowed freely for the loss of the light of life; Nails completed their vicious cull of flesh stretched, A spear thrust into gut, as blood and water flowed as death, The cross, shadowed across the hill, spread out, While demons partied, cackling their victory noise, Shouting to the heavens, yelling to God he had lost; But the time had only just begun, three days in the tomb; Angels rose up from their stupor, flew to protect Their Lord’s Son’s body, preparing for the life to come, While demonic forces, cried out in pain, as they felt God’s rain, And the shadow and the nails called out, “forgive, live;” The shadow and the nails covered the earth with hope, As the tomb shook, the stone in front crumbled, Where the body of Messiah lay, God’s Son raised up, Angels stood guard, refreshing His soul, God smiled, Demons howled, shadows of the cross covered the dark, Nails that tore flesh cried forgive, as the Son arose Bringing restoration to all who know, death no more, Shadow and nails call out the victory song, Death, where is your sting, grave where’s your victory? The Son lives; Shadow and Nails cry out, “Forgiven;” Shadow and nails, see how they tell the truth of the day, Broken and redeemed, restored and fulfilled, Shadow and nails, the hope for all, and everything this tells, Reach out for the hands, pierced yet alive, Place your fingers in His side, and feel the scar from death, But look, see His face, the thorn scars restored, The shadow and the nails given for us to live at last, Speaking out the true word, no loss in our heart, Christ is alive and reigns, shadows reach out, Nails say forgive, and the cross and the tomb remain empty, (C) Steve Gregory, Easter 2025