Song of the Week: Sufjan Steven's "Abraham"

The player for the featured "Song of the Week" can be found on the upper right corner of the weblog for one week.

For your reflection as we move through Holy Week and into Good Friday, here's "Abraham," by the enigmatic Sufjan Stevens from his 2004 project, Seven Swans:

Abraham, worth a righteous one.
Take upon the wood,
Put it on your son.

Lake or lamb.
There is none to harm.
When the angel came,
You had raised your arm.

Abraham,
Put off on your son.
Take instead the ram
Until Jesus comes.

If you're new to the Bible, this haunting song is a reference to the story in Genesis where God spared Abraham from offering his own son as a sacrifice. Centuries later, God did not spare his own Son, who offered himself as a sacrifice to pay the penalty of our sins. You can watch a video of Stevens performing this song here.