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"I Claim - Live At SCC 25" by Red Letter Society: A Call to Embrace the Cross in a Culture of Comfort


Recorded live at the Student Collective Conference 2025, Red Letter Society's "I Claim" is a declaration of faith that can't be repeated enough! We're living in a world that often avoids talking about suffering and sacrifice; instead, we'd rather focus on personal success, achievements, temporary joys, and what others should or shouldn't be doing. And don't forget the politics (especially now as the tensions around us and in the world continue to grow). We are constantly being bombarded with emotions that pollute our minds with feelings of disgust and even of hate, causing us to forget that other people around us are also children of God. Some minds have become so polluted that they try to justify the deliberate and methodical destruction of groups of people (= children of God). (?!?) We're drifting away from God's purpose for us! 

Red Letter Society - I Claim - Live At SCC 25This song calls the Church back to the radical heart of discipleship. "I claim the cross / I'll suffer with the Christ that I adore," echoing Luke 9:23, where Jesus calls us to take up our cross each day. This isn't a call to suffer without purpose, but to surrender to God, where our "self" dies and rises back up again in Christ. The song combines hope and surrender: "I claim the grave // Put to death my flesh and all its ways," ultimate faith that leads to a new life. 

"I claim new life // Death defeated in his sacrifice," declaring our hope in the finished work of Christ and our desire to be part of His work. Our hearts are filled with worship as we sing: "To know you Lord // everything I have I count as nothing to be gained // I'll share in all your suffering, and even face the grave // To be raised with Jesus."

In a world where we are constantly distracted by temporary gains and division, "I Claim" helps us to focus on the gift that Christ has given us through the cross, the promise of true communion with Christ. 

"If suffering in the present // Means glory in his presence // Then I claim, I claim Jesus' holy name." May this song invite you to embrace the cross and find purpose in the pain that life throws at us. May we be true disciples and "Love one another. As I [Christ] have loved you."

(Related scripture: Galatians 2:20; Philippians 3:10-11; Romans 6:4; John 13:34-35)

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