The Apostle Paul wrote to the Christians in Corinth, “For
the message about the cross is foolishness to those who
are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the
power of God…. For God’s foolishness is wiser than
human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than
human strength.” (1 Corinthians 1:18,25)
Truthfully, it took about a hundred years or so before the
early Christians fully embraced the cross as a symbol of
hope. After much prayer and debate, and instruction by
the apostle Paul, they eventually understood the cross to
be a sign of God’s power to redeem and reconcile the
world to Godself.
Execution by a cross was repulsive, and yet the early
Christians found in Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection a
promise of hope, not despair—a promise of life, not
death. It became the sign of God’s power that can take
tragedy and evil and use them for some greater purpose.
The cross is evidence that no matter how evil humans
might be, God will not give up on us. There is no
circumstance we may find ourselves in where God is not
present. God knows all about us as human beings; God
knows how low we can go; and yet, God was still willing
to die on a cross to show us how much God loves us. God
took all that anyone could do to the Almighty and to one
another and redeemed it into the highest gift of love:
which is God’s forgiveness offered to all people. Is it not a
miracle that when Jesus was resurrected, he came back to
love and forgive and live within the very ones who had
betrayed and murdered him? Such love had never been
seen before!
Starting on March 9 and continuing through the church
season of Lent, we will explore the redemptive power of
the cross in our worship services. We’ll sing the hymn,
“Lift High the Cross” each week as we explore topics such
as: “When the storms of life are raging, lift high the
cross”; “When it’s hard to forgive, lift high the cross”;
“When you feel ashamed, lift high the cross”; and, “When
you are facing death, lift high the cross.”
The cross is our most sacred symbol of God’s sacrificial
love through Jesus. Come, renew your faith and gain a
better understanding of God’s work through the cross as
we “Lift High the Cross” during this season of Lent,
March 9 –April 19.
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