"Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim..."

-

One of my favorite hymns begins with these words: "Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim..."

How often do we use the cross as a weapon? How often do we use the symbol of Love in the Midst of Pain as a battering ram against those whose views we do not share? Do we believe Jesus and the cross can be mis-used in this way without consequence? If we do, we are wrong.

The most important thing we can say about the cross is that it shows and symbolizes God's willingness to occupy a small space on our behalf, to suffer unimaginable pain for us, to seek us regardless of how wayward and rebellious we have become. This cross is a picture of outstretched arms (temporarily) at the mercy of spitters and scoffers.

The only message of the cross is love. Love that is unending, love that does not leave us alone, love that challenges and corrects us, love that says and does what it hard, painful, and uncomfortable.

I believe the church should challenge believers to holiness and should challenge unbelievers to repentance and redemption. All of that must be done in the context of love. There is no other reason for anyone to seek God but to find and know the love of God. That's what salvation is all about.

Who wants to become "saved" in order to know a God who does not love?

Does a God of love send someone to Hell? No. A God of love creates a path away from Hell, but forces no one to travel that path. The respect and "courtesy" (as Julian of Norwich put it) shown to us by God is amazing and beyond comprehension. God extends an endless love to us. That is the message of the cross.



Comments

Br Seraphim said…
Very grateful, Deborah, you wrote well and said just what I needed to hear. The "Cross as a weapon" is a phrase I've seen often and wondered about. Thank you!
Saturday, February 24, 2018 at 9:38:00 PM EST
Br Seraphim said…
I'm very grateful, Deborah: you wrote well. The "sword as a weapon" is a phrase I've often seen, and wondered about. Many thanks!
Saturday, February 24, 2018 at 9:39:00 PM EST
Deborah Evans said…
Thanks for letting me know you found this helpful.
The cross is an expression of love, a uniquely Christian statement of how much God will do to bring us back to our original purpose.
Sunday, February 25, 2018 at 6:28:00 PM EST
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mother's Day Remembrance of Love and Beauty

-
Image
--Celtic Knot of Motherhood, from tglass.net 2009 will be my sixth Mother's Day celebration without my mother. In addition, my grandmothers and (ex) mother-in-law, a woman I never met, are also deceased. I am grateful for the "play mothers" who have filled in with a love and concern that go beyond short phone conversations and holiday gifts. "Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." --Proverbs 31:30 Love and beauty are two of the qualities most associated with what most of us consider to be feminine. My mother's love was expressed to me as a child when she taught me to help her in her rose garden and took the time to carefully explain how she cared for the plants. She loved the color and fragrance of the roses, and I came to love them, too. Her love was gentle, but contagious. Whenever I see a vibrant, healthy rose bush or a dozen roses in a vase, I think of her. M. Scott Peck wrote tha
Read more

Higher Ground; Heaven's Tableland

-
Image
(image from wikiwand.com) A hymn I grew up with--one  I seldom hear anymore--was titled "Higher Ground." In the chorus of the hymn, we sang these words: "Lord, lift me up and let me stand, by faith, on heaven's tableland, A higher plane than I have found, Lord plant my feet on higher ground." What is a tableland? A tableland is a plateau, a mesa, or an elevated flat ground. Often sheep would graze on tableland. What is heaven's tableland?  Many commentators have said it is the afterlife, when we all live in the heavenly kingdom of God's goodness. Not so fast. Heaven's tableland is not for the future; it is for now. It is for us to live on now. We won't need faith in heaven. It is only in this world that we need faith. Note carefully what the hymn writer wrote: "Lord, lift me up and let me stand, by faith , on heaven's tableland." In this world, we need faith. We need heaven's tab
Read more

Declaring Yourself "Blessed and Highly Favored"? Slow Down A Bit...

-
Image
--spreadshirt.com I used to speak regularly with someone who often declared herself to be "blessed and highly favored." When I telephoned her and would ask "how are you doing"? or "how is it going with you"?, the instant answer was always "I am blessed and highly favored!" Her answer came too quickly, almost as if no thought went into the response. I understand what many people teach about speaking only those words that reflect the reality you wish to experience. I think I have a least a little bit of understanding regarding why this type of thinking is so popular. I am not sure it's a good idea, or even biblical, but it is popular. I suppose we all like to think we are blessed of the Lord, but what does it mean to be highly favored? I reflect upon two persons from Scripture (Mary, Jesus' mother and the Apostle Paul)  I would consider to be "blessed and highly favored" of the Lord, but their lives were challenging,
Read more