No sooner have we packed away the Christmas decorations, than Easter is almost upon us, or so the shops would have us believe! But let us not get wrapped up in the chocolate bunnies and colourful foil. Let us not forget the truly amazing gift that God has given us in Jesus Christ: A gift that will last longer than a chocolate egg and won't leave you with a sickly feeling if you over indulge. In fact, the promise that we have in Jesus lasts longer than our lifetime. It lasts forever!
We are now in the season of Lent, when Christians traditionally think about their own mortality. Depressing, you might think. But those who have faith in God know of His wonderful promise: That through Jesus' death on the cross, anyone who comes to God to ask for forgiveness can have the gift of eternal life through Him in paradise. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3, v. 16). Now isn't that amazing?
Monday, 22 February 2010
Thoughts on the Cross
"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise" (Psalm 51, v 17).
These are familiar words to many Christians. If you have attended church during this period of Lent, you may have heard them read out during a service. But how often do we really stop to think about what God did for us on the cross? We hear the story every Easter. Often it's easier to skim over the crusifiction, to go straight to the celebrations of Easter. Yes, we know what happened and why, but somehow it is all too huge to comprehend and we may find ourselves just muddling through the uncomfortable truths as best we can. We may not even realise we are doing it. At least that was my experience, looking back.
Last year, I attended the Good Friday service in the next village. Not anything unusual, I attend church most Sunday and usually try to go to a service on Good Friday. But on this particular occasion, I attended a church that I had not been to before. At the end of an inspiring and thought provoking service, the priest silently went up to the cross, which had been displayed at the front of the church for the duration of the service, picked up a nail and a hammer, and banged the nail into the cross before leaving the church. Slowly, one by one, members of the congregation did the same. When it got to my turn, I found myself completely overwhelmed with emotion. I felt the full weight and magnitude of my own sins; the sins that put Jesus there on the cross. I came away from that service with a strong sense that God had touched my heart that day. I believe this experience has changed me and I am sure it will never leave me.
I have grown up in the Christian faith. Sometimes it is all too easy to become complacent and familiar with the stories we hear year after year. But let us never forget the magnitude of the love and grace that God showed us with the cross. Only God knows a truly repentent heart and only through Jesus' love can we be set free.
That is truly amazing.
These are familiar words to many Christians. If you have attended church during this period of Lent, you may have heard them read out during a service. But how often do we really stop to think about what God did for us on the cross? We hear the story every Easter. Often it's easier to skim over the crusifiction, to go straight to the celebrations of Easter. Yes, we know what happened and why, but somehow it is all too huge to comprehend and we may find ourselves just muddling through the uncomfortable truths as best we can. We may not even realise we are doing it. At least that was my experience, looking back.
Last year, I attended the Good Friday service in the next village. Not anything unusual, I attend church most Sunday and usually try to go to a service on Good Friday. But on this particular occasion, I attended a church that I had not been to before. At the end of an inspiring and thought provoking service, the priest silently went up to the cross, which had been displayed at the front of the church for the duration of the service, picked up a nail and a hammer, and banged the nail into the cross before leaving the church. Slowly, one by one, members of the congregation did the same. When it got to my turn, I found myself completely overwhelmed with emotion. I felt the full weight and magnitude of my own sins; the sins that put Jesus there on the cross. I came away from that service with a strong sense that God had touched my heart that day. I believe this experience has changed me and I am sure it will never leave me.
I have grown up in the Christian faith. Sometimes it is all too easy to become complacent and familiar with the stories we hear year after year. But let us never forget the magnitude of the love and grace that God showed us with the cross. Only God knows a truly repentent heart and only through Jesus' love can we be set free.
That is truly amazing.
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