Looking At The Cross

cross, Christ, crucifictionWhen you look at the cross, what comes into your mind?  By this I mean the cross of Calvary, the instrument of Jesus’ death.  It’s interesting what different people see when they look at it.  It seems most can be grouped into three basic categories.

The first group are those who see only an instrument of torture and death.  A symbol they think should not be allowed to be displayed any longer; our society has outgrown such barbarism.  Yes, it is a symbol of suffering and death, but if that’s all we see, we’ve missed its purpose and message entirely and know little, if anything about God.

The second group sees a symbol of their own worth to God.  They will say something like, “I am so valuable to God and He loves me so much that he sent His only son to die on a cross.”  This too has truth to it, for God does love us and values His relationship with us, but if this view is central to our religious practice, we make the cross into a monument to ourselves, not to God or Jesus. Continue reading “Looking At The Cross”

A Tale of Two Builders: A Deeper Meaning

In Luke 6:46-49 Jesus tells a parable about two men who built homes. You know the tale; one man built on sand and lost his home in a storm, the other dug down to rock, built a foundation and his home stood up to the storm. This story is often used as an illustration contrasting the non-Christian to the Christian; non-Christians build their lives on the shifting sands of worldly values and are ultimately destroyed, while Christians build their lives on The Rock; Jesus and are spared when judgment comes. And I can accept that as one interpretation of that parable, but there is another that has deeper meaning than that. Continue reading “A Tale of Two Builders: A Deeper Meaning”