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the cross.
2005-03-28 - 7:02 p.m.
Every Easter, we reflect on what Christ did for us on the cross.
The Cross. That word again. People have devised various ingenious ways of torturing criminals to death - but a cruxificion, even in Jesus' times, was considered one of the worst ways to die.
And yet we wear it proudly around our necks, put it on our doorposts and mount huge ones atop our churches. If you are reading this today and you've always wondered why Christians herald the Cross - this instrument of torture - so proudly, please read on. This is what I personally believe.
If Christ had died by the axe, or the sword, or the guillotine, or even the electric chair... we would use these items as our symbol. Not because of what they are as objects per se, but because of what His death signified.
This is because we do not herald man-made items, we do not consider a cross fashioned out of wood, clay, gold or even diamonds to have any special power. Having a cross around my neck would mean nothing if I didn't know what I was wearing it for. Having one in my house will not immediately signify that my house will be blessed with good fortune and safety. Objects are objects...
... But we wear the cross because it is the symbol of victory. Yes, it is also a symbol of the greatest love this world ever knew, redemption and salvation. But more than that, it marked the end of Jesus' work here on earth. When He cried "It is finished" (John 19:30) I believe the howls and cries from the underground must have been infinitely terrific, but not greater than the shouts of joy and praise that came from Heaven! Stanley Hauerwas puts it eloquently like this in Christianity Today :
It is finished" is not a death gurgle. "It is finished" is not "I am done for." "It is finished" will not be, as we know from the tradition of the ordering of these words from the cross, the last words of Jesus. "It is finished" is a cry of victory. "It is finished" is the triumphant cry that what I came to do has been done. All is accomplished, completed, fulfilled work.
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on another random note, i am lost. i think i'm sinking in deeper day by day and the only thing keeping me alive is Your Love. help me somebody.