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Always the Cross, II
For the message of the cross is foolishness
to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of
God. I Corinthians:
1:18
So there I sat
again…alone…in the little chapel at our church.
We were fixing to have an important meeting…a sensitive meeting…a
meeting where God’s presence would be much needed.
And so I went where it seems I have always gone in my life.
There I sat like I have so many times before…for the results of a medical test
for a friend…for a mission trip…on behalf of a friend’s wayward son…for
a direction in life…for strength over an obstacle.
As I sat there, I focused on the cross on the front wall and I remembered
the many crosses of my life…on the front walls of the churches of my life…in
the silence of the outdoors…in my pocket…in my hands when I speak.
I remember the cross in the sanctuary of my home church when I was growing up.
It was there I took my teenage crisis.
The presence of God always seemed so powerful there, especially when I
was alone and all the lights were out except for those focusing on the huge
wooded cross on the front wall. Focusing
on that cross, I contemplated my future and what my purpose in Christ was to be.
I examined my relationships…thanked God for my blessings…drew close
to God in my isolation.
And then there was the cross at the front of the church where I pastured when I
was in college. It was much smaller
than the one in my home church, but it was lighted from the inside.
It was there in the silence of that little sanctuary I brought the
challenges and opportunities of this unique time of ministry in my life.
Many…probably most, of my sermon topics was brought to me by the Holy
Spirit in that special place. The
blessing was the church was right beside the parsonage where I lived so it was
always a short walk to sit alone and gaze at the cross.
There are many others: crosses in the woods in the middle of nowhere, put there
by individuals or on tops of mountains for the whole world to see…crosses at
retreat centers where the pinnacle of our Christian walks are
celebrated…crosses that hang around our necks with the reminder “Christ is
counting on you!”…the cross in my pocket with the inscription “All things
are possible with God,” something I cling very close to.
Many situations…many different settings….the ups and downs of our
lives……….but always the cross.
Always the cross.
Have you ever wanted to give someone the perfect present?
You know, something that truly symbolizes what you feel…who you are to
them…something that points out the depth of your love and the true nature of
that love…something that every time they look at it, they are reminded of
you…something that will always be the same and will always represent who you
are, regardless of time and distance.
God gave us that gift…that symbol. It
is the cross…and it never changes. It
always reminds us of His love and always confirms of His eternal presence with
us.
We will always have our highs and lows in life.
There will always be those times where we sit and wait…where we pray
for guidance and comfort and strength. We
will search out and find our sanctuaries in the world where we can share our
souls with God.
And in those moments, there will always be His gift for us to celebrate.
There will always be the cross….thanks be to God!
IN Christ,
Billy
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