Tidbits for Thought

THE SYMBOL OF SACRIFICE

Hebrews 12:2 “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning it’s shame, and sat at the right hand of the throne of God.” The cross stands forever as a visual reminder of the torture and brutality that Christ experienced so that we might stand forgiven before God. That such an ugly event is the center of a movement founded on love, is a paradox that defies description. Thinking or speaking of the cross generally sparks deep reverence, great joy and boundless gratitude in the Christian life. It might seem brazen to speak joyfully of the physical ugliness that occurred on that cross and yet this symbol represents the centerpiece, the pinnacle and the power of the Christian religion. Some anonymous writer once observed, “The cross is God’s way of showing us that love is not a feeling but a profound commitment.” The love that drove Jesus to the cross is absolutely unfathomable in its depth and breadth. It is a love that stitches the fabric of our lives together….it is a love that provides the path to a heavenly existence…it is a love so gentle that it touches the cheek of a baby as softly as a snowflake yet so powerful that it holds up the heavens and the earth and so explosive that it changed the trajectory of life as we know it. At the very heart of the movement for which Jesus died, was a personal invitation to follow Him in the ways of love, grace, mercy, forgiveness, compassion, justice and peace. Today, as always, that invitation can be rejected or embraced…. a personal choice that He always honors. When I contemplate this love, I am forced to acknowledge that many, who call themselves Christian, pervert and twist this love and make a mockery of the cross. These people are not at all hard to identify. They are the ones screaming at the top of their lungs about taking prayer out of schools or protesting the lack of the Ten Commandments in public places or wailing about the personal choices of other people…. wanting to promote Christianity by coercion not choice. They publicly profess to being guided and living by the Gospels yet are the very first to ignore a homeless person asking for a dollar or applaud the gutting of homeless programs or food assistance to children as “cost cutting measures.” They are the who treat immigrants with disdain and cheer the despicable and brutal actions against the undocumented in our country, ignoring the fact that throughout Scripture we are called to love, protect and extend hospitality toward the stranger, the traveler and the immigrant. They are the ones who speak of the love of Jesus yet can’t find any empathy or compassion for the poor or the broken hearted or one who loves in a different manner from them or who worships differently. Let us pray that we act as real Christians to counter the influence of the pretenders that are so very visible. Let us pray that our gratitude for His sacrifice is always alive, visible and active.

Think about it!         ~ Aron Smith