Yesterday was a great service at the church I worship with,
Journey. The morning was focused on what Pastor Jamie called 'The Sanitization of the Cross'. Look at all the pictures of Jesus - blue eyed, fair skinned, clean white robes with a pretty blue drape. In most protestant churches, crosses are bare. Many would say that's because he has risen. But could it be that we have eliminated the real, the raw - dare I say, the ugly truth - for our own comfort?
We sing he is risen, we talk about the tomb, we put up crosses...but do we really get it? Do we understand the depth of our own souls need and the unimaginable sacrifices demanded to fill it? If we truly understood the physical pain, humiliation, agony, the mental anguish that Jesus walked through on our behalf, would that change the way we walk out our faith? If we did, we would not just come to the cross, we would not just approach it and kneel, we would HURL ourselves at it, weeping uncontrollably. (I wish I could claim that word picture for my own; it is a paraphrase of Pastor Jamie's).
This week, I will be spending time diving in and opening myself to the realities of the sacrifice my Savior has made on my behalf. I've never watched the Passion of the Christ; for whatever reasons my husband and I just never went. But it's on it's way via netflix, and we will be watching. We will also be observing Passover and attending a Seder, which I highly recommend for any believer. And I will be reading and meditating on His word surrounding the death and resurrection of His Son.
My prayer for you mirrors what I pray for myself; that this Easter Season leaves you undone, hurling yourself at the foot of the cross, grateful beyond human expression for the gift of life given through the unimaginable death of a King.
Grace and peace,
Alison
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Some scriptures to read and meditate on in preparation for the coming Easter Celebration:
Isaiah 52:14Isaiah 53Matthew 26-27Mark 14-15Luke 22-23John 18-19Romans 5:6-8Journey Church podcasts