Without the Cross…

"The preaching of the cross is, I know, nonsense to those who are involved in a dying world, but to us who are being saved from that death, it is nothing less than the power of God."  1 Cor 1:18

 Without the cross…

-          there would be no assurance of forgiveness.  There would to guarantee that your sins are truly forgiven.  Forgiveness is only authentic where there has been a real offense and real hurt.  Without the cross you could never, ever be sure that your sins are forgiven.

 Without the cross…

-          you would ultimately be alone in the universe.  The cross is the decisive place where you can know God enters into your human condition totally and without reservation.  When you feel forgotten, forsaken, overwhelmed by fear and evil, you can turn to the cross of our Lord and know that he fully participated in of what it means to be a fragile human being.    Without the cross you would ultimately be alone in the universe.

 Without the cross…

-          there would be no greater love in this world that mere human love.  There are many expressions of human love, and human love is a great and awesome thing: the love of equals; the love of friendship; the love of lovers; the love for family; the love for the unfortunate.  But without the cross the world would lack the one kind of love that humanity simply is not capable of generating and wielding: love for the enemy; love for the one who despises you; love for the one who holds you in contempt; love for the one who would rather see you dead; love for the one who took something precious away from you; love for the one who dehumanizes and abuses you; love for the one who would destroy you.  Without the cross there would be no greater love in this world than mere human love; and if the world is to be saved and made whole, mere human love is not enough.

  Without the cross…

-          there would be no new life; no new creation.  The best you can do with your life is a good job.  You can polish your life and make it shiny; you can work real hard and accomplish much; you can put your nose to the grindstone and achieve; you can strive to be moral and upright.  You can do a good job.  But that is all. Through the cross and resurrection God can make you a new creation; a new person; transformed and renewed from the inside out; something that goes way beyond a good job!

 Without the cross…

-          there would be no peace with God.  It is you who has waged war against God.  It is you who has rebelled against God and gone your own way.  It is you who has pushed God over the edge, out of sight, out of mind.  It is you who thinks you can do life better than God can do life within you.   Without the cross there is no peace with God; only alienation, estrangement and hopelessness.  The cross is God declaring peace with you.  All God asks is that you accept it.  Without the cross there would be no peace with God.

 Without the cross…

-          despair and death win in the end because without the cross there is no resurrection.  Without the cross there is no ultimate hope of anything but oblivion beyond death.  Without the cross there is no hope that when you finally go to sleep that you will ever wake up.  Beyond the cross is an empty tomb; a tomb which gave birth to a living Lord who empowers us to live by nothing less than the very power of God.

 "The preaching of the cross is, I know, nonsense to those who are involved in a dying world, but to us who are being saved from that death, it is nothing less than the power of God."  1 Cor 1:18