Holding High the Cross

In Colossians 2, we can gain insight into the significance of what Jesus did for us on the cross:
13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,
14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.
15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.

There is a death sentence upon each human life.  Because of sin, we deserved eternal punishment - separation from the God who created humanity.   We come into this earth in need of a redeemer, so that our human nature can be transformed by the power of God's Spirit.  The cross is a powerful reminder of the sacrifice that Jesus made - His paying of the penalty that each of us owed because of our sins.  He took our place on that cross and by so doing, surrendered to death, so that we might come to experience and enjoy new life.

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We continue to look at the events of Holy Week, and on this Good Friday, I want to read from John's account of Jesus on the cross. In chapter 19, we can read:
28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, "I thirst!"
29 Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth.
30 So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.

Corpus Christi, as you're probably aware, is a city in Texas.  Corpus is the Latin for "body," Christi for "Christ," so the city literally means "body of Christ."

It's interesting that the city named after Jesus Himself has a controversy over religious expression. You see, there's a local church called Abundant Life Fellowship that is behind the effort to build a large cross near Interstate 37 and it's projected to be one of the largest crosses in the world, according to a story on the KRISTV.com website.  And, the groundbreaking in January attracted the mayor and city council members.

That's where a local atheist who is known for stirring the religious freedom pot comes in.  His name is Patrick Greene and he believes the mayor and city council members violated their oath of office.

Greene says, "They have to remain neutral and they cannot show preference of one religion over another," adding, "because it gives the public the idea that the government, which has to remain neutral in every level of the United States, it takes away the neutrality." He's even threatening to sue the church!

He also wants the elected officials to admit they were wrong. But the City Attorney, Miles Risley, says that they weren't. Risley says after reviewing the event, he feels city leaders did nothing wrong. The attorney says council members have a right to attend ceremonial events such as that one.

He also pointed out that the construction of a monument like this stands to benefit the city as a whole and increase tourism to the area, not just promote a particular religion.

The television station reports that the cross will be 210 feet tall. And Pastor Rick Milby of Abundant Life says, "It'll be made of 5/8 inch cold rolled steel, be welded, and put together in sections," adding "The cross bar on the cross will be 95 feet wide. It will be 12 feet in diameter. The cross is so massive and so tall it will have a two foot deflection at the top, it will actually sway in the wind two feet back and forth." The estimated cost for the cross is 1 million dollars.

Here we have plans for a large visual structure that illuminates the central message of the Christian faith.   The message of the cross is that God sent His only Son to earth to give His life so that in Him we might have a right relationship with God and enjoy new life in Him.   The cross shows us that our sins have been forgiven, the penalty of eternal separation from God has been paid, and He has erased that chasm between God and humanity.   The cross is a symbol of life.

It is also a reminder of love.  Jesus endured shame and suffering to the point of death because of His great love for us.  He recognized our need for redemption, so He gave up His place in heaven and came to earth so that He could do what was necessary in order to bring us to Himself.

The cross also shows us the triumph of light over darkness, and we are called to radiate that light. We have been entrusted to share that message, the good news, of what Jesus has done.  The display of the cross, sometimes in dramatic fashion, such as the folks in Corpus Christi are doing, can communicate powerful truth about the love of God and the new life He has promised.