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March 13, 2005

Sermon Archive

MEANING OF THE CROSS:

GOD'S REDEEMING PURPOSE

    

THIS LENTEN SEASON WE HAVE BEEN CONSIDERING THE MEANING OF THE CROSS. LAST SUNDAY, WE THOUGHT ABOUT THE MEANING OF THE CROSS AS SIGNIFYING THE FORGIVENESS OF OUR SINS.

THIS WEEK ANOTHER RELATED THOUGHT COMES TO MIND. THE CROSS REMINDS US OF GOD'S REDEEMING PURPOSE.

PERHAPS THE WORDS OF THE LENTEN HYMN SAY IT BEST, "

"WHAT WONDROUS LOVE IS THE, O MY SOUL, O MY SOUL, WHAT WONDROUS LOVE IS THIS, O MY SOUL! WHAT WONDROUS LOVE IS THIS THAT CAUSED THE LORD OF BLISS TO BEAR THE DREADFUL CURSE FOR MY SOUL, FOR MY SOUL, TO BEAR THE DREADFUL CURSE FOR MY SOUL."

"WHAT WONDROUS LOVE IS THIS, O MY SOUL, O MY SOUL, WHAT WONDROUS LOVE IS THIS, O MY SOUL! WHAT WONDROUS LOVE IS THIS, THAT CAUSED THE LORD OF LIFE TO LAY ASIDE HIS CROWN FOR MY SOUL, FOR MY SOUL, TO LAY ASIDE HIS CROWN FOR MY SOUL."

THE CROSS TOO REMINDS US OF GOD'S REDEEMING PURPOSE.

YET, UNFORTUNATELY, THE CROSS MAY REMIND US OF OTHER REALITIES TOO.

PERHAPS SOME OF YOU HAVE SEEN OR READ THE BOOK ENTITLED WHEN BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE. THE AUTHOR BRINGS OUT THE HARD REALITY THAT BAD THINGS SOMETIMES DO HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE. AND THE CROSS REMINDS US OF THAT. JESUS TOO WAS A GOOD PERSON. IN FACT, HE WAS A VERY GOOD PERSON. HE WAS EVEN THE SON OF GOD. YET, HE DIED ON A CROSS.

THE CROSS REMINDS US THAT BAD THINGS UNFORTUNATELY CAN HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE.

THE CROSS CAN ALSO REMIND US OF THE COST OF SIN. GOD IS A HOLY GOD. SO THAT WHEN ANYONE SINS, EVEN IF WE ASK FOR FORGIVENESS, WE CANNOT BE JUSTIFIED ON OUR OWN MERITS BECAUSE WE HAVE SINNED AND ARE UNHOLY. SO, GOD SENT JESUS WHO DID NOT SIN AND AS THE SON OF GOD WAS ELIGIBLE TO TAKE OUR PLACE AND TO PAY FOR OUR SINS. BY DYING ON THE CROSS, HE DID JUST THAT, WILLINGLY.

AGAIN, THE COST OF SIN? IT COST GOD HIS ONLY SON.

THE CROSS CAN REMIND US TOO OF THE POWER OF EVIL. FOR SOMETIMES, EVEN WHEN WE TRY TO DO THE RIGHT THING OR EVEN IF ONE HAPPENS TO BE THE SON OF GOD, WE MAY NOT BE EXEMPTED FROM THE DESTRUCTIVENESS OF THE POWER OF EVIL.

UNFORTUNATELY, THE POWER OF EVIL IS SOMETHING NOT NEW TO US. WE SEE IT ILLUSTRATED IN THE NEWSPAPERS AND ON TV ALL THE TIME. FROM DRUNK DRIVERS KILLING INNOCENT PEOPLE TO ORDINARY CITIZENS AND BRAVE SOLDIERS BEING CAUGHT IN THE CROSS FIRE OF WARS IN IRAQ AND OTHER PLACES AS WELL.

THE CROSS TOO CAN REMIND US OF THE LAMENT WHEN WE OR OTHERS SUFFER. EVEN JESUS HIMSELF WHEN HE WAS ON THE CROSS CRIED OUT, "MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAS THOU FORSAKEN ME?"

IF WE ARE HONEST, IT SEEMS AT TIMES THE CROSS AND ALL IT REPRESENTS, BAD THINGS HAPPENING TO GOOD PEOPLE, THE COST OF SIN, THE POWER OF EVIL, THE PAIN OF OUR LAMENTS ARE TOO MUCH TO BEAR.

SO, IS THERE ANY GOOD NEWS?

TONY CAMPOLO TELLS THE STORY OF A BLACK BAPTIST PREACHER IN THE INNER CITY OF PHILADELPHIA WHO PREACHED A SERMON TONY SAYS HE'LL NEVER FORGET. TONY PREACHED FIRST. HE WAS "HOT," SO "HOT" HE SAYS, THAT HE EVEN STOPPED AND LISTENED TO HIMSELF. HE SAT DOWN AND SAID TO HIS PASTOR: "NOW SEE IF YOU CAN TOP THAT ONE!"

"SON," SAID THE BLACK PASTOR, "YOU AIN'T SEEN NOTHIN' YET." FOR AN HOUR AND A HALF THE PASTOR REPEATED THESE WORDS OVER AND OVER AGAIN: "IT'S FRIDAY, BUT SUNDAY'S A COMIN'."

"I'VE NEVER HEARD ANYTHING LIKE IT," TONY SAID. "HE JUST KEPT SAYING IT. THE CONGREGATION WAS SPELLBOUND BY THE POWER OF IT."

"IT'S FRIDAY. MARY, JESUS' MOTHER IS CRYING HER EYES OUT. THAT'S HER SON UP THERE ON THE CROSS. HE'S DYING THE AGONIZING DEATH OF CRUCIFIXION AS A CRIMINAL. BUT IT'S ONLY FRIDAY," THE PREACHER SAID. "SUNDAY'S A COMIN'.

"THE APOSTLES WERE REALLY DOWN AND OUT. JESUS, THEIR LEADER, WAS BEING KILLED BY EVIL MEN. BUT IT WAS ONLY FRIDAY. SUNDAY IS A COMIN'.

"THE DEVIL THOUGHT HE HAD WON. 'YOU THOUGHT YOU COULD OUTWIT ME,' HE SAID, 'BUT I'VE GOT YOU NOW.' BUT IT WAS ONLY FRIDAY. SUNDAY IS A COMIN'."

"HE WENT ON LIKE THAT FOR 30 MINUTES, 40 MINUTES, AN HOUR. EACH TIME HE SAID, 'IT'S FRIDAY,' THE CROWD BEGAN TO RESPOND, 'BUT SUNDAY'S COMIN'. AN HOUR AND 15 MINUTES.

"IT'S FRIDAY AND EVIL HAS TRIUMPHED OVER GOOD. JESUS IS DYING UP THERE ON THE CROSS. THE WORLD IS TURNED UPSIDE DOWN. THIS SHOULDN'T HAPPEN. BUT IT'S ONLY FRIDAY. SUNDAY'S A COMIN'.

"IT'S FRIDAY. BUT SUNDAY IS COMIN'. MARY MAGDALENE WAS OUT OF HER MIND WITH GRIEF. HER LORD WAS BEING KILLED. JESUS HAD TURNED HER LIFE FROM SIN TO GRACE. NOW HE WAS DEAD. BUT IT'S ONLY FRIDAY. SUNDAY IS A COMIN'."

THE PLACE WAS ROCKING. FOR AN HOUR AND A HALF. "FRIDAY! BUT SUNDAY IS A COMIN'. FRIDAY. BUT SUNDAY IS A COMIN'.

"THE SISTERS AND THE BROTHERS ARE SUFFERING. IT JUST ISN'T FAIR...ALL THEY HAVE TO GO THROUGH, BUT IT'S ONLY FRIDAY. SUNDAY IS COMIN'."

"I WAS EXHAUSTED," TONY SAID. "IT WAS THE BEST SERMON I'VE EVER HEARD. THE OLD PREACHER WAS SAYING IT AND THE PEOPLE WERE WITH HIM. 'IT'S FRIDAY, BUT SUNDAY IS A COMIN'. IT WAS POWERFUL," TONY SAID. "IT WAS PERSONAL."

THE CROSS, THEN, WITH ALL THE BAD AND EVIL IT REPRESENTS, CAN ONLY BE UNDERSTOOD IN THE LIGHT THE RESURRECTION. FOR AS THE BLACK PREACHER UNDERSTOOD, "IT'S FRIDAY, BUT SUNDAY IS A COMIN'"

AND IT IS NOT JUST BECAUSE THE PREACHER PROCLAIMED IT. IT IS BECAUSE GOD'S REDEEMING POWER IS ALWAYS GREATER.

SOME TIME AGO, WHEN MY MOTHER, UNFORTUNATELY WAS DYING, I WAS DEVASTATED. BUT, AT THE SAME, TIME I COULD LITERALLY FEEL THE POWER OF YOUR PRAYERS AND OTHERS. AND I NOTICED WITHIN MYSELF THAT I WHILE WAS FEELING THE LOST OF MY MOTHER, THE SENSE OF SUPPORT I FELT FROM YOUR PRAYERS AND FROM GOD WAS GREATER. I HAD EXPERIENCED GOD'S REDEEMING POWER WHEN I NEEDED THE MOST.

SO, EVEN WHEN IT WAS FRIDAY, I DISCOVERED FOR MYSELF THAT IT WAS ALREADY SUNDAY TOO.

SO, THE MEANING OF THE CROSS? IT DOES INDEED REPRESENT GOD'S REDEEMING PURPOSE. FOR AS THE HYMN "THIS IS MY FATHER'S WORLD" SAYS, "THAT THOUGH THE WRONG SEEMS OFT SO STRONG, GOD IS THE RULER YET."

SO, THOUGH AT TIMES WE CAN FEEL DOWN, AND OFTEN FOR GOOD REASON, REMEMBER TOO GOD'S REDEEMING POWER IS ALWAYS AT WORK.

IT MAY BE FRIDAY, BUT......... (SUNDAY IS A COMING.)

WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR YOU, THEN, THAT IT MAY BE FRIDAY, A DARK DAY FOR YOU FOR SOME REASON? YET, ALSO, WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR YOU, SUNDAY IS A COMIN'? IF YOU DON'T KNOW, JUST ASK GOD. AND IF YOU LISTEN, GOD WILL LET YOU KNOW HOW SUNDAY IS A COMIN' IN YOUR LIFE.

LET US PRAY.

DEAR GOD,

THANK YOU FOR YOUR REDEEMING PURPOSE AS EXPRESSED THROUGH THE CROSS. YET, SOMETIMES TOO THE CROSS REMINDS US OF ALL THAT SEEMS WRONG WITH LIFE AND THE WORLD. HELP US TO REMEMBER THEN, BECAUSE OF THE GREATER POWER OF YOUR REDEEMING LOVE, "IT'S MAY BE FRIDAY, BUT SUNDAY IS A 'COMIN." AMEN.

 

 

 

 

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