The Road to the Cross

The Road to the Cross

(Excerpts derived from Pastor Jeff Kristensen’s sermon from April 1st, 2012)

Have you ever noticed the radical difference between the way society views a cross today than how it was viewed yesterday?

Today, we present them to loved ones as a sign of love.

We adorn our churches with them.

Even wear them proudly.

Yesterday, they were a sign of crucifixion.

A sign of public execution.

A sign of death.

Had it not been for Jesus Christ, we probably would have never known about crosses; yet,

He went to the cross.

Do you not think He could have escaped?

Of course He could have.

God had a different plan for His son, though.

God loved us SO much that he gave up His one and only Son. Jesus was vividly aware of this. He understood that this was His destiny and today, we can all find peace in knowing that we can find eternal salvation by having Faith in Him.

This said, the sign of the cross is a powerful reminder of this ultimate sacrifice.

A sign of our eternal salvation and God’s love for us all.

A sign that we will be reunited with loved ones.

A sign of Mercy…

Forgiveness..

Grace.

This past weekend, I decided to tour the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range on my road bike.  Although my intent that day was to get an above-average workout in (‘figured I might as well since I drove an hour and a half out of town to get to those hills in the first place, right?), my ride was side-tracked by this cross on the side of the road.

I pondered what may have happened.

Was Jack riding his bike one day on this windy, hillside road with barely any shoulder and did a car veer off the road?

Could he have been just walking along with a friend, kicking rocks along the way, playing with a stick?

What about his friend or friends who may have been with him?

My mind wandered… and wondered.

No more than a couple of miles up the road, I came upon THIS cross.

Same thing.

I tried to wrap my brain around the sequence of events.

Gerry seemed to have a more “grown up” sign and grown up name.

It was simple; yet, dirty.

His cross did not have the pretty, what appeared to be, imported grass (perhaps from loving parents) like Jack’s did.

His had wild grass all around.

No clearing of weeds.

No artificial lights.

Just a sign.

And it was greasy.

This, too, made me wonder if the grease stains were intentionally placed there.

Was Gerry a construction worker who perhaps had no family other than his co-workers?

As a gesture of saying goodbye, could they have each placed a smudge of grease onto the cross?

Who knows.

I continued on my way before finally stopping for a drink a few miles further down the road and in front of me, I saw THIS cross.

I felt as though God was telling me to not be sad.

That He had them in His arms and was taking good care of them.

I left that day feeling good again.

Went on to enjoy the remainder of my descent from the mountain and it… was… FUN!

Life… has a way of teaching us things if we open up our hearts and clear our minds.

Live with an open heart.

Live Free.