Witness At The Cross
“The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe.”
When we come home, go to any type of gathering, or even run into someone unexpectedly, we try to catch up with people. Catching up usually means sharing stories of what we’ve been through recently. Maybe it’s a conversation about our day. Perhaps it’s that funny thing your dog did since the last time you saw this friend. As humans, we seem hard-wired to share what we experience with us. Telling our stories connects us with others. We get to know people through their stories, and they understand us.
It’s February, and we’re heading into the season of Lent. This holy time helps us reflect on the life, crucifixion, and resurrection of Christ. During Lent, we strengthen our connection to God in a variety of ways. Many of us give something up or try something new that helps us live and love more like Jesus. This month, we have an odd overlap. Both Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day fall on the same day. Juxtaposing this time of solemnity and sacrifice with a time we usually focus on love and indulgence feels really weird.
That may be the critical lesson for us this year. Our Lenten Bible study and sermon series are based on a book called Witness at the Cross by Dr. Amy-Jill Levine. What do we bear witness to? Asked differently, if someone asked you why the cross is necessary, what would you say? Words don’t seem to adequately capture what happens in Jesus’ crucifixion. It’s horrifying to see. It’s awful to think about. It’s tragic for those closest to Him. Yet because of the cross, we know salvation and victory. We see the love of God pushed to the extreme but never broken.
Many people in our lives don’t understand the difference that Jesus makes, and His terrible death makes Him harder to comprehend. This is why it’s critical that the people of Jesus know our story. It should be a story that we are comfortable sharing. That’s the goal of our journey together this Lent. While we may not have been physical witnesses at the cross of Christ, we are definitely witnesses to the power of the cross as well as the meaning of Jesus’ life and death. As we see the cross through the eyes of some of the people who saw it happen, let’s strengthen our personal witness about who Christ is and what He means to the world. We are witnesses. Witnesses testify to what they have seen and what they know. Share your story.
Pastor Scott
