The Cross and History

One of the most compelling quotes I have ever read about this season of the year is this, "There was a cross in the heart of God before there was one planted on a green hill outside Jerusalem."

As we come to the Easter season with all of its beauty, joy and celebration, it is incumbent upon us to remember why there was a resurrection. A tomb was emptied which was once occupied by the most unlikely figure in all of history. Christianity provides no quick leap from believing in God to celebrating the power of God to raise His Son. The cross represents how God bridged the great chasm created by sin which separated us from Him. If you have ever walked to the precipice of the Grand Canyon and viewed the vast expanse to the other side, you can appreciate what is was like for us to be so far from God, no leap from our side would get us to the other side. It was only when He reached out to us which brought us together. That bridge was His Son who sacrificed His life as an atonement, a payment, for our sin.

We are reminded "there can be no repetition of Calvary, only echoes," as so eloquently spoken by Frank Crumpler in his marvelous book on the cross. The cross of Christ is both a historical event as well as an infinitely eternal event. It is both a point in time and that which has no time. When Jesus came into the world eternity entered time as we know and understand it.

Please see "The Cross and History" continued on page 16