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 Our Voices From the Pastor April 2009
From the Pastor
April 2009
Many of you know I have a cross collection which usually hangs on the wall in my office. I have
crosses from the United States, from Europe, from the Middle East, from Asia, and from Africa. I have
some given to me by my mother, by friends, and some that I have purchased myself. Each one has a special
story behind it, and each one is special to me.
My collection is packed away for the duration of the building project. I do not want to risk any
damage to the crosses due to all the shaking, pounding, dust, etc.
When the collection is put back on the wall, there will be two new additions—gifts which I have been
given in recent days. One of the new crosses is a very simple, yet elegant gently curved piece, made of
light colored wood. It was given to a member by a stranger one day while she was in a restaurant, and I
am glad she thought of me!
The other is a larger cross, made of rougher wood, but also with a curve to it. This one was handmade
for me by one of our 3rd graders—it even has a message for me on it.
Both crosses are beautiful in their own way, made even more so by the thought behind them.
The cross that Jesus died upon was not a beautiful thing, if one thinks about it. Crucifixion was one
of the most horrible ways to die, as one hung in agony, waiting to suffocate. But Christ’s cross is made
beautiful by God’s triumph over death and by the grace, salvation, and eternal life given to us because
of his sacrifice.
The cross of Good Friday is ugly. It represents all of the sinful things about our world and about us:
greed, selfishness, lack of faith, envy, deceit ... the list goes on and on.
But the cross of Easter, while still reminiscent of the suffering our Lord endured for and because of
us, is made beautiful by the grace and love of God. God transformed the world through the cross of Christ,
and he transforms each of us by its power and promises.
This Holy Week and Easter, I encourage you to ponder all aspects of the cross: Pain and comfort ...
despair and hope ... sin and forgiveness ... sorrow and joy ... death and life. Only God could take
something so terrifying as a cross and make of it something wonderful. Only God could take a people so
broken by sin and make them whole.
Thanks be to God for this glorious gift!
In Christ,
Pastor Brenda
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