Page 39 - Lenten Devotional 2021 updated 01-21

Day 25 - What Does The Cross Mean To You?

Scripture:
“Then he delivered Him to them to be crucified. Then they took Jesus [a]and led
Him away. And He, bearing His cross, went out to a place called the Place of a
Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha, where they crucified Him, and two
others with Him, one on either side, and Jesus in the center.” John 19:16-17

Reflection:
The cross of Calvary is where the Lamb of God was slain and where the Son of
God gave His life so that we might live. It is at the cross of Calvary that we see
man at his worst and God at His best. Considered the most sacred place in the
entire world, some say it’s where angels wept, and demons rejoiced. Some refer
to it as the place where He who had no sin in Him had all of the sins laid on
Him. I simply say that the cross of Calvary is where the blood for our cleansing
was drawn from Emmanuel’s veins and where sinners plunged beneath the flood,
causing them to lose all their guilty stains. At Calvary, we find the cross and it is
here that I ask, what does the cross mean to you?

Throughout time, there has never been nor ever will be, a form of death mo re
horrendous, excruciating, or humiliating than death by crucifixion. Crucifixion
was a harsh and inhumane way to die, but Jesus, wearing a crown made of thorns,
having been mocked, beaten and dragged through the streets, half stumbling,
made His way to Calvary while carrying the cross that He would soon be nailed
to. The cross, heavy not because it was made out of heavy wooden beams, but
because it was full of every sin committed: past, present, and future. Every lie,
every dishonest act, every murder, every envy, every lust, every blasphemy,
every evil thought…they were all on that cross. Yet, it was our Savior, Jesus who
gave Himself for our redemption by going to the cross. So, I ask again, what does
the cross mean to you?

If the cross doesn’t mean anything, then I beg you, during this Lenten Season, to
take time and consider what Jesus did on the cross. Consider the cross is more
than what we wear as an ornamental reminder that we are Christians. The cross
is love in action. Romans 5:8 declares God showed His love for us, even while
we were still sinners, and sent His Son Jesus Christ to die for us. The cross
reminds us God did what God had to by sending His Son so that we could live
eternally with Him. It is for that reason, I will cling to the old rugged cross, and
exchange it someday for a crown.

Prayer:
Father, in Your Name, help us to embrace not just the cross, but the One Who
gave His life on the cross. Help us to see Your love on the cross and share that
love with others…until we all know You.

About The Contributor:
Rev. Dana Porter Ashton, Pastor
Union Chapel AME, Cambridge, MD

A 40-day Journey through a Season of Fasting and Praying 47