Day 37 :: God on a Cross

“Messiah, is He? King of Israel?
Then let Him climb down from that cross.
We’ll all become believers then!”
Even the men crucified alongside Him
joined in the mockery.”

Mark 15:32

In the book, The Cross of Christ, author John Stott writes this descriptive reality about the cross:

I could never myself believe in God if it were not for the cross. The only God I believe in is the one Nietzsche ridiculed as “God on the Cross.” In the real world of pain, how could one worship a God who was immune to it? I have entered many Buddhist temples in different Asian countries and stood respectfully before the statue of Buddha, his legs crossed, arms folded, eyes closed, the ghost of a smile playing round his mouth, a remote look on his face, detached from the agonies of the world. But each time after awhile I have had to turn away. And in imagination, I have turned instead to that lonely, twisted, tortured figure on the cross, nails through his hands
and feet, back lacerated, limbs wrenched, brow bleeding from thorn pricks, mouth dry and intolerably thirsty, plunged in God-forsaken darkness. That is the God for me!

He laid aside his immunity to pain. He entered our world of flesh and blood, tears and death. He suffered for us. Our sufferings become more manageable in the light of his. There is still a question mark against human suffering, but over it we boldly stamp another mark, the cross which symbolizes divine suffering.*

Reflection: Jesus suffered a brutal death. He was executed on a stake as a criminal. Many were they who came within spitting distance of this so-called Messiah. Somehow many of us have become numb to this scene. Perhaps, ever so slowly it has become buried under the rubble of pop culture and consumerist religion. Spend some time reflecting on these penetrating words by Alexander Whyte:

You will understand that spitting scene that night
when God lets you see your own heart.*

Prayer: Humbly ask God to reveal to you what your heart looks like without Christ. Allow this image to produce within you gratefulness today for what He’s done and how He’s begun to give you a new heart.

*John Stott, The Cross of Christ, 326-327.
*Alexander Whyte, The Best of Alexander Whyte, 76.

Day 36 of Lent :: Outside the Gate

“And they brought Him to the place Golgotha,
which is translated, Place of a Skull.”

Mark 15:22

“I want to recover the truth that Jesus was not crucified on an altar between two candlesticks,
but on a garbage heap at a crossroads of the world . . .
...where soldiers gambled and cynics talked smut.”
George McCloud

Reflection: Sit in hushed silence with God today, enjoying Him, cherishing these moments as precious gifts to you and blessings to Him. There is sorrow in the cross, but also great joy. The anticipation of joy is what enabled Jesus to endure the horror of Calvary. Read the following quote slowly, and offer it as a prayer (or give your own) to the Lord based on the joy you sense as you consider the cross today. In your own mind, stand at the top of Mount Calvary. See the crowds coming and going below. See the massive Temple and the beautiful city of Jerusalem. Hear the conversations of those who’ve come up the hill. Watch Jesus take the final steps to the
top. Imagine His emotions, thoughts, and fears.

Carefully consider the following verses:

“For the bodies of those animals whose blood is
brought into the holy place
by the high priest as an offering for sin,
are burned outside the camp. Therefore Jesus also,
that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered
outside the gate.
So, let us go out to Him outside the camp,
bearing His reproach. “

Hebrews 13:11-13

Reflection: See Jesus suffering outside the gate of Jerusalem. Go to him, bearing (figuratively carrying) his reproach (suffering, reviling, upbraiding). This simply means to feel within and have a deep appreciation for all He endured, willing to suffer yourself, if it will further His kingdom.

After a while, write a few words expressing your thoughts and compassion to Christ.

Prayer: Lord, you who own the cattle on a thousand hills now suffer reproach on one of them. The scent of your sacrifice is a stench in the nostrils of those who do not understand, those who look the other way, those who clutch their rebellion to their blackened heart. But to me Lord, it is sweet -- sometimes too strong for my sinful soul – but sweet nonetheless. Help me to breathe deeply that your aroma of death might finally permeate my heart of hearts.*

*Prayer by Tricia McCary Rhodes in Contemplating the Cross, 98.

Day 35 of Lent :: In My Place

Read the following verse, very slowly.

"God demonstrates His own love toward us,
in that while we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us.”

Romans 5:8

How can hope be expressed in the face of senseless suffering? It began with a story that Elie Wiesel, a survivor of the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz, relates in his book Night:

“The SS hung two Jewish men and a boy before the assembled inhabitants of the camp. The men died quickly but the death of the boy lasted half an hour. ‘Where is God?’ a man behind me asked. As the boy, after a long time, was still in agony on the rope, I heard the man cry again, “Where is God now?” And I heard a voice within me answer, ‘Here He is—He is hanging here on this gallows.’”*

Reflection: Take a few moments and reflect on the above verse from 2 Corinthians combined with the image of “God hanging in the gallows.”

“As you gaze upon the cross, and long for conformity to Him,
be not weary or fearful because you cannot express in words what you seek.
Ask Him to plant the cross in your heart.
Believe in Him, the crucified and now living one,
to dwell within you, and breathe His own mind there.”

Andrew Murray

Prayer: Oh God, I hear Your victory cry, and I want to shout, too. My heart has wept with You, and now I rejoice in Your joy at going to Your Father. I see You leaving that Cross, and there stained with Your life’s blood are my own sins – a certificate of debt I could never pay – nailed to the wood with the nails that once held You there. But You are gone; You have paid it all, and I wonder how I can ever express my praise.*

*Eli Wiesel, The Night Trilogy: Night, Dawn, Day, 82.
*Prayer by Tricia McCary Rhodes in Contemplating the Cross, 149.

Fasting Focus :: Sixth Week of Lent

Sixth Week of Lent
Sacrifice

Time

This Holy Week, we will be reflecting on the sacrifice of Christ, where the Infinite, Eternal God stepped into time and space. As such, this week, we will be fasting our time.

Go out of your way for others this week. Fast from indulging yourself time-wise. Get up a half-hour or an hour earlier. Make it a goal this week to bless someone else through your words or actions daily; to give someone else the gift of your listening ear. Resist the urge to share your troubles, and instead focus on someone else and helping to share in theirs. Commit this week to doing something for someone else. Perhaps, help a friend move or paint, serve the poor, stop and help a stranger, especially if you are in a hurry to get somewhere.

Keep journal entries of what it’s like to spend your time on others.

Day 34 of Lent :: Thirsty

“After this, Jesus,
knowing that all things had already been accomplished,
in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled,
said, ‘I am thirsty.’”

John 19:28

Reflection: Does Christ still thirst? As He looks at our world, are there things that He longs to see transpire? How will you respond to His thirst? What difference will it make in your own life?

“How do you approach the thirst of Jesus?
Only one secret – the closer you come to Jesus,
the better you will know His thirst.
Jesus thirsts even now,
in your heart and in the poor...
He knows your weakness,
He wants only your love,
wants only the chance to love you.”

Mother Teresa

Prayer: Oh Jesus, how I long to quench Your thirst. I see You there, and I want to run with a cool glass of water from a fresh spring. For this is what You did for me when my soul dwelt in a dry and thirsty land. You came rushing in, oh River of life, and now from my innermost being flow forth springs of living water. I will quench Your thirst, dearest Savior. To a lost and dying world, I will offer a cup in Your name.

Day 33 of Lent :: When Heaven Kisses Eart

“When we look at His cross,
we understand His love.
His head is bent down to kiss us.
His hands are extended to embrace us.
His heart is wide open to receive us.”

Augustine of Hippo

Reflection: Come in deep reverence to spend time in God’s presence today. Gently open your heart -- see yourself taking off your shoes to enter the holy of holies where God will speak to your own heart.

Read the following verses as a prayer back to Christ

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth,
visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or
authorities – all things have been created through Him and for Him.
He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”
Colossians 1:15-17

Reflection: Ponder the contrast of the two images depicted here: the one by Augustine and the one by the Apostle Paul. These are both vivid images of Who Christ is.

Reflect on what great a God we have.

He holds everything together by the power of His might, yet allowed Himself to be nailed down and held lifeless on a tree.

In silence, take a few deep breaths, relax and visualize yourself before the cross looking at the image of Jesus presented by Augustine: Head bent down to kiss you, Hands extended to embrace you, Heart wide open to receive you. You may want to repeat these lines several times under your breath. Take time to simply be with Christ, receive His love and experience His embrace…

Day 32 of Lent :: Looking Up

“The very existence of the cross,
and of the crucified Christ, forces
us to make a crucial decision:
Will we look for God somewhere else,
or will we make the cross,
and the crucified Christ,
the basis of our
thought about God?”

Alistair E. McGrath

The Psalmist poses the question:

“I will lift up my eyes to the mountains;

from where shall my help come?

Then he answers: My help comes from the LORD,

who made heaven and earth.”

Psalm 121:1-2

Reflection: Quietly consider this reality. Allow your mind to reflect on the truth that the Maker of Heaven and Earth is personally concerned with the details of your life, ready to send help whenever you call upon Him.

Seek to focus solely on God who meets you here, asking him to remove mental distractions. Ask Him to write His word for you from the Cross on your heart this day.