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The Message of the Cross Part I
Memory Verse: “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness, but unto us which are saved, it is the power of God.” 1Corinthians 1:18
Introduction
- The Holy Cross is the sign on which our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was crucified. It was an instrument of salvation, which the Lord make an instrument of salvation. After the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ, Jesus’ crucifiers buried the Holy Cross under a pile of dirt so that many would not be converted to Christianity because of the miracles by the Holy Cross. A righteous woman name Elena travelled to Jerusalem to find the it, and after a long search and prayer, she advised by a righteous man in Jerusalem to light a bone fire with incense. The smoke from the burning pile of branches with incense went up and descended to the place where the holy cross was buried. Thus, the Lord God granted her desire.
- We celebrate the founding of the cross by lighting bone fire with prayer to commemorate the founding of the Holy Cross every year on the 16th day of the first Ethiopian month – Meskerem (September 26). Half of the cross would later come to Ethiopia and rests at Gishen Mariam, a mountain with the shape of a cross.
- Why do we give a high reverence for the Sign of the Cross?
The Lesson
- The Romans in the early century used to punish anyone condemned to death on a cross.
- It was a sign that was feared for it was an instrument of condemnation and death.
- But after the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the cross has a different message and purpose:
- The Holy Cross is a sign of our salvation: During their exodus from Egypt to Jerusalem, the Israelites used to disobey the Lord God often. Once, the Lord God sent a venomous serpent among them, and many died of the serpent’s bite. They pleaded with Moses to pray for them, and after Moses’ prayer, the Lord God commanded him to make serpent from a brass and hang it on a pole. The Lord God said that whoever was bitten by the venomous serpent, would be healed if he/she looked at this brass serpent on a pole. /Numbers 21/ Likewise, when we focus on the Holy Cross, we see the crucified Jesus Christ who gave up His life so that we can have eternal life. It is on the Cross that we were redeemed from our sins and from death.
- The Holy Cross is a sign of love: Our Lord Jesus Christ said that there is no greater love than giving one’s life for another. He showed us that ultimate love by giving hi life on the Cross for our sake. It was not because He was powerless that He was crucified, but it is because He loved us that He willingly endured unimaginable pain and suffering on the Cross. The hatred of his crucifiers, the pain and affliction He endured was intolerable, but he tolerated all that because He loved us, and not only us but also those who crucified Him.
Conclusion: The Holy Cross is a sign of our salvation, and a sign of the Lord Jesus Christ’s love, for He paid the ultimate price of love – giving himself up unto death for our sake – on the Cross. Therefore, as instrument of our salvation we revere it, and try to live by its message.
Written By: host
Date Posted: 11/20/2012
Number of Views: 1832
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