tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2722447614945782871.post111449426479587311..comments2023-09-12T11:31:20.729-05:00Comments on Straight-Friendly: SnakebitTimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01271248501086241494noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2722447614945782871.post-13431334191400949012012-02-25T13:09:44.801-06:002012-02-25T13:09:44.801-06:00Pam, I think you touch on something too often over...Pam, I think you touch on something too often overlooked. The incomparable power of the cross can be--and has been--channeled to create fear and guilt, which of course are two things it's meant to overcome. It goes back to your question, which Rob Bell also asks in <i>Love Wins</i> (which our church is reading and pondering during Lent): If Jesus's death is purposed to rescue us from God's wrath, what does that say about God? When we reduce the cross to a talisman that saves us from Hell, or when we embrace it simply because we feel guilty that Jesus died in our place, we miss the cross's power to transform us into living, vibrant sacrifices--extensions of the cross, if you will, that reflect its infinite love for humanity. It's much, much more than a get-out-of-Hell-free ticket or a debt we can never repay. It's the matchless offering of new life now and the assurance the debt we couldn't possibly repay has been erased. It's a life symbol, which is why God didn't end the story at Calvary, but came forth triumphant over death.<br /><br />And Cathy, you capture this so beautifully when you tie the cross to Christ's commandments to love God, our neighbors, and ourselves--all on the same level of self-sacrifice, to the point that our love fears nothing, not even death, and is willing to do anything, even to die. That's the beauty of Christ's obedience, I believe--its <i>willingness</i> that cancels any possibility this awesome love was the result of divine coercion. The cross stands as the ultimate freedom symbol, both in terms of Jesus's sacrifice being one of free will and the legacy of freedom it wills to all of us. Wow--we are <i>free to love</i>. That's utterly astounding!<br /><br />How right you both are: the cross compels us to live our lives in a manner that even death cannot stop--fearlessly, freely, abundantly, <i>overwhelmingly</i>. Yes, Cathy, it is the richest way to live!<br /><br />I'm so grateful for you both and what you say here. You have magnified the cross's beauty so richly. Thank you!<br /><br />Many blessings--and have a terrific weekend,<br />TimTimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01271248501086241494noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2722447614945782871.post-3635811557157468292012-02-25T09:47:16.454-06:002012-02-25T09:47:16.454-06:00I am awestruck by the sacrifice that Christ made. ...I am awestruck by the sacrifice that Christ made. Which one of us would willingly make this kind of offering. <br />It was made out of obedience to the Father and out of love for mankind. That love is so overpowering, Love was the main commandment that Christ shared. Love the Lord your God and love yourselves and your neighbors. Since He was obedient to His Father, why can't we try to be obedient also? <br />Living a life filled with love and sharing that love with everyone we meet, leads to a rich life. Not the money driven rich life many people strive for, but a richness that makes life worth living for.Cathy, apprentice alchemisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05364260411562206289noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2722447614945782871.post-8561346448834673702012-02-25T08:48:02.413-06:002012-02-25T08:48:02.413-06:00Tim,
The cross has meant many things for me along ...Tim,<br />The cross has meant many things for me along the journey---first back in my early years when my family attended a charismatic holiness church (you being of the Pentacostal genre--well you understand what I mean)--it was a symbol of "being saved" from the fear factor God of hell. It was my protection from the bad guy and I wore it proudly---around my neck.<br />Later it became my connection to the community of faith tying me in the same manner to those who entered the flowing river like Jesus or stood at baptismal fonts...it showed "I belonged".<br />I seminary, I began to wonder what it meant to say God sent his son to die---with the ultimate question being ----what does it say about God---needless to say that question when asked out loud in seminary did not go over well---so I won't go into it here. At that time, I stopped wearing the cross, I stopped taking the sacrament until later....<br />Now the cross is a symbol for <br />being willing to live out God's love in a manner that even dealth cannot stop one from doing it...it means there is a cost...sometimes a big one......it means loving those we don't love, going into places we'd rather not go...and yet we know the end of the story.....you can try to hold back God's love, try to overpower it...try to put it in a tomb...<br />but out of dust and ashes and death..new hope arises in ways we never expect. <br /><br />Today, I have a crucifix ( a blue mexican one with flowers placed in my office at work--to remind me--Hope, love and faith undergird my journey into the world...wherever it is. i no longer wear a cross, but have worn a small round labyrinth to represent my continuous journey to and away from God and back again....<br />have a wonderful Saturday...pAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01523060897792410266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2722447614945782871.post-45204466208171035572012-02-25T02:26:16.886-06:002012-02-25T02:26:16.886-06:00When I look at the cross, I see a promise that giv...When I look at the cross, I see a promise that gives birth to many more promises. I see eternal life that exists now—life as Jesus described it, “to the full”—and continues for all time. I see transformation on sight, as God’s Spirit grants me new eyes of faith that focus on what natural eyes can’t see. And I see amazing love and acceptance in a gift too great to be confined by manmade doctrines, ignorance, and fear. In a way, I see me at the foot of the cross, looking at a God Who offered to die just so I could be there. (Now it’s your turn.)Timhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01271248501086241494noreply@blogger.com