The Call of the Cross

We believe that the history of the world is but the history of His influence and that the center of the whole universe is the cross of Calvary. ~Alexander Maclaren

It was almost more than this woman could bear, this woman who birthed the Holy Child.   The pain in its intensity allowed no room for tears, just  groans pushed from her breaking heart.  How can a mother watch her child suffer without suffering herself?

As she opened her eyes, gazing upward, it was there--the cross, rising high above it all.  Above the soldiers' bickering over the Crucified's clothing, above the followers of Jesus who believe He is the Son of God, above the thieves hanging on their own crosses.  Above this woman called Mother, yes, the cross rose high above it all.

Last evening I watched young people, fresh from studying Greek, Methods of Teaching and Theology, perform "Behold the Lamb."  They led me once again to the cross.  I scribbled furiously in the dark, as I witnessed the scenes unfold.   My pen danced in time with the palms waving in praise as Jesus entered Jerusalem.  It slowed in shame as Judas, chosen by Jesus to be His disciple, betrayed his Lord.  And then, the cross!  Hundreds of years after Mary watched her Son die, another woman stilled her pen, gazing upward to look at the cross.

The things of earth call--the noise of constant chatter, the daily activities of living, the dismay of heartaches--and yet still, the cross rises high above it all.  Somewhere amid the journey to Calvary, the pounding of the nails, the pressing of the thorns, the Sacrifice is made.  In those hallowed moments--when the sky darkens, when the veil of the temple is torn from top to bottom, when God Himself turns His back on the sin His Son died for, that cross becomes the symbol of the sacrifice.


It is our responsibility to raise that cross for others.  Our Savior promised, And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.  That cross pierces the darkness, calling us to a holy walk with Him.  I hear the call while preparing for Resurrection Sunday.  The writer of Leviticus first recorded God's convicting words, Be ye holy as I am holy.   Peter quoted the words in his book:  Because it is written, Be ye holy as I am holy.


In the imperfections of Peter I see hope.  Hope that amid my impetuousness, amid the careless betrayals my actions sometimes speak, amid the failure in allowing sleep to overtake the call for prayer, that I can claim that holy walk calling to me.  The call of the cross rises high!