#2651 (4/24) "Missing the Power of the Cross"

"MISSING THE POWER OF THE CROSS" - Tony Perkins, Washington Watch, April 19, 2019; https://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=WA19D46&f=WU19D14

     Just a little over a month ago, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments on a World War I monument honoring 49 men who died in the war to end all wars. The memorial, built by the American Legion in 1925, is just 10 miles from SCOTUS in Bladensburg, Maryland. As they have in most towns, the American Humanist Society sued the city, demanding it tear down the 43-foot tribute that's been standing for almost 100 years. The reason? The memorial is a cross, which the humanists say violates the so-called separation of church and state.

   It's hard to imagine how the monument -- which has been in place for 94 years -- is suddenly in violation of the Constitution. The families who dedicated the memorial in 1925 to the fallen soldiers would have never imagined this country tearing down the cross. But, if the Supreme Court were to uphold the lower court decision, it could lead to -- not just this cross being torn down -- but crosses all across the nation, including Arlington National Cemetery.

   There are a lot of people, including FRC's legal experts, who believe there's a good chance the justices will decide in favor of the Peace Cross. But the court would most likely reach that decision by seeing the cross as a purely symbolic and historical statement. 
   As Justice Stephen Breyer said about the cross's age, "History counts. But no more." In today's world, he argued, such an overt reference to the religion wouldn't be acceptable. "We're a different country. We are a different country now, and there are 50 more different religions."
   Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg seemed skeptical that the cross could survive constitutional scrutiny on historical grounds. "It is the pre-eminent symbol of Christianity," she said. "People wear crosses to show their devotion to the Christian faith." 

   Both of their statements miss the most important point of all: the power of the cross. Whether it's a memorial to mark the graves of those who sacrificed their lives for freedom or the victims of a tragic accident on a highway, or a shooting at a public school, there's a reason people turn to the cross when faced with the reality of mortality and the beckoning of eternity. As Paul wrote, "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." [italics and colored emphasis mine]

   There are a lot of ways we can miss the life-transforming power of the cross. We can have the wrong focus -- concentrating on religion instead of a personal relationship with Jesus. We can have the wrong spirit, believing it's about God's judgment, not God's redeeming love. Or, we can have the wrong priorities, thinking it's about us and this world instead of about God and His kingdom.

   Jesus certainly understood the power of the cross. Of course, part of that resolve was because He knew it was God's plan. "For the Lord God will help me," Isaiah 50:7 tells us, "therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed."

   Our call to follow Him requires the same resolve. "If anyone desires to come after Me," Jesus said, "let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me." It's only in the total surrender to a relationship with Jesus, accepting God's redemptive love and forgiveness, that we can genuinely experience the life-transforming power of the cross.

....ask yourself: Does my life reveal the power of the cross?

[italics and colored emphasis mine]

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PRAYER MATTERS:

"To clasp the hands in prayer is the beginning of an uprising against 

the disorder of the world. -  Karl Barth

"Prayer is inviting God into a seemingly impossible situation and trusting/resting in His love and grace to accomplish His perfect will in His perfect time and for His greatest glory. Intercession is the one of the great privileges AND responsibilities for EVERY believer." - Stan

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Praying Through the Open Doors World Watch List for persecuted believers:https://www.opendoorsusa.org/take-action/pray/monthly-prayer-calendar/

The women of the persecuted church—in April, Open Doors is focusing on this group crucial to the spread of the gospel and thriving of the global Body of Christ. Throughout the world, 
women and girls are doubly persecuted: for their faith and for their gender. We invite you to step into their stories and pray with these sisters in Christ.
April 24 | INDONESIA - Indonesia has the largest population of Muslims in the world—approximately 13 percent. Pray for churches as they minister. Ask God to show them how to connect with Muslims in relevant ways.
*Names changed to protect identities