It is an interesting thing to think about- what message does the cross send? For many the cross is an icon or symbol that hangs around their neck or sits on a table or hangs on a wall. For others it is a piece of art. For some it carries the emotions of the religion of their upbringing. Sadly, for others the cross has been used as a symbol of war or hatred. In this case, nothing could be further from the truth.
The beauty of the cross is that it demonstrates the depths of God's love for us. The cross is an open invitation. The cross is God spreading open His arms and saying "All may come." God does not turn His back on His creation, though His creation turned their backs on Him. God says come to me...anyone...no matter who you are and what you have done. Come to me and find forgiveness. I love you so much and here is how I will demonstrate that to you. The cross is a reminder that no one is too far away from God to be loved by Him. No one has rejected God so much that they cannot feel the grace of the cross.
This is what is the saddest about those groups of people who like to talk about who God hates, and who deserves Hell. The thing is that we all deserve Hell. We have all done things that have rejected God and deserve His punishment. The cross tells us that God hates no one. He loves everyone so much that He came to take that punishment so that we do not have to. The cross is an instrument of torture that Christ endured out of great love for us.
In this series we will continue to take a look at the cross and grow in our wonder and amazement about a perfect God who loves imperfect people so much that He would hang on the most cruel devices ever created to provide us a way to know Him.
So the invitation is there for everyone...come to the cross. Find forgiveness and a God who loves you beyond anything you could ever imagine or comprehend.