The Cross brings change

Ruth Kingston was on the first TOM team that resided in Richhill.  She is also my second cousin.  I asked her to write a reflection on the cross.

I’ve heard it said that the Bible is the ultimate love story, this being the case Jesus’ death on the cross is a complete and full sign of God’s love for humanity. The cross restores a broken and hopeless people to what they were meant to be.

I remember when I was small I attended almost every Bible club going. I loved it and I’m not quite sure where I’d be today without such opportunities for growth. But I remember far too many times leaving camp feeling like this time I’ll be different; I’ll be worthy of the name Christian. And about an hour later I’d arrive home to a hair pulling competition with my sister. Feeling like a complete failure, with something like Matthew 5 ‘Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect’ going around in my head, I’d tell myself the next day I’ll act more like Jesus. But that’s just it, I’ll never measure up to God’s standard of utter perfection and holiness.

The cross is where God’s demand for absolute perfection and absolute grace meet. 2 Cor. 5 v21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. Scott McKnight said that Good Friday deals with the cracks in each person, Easter morning renews us to walk again and Pentecost empowers us to be a kingdom community. Although I constantly mess up I know that because of God’s grace I’m forgiven and that God’s spirit helps me walk closely with him. Rom 7 v6 but now by dying to what once bound us; we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit. Praise God that he doesn’t just leave us in the mess that we are in, but dusts us off and sets us on the right track again.