Cross

Tree of Calvary

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Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14 ESV

This week on the election day, my wife spent almost 13 hours as I poll worker leaving me with I lots of free time alone. So during the day on Tuesday I worked on something God had been speaking to my heart about over the last week on learning to accept the passing of seasons in life. Slowly what began as a journal entry evolved into a rough poem and then into a song. Today I thought I’d share the first verse and chorus from Tree of Calvary. A video with this should be ready soon. Change is never easy because true change is irreversible and it means letting go of some things dear to us in order that we may take hold of things even better. May God bless you this week in your own life as with God’s help you are learning to let go so that you may reach out to all the great things that God has in store!

 
 
 

 To every life a season will come
 When autumn’s in the air
 And the cold winds blow, and the leaves do fa
 And change is everywhere
  
 Then I’ll lift my heart and sing to Him
 For His pardon rich and free
 His forgiveness washing all my sin
 From the tree of Calvary 

Tree of Calvary by Peter Caligiuri © 2020 All rights reserved

The Message of the Cross

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Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. Matthew 16:24 NIV

Some people wear a cross around their neck while others have bracelets or earrings, using it as a fashion statement. But even though the cross has become a popular design for jewelry, its message remains difficult to receive.

In Jesus’ day, no one wore a cross for decoration or thought it would be nice to have one on the peak of their roof. That is because the cross to them was both the most horrible way to die and also a constant threat to anyone who would dare to challenge the Roman rule. In fact, the very thought of crucifixion was so horrible that no one even mentioned it. But Jesus was not afraid to talk about the cross. As His time on earth neared its end, He repeatedly told His disciples about it. But just as it is today, the followers of Jesus couldn’t understand and were not ready to receive the sacrifice that Jesus was about to make for them. But instead of turning back, Jesus went to Calvary, freely giving Himself because of God’s great love for us. So today whether or not you wear one around your neck, ask yourself whether you have received the gift of the cross, through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. True faith means loving the cross and giving our lives to Him, just as He has for us. Only in His cross will we will discover the wonderful joy and peace of knowing that our sins are forgiven and that we will be with Him forever!

No Justice No Peace?

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And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments. Luke 23:34 ESV

I was struck by two events today: one great – the other terribly sad. First the great! Our church re-opened after 6 months: Yay!! Pastor Johnny Scott came in after an awesome worship service and preached on the unity that Jesus prayed for before He went to the cross.

He shared the message that we desperately need a revival of the holiness and unity in the church that Jesus prayed for. We are not divided in Christ. We are all His family. We are from every race and every nation. We are each unique. We are all kinds of people both poor and rich. No matter what anyone else thinks Jesus thought we were valuable enough to give His life for us.

But I was also struck by a sad second event that happened in Compton California today. There two deputies from the sheriff’s department lay in a hospital room fighting for their lives. They had been ambushed and shot in the head by unknown people who had as their goal division and hate.

Photo by Vidal Balielo Jr. on Pexels.com

Shockingly, while doctors and nurses battled to save their lives, a crowd gathered outside the emergency entrance of the hospital shouting for the death of the police. It reminded me of another scene 2,000 years ago when a different crowd demanded for Jesus to be crucified and Barabbas the murderer set free. They loudly screamed and insisted for so long that finally Pontius Pilate ordered for Jesus to be led away to Golgotha.

“No Justice – No Peace!” Is one of those often used phrases in the social justice movement. Of course it sounds pretty snappy, but I for one am glad that Jesus chose different words as He hung on the cross. Instead of demanding justice and the death of His executioners; He chose words of true peace. If Jesus had waited around for the world to get good enough to deserve His peace, He would still be waiting today. Instead He offered forgiveness. He offered a full pardon for all of us who are as guilty as Barabbas and as worthy of punishment as the shooters of those two innocent deputies. We have all sinned and wandered away from God’s love. The good news for today, is that Jesus came to bring something way better than justice. Jesus came to bring mercy. Jesus came to love. Those are things that I desperately need! How about you?