The crucifixion seemed to many...
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The crucifixion seemed to many to mark the utter defeat of Jesus. His death on the cross was painful and debasing. Yet the cross has become a symbol for the greatest victory ever won. It was the victory of life over death. So the cross today is held in highest esteem. Christians are pleased to wear it, and it is placed conspicuously atop the steeples of churches, as a sign of triumph. This true story has been told about the experience of an English bobby, or policeman. One evening, shortly after dark, the policeman was patrolling his beat when he heard sobs coming from the doorstep of a nearby house. Upon investigating, he discovered a small boy who was crying because he was lost. He asked the policeman to take him home, but could not tell the name of the street on which he lived. First, the policeman named quite a few streets, hoping one of the names would prove familiar to the lost boy. But none of them did. Then the policeman named some public buildings and a hotel in the area, but that did no good. Then he remembered the church that was in the center of the town. It had a large, white cross high up on the steeple. The policeman lifted the little boy up and pointing to the steeple asked, "Do you live anywhere near that?" At once the boy began to smile and said, "Yes. Take me to that cross. I know my way home from there." Just so, the cross has become a means for lost souls to find their way home, into the Father's heart of love. By accepting God's offer of forgiveness through faith in the cross of Christ, we who would otherwise be lost find our way to our heavenly home. -- Lentz
