Thank You for the Cross

When I think of summer, I don’t think of Easter. Maybe that’s just me, but, ya know, Easter’s for springtime and bunnies and lambs and chicks, right?

Well, come to find out…

Easter season actually lasts for over a month (forty to fifty days, according to my online sleuthing). You see, there’s this handy dandy thing called a church calendar because, as it so happens, we celebrate a lot more than Christ’s birth, death, and resurrection. In fact, there are specific times associated with…

Advent (four weeks spent awaiting His birth),

Christmas (twelve days of celebrating His birth),

Epiphany (time to reflect on His ministry),

Lent (forty days to prepare for and ponder His sacrifice),

Holy Week (covering Palm Sunday, Good Friday, Resurrection Sunday, etc),

Easter (seven weeks of CELEBRATING!),

Ascension Sunday (when He ascends to Heaven),

Pentecost (thanking the Holy Spirit for being among us),

Trinity Sunday (honoring the Father, Son, and Spirit),

…And then it’s just ordinary time until Advent begins again.

Why’s this calendar so striking? Friends, it highlights the importance of remembering Christ… not just on holidays or Sundays… but every day. And ultimately, that’s the purpose of this seemingly-harsh sticker.

While we may not like to dwell on His cross and crucifixion, that suffering is exactly what we need to focus on. The power of His resurrection and our redemption… would be lost, if not for the death and despair that happened first.

There’s a common saying about Jesus’ cross: it wasn’t nails that held Him up there, but His love for us. That’s why we need to thank Him. Remember Him. Praise Him through the highs and lows.

For He left the highest heights of Heaven to come down to the lowest levels of the grave. For us. For you.

And all we can say is thank You… day after day after day.