Friday, April 22, 2011

Good Friday

From The Cross of Christ by John Stott:

I could never myself believe in God, if it were not for the cross.  The only God I believe in is the One Nietzsche ridiculed as "God on the cross."  In the real world of pain, how could one worship a God who was immune to it.  I have entered many Buddhist temples in different Asian countries and stood respectfully before the statue of Buddha, his legs crossed, arms folded, eyes closed, the ghost of a smile playing round his mouth, a remote look on his face, detached from the agonies of the world.  But each time after a while I have to turn away.  And in imagination I have turned instead to that lonely, twisted, tortured figure on the cross, nails through the hands and feet, back lacerated, limbs wrenched, brow bleeding from thorn-pricks, mouth dry and intolerably thirsty, plunged in God-forsaken darkness. That is the God for me!  He laid aside his immunity to pain.  He entered our world of flesh and blood, tears and death.  He suffered for us.  Our sufferings become more manageable in the light of his.

2 comments:

  1. Amen and amen. Sacrifice of Love=Good Friday.

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  2. I don't think I understood what God did for us until I had my sweet babies. I just couldn't imagine giving either of my children for another human being and God gave His only Son for me....I'm so not worth it but I praise my sweet heavenly Father that he loved me enough to make the ultimate sacrifice. Praise God He's alive!!

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