An Easter Message

A few weeks ago, I read this article, and thought it would be a perfect one to post for this Easter weekend. I won't add anything to it, as it says everything much better than I ever could. I will post an Easter song at the end, so I will hope for you all to have a Blessed Easter, or for those who do not yet know the Love and Passion of Jesus- I pray maybe you will see your need for Christ if He is not your Lord and Savior. Every one is going to have to face some tough times ahead, and personal hardships and heartaches. I pray you don't have to go through them without Christ.

Why are they offended by the cross?
Posted: March 15, 2008 1:00 am Eastern© 2009

By Michael Youssef, Ph.D.

As the Christian faithful begin the annual celebration of their holiest days, they continue to experience a growing offense and resentment directed at their holiest symbol: the cross. It is an offense to the natural mind, which is why our path as Christians is to help people be transformed from seeing the cross as an offense to receiving the peace, power and grace of the cross.
Unlike the war on Christmas, the war on the cross has seen very few defenders in the national media. That's understandable. Many who rally to keep the Christmas traditions of today, from a traditional Merry Christmas greeting to a nativity scene at the mall, do not know the true meaning of the cross. Therefore, their silence regarding the cross is deafening to us now.
In recent years, we've seen the ACLU rally to remove the cross as it is displayed in the public arena. From the cross at a San Diego park in 2006, to the city seal cross in Tijeras, N.M., in 2005, to the cross on the seal of Los Angeles County in 2004, all of which were either removed or threatened to be, this concerted effort against the cross has been slowly succeeding in removing it from public life. Those fighting to remove this symbol must either fear the cross itself or are offended by it for unknown reasons, because they chose only to remove this particular religious symbol, while others were left alone.

Today, most evangelical Christians have a deep respect for the cross and would say it is their source of strength, hope, and yes, their very salvation. The cross is the apex of Christian ironies, that a man dying on a Roman cross those many years ago can be the very essence of power, peace and joy in life, yet, throughout history Christian believers have experienced all sorts of expressions of hatred, anger, persecution and even outrage over the cross of Christ. Sir Alfred Ayer, the Oxford philosopher, in an article in the British Guardian, called the cross, "intellectually contemptible and morally outrageous."

While several misguided groups throughout history have distorted the use of the cross – some even trying to claim themselves as Christians – today we must look at the true meaning and help educate our modern society if we are to maintain our freedom to display our holiest symbol.
I say this because if we do not act today, how long will it truly be before removing the cross carries over into our private lives and land, and yes, even into our churches? While I have a deep respect for our Bill of Rights, I also know that in recent years our country has seen activist judges legislating from the bench and even turning to foreign law for answers. This is another reason our voices and votes count in America, and evangelical Christians cannot be silent this Easter season, or at the polls in November.

We must also be aware that even some who claim to be Christians have been infected by the virus of political correctness, and therefore they declare that the cross is obsolete in this culture and the concepts of hell and judgment are merely outdated ideas.
They are not far removed from the growing effort to remove the cross. It all makes sense to a humanistic, secular and atheistic mindset, since they are their own saviors; therefore, to them, no man who died on a cross 2,000 years ago can save them. We, however, know that he did and he can and he will.

The cross is not an outdated symbol. No matter what this world believes, the truth never changes. God does not change. Jesus Christ's sacrifice on the cross, the miracle of His Resurrection and the glory of His Ascension are still as powerful today as they were that first Easter Sunday morning.

Was It A Morning Like This
By Sandi Patty

Was it a morning like this
When the Son still hid from Jerusalem?
And Mary rose from her bed
To tend the Lord She thought was dead
What is a morning like this,
When Mary walked down from Jerusalem?
And two angels stood at the tomb,
Bearers of news she would hear soon.
Did the grass sing?
Did the earth rejoice
To feel you again?
Over and over like a
Trumpet underground,
Did the earth seem to pound:
“He is risen”
over and over
in a never ending round
“He is risen, alleluia, alleluia!”
Was it an morning like this,
When Peter and John from Jerusalem?
And as they raced for the tomb,
Beneath their feet was there a tune?
Was it a morning like this,
When my Lord looked out
On Jerusalem?
He is risen, alleluia, alleluia.