Culturally, American Christians have tended to make two equal and opposite mistakes when talking about the cross. The first mistake is to turn it into a tool for spiritual abuse – to emphasize the horror and agony and Christ’s sacrifice in such a way as to “guilt trip” someone into honoring Jesus or compel compliance (e.g. “How can you insult the one who died for you?" Or “When you sin, you are nailing Jesus to the cross all over again?”).
The second mistake is to diminish the cross so profoundly that we only speak of resurrection and God’s love through language that sounds too much like the “power of positive thinking” and ignores the call that Christ has given every Christian to “take up your cross and follow me.”
Throughout the season of Lent, we journey to the cross, reflecting on its deep meaning and transformative power. This worship series invites us to explore the cross as more than a symbol—it is the ultimate expression of God's love, sacrifice, and redemption. On the cross, Jesus did more for us than we could ever know and far more than most of us have ever heard about.
