Perceptions #200303

KEEPING OUR FOCUS ON THE CROSS

by Norman Bales

When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified - 1 Corinthians 2:1-2

It happened more than twenty years ago. People were telling me how much they enjoyed a sermon I had just preached about Jesus. I wasn't prepared for the remarks of one lady, however. She congratulated me on the sermon and then added this statement. "It seems to me that we're supposed to be emphasizing Christ and him crucified, but we rarely talk about that." If she had plunged a knife in my back and twisted the blade, it wouldn't have hurt me any worse. I knew she was right and I knew I needed to make some corrections. From that day to this, I try never to preach a sermon or teach a lesson without at least thinking about how this message relates to the cross.

I think we've always known that the cross is supposed to be central, so why haven't we made it central in our teaching? Why isn't it something we talk about in our informal conversation? Perhaps we think of our teaching mission in corrective terms. Maybe we assume that everybody already has an adequate understanding of the cross. We may think folks already have that one down, so now we need to concentrate on other concepts that our religious neighbors misunderstand. Maybe we assume all of our brothers have a proper concept of the cross, so we need to "scratch them where they itch."

If that's what we presume, then our assumption is flawed. We cannot presume that everyone has a proper understanding of the cross. If the cross hasn't been at the heart of our teaching, preaching, serving, church planning and mission then we've missed a key ingredient of church life. Our hymns frequently direct our minds to the cross. Thank God for that. Our teaching, preaching, conversation and service need the same emphasis.

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