News Alert: Jesus is no Longer on the Cross

And neither should we be! Remember the two men in white (angels) that showed up as Jesus ascended to heaven? They said, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will return in the same way as you have seen Him going into heaven.” (Acts 1:11)

And, you know what? I think God is sending me as a messenger today to remind us that He and “we” are no longer on the cross. We too are risen! There is work to do and hanging out at the cross – though it’s a sacred emblem of Christ’s suffering and shame where He paid the ultimate price for our sins and mistakes, it is NOT where we should stay! We MUST be about the business of sharing the good news to those Who are burned out, tired, worn, weary, lost and asking: “Is this all there is?”

Last Sunday, our pastor announced that $15K had been raised for the families of Uvalde, TX. He took another offering to send even more to the brokenhearted families there for funeral expenses and other much needed support. That is called “coming off the cross and doing something about the needs of others”.

There is something to be said for the mental state of anyone who could have conspired this horrific event and furthermore, putting blame on those who were careless in providing aid as soon as possible. But blame doesn’t change the hearts of those families. That’s why they need us, our neighbors and our own families need us to come off our crosses and do something to make a difference.

I think our postman forgot to leave us the letter that says: “You are not living in the land of the dying. You are living in the land of the living because YOU are people of the resurrection who believe in our Lord Who promises to never leave you or forsake you. You are His ambassadors for what’s right in this world!

I know how easy it is to live in the posture of our hearts bearing a cross. The weight of it all – so much devastation, calamity, broken hearts, pain and suffering. Yes, it is gun violence, mental illness, hatred, anger, senseless and diabolical brutality. At its core, is the same one who plotted against Jesus from the time He was born and who knows his days are numbered. He is out to KILL, STEAL and DESTROY. (John 10:10) He is the same one who thought he had won when Jesus died on the cross.

I know that all of us carry crosses, but Jesus didn’t stay on the cross. He was gently taken down, carefully bound in a tomb, rose from the dead, and forty days later ascended into Heaven. Do I live with this reality, this truth guiding my life? Or am I like the Apostles looking into the sky wondering where Jesus went? Wondering why He left me?

I think this is how the devil deceives us into carrying crosses that were never meant for us to carry. Instead, we should be living as people fully alive with the singular target of Heaven as our mark. We burn out doing things that don’t bring us joy, don’t fulfill us, don’t really matter—aka living with the posture of cross bearers.

I know I sound like I’m still in the Easter season. As a matter of fact, I am! I am daily choosing to do the things that make me feel alive, the things that really matter to me. I’m discovering the crosses don’t go away, but they have a greater purpose than before. I look at them now and look upward to heaven! Heaven is our mission and taking as many with us as we can is our goal!