The Cross: Not a Bloody Mess

I have a confession to make, so hold tight and here goes.

In our church at Charis we have a great worship team. No joke, they are the tops. Each week they gather together arriving earlier than everyone else to rehearse some songs which when we arrive later we all sing. There are four of them in the team, and because we are a small church (micro rather than mega church is how I would describe us) they have to do the stuff every week. And you know what – they do. They produce the goods, pull out the stops and make it happen. It’s great.

Anyhow, a couple of weeks back they introduced a new song. The songs they choose and how they lead the worship in our church often makes me cry. So, there you have it: my confession. I cry not only because they are great and do a fantastic job but also they choose such great songs for us to sing and worship through. This new song was brilliant. The words spoke about the blood of Christ and how that blood was shed for me. I know if you are not familiar with that Christian type language it sounds like it must have been a bloody mess, Jesus hanging on a cross: a terrible accident, an error of judgement on God’s part. But no! Not at all. It wasn’t a bloody mess – it was a bloody miracle!

And that’s why I was crying during the song! The miracle of Christ’s death was coming home to me again. His death, sacrificially on the cross has not only profoundly shaken the cosmos with eternal love, but has also captivated my heart with everlasting hope.

The Apostle Peter writes about it better than most in these words:

“For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.”

This was no divine accident, but divine intervention and I for one need to sing about it. How about you? Oh, and by the ways guys, keep on doing your stuff at Charis – we need it!