Over the summer I listened to a sermon from Pastor Joe and the Vision Church www.visionchurch.org. I had heard a lot about his messages, so I decided to download one and see what the buzz was about.
I don’t remember the title of the message, or even the passage on which it was based. What I do remember is his statement that in our relationships with other people we have a choice to build their crosses for them or to go to the cross for them. He was making a point about how we welcome people into the church—especially those who are different from the rest. We can either stand back and judge them (build their cross) or take a risk and build a relationship with them, possibly risking our own reputation in the process (go to the cross). It was a powerful image for me: literally constructing the cross for others as I judge them, or being willing to go there myself out of love—the love that God gives me.
At the same time, I was being challenged by the actions and choices of some people around me. I had been quite comfortable in the saddle on my high horse where I sat in smug judgment: Can you believe her? What was he thinking? I would never do that! Pastor Joe’s words knocked me clean off. I realized that I was comfortably sitting on a hillside with my pile of nails and wood happily hammering crosses together without thought for that person as someone God loves too.
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