“But we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.”
1 Cor. 1:23-25
Dear Friends,
The matter that is at the center of Christian faith, the person of Jesus Christ and his death on a cross, represents the foolishness and weakness of God. That being said, this foolishness is wiser than all human wisdom and this weakness is stronger than all human strength. Lots of people down through the ages have tried to move away from the centrality of the cross. It’s appallingly cruel, and seems pointless, archaic and ineffectual. Why can’t we just have a Jesus who is kind, loving and truthful and leave it at that?
We could leave it at that, but there’s no power in it. That’s human wisdom – the ‘good moral teacher’ view of Christ. This faith is not a classroom where we learn to ‘pull ourselves up by the bootstraps’ and try harder. On the contrary, it’s a realization that we aren’t able to improve ourselves and that we have many destructive tendencies. We come to Jesus at the cross for forgiveness, deliverance, mercy and divine enlightenment and strength to live right. I really can’t explain it very well. I just know that I need it. I have nothing else to commend.
I heard a couple of local guys talking in front of Foodland last week. They were clearly troubled by the political rhetoric, the threat of tariffs, shifting global alliances and the like. This reminded me of Jesus’ saying: “People will faint from fear and anxiety over what is coming upon the earth” Luke 21:26. Some think it’s the end times, but this sort of thing has been happening for centuries, so who knows?
In times of uncertainty – and these are them – it’s pretty wonderful to rest on the Rock of certainty, namely Jesus Christ. When we put our trust in Jesus we are ‘fastened to the Rock which cannot move – grounded firm and deep in the Saviour’s love’. Come and join us on Sunday, March 9th, the first Sunday in Lent, as we share in the Lord’s Supper together and remember the one who died for us.
In Christ’s love,
Harry
Haliburton United Church 