Two Lights, One Cross

The cross he bore is life and health,

though shame and death to him, 

his people’s hope, his people’s wealth, 

their everlasting theme.

— verse 4 of The Head That Once Was Crowned

It’s like we’re on a tour of a museum.

Here’s an empty space.  It represents the empty tomb.  Sweet!

And over there?  Yeah, that’s an empty cross.

The last verse of this Easter song turns our eyes back to the cross of Good Friday.

Two lights are shining on it.  One shows the cost of that cross for Christ: shame and death.  The other light brings out its benefits for us: life and health…hope…wealth.

Wait.  Look again.  Closer.

With both of those lights shining on the cross, “We see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.”  (Hebrews 2:9)

Let the church say Amen.