Effingham Newsletter: April

A Cross of Chocolate

Traveling with the SweetAgers last week, we stopped by a candy store near Mullins, SC. All of the colorful Easter candies had been arranged and were ready for the coming season. Chocolate bunnies, peanut butter eggs, jelly beans, and more sat on the shelf, but my eye caught an unusual choice: a solid milk chocolate cross. The makers claimed that it was a wholesome choice for your sweet-tooth, though it was loaded with calories and fat. It also seemed to be little pricey-- the chocolate bunnies were a better value.

Maybe you're a fan of chocolate crosses, and if so, that's fine by me. But I have to say, there is something a little off when we're so comfortable with the tool of Jesus Christ's sacrifice that we dip it in chocolate and sell it along side Easter bunnies.

For those who follow Christ, the cross is a symbol of something far greater than a means of execution. It is not something we worship, rather it is a reminder of the One we worship. It is:
- a sign of daily obedience (Luke 9:23)
- part of the only event worthy of boasting (Galatians 6:14)
- a symbol of our reconciliation to God (Ephesians 2:16)
- the method in which God chose to cancel our debts (Colossians 2:14)
- a representation of how we find peace (Colossians 1:20)
- evidence of Christ's humility and an example for our own (Philippians 2:8)

You'll note that when you see the cross in many churches this Easter, it will be an empty one. That is significant. Christ gave up his life on the cross, but that is only part of the salvation equation. It was when he rose again from the tomb that He proved His promises of salvation were true. He revealed without question that He was and is fully God and fully man. It is because of this that His words ring true for us all, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. " (John 14:16 ESV)

As for the chocolate cross, I went for the bunny instead.

-Pastor Brian

(Image: MSNBC.Com)