April, 2017 – The Cross
It is common knowledge that every major religion has a symbol. I’m sure that we all would recognize each one. My favorite television quiz program, Jeopardy has had a category more than once covering ‘world religions and their symbols’. I came across an article recently that put together these religions with their visual symbols in the following succinct manner –
The lotus flower has been used in the mid-East and far East, but has come to represent Buddhism. The crescent moon represents Islam. Modern Judaism is immediately recognized with the Star of David. Atheistic ‘religions’ have used the hammer and sickle, and the swastika.
But uniquely set apart from all other religions, Christianity chose the cross. I hadn’t thought about it until I read the article by John Stott, that Christianity’s symbol could have been any number of other possibilities. He mentions the manger where baby Jesus was laid. It could have been the boat from which He taught on the Sea of Galilee – the stone rolled away from His tomb – the dove symbolic of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost – or, a crown of thorns.
When a dear friend was creating a logo for Love From Above Ministries, he presented me with at least seventeen different possibilities. They were wonderful – all of them! But when I came to the two designs that contained the cross, I chose one of them, looked at him and said, “That’s it! The cross!” I knew that LFA’s logo had to contain the cross in some form. It is what you see on this website, on my snail-mail and email letters.
Our ministry focuses on the cross. The cross that transformed my life. The cross that is at the center of our historical Biblical faith. The cross on which Jesus became the propitiation for our sins, shedding His blood for us, dying in our stead in order that we could be restored with God, the Father, for all eternity.
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His [only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3.16) A most blessed Resurrection Day to you. May we focus on the cross, putting it before us every day.