Your wounds declare your love for the world

The crucifixion of Jesus was a horrific event. When I first started thinking about what I might write in this posting, I thought I might include a graphic description of what happens to the human body when it is crucified. But I changed my mind. And decided that it might be better to just link to such a description; and so allow people to choose more easily if they want to read about such a horrific event. There are numerous such pages to link to on the internet, but many of them seem to be condensed from “The Crucifixion of Jesus Christ” by C. Truman Davis, M.S. March, 1965. Click on this link if you want to read one such page; but please heed the warning at the top of that page: “This may disturb you, so don’t read it if you don’t want to; it’s pretty horrific…”

But what crucifixion was makes the whole event even more remarkable. Jesus would have known all about the horrors of crucifixion. It was something the Romans had been doing all too frequently for a number of years, and others before them too. Jesus and his disciples would have seen many people hanging from crosses as they journeyed around the Holy Land. He would have known the agonies and horrors the victims of crucifixion suffered. He would have seen it with his own eyes, and heard it with his own ears.

And yet, knowing what he would face, he still went to Jerusalem. He could have gone anywhere, he could have avoided what was to happen. But he didn’t. He willingly gave himself up knowing full well what it would mean.

Why? Why would any man do that? And the answer is “Love”. Love for the world; Love for those around him; and Love for each and every one of us. He opened wide his arms on the cross for us, because he loves us. His wounds, what he suffered on the cross, are proof of that love for the world — his wounds declare his love for the world.

Jesus loves each and every one of us so much, that he was willing to die an agonizing death on the cross for us. Jesus said, “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends…” (John 15:13-14a).

We are his friends, and he laid down his life for us; because he loves us.

Risen Christ,
your wounds declare your love for the world
and the wonder of your risen life:
give us compassion and courage
to risk ourselves for those we serve,
to the glory of God the Father. Amen.

Additional Collect for The Fifth Sunday of Easter
is Copyright © The Archbishops Council

You send the gospel to the ends of the earth and your messengers to every nation. Never in the history of the human race has it been easier to send a message around the world, than it is today. Within seconds of me clicking “publish” when I’ve finished writing this piece, thousands of people all around the world could be reading what I’ve written. As it happens, that isn’t going to happen; there aren’t that many people reading this blog. But, nevertheless, the potential is there. And there are some bloggers who will experience that phenomenon when they write a post to their blog. That’s an amazing and humbling thought.

With all of that potential, one has to wonder if we’re doing enough to really tell people the “good news” about Jesus Christ. Possibly not. But Christians all around the world are getting the message out. There are thousands of websites that tell of the “good news”. I don’t think for one moment we should rest on our laurels, but should continue to look for ways to communicate the gospel message to the world. But sometimes we do have to rely on God, through the transforming work of the Holy Spirit, to help forge that connection between what we do, and those people around the world that need to hear our message.

The Fourth Sunday of Epiphany
God of heaven,
you send the gospel to the ends of the earth
and your messengers to every nation:
send your Holy Spirit to transform us
by the good news of everlasting life
in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Additional Collect for The Fourth Sunday of Epiphany
is Copyright © The Archbishops Council