Everywhere I've turned recently, I've heard people talking about how many churches no longer preach Christ crucified, and the do not teach about the Blood of Jesus. I heard a pastor recently who urged other pastors and music ministers to choose more songs about the Cross and the Blood of the Lamb, because so many churches have ventured away from the most powerful message that Christians bear: the message of Christ crucified.
Tomorrow, many of us will celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Jesus now holds the keys to death, hell and the grave! Glory to the Lamb who was slain and has redeemed us unto God by His Blood, out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation. Worthy is the Lamb!
May we ever sing, sing, sing of Christ crucified and risen, and of the Blood of the Lamb!
Hallelujah! He is risen!
I chose a photo of a Cross that is very close to my heart and my heart for missions.
Pictured here is the Cross of the Scriptures at Clonmacnoise in Ireland. I was taught (rightly or wrongly) that the Celts worshiped the sun, so the missionaries who brought them the Gospel helped them understand and remember that God was not in the sun, but that the Cross which stood before it. Like Paul had said of the "unknown god" to the people on Mars Hill, so these missionaries used the symbol of the Celtic Cross to teach the Gospel message. On this Cross that I was actually blessed to see myself in Ireland, there is an additional witnessing tool. The scenes carved into the rock depict the story of Christ's crucifixion. (The Roman soldiers are depicted with pointed helmets, reminiscent of the Vikings who raided the area many, many times by sailing down the River Shannon from the ocean.)
I also learned that monks named "Mullen" (my maiden name, meaning "tonsured") who lived near Clonmacnoise were scribes that penned the "Book of Mulling," small books that contained the four Gospels that were used for missionary work all over Ireland.
