Memory Monday on a Wednesday

I guess you can tell it's Passion Play time and many things are vying for my attention.
Some time in the night last night I realized that I never put up a verse for Memory Monday this week.

We've been memorizing some verses from Isaiah 53
We've learned part of verses 3 & 4. Today we are going to add verse 5.

3.He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief ; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.


4.Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried ; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted.

5.But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities ; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed.
 
We have made crosses into beautiful things. (And that's OK.) I have several ornate metal crosses in my office. Many wear beautiful gold crosses on necklaces.
 
But in reality, the cross was a horrible means of execution.If we were to actually witness someone dying on a cross we would be horrified - even if the person had committed terrible offenses we wouldn't want to see him die that way.
 
But it was that horrible death - spoken of in Isaiah 53 - that brought our forgiveness - our healing.
 
5.But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities ; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed.
 

The Old Rugged Cross

I'm going to try very hard not to talk politics too much on this blog since the main point of it is the worship and music ministry of Hilldale, but recent comments by one of the presidential candidates reminded me of a song (therefore it is a music post rather than a political post).

"I will cling to the old rugged cross and exchange it someday for a crown."

I don't really cling to my "religion" and I'm certainly not "bitter" about not making the kind of money a US Senator makes (therefore needing to cling to guns or religion to sooth my soul). Implying that I cling to religion because I'm bitter about my station in life is a bit rude and condescending.

I cling to the Savior, Jesus Christ.

I cling to the cross as a symbol of Jesus' love for all the world shown as He gave His life as an atonement for sin.

I cling to my church because I love the people of God.

I cling to the Southern Baptist Convention because I agree with its theology and am proud of the world mission efforts through cooperative giving.

http://www.sbc.net/

OK, I'll quit. The list could be longer.