look for the cross and let it move you...

The cross was in the heart of God before the world was created. So at the heart of all things we have the sense that there should be a sacrifice for our sin that leads to death, or in other words, separates from the author of life, or in another way, there should be something that restores the world to how it ought to be... and so there should be pointers to this key component in life: life rising out of death, life rising out of sorrow, life rising out of sacrifice, life rising out of redemption...

The cross is in our blood. White pus that forms on an infection is a collection of dead skin cells and dead white blood cells that are fighting off infection. White blood cells that had been floating through our bodies find and attack infection and then die so that we might live.

The cross is in our muscle. Muscle tissue must be torn in order to be built back stronger.

The cross is in our instinct. A mother will protect her young by sacrificing her own life.

The cross is at the heart of nations. Soldiers that die to protect the integrity of their country are honored.



The cross is in our popular culture. We are inspired by those who are redeemed and are lifted up.



The cross is in our history. The lives of those who died for another are lived on.



The cross is in botanical growth. The seed must break and die before more seeds are grown to produce fruit.

The cross is in sports culture. The redemption of a player inspires the faithful.



If this is the highest principle found on earth, and if their is a Creator of this earth, wouldn't we expect the highest sacrifice from the creator of humans... otherwise the creature would be greater than the Creator.

And we say their is a God who did show this love for us, even while we were His enemies.

And in our best moments we bare our Creator's image.

The cross is the answer from the Creator of human nature for the basic human problem.

John 15:13
There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

paraphrasing St. Augustine on the Trinity

Do you believe that love, friendship, and community are at the very essence of reality?

Only if you believe in the triune God can you believe that.

Why?

If God is a single uni-personal God, you would then need to ask this question: when did this God first begin to love? When did this God first enter into relationships, friendships, and communication? It would not have been until this God would have created the first being, the first angel, the first human, the first whatever. And therefore love would not be at the very essence of this God because it came later, it would have been peripheral. And so then love could not be at the very essence of this reality.

If you believe in many gods, then you believe that ultimate reality is basically a power struggle.

Only if you believe in a Creator who is the triune God, a God who is a community of beings that love and serve one another, that enjoy one another and defer to each other... only when you believe in this God can you believe that love, harmony, unity, diversity, friendship, and communication are at the very essence of reality.

Otherwise you have to believe that the very essence of reality is a power play or something impersonal with love coming in later.

- I think this is a very interesting take on the trinity. A sort of philosophical, logical apologetic that rallies the 'faithful', but can easily leave those outside of the 'Christianese' speaking, 'inner circle', uneasy and confused with its mystical, esoteric nature. So here is the reason why its so important to us all:

How can you know a God like this individualistically?

When the very essence of God is community, the only way you can possibly know a God like that is THROUGH community.

or to put it another way

If you were to really get to know a God like that it would inevitably draw you into deep oneness and community with other people.