A friend of mine had been exposed to so much suffering and pain that she didn't know how to deal with it any longer. The suffering wasn't so much something she experienced personally; it was from events she witnessed in the lives of others. She was around people who lost loved ones in house fires and car accidents. She reported on stories of children who were abused. All of it became too much to bear. The anguish was overwhelming. She needed hope. She needed to know that there was something good in life.

She found that hope in Jesus and his cross. She accepted an invitation from a friend to come to church. As she entered the building, she saw a cross in front of the worship space and her heart softened. The cross communicated that God loved her and sent his Son to be her Savior. She heard the gospel. She kept coming to worship and eventually became a believer in Jesus.

As you meet for worship today, there might be a cross in your place of worship. Don't worship the cross, but do worship the Christ of the cross and be overwhelmed by God's love for you. As someone has said, "When you wonder how much God loves you, see Jesus' arms stretched wide at the cross and hear him say, 'I love you this much.'"