July 2025

Through [Jesus] God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross. And you who were once estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his fleshly body through death, so as to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him.

-Colossians 1:20-22 (NRSV)

What do you think about when you look at the cross?

Allow me to confess: spending so much time here in the church’s building (which is filled with crosses and cross imagery), I almost stop seeing it. The cross blends into the background; becomes like a decoration. Like I am with so many things, I am lulled into taking such an incredible display of God’s love for granted.

In his letter to the ancient church in Colossae (a smaller city near Laodicea approximately 100 miles away from Ephesus), the apostle Paul invites us to see the cross as a peace treaty from God. Even though we know ourselves to have been estranged and hostile towards God because of our sin, yet God has gone to the ultimate lengths to make things right between us.

Whenever we sin, we are saying: “no” to God. In essence, sin is hostility towards God. Sin damages our relationship with God, with others, and with ourselves.

But as we accept Christ’s sacrifice for us on the cross, we are reconciled to God. Because of his astonishing love for us, Jesus presents us holy and blameless to the Father, having dealt with ALL our sin on the cross. There is no need to continue carrying the sin and the shame; Jesus has taken it all from you so that you can be totally reconciled with God.

Now, the only thing that might keep us from God would be an arrogant desire to remain in our sin, to be always resisting Love (that’s the sin against the Holy Spirit that Jesus calls the unforgivable sin). And honestly, that sounds exhausting. Surrendering to God’s love; accepting the treaty; that is true peace.

I hope that as we see the cross, we will see that invitation to perfect peace with God, and all because of what Jesus has done. Jesus has transformed that horrible cross into a doorway. Innocence and new life awaits us on the other side.

Bless you friends.

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Matthew