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Written by Augustine of Hippo (354-430), a Christian theologian and philosopher from Roman Africa who served as the bishop of Hippo.

As they were looking on, so we too gaze on his wounds as he hangs. We see his blood as he dies. We see the price offered by the redeemer, touch the scars of his resurrection. He bows his head, as if to kiss you. His heart is made bare open, as it were, in love to you. His arms are extended that he may embrace you. His whole body is displayed for your redemption. Ponder how great these things are. Let all this be rightly weighed in your mind: as he was once fixed to the cross in every part of his body for you, so he may now be fixed in every part of your soul.

Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons. [Matthew 27:55]

Written by Catherine Montgrain from the Village Church

When I discovered I had cancer in 2016, I didn’t know much about the prophet Micah and how he spoke about God’s requirements of us. Now, the prophet’s simple instructions and words from God run through my head regularly, and I thank bible study for this knowledge given to me.  My cancer experience and survival took me to the depths of humility. I became truly humble. We rely on other people for our life and put ourselves completely into God’s hands, trusting our doctors and nurses through this too. This was a very hard and untried path to take and I learned to walk humbly with God, walking through all the possible problems with help from God and loved ones around me. The kindness of the medical staff also made me vow to be kinder myself. I needed a very strong regimen of chemotherapy, and it has taken a big toll on my body, even today, though I am 10 years cancer-free. Yeah!    Possibly, my health issues have made me more open to other people’s problems and lives, and following justice is something I believe in deeply.

What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God. [Micah 6:8]

Written by Elizabeth Clephane (1830-1869), a Scottish song writer. She composed the hymn “Beneath the Cross of Jesus.”

Upon the cross of Jesus
mine eye at times can see
the very dying form of One
who suffered there for me:
and from my stricken heart with tears
two wonders I confess,
the wonders of redeeming love
and my unworthiness. 

See, a king will reign in righteousness and rulers will rule with justice. Each one will be like a shelter from the wind and a refuge from the storm, like streams of water in the desert and the shadow of a great rock in a thirsty land. [Isaiah 32:1-2]

Written by Nina Pope from the Village Church

It was a huge surprise the day I received it.  I have always especially loved Valentine’s Day, and the giant red heart box was in itself a piece of art with elaborate red ribbon trimmed with white lace and a lavish red rose and ribbon in the center…not the sort of candy box you see these days.  The whole thing was about 35 inches tall and wide.  It was impressive at first look on the outside and held about 5 pounds of mouth-watering See’s candies within.  Although the candy is long gone, the box remains today and is a unique reminder and symbol of affection received from the love of my life, Hughes Pope.  It was unexpected and made me feel loved and will always be a cherished treasure, reminding me of many rich moments that preceded and followed its arrival. Of the many wonderful gifts I have received over the years, it is still a standout and always brings a smile to my heart and never fails to stir an avalanche of emotion because I know that out of love it was freely given and was beyond anything deserved. And so it is with the cross of Jesus Christ.  It was not the expected outcome to the end of Jesus’ earthly life.  Even now, it amazes and astonishes believers across the generations.  Unlike my giant heart box, the cross looked like defeat, not triumph and victory.  In subsequent understanding, humanity came to realize its impact for underserving recipients given out of God’s abundant love, bringing an unforeseen eternal impact which would indelibly imprint itself on the heart of all who would partake.  It was and is a symbol of love so deep that it is impossible to overestimate, a perfect love freely given and designed to be accepted and enjoyed by all delivered by a cross that in the beginning did not in any way resemble what it truly was — love.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. [John 3:16]

Written by Max Lucado, a contemporary pastor and author.

The Cross. Can you turn any direction without seeing one? Perched atop a chapel. Carved into a graveyard headstone. Engraved in a ring or suspended on a chain. The cross is the universal symbol of Christianity.  An odd choice, don’t you think? Strange that a tool of torture would come to embody a movement of hope. The symbols of other faiths are more upbeat: the six-pointed star of David, the crescent moon of Islam, a lotus blossom for Buddhism. Yet a cross for Christianity? An instrument of execution? Would you wear a tiny electric chair around your neck? Suspend a gold-plated hangman’s noose on the wall? Would you print a picture of a firing squad on a business card? Yet we do so with the cross. Many even make the sign of the cross as they pray. Would we make the sign of, say, a guillotine? Instead of the triangular touch on the forehead and shoulders, how about a karate chop on the palm? Doesn’t quite have the same feel, does it? Why is the cross the symbol of our faith? To find the answer look no farther than the cross itself. Its design couldn’t be simpler. One beam horizontal—the other vertical. One reaches out—like God’s love. The other reaches up—as does God’s holiness. One represents the width of his love; the other reflects the height of his holiness. The cross is the intersection. The cross is where God forgave his children without lowering his standards. How could he do this? In a sentence: God put our sin on his Son and punished it there.

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. [2 Corinthians 5:21]

Written by Vickie Stone from the Village Church.

When you learn about a chapter in someone’s life where they are facing harsh obstacles, are you amazed at the courage people display facing such a journey?  I think it must feel Iike one more thing might very well take them under. When I was a Deacon, I heard prayer requests that would make my heart ache for the person in need. And now in our small groups at Ladies Bible Study, hearing of family loss and hardships. Losing both one’s children, in addition to a house fire; friends facing cancer diagnosis, it is heart wrenching. Like most, I shake my head and think – Why? Why must there be so much suffering in the world? The answer is of course: the world is broken. When humans became separated from God, a steep price was paid. The Good News is, that is NOT the final answer. We as believers, know there is Hope. Hope in the name of Jesus Christ.  Yet when the future, that peace of being with Jesus Christ, seem so far away, how do we deal with the now?  As certainly this life and our journey on this planet presents daily trials of health issues, job demands, relationship challenges, financial loss, anger, jealousy and all sorts of stressors. How then, do we obtain the Peace, the Peace of Christ promised by God? The answer of course is found in the Bible. The words from believers that lived long ago can guide us and keep us focused today on methods of facing these challenges head-on and not lose hope.  For example, the scriptures in Philippians 4:8. Paul instructs the believers in Philippi what to focus their minds on and sometimes people today, focus on the beauty of this scripture’s adjectives, when in fact we should also realize the action word is THINK. So our guidance is to focus our thoughts on positive blessings and to follow Jesus’s model. As He often broke away from His followers and spent time with the Father in solitude, praying. During this Lenten season if you don’t already practice this, may you carve out time, each day to think positive, beautiful thoughts, and be reminded that nothing can ever separate us from the love of Jesus Christ.  Let this Peace of God take hold in our hearts. For He is The Way, The Truth, and The Life.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. [Philippians 4:8]

The writer of the lyrics of this American folk hymn, written in 1835 is unknown.

What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this, that caused the Lord of bliss
to bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul,
to bear the dreadful curse for my soul.

For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. [2 Corinthians 5:14]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-UmemwpAvA

Written by Joan Osborne from the Village Church.

Most of us have a deep need to control what happens to us. The trouble is, we can’t. We plan, we hope, we dream; but life just happens.  In the last eight months, my world has been a nonstop flood of “happenings.” I’d soldier through one nightmare and wake up to a new one. That pattern repeated countless times, and it has taken me down. Like most Christians, I turned to God in prayer to see me through each crisis, but I found myself variously angry, frustrated, and very, very afraid when nothing changed. The chaos didn’t stop, no matter how much I prayed. Where is peace amid upheaval? To partake of the peace of God requires surrendering to what He really wants: for us to change. We need to surrender our will to His, not the other way around. That takes a commitment to practice being with God in a new way, a way that doesn’t include insisting on what we want, but on trusting that God will be with us, no matter what.  It doesn’t happen overnight, but it’s the secret to a peaceful life: trusting God. The model for that trust is Jesus at the cross. He used his solitary time for fasting, meditation, and prayer to be always with his Father. He spent his time for others—teaching, loving, and healing those around him.  His life was steadfastly focused on God’s work, God’s will.   He also knew what He was facing: a battle with evil and the pain of what he would endure. His refuge was His father’s love for Him. He could trust that; He could surrender to that because He felt it every day. As He faced the cruelness ahead, He cried, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” (Luke 22:42). When our focus is on God’s love and God’s will instead of our own, we can face whatever comes our way. God gives us that peace.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. [John 14:27]

This is an excerpt from “The Bible in a Year: A 52-Week Journey Through God’s Word,” written by the Spiral Bible team.

Salvation represents God’s rescue plan for humanity, centered on the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. It encompasses our past forgiveness, present transformation, and future glorification as God’s children…In a world offering countless paths to fulfillment and meaning, the statement “Salvation belongs to the Lord,” cuts through the confusion to present a singular truth: salvation is found in Christ alone. This isn’t a narrow-minded claim, but a liberating reality that defines not just our eternal destiny but our daily lives…Like a master artist who can capture complexity with a few perfect brushstrokes, God has made the way of salvation both accessible to all and inexhaustible in its richness.

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved. [Acts 4:12]

Written by Celeste Bailey from the Village Church

Years ago, when I was in high school, and as a young follower of Christ,

Satan decided to test me. I am not sure how it happened, but negative and unpleasant thoughts about Jesus and who He is flooded my thoughts. It was torture and I tried to fight it with my newly memorized scripture verses but to no avail. This torment went on for a while, until one night on my bed, during my devotional time, I cried out to God to save my wretched soul from this affliction. I opened the Bible and Psalm 63 came up. It’s a cry of David for help from his enemies but it’s also a beautiful adoration and worship. I read it and when I came to verse 6-9, I knew that God sent me this message. “On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. I cling to you; your right hand upholds me. Those who want to kill me will be destroyed; they will go down to the depths of the earth.” At that moment, I was washed by God’s warmth and presence and felt a tremendous burden lifted off me. My tormentor left me and I spent time worshipping the Lord. I learned that when we cry out to God, He hears us and whatever the outcome is He is there for us. Jesus cried out to the Father while He was on the cross and because of His suffering, death and resurrection, He enabled us to cry out to Him in time of distress.

Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to You [ Jeremiah 29:12]