GBC Community Update: Why the cross?

Good morning! As I mentioned on Sunday, we’re going to start looking at ‘Passion Week’ in our Mark series.  This marks the start of Jesus’ ministry in Jerusalem from Palm Sunday to the cross and the empty tomb.  It is the critical part of our faith. So, in my ‘thought for the day’ from now until after Easter, I’ll be looking at elements of what happened and why. I hope it helps you to prepare for our Easter celebration.
 
 
Oasis Camp is Coming!
As Dan announced Sunday, Oasis Camp is coming up!  This is a major undertaking for our church and a key week in terms of our outreach and kid’s ministry.  God uses it every year catalytically to launch so much of what happens in the months to come and we’ve seen much fruit come from it.
How can you be involved?  You can pray and also give of your time or treasure. Please see the attached letter for more specifics.
This year’s theme is ‘Monumental’ and that’s the experience we’re going to have!
 
 
English Conversation Group and Oasis@Midweek Tomorrow!
Our final installment of the month for our popular mid-week kid’s ministry Oasis@Midweek happens tomorrow. Youth@GBC is leading this time so look for the next episode of our monthly drama, some great games and a topical message around the theme of “treasured”.  This ministry for children JK to Gr.6 is not only for those who attended Oasis Camp or are part of GBC Kids Ministry but any in that age group that would like an encouraging evening event.
In addition, our English Conversation Group will be starting as well and will be held at each Oasis@Midweek. If you, or someone you know, would like to practice their English language skills in a supportive and encouraging environment please plan to join Karen and Helen for this practical group opportunity.
 
 
Thought for the Day: Why the Cross? 
The cross is a crucial symbol of the Christian faith. We see it pop up everywhere: perched atop our church, carved into a graveyard headstone or engraved in a ring or suspended on a chain. The cross is our universal symbol.  Yet it’s an odd choice, don’t you think? Why Chris?  It’s 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? I hope not!  Yet we do so with the cross.
So why then 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. The cross is our symbol of hope.
How could he do this? In a sentence: God put our sin on his Son and punished it there.  Paul wrote this in 2Corinthians 5:21- “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”  I really like the way The Message says it: “God put on him the wrong who never did anything wrong, so we could be put right with God”.  Get the point?  
So, why the cross? That’s why!
 
In His grip,
Pastor Chris