I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Philippians 3:10-12
Sorry this blog post is so late, have been taking care of my sister. Hope Easter was wonderful for all of you. I spent my Easter with friends in Jerusalem. It was a very emotional experience for me, as I was witness to the crucifixion of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
In Sunday School as a child I learned about the crucifixion of our Savior, in church, I heard about it from my pastor and in the Bible I read about my Savior's torment. Until I witnessed it two days before on Good Friday. Intellectually I knew of the torment our Savior went through, the pain He endured, the mocking and ridicule He suffered, but until I saw it with my own eyes, I didn't understand from an emotional aspect the strength it took Him to withstand not only what they were putting him through, but the strength and character He showed in forgiving those who tormented Him.
As I sat watching the scene unfold in the Assembly of God Church of our Lord being beaten, ridiculed and shoved while carrying His cross, I became so overcome by emotion I wanted to get up and stop them!! How must the others have felt when they saw Jesus being tortured? That had to have horrified them as much as it did me. Then, my horror turned to tears as I realized the enormity of the sacrifice God had made in giving His only Son.
As the actor playing Jesus hung on the cross dying, I wanted in that moment to take His place, truly, take His place because no one deserves to be tortured the way He was, in that moment, I wanted to take his place so He could still walk among His people, in that moment I wanted to take all the pain He was feeling and let it be my own.
Watching the play humbled me, it really did. The play title was 'Why The Cross', but I left that night with the understanding of who we as followers are Because Of The Cross. Blessings, Liz Ciccone
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