Cross Labyrinth Journey Notes

Today brings us at long last to the foot of the cross with the story of the first Easter.  We have followed the path with a desire to encounter Christ in a life-changing way and to find a renewal of faith.  The end of this path is not an end at all, though.  It is a new beginning.

New beginnings did not end on the first Easter Sunday.  They continue to happen.  The ministries of John and Charles Wesley provide a wonderful example.  After completing their studies at Oxford and being ordained in the Church of England, the Wesleys set off to North America as missionaries to the colony of Georgia.  The effort did not go as planned at all, and each returned to England disheartened.  By 1738 John Wesley questioned whether he had faith at all, but was encouraged by Peter Bohler to continue preaching.  That year John had his famous experience at Aldersgate when his heart was “strangely warmed.”  This proved to be a turning point in his ministry, but his faith journey was not at an end.  It was just beginning!

By 1739, the Wesleys began preaching in the “open air”–another point of beginning.  On Easter they preached near an old foundry that had been badly damaged in an explosion.  It was there that Charles Wesley’s hymn Christ the Lord is Risen Today was first sung–another point of beginning.  The winter that year was bitterly cold, which did not go well with open air preaching.  God blessed the ministry, though, and John Wesley was able to lease the foundry building itself.  This proved to be yet another point of beginning, as the foundry would continue to serve as the base for ministries by the people called Methodists for nearly forty years.  The Methodist church continues today from those early beginnings.

As you arrive at the foot of the cross, rejoice in your new beginning with the words of Charles Wesley.

1. Christ the Lord is risen today, Alleluia!
Earth and heaven in chorus say, Alleluia!
Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia!
Sing, ye heavens, and earth reply, Alleluia!

2. Love’s redeeming work is done, Alleluia!
Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia!
Death in vain forbids him rise, Alleluia!
Christ has opened paradise, Alleluia!

3. Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia!
Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia!
Once he died our souls to save, Alleluia!
Where’s thy victory, boasting grave? Alleluia!

4. Soar we now where Christ has led, Alleluia!
Following our exalted Head, Alleluia!
Made like him, like him we rise, Alleluia!
Ours the cross, the grave, the skies, Alleluia!

5. Hail the Lord of earth and heaven, Alleluia!
Praise to thee by both be given, Alleluia!
Thee we greet triumphant now, Alleluia!
Hail the Resurrection, thou, Alleluia!

6. King of glory, soul of bliss, Alleluia!
Everlasting life is this, Alleluia!
Thee to know, thy power to prove, Alleluia!
Thus to sing, and thus to love, Alleluia!

Our journey into the labyrinth is complete, but our journey of faith has only just begun.  The path that brings us to the foot of the cross reveals Christ’s commitment to us.  It is a commitment that continues into eternity.  How will we respond?  He is risen. Arise and glorify Him!

Follow the Path!
CARadke

[Use with Victory of Life, day 47 of A Labyrinth Pilgrimage]

Every journey has high points and low points.  This pilgrimage is no exception.  The symbol of the cross reminds us that Christ conquered death.  It is also a sobering reminder that He had to die in order to do it.

The death and burial of Jesus was the all-time low in the history of the world.  Christ was taken down from the cross on Preparation Day (the day before the sabbath) and His body was prepared for burial.  On the sabbath He lay in the grave.  Just as God rested from His work after creation, He rested again following the crucifixion.

We know very little about that sabbath day.  The Gospel accounts stop after Jesus was laid in the tomb.  They pick up again at the resurrection.  The only information in scripture between those times is an account that leaders of the Jewish community met with Pilate to secure the tomb.  What else was going on that day?  All we know is that the sabbath was observed.  Jesus’ followers mourned and waited.  Little did they know that they were waiting on God’s victory, which was coming in God’s time.

Robert Lowry was a Baptist preacher well known for his hymns.  Here are the words from all three stanzas of Up from the Grave He Arose, also known by its first line Low in the Grave He Lay.

1. Low in the grave he lay, Jesus my Savior,
waiting the coming day, Jesus my Lord!
2. Vainly they watch his bed, Jesus my Savior,
vainly they seal the dead, Jesus my Lord!
3. Death cannot keep its prey, Jesus my Savior;
he tore the bars away, Jesus my Lord!

The refrain to each pair of lines is a jubilant proclamation:

Up from the grave he arose;
with a mighty triumph o’er his foes;
he arose a victor from the dark domain,
and he lives forever, with his saints to reign.
He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!

Christ’s burial is a somber, low point on our journey to the foot of the cross.  Take some time to reflect on it, but don’t forget that we will be moving on.  The end of the journey lies ahead.

Follow the Path!
CARadke

[Use with Challenge of Death, day 46 of A Labyrinth Pilgrimage]

By definition a king is the highest authority.  No one and nothing has more power than the king, and anyone who threatens a king’s authority is in danger of making the king angry.

Lots of people wanted to be the king in Jerusalem during the time of Jesus.  When Jesus was born, “king” Herod was on the throne in Jerusalem.  When wise men from the east asked where to find the newborn king, Herod saw Jesus as a threat to his authority and tried to kill all of the baby boys in the land.

Years later when Jesus was grown, another Herod, a son of the earlier Herod, was on the throne in Jerusalem.  At the same time the city was under the power of Rome where Caesar was the “king,” and Caesar’s governor for the area was Pontias Pilate.  When people began to recognize Jesus as the Messiah, once again He was seen as a threat to royal authority and once again earthly kings sought to take His life.  They sentenced Him to die on a cross.

Symbols of earthly kings were forced on Jesus.  Soldiers draped Him in purple cloth and pressed a crown of thorns on His head.  A sign calling Him “King of the Jews” was fastened to the cross above His head.  Of course, none of this was done to honor Christ.  People were mocking Him.  They rejected the King of kings so that they could flatter themselves and honor earthly kings.

We have the same choice to make today.  Will we honor the King of kings, or will we bow to earthly rulers?  Henry Francis Lyte stated his position clearly in the words of his hymn Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven.

Praise, my soul, the King of heaven,
to the throne thy tribute bring;
ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,
evermore God’s praises sing.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Praise the everlasting King.

Make the best choice.  Choose to join Lyte in praising the King of heaven on our journey to the foot of the cross.

Follow the Path!
CARadke

[Use with Challenge of Kings, day 45 of A Labyrinth Pilgrimage]

We learn so much about ourselves from watching children.  The way that we react to circumstances is an example.  When children can distinguish between the ways that people are treated, they begin to associate rewards with good behavior.  They also learn that there can be punishment for bad behavior.  Through that process they develop their concept of fairness.  When events and consequences fail to conform with their understanding of that concept, they display as much righteous indignation as they can muster and raise one of the most repeated arguments in history– “That’s not fair!”

Jesus and his disciples traveled to Jerusalem to observe the Passover.  They arranged for a room.  They bought food.  They gathered together.  They shared the Passover meal.  Most of the disciples were unaware that this would be the last Passover meal that they would eat with Christ.

After the meal they went to Gethsemane where Jesus prayed.  Then He was betrayed.  In the dark of night, armed men forcibly took the Lord to appear before the chief priests who prosecuted Him.  Witnesses presented false testimony, but the witnesses were unable to keep their lies straight.  They could not support a conviction.  Then Jesus was asked, “Are you the Messiah?”  He replied, “You have said so.”  They said, “Gotcha!”  Got what?  A kangaroo court in the dead of night with no evidence resulted in conviction?  “That’s not fair!”  But when Caiaphas demanded Jesus’ death, Jesus offered His life.  He gave His life for us because it was God’s will.

As Christians, we are to be Christlike.  Are we able to follow His footsteps and do God’s will even when life is unfair?  Earl Marlatt asked that question in his hymn Are Ye Able.

“Are ye able,” said the Master,
“to be crucified with me?”
“Yea,” the sturdy dreamers answered,
“to the death we follow thee.”
Lord, we are able. Our spirits are thine.
Remold them, make us, like thee, divine.
Thy guiding radiance above us shall be
a beacon to God, to love, and loyalty.

Jesus’ path to the foot of the cross was not fair.  It was never supposed to be.  It was a path of grace for us.  We must face the truth that the path for us will not always be fair, either, but it is the path where we can share the grace we have received.

Follow the Path!
CARadke

[Use with Challenge of Priests, day 44 of A Labyrinth Pilgrimage]

Isaiah prophesied of the coming Messiah.  He would be called King of kings and Lord of lords.  The government would be on His shoulders.  In a word, He would be powerful.

In his own twisted way, Satan offered to “help” Jesus ascend to power.  He showed Jesus the kingdoms of the world.  If Jesus would simply worship Satan, then Satan would give Jesus power over the kingdoms.  Think about that for a moment.  Satan must have believed that the Lord’s mind was addled after fasting in the wilderness.  Jesus had been baptized in the Jordan River by John.  The Spirit descended.  God said, “This is my Son.”  Jesus knew His place in the world.  And after all of that, Satan offered a deal so that if Jesus would pay homage to Satan, then Satan would give Jesus a place to pay homage.  Jesus knew that the most powerful servant of Satan was still nothing more than a servant of Satan.  It hardly took Jesus a moment to turn down the offer and send Satan away saying, “It is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”

Even though Jesus was God’s own Son, He knew that worship belongs to God alone.  In His human form, even Christ owed worship to God, just like us.  The Lord relied on the scriptures to reply to Satan.  Throughout His ministry He would rely on prayer to go to God.  This need to look to God and rely on prayer was well expressed by Joseph M. Scriven, who penned the words to What a Friend We Have in Jesus.  This beautiful hymn, originally titled Pray Without Ceasing, instructs and inspires us to rely on God and His Word throughout our lives.

Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged;
take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful
who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness;
take it to the Lord in prayer.

Jesus faced trials and temptations beyond anything we will ever know.  Whatever we face on our pilgrim journey, Jesus understands it.  We can talk to Him about it.  We can take it to the Lord in prayer.

Follow the Path!
CARadke

[Use with Challenge of Power, day 43 of A Labyrinth Pilgrimage]

Fame and glory come in many different forms.  There are movie stars and athletes.  There are politicians and captains of industry.  In the music arena there are perennial stars and “one hit wonders.”  The church has televangelists and leaders of mega-churches.  All of them have the public’s attention.  Entire industries exist simply to follow and report about rich and famous people.  But earthly fame is fleeting.  Eternal glory belongs to God alone.

Satan tempted Jesus to become famous.  He took Christ to the pinnacle of the temple and told Him to jump.  Many people would be watching.  Angels would save Him just like the scriptures said, and everyone would know that Jesus was the Messiah.  But Jesus knew that this was neither the time nor the way chosen by God.  He answered Satan’s challenge with scripture, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”

The hymn To God Be the Glory was written by Fanny Crosby, the most prolific hymn writer of all time.  As loved as this hymn is today, though, it was never mentioned by Crosby in her writings.  It went practically unnoticed until 1954, when Billy Graham began using it during a London crusade.  The hymn did not need to burst on the scene with fanfare when it was first introduced.  Instead, it was written and prepared to be used in God’s time.  Enjoy the words.

To God be the glory, great things he hath done!
So loved he the world that he gave us his Son,
who yielded his life an atonement for sin,
and opened the lifegate that all may go in.
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
let the earth hear his voice!
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
let the people rejoice!
O come to the Father thru Jesus the Son,
and give him the glory, great things he hath done!

We don’t need to be famous while we are on our pilgrim journey.  We are promised eternity with God in glory.  Today we are simply called to follow a path of humble obedience.

Follow the Path!
CARadke

[Use with Challenge of Fame, day 42 of A Labyrinth Pilgrimage]

The body has basic needs.  Food is one of them.  There are signs that let us know when we are hungry, from mild pangs to gnawing pain.  Lack of food can lead to shaking, weakness, and fainting.  If not addressed, it will lead to death.

God knows our needs.  He knows how to meet them, too.  Jesus was aware of this.  When Satan tempted Jesus to turn stones to bread, Satan was trying to use hunger to break Jesus’ devotion to God.  But our Lord could not be shaken and responded by quoting a rather obscure Old Testament scripture.  The passage would probably still be obscure today if Jesus’ response had not been recorded in the Gospels.  “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.”

That verse from Deuteronomy was talking about God providing manna to the children of Israel.  The Israelites had never asked for manna.  They did not even know what it was.  In fact, the word “manna” sounds like Hebrew for the question, “What is it?”  Nevertheless, God chose to send manna, and manna was sufficient to sustain the Israelites in the wilderness.  When Jesus quoted the passage, He was confessing that, just as God knew and met the needs of the Israelites, God knew His needs and would provide for Him.

The 15th century Latin hymn O Love, How Deep traces the life of Christ, including the hardships that He suffered for us.  Ponder these words from the second stanza.

For us baptized, for us he bore
his holy fast and hungered sore,
for us temptation sharp he knew;
for us the tempter overthrew.

What is our hunger on our pilgrim journey, and how will it be met? Do we think that we can meet our own needs, or do we yearn for God’s provision? Christ fasted in preparation to give us hope and salvation. What will we do in preparation to receive it?

Follow the Path!
CARadke

[Use with Challenge of Hunger, day 41 of A Labyrinth Pilgrimage]

Sometimes we can learn about others just by watching the people around us.  For example, have you ever seen someone who looked happy?  Maybe it was their smile or the bounce in their step.  Whatever it was, you could really sense that they were happy.

Now let’s take it another step.  Have you ever watched other people’s reactions when they encountered that happy person?  Happiness is remarkably contageous.  Smiles are met with more smiles.  Body language changes.  Pleasant greetings are shared, and sometimes there is an exchange about the reason for the happiness.

We have a reason for our pilgrim journey.  It is the best reason to be happy that the world has ever known.  Jesus came.  He faced the cross and conquered death.  As we walk the path, is there any chance that other people can see our joy?  Does it show on our faces?  Does it shape our actions?  Does it determine the words we choose?  It should!

Ask Ye What Great Thing I Know was written by Johann C. Schwedler and translated by Benjamin H. Kennedy.  In his opening line, Schwedler invites the listener to ask about the reason for his joy.  Carry these words in your heart today.  Show them in your smile.  Live them in your life.

Ask ye what great thing I know,
that delights and stirs me so?
What the high reward I win?
Whose the name I glory in?
Jesus Christ, the crucified.

Continue your journey today so that your life says, “Ask me about my joy.”  When people ask, don’t hesitate to share the same good news of Jesus Christ that Schwedler proclaimed.

Follow the Path!
CARadke

[Use with Peace in Promise, day 40 of A Labyrinth Pilgrimage]

The Bible is first and foremost a love story.  God loved creation.  He blessed the first marriage in history.  He was more than a match maker; He was the match creator!  He also blessed the bonds of friendship, and recognized Abraham as His friend.  When Jesus wept over Lazarus, the Jews saw the Lord’s deep love for His friend.  In his letters John the apostle instructs us about love, not that we loved God, but God loved us and sent Jesus to be our atonement (1 John 4:10).  The love story continues through the closing of the book of Revelation as the Spirit and the Bride invite all to take the water of life.

With the theme of love running as a continuous thread from cover to cover in the world’s all time number one best seller, it should come as no surprise that Jesus performed his first recorded miracle at the wedding in Cana.  It was a celebration of love.  We never learn who was being married, nor does it matter.  God is love.  God blesses us in love, and God blesses us through love.

O Perfect Love was written as a wedding hymn by Dorothy B. Gurney especially to fit her sister’s favorite hymn tune.  A short time later the words came to the attention of the royal family.  It was sung in the 1889 royal wedding of Princess Louise and the Duke of Fife, using a tune specially commissioned for the occasion.

Pray these words of love as you continue your pilgrim journey.

O perfect Love, all human thought transcending,
lowly we kneel in prayer before thy throne,
that theirs may be the love which knows no ending,
whom thou forevermore dost join in one.

Perfect love certainly does transcend human thought, and it is God’s perfect, transcendent love that we seek on our journey.  Know that God loves you perfectly.  Seek to love Him perfectly, and to be a reflection of God’s perfect love for everyone you see today.

Follow the Path!
CARadke

[Use with Celebration of Love, day 39 of A Labyrinth Pilgrimage]

Some people say that the only thing that is constant is change.  It is not a new idea.  It can be traced back at least as far as ancient Greece.  Perhaps it is ironic that the assertion of change remains constant.  Ironic or not, the validity of the assertion depends on your perspective.  For example, the earth is orbiting in a solar system that is rotating in a galaxy that is moving through space.  The movement is constant, but the motions themselves represent change.

Some things don’t change at all.  It is not a matter of perception.  They are absolutely constant.  The psalmist knew this very well.  God is eternal.  His mercy is everlasting.  His truth endures forever.  The 100th Psalm celebrates these truths.  It is a succinct and inspiring call to praise and worship because of God’s constant, eternal nature.  Its words have captured the hearts and minds of people across the millenia since they were first recorded, breaking through every barrier of language and culture.

The hymn All People That on Earth Do Dwell is an English setting of Psalm 100 by William Kethe.  Of the 25 psalms that Kethe prepared for the 1561 Anglo-Genevan Psalter, this remains the one which is most widely used.  It was paraphrased from a French setting of the Psalm, which had itself been prepared from Latin texts which were passed on after the psalm had been translated into Greek from Hebrew.  Consider God’s eternal nature in the closing stanza.

For why! the Lord our God is good;
his mercy is forever sure;
his truth at all times firmly stood,
and shall from age to age endure.

Our pilgrim journey leads to the foot of the cross, a symbol of Christ’s great sacrifice.  As you continue your journey today, remember God’s unfailing love for you.  Know that you are walking on a path of enduring grace.

Follow the Path!
CARadke

[Use with Growing in Grace, day 38 of A Labyrinth Pilgrimage]