Lent begins on February 25th. I am going to try and make a Monday post from now through Easter on meditations on the cross of Jesus Christ. These come from the various Easter readings Andi and I are reading through during Lent, especially from the book “Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross” edited by Nancy Guthrie. For the most part, I will just let the author’s original words speak for themselves.
“Let us meditate a moment on the passion of Christ. Some carry crucifixes to protect themselves from water, fire, and sword, and turn the suffering of Christ into an amulet against suffering. Some weep, and that is the end of it. The true contemplation is that in which the heart is crushed and the conscience smitten. You must be overwhelmed by the frightful wrath of God who so hated sin that he spared not his only begotten Son.
The whole value of the meditation of the suffering of Christ lies in this, that man should come to the knowledge of himself and sink and tremble. If you are so hardened that you do not tremble, then you have reason to tremble. Pray to God that He may soften your heart and make fruitful your meditation upon the suffering of Christ, for we of ourselves are incapable of proper reflection unless God instills it.”
Martin Luther
from Martin Luther’s Easter Book
