I love songs about the cross of Christ. There is no greater mystery, nothing that inspires more wonder, than the crucifixion of our Lord. It was the greatest act of both love and hate ever portrayed. It’s a manifestation of both the stratospheric height of God’s mercy and the grimy depth of our sin.
Paul boasted in but one thing: the cross. The hosts of heaven include Jesus’ death in their continuous expression of praise, day and night. My sin, as the old hymn goes, not in part but the whole, is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more. We are reconciled to God through the cross of Christ.
You could ponder the cross for a lifetime and never fully explore its depth and significance. It’s both simple and complex. It’s seen as both foolishness and the pinnacle of wisdom. It illustrates both divine compassion and divine wrath. Christ the all-powerful was crucified in weakness. It’s both glorious and shameful. It shows us both God’s fierce anger and His lovingkindness.
So if the cross is central to our faith, and will be throughout eternity, why is it so little referenced in the songs we sing at church?
In his article “The Cross: Crucial in Worship,” Director of Worship Development for Sovereign Grace Ministries Bob Kauflin explains that that Jesus’ atoning work on the cross is our very means of access. It makes our worship acceptable. It’s the object of our adoration.
If you’re a worship leader, please consider what Bob writes in this article. If you’re not a worship leader, please take some time to read through it and wrestle with it. I find my faith fueled when I ponder the points of the article. I think yours will be as well.