The Message of the CROSS

Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ three days after the crucifixion on Good Friday. It is the most important date on the Christian calendar. The sacrifice made by Jesus Christ, the son of God, is beyond understanding even for some adults, but I determined to teach my girls in a way they would not only understand, but always remember.

“It’s time, girls! It’s Good Friday! Today is the day we bake our cross-shaped cookies for our neighbors. First we’ll mix the dough and roll it out. Then we’ll cut out the cookies with our cross cookie cutter. And after the cookies are baked, we’ll wrap up a plateful for each neighbor and decorate the package. Then when Dad gets home, we’ll deliver them together to our neighbors for Easter!”

“And don’t forget the cards, Mom,” either Katherine or Courtney would remind me, “The special cross-shaped Easter cards about the cross that we always sign and take with the cookies!”

For years this was the scene in our kitchen each Eastertime as my two daughters and I sought ways for our family to share the Easter message—the good news of Jesus Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection, the good news of Jesus’ triumph over sin and death, and the good news of salvation and eternal life through Jesus Christ—with our oh-so-needy neighbors.

Our cookie-cutter collection included the shapes of a baby chick, a bunny rabbit, and even an Easter egg. But we chose the cross. Why? Until my daughters “got it,” they invariably asked me this same question: “Why the cross? Why not the chick or the bunny or the egg?”

Always, and in the simplest of terms, using the acrostic C-R-O-S-S, I tried to answer this question in a way that would teach my girls the meaning of the cross, the longtime symbol of Christianity and the death of Jesus Christ.

CROSS ACRONYM

C–hrist, God-in-flesh, gave His life (Philippians 2:8) as a

R–ansom, a payment, for our sins (Matthew 20:28)

O–ffering up His life as a sinless sacrifice (Hebrews 10:14)

S–uffering unto death (Hebrews 12:2) to secure our

S–alvation from sin and death (Colossians 2:13-14).

REFLECT:

Have you embraced the Christ of the cross as your Savior?

Are you teaching your children about the cross? Are you reaching out to others with the message of the cross?

RESPOND:

Dear Lord, thank You for Your plan of redemption and sacrificial gift of Your Son. Help me be bold and wise in sharing about the cross of Christ. Amen.

RENEWING RESOURCES:

We’ve created a beautiful CROSS art print to help you share this message! Check out our CROSS acronym printable here.

REMEMBER:

In celebration of Easter, the Good News of the Cross of Christ is this: the good news of Jesus Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection, the good news of Jesus’ triumph over sin and death, and the good news of salvation and eternal life through Him.