Monologue From the Cross

At Mary Ramsey's request, I am posting this reading from the Easter morning service. I can't take credit for the entire piece. I edited a monologue that Fred sent me, and this is the result. I don't know the original author.

Working on this monologue, I was challenged to think honestly about how I might have responded at the crucifixion--and how I truly respond in my everyday, twenty-first-century life. I hope it's a blessing. --Sherry Poff

I am a modern day follower of Christ. While I wasn’t physically present at the cross, everything that happened there affects my life. When Jesus hung on the cross,  he knew the day would come when I would fall prey to the tricks of the devil. He went to the cross to provide a way for me to  have a relationship with God even though I would repeatedly fail. It's a comfort to know that Jesus loves me in spite of my imperfections and He's ready to help me through those imperfections.

When I think about the cross, I have to admit some days I'm like Pilate, knowing that Jesus is innocent--and even trying to take up for him--but then giving in to peer pressure.

Like Peter, who declared he'd be true to the end, I too can take the coward's way when asked about my faith.

There are even moments when greed clouds my vision just as it did with Judas. I may not sell my Savior for thirty pieces of silver, but I let him be ridiculed and mocked in exchange for my pride and reputation.

Then there are the days I identify with Mary Magdalene, grieving for the innocent one on the cross, and rejoicing when I remember his resurrection and what that means to me. It's then I can forget what others may want from me, put aside my pride and my fear, and live the life of victory in Jesus because he's the one who paid my debt.

Whether you've heard the story many times, or you're hearing it now for the first time, there is a lesson in the cross for you.  Are you Pilate or Peter today? Do you steal like Judas or pray like Mary?

The message of the cross is not simply for nonbelievers; it’s a message that continues to change lives, providing hope and forgiveness we can’t find anywhere else.

I know that whatever good may come from my life, it's not because of me. It's all because of the cross. So with Paul I say, “far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”