reflecting on the cross

Meditating on these words this morning …

Beneath the Cross of Jesus
written by Elizabeth C. Clephane

Beneath the cross of Jesus I fain would take my stand,
The shadow of a mighty rock within a weary land;
A home within the wilderness, a rest upon the way,
From the burning of the noontide heat, and the burden of the day.

O safe and happy shelter, O refuge tried and sweet,
O trysting place where Heaven’s love and Heaven’s justice meet!
As to the holy patriarch that wondrous dream was given,
So seems my Savior’s cross to me, a ladder up to heaven.

There lies beneath its shadow but on the further side
The darkness of an awful grave that gapes both deep and wide
And there between us stands the cross two arms outstretched to save
A watchman set to guard the way from that eternal grave.

Upon that cross of Jesus mine eye at times can see
The very dying form of One Who suffered there for me;
And from my stricken heart with tears two wonders I confess;
The wonders of redeeming love and my unworthiness.

I take, O cross, thy shadow for my abiding place;
I ask no other sunshine than the sunshine of His face;
Content to let the world go by to know no gain or loss,
My sinful self my only shame, my glory all the cross.

And a more modern hymn that reflects a similar theme –

My Worth is Not in What I Own
Written by Keith & Krysten Getty

My worth is not in what I own
Not in the strength of flesh and bone
But in the costly wounds of love
At the cross

My worth is not in skill or name
In win or lose, in pride or shame
But in the blood of Christ that flowed
At the cross

I rejoice in my Redeemer
Greatest Treasure,
Wellspring of my soul
I will trust in Him, no other.
My soul is satisfied in Him alone.

As summer flowers we fade and die
Fame, youth and beauty hurry by
But life eternal calls to us
At the cross

I will not boast in wealth or might
Or human wisdom’s fleeting light
But I will boast in knowing Christ
At the cross

Two wonders here that I confess
My worth and my unworthiness
My value fixed – my ransom paid
At the cross.

Prayer

Father, You who are good beyond all measure
Giving your Son for the sins of the World
This morning, we lament and seek your pardon –
Work in us an enduring, persistent repentance
That both shudders at the potency of our sin
And rejoices in the powerful cleansing of Your word
May we be ever confident – never in our own strength –
But in the glorious work of our Savior –
He who bore our shame so that we might live
In the light of His love, shining like stars
In this dark world.
All glory, majesty, dominion, and authority be to the only God,
Our Savior,
Through Jesus Christ our Lord,
Now and forever. Amen.