High up, sitting on the top shelf of my bookcase rests a decorative cross, a gift given to me earlier this semester, a gift from a beautiful student.   She came to campus this week to attend a consultation session, face-to-face rather than by Zoom, and she saw her gift where I had placed it high upon the bookshelf, sitting where (I hope) the world can see.

Her gift—-a cross—-a symbol reflecting who we are in Christ Jesus.

That day (when she walked into the office), her first words were:  “I brought you something,” and in her hands, she held her gift wrapped in plain, brown paper.  This precious student handed me her gift, and the brown paper easily fell away revealing an ornate cross.

A Cross.

The CROSS—the SYMBOL that shouts to the world the truth of Jesus.

The CROSS—the SYMBOL showing us the place Our Savior suffered, bled, and died lifted up high, there upon His cross.

The CROSS—the SYMBOL that speaks God’s truth to the world.

Yes, that CROSS—the SYMBOL showing us the place Jesus willingly endured for you and for me.

The CROSS—the SYMBOL that tells the world who we are in Christ.

The CROSS—the SYMBOL that speaks assurance & hope (found in Jesus) freely given to humanity, gifted to generations of people.

A glory to be received!

The CROSS—a SYMBOL that reminds us of the place where the soldiers placed the body of Jesus, the tomb sealed, and the reality of the stone rolled away—-Easter—-Resurrection Day!!!!

A grave overcome!

The CROSS—a Symbol, timeless, and holy, representative of the One coming for us!!!

The CROSS—A symbol of death, of resurrection, and of celebration. 

As I stood, holding this student’s gift, I saw (engraved there upon this cross) words etched. Sydney and I were talking through WhatsApp when this student walked into the office that day, and (although Sydney must live thousands of miles away) she could see the words, there upon this cross, and she recognized the prayer inscribed.

In the Bible, these words are in written in red, words spoken by Jesus. The first two words—“Our Father” revealed the rest of the LORD’S Prayer we see etched within our memories. 

“Pray, then, in this way:  Our Father who is in heaven,

Hallowed be Your name.

Your kingdom come.

Your will be done,

On earth as it is in heaven,

Give us this day our daily bread. 

And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.]”

(Matthew 6: 9-13)

We refer to this prayer (given to us by Jesus) as the model prayer, not because we must ritually voice the words (although we can), but because the words remind us who we are in Christ.

HE is our Father.

We honor HIS name.

HIS kingdom will come.

HIS will done, here and in heaven.

HE daily sustains us.

HE forgave us our sins.

We are to forgive others in HIS name.

HE delivers from the temptations of evil.

For HIS kingdom is powerful and glorious.

HE will keep us for eternity.

Thank you Hillary for this wonderful gift. Thank you for the sisterhood we share in Christ.

Thank you God for sending us Your Son Jesus to provide for us the only way to receive eternity through HIS work on the cross. Thank You God for salvation. 
Christianity rests upon the cross of Jesus.  This student who carried in her gift knew I (too) was a believer (as she) because we had shared our faith with one another.

Sisters Together. Faith In Common.

Together today & forevermore.

Sisters-in-Christ for eternity.

Student and teacher, BUT…Also students of God’s Word & children (both of us) of the King of Kings.

God’s kingdom is so glorious and wonderful to imagine.

When I shut my eyes and allow my mind to dwell upon the glories to be lived throughout eternity, my mind cannot even touch the majesty to be received.

The face of God.

Jesus.

Sitting there, waiting there, on the right hand of the Father, waiting there beside the Father, advocating for each of us as we live on earth, waiting for the appointed day when Jesus will stand and come for you, for me, for us who call HIM——LORD.

I truly cannot find the words this morning to proclaim the joy in my heart found only in the cross of Jesus.  My heart, the truth rests, the truth found in heaven, in eternity with God, eternity with Jesus  who is my Savior.

The heavenly host will be there, proclaiming glory and honor, and we (who believe) will be there too with those saints, believers who are already there, those who have already died, who are there waiting for our day, when we, yes we, will join them there.

Oh, what a glad reunion day that will be, when Jesus we will see!!!!

The Bible tells us what to expect, what we will see, what we will hear when Jesus returns for those who believe.

Thank You God, we can know today.

“For this we say to you by the Word of the LORD, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the LORD, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.For the LORD Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the LORD in the air, and so we shall always be with the LORD .Therefore comfort one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4: 15-18).

Scripture gives us a beautiful image to see heaven, written there in God’s Word.

Scripture reminds us of our destination, of the way we will leave earth, and the way we will arrive in heaven.

Scripture tells us we will know one another, Christians who have died already, as well as those who still remain here on earth.

Ageless.

Eternity with Christ Jesus our LORD. 

Our transformed bodies with God forever.

Thank you, Hillary for this gift.

Thank you for this reminder, for this symbol, for this cross that now rests high upon my bookshelf.

The Cross of Jesus.

The symbol reminding us of the Way.

The LORD’S prayer etched there upon this student’s gift.

The Cross—-A reminder of God’s gift of salvation.

The Cross—-–The Only Way—-Jesus—-God’s forgiveness of our sins.

The Cross—–The Way God delivers us to dwell within His kingdom forever.

Let us not ever forget who we are in Christ.

&

Let us (today—–every day) be the person God intends us to be as we walk through this life-journey, as we await the day Jesus will come to take us home to be with Him.

Let us Believe Today.