Crucifixion is one of the most excruciating forms of death that the depraved human mind has devised. It is difficult for us to comprehend that the Son of God could be murdered in such a hideous manner. Yet today the cross is often used as nothing more than a mere ornament or something that is worn by people who attach no meaning to its rich spiritual significance.

But I know of one cross that may cause people to ponder its meaning. It stands outside a church in Old Greenwich, Connecticut, and is made of raw, unpolished steel. When it rains, red, rusty drops roll off that cross like blood. On sunny days in winter, rust-red holes dot the snow at its base.

What goes through the minds of those who pass by that weathered symbol? More important, what is their response to its message? Is the cross foolishness (1 Cor. 1:18), nothing more than a fashion trend? Or does it bring to mind the blood Christ willingly shed for our redemption?

Paul said that the "wisdom of this age" cannot grasp the mystery that is God's plan of salvation. It is only through the power of the Holy Spirit that we can understand the "foolishness" of the cross (2:13-14).

What does the cross mean to you?  — Vernon C. Grounds