A Controversial Cross
“For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who
are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” 1
Corinthians 1:18
If A & E Duck Dynasty Star, Phil
Robertson, freaks people out with his comments, then they may want to
stay a hundred miles away from the Cable Network TV Land. Just the other day, I found myself channel
surfing (I wasn’t in the mood for real surfing) in order to locate a suitable
family program that could connect with my 8-year old and me. The Andy Griffith Show was just what
the doctor ordered.
In this 1965 episode called “The
Case Of The Punch In the Nose,” the classic tandem of Sheriff
Andy Taylor and Deputy Barney Fife are in the
sheriff’s office discussing a case when the conversation turns toward a church
song the choir was trying to work out for Sunday’s church service. That’s when they throw out what would have
been scandalous words had they traveled over today’s airwaves. When Andy and Barney are humming a hymn, Andy,
trying to recall the words, says, “Is it ‘When
Sinners Lose Their Guilty Stain?’" Then they start harmonizing these words:
Lose all their guilty
stains
Lose all their guilty
stains
And sinners, plunged
beneath that flood
Lose all their guilty
stains
Their duet was a song called “There Is A
Fountain” written by William Cowper
in the 1700’s. The first stanza says, “There
is a fountain filled with blood; Drawn from Immanuel's veins; And sinners
plunged beneath that flood; Lose all their guilty stains.” Wow!
Talk about controversial. ABC, TMZ, and MSNBC would have been all over
that.
Those words weren’t as shocking in Andy’s day
as they are in Phil’s. I’m not sure how they would be received in primetime
2014 but I’m sure there would be some people protesting their offensive nature. After all, in an age of tolerance, the
message of “ALL OF US” being sinners
seems very uncomfortable. While Phil’s
words drew attention and a temporary suspension due to the media’s focus in one
area, Andy reminds us that we ALL need
a cleansing to enter the Kingdom and none is excluded.
“How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the
eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from
acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!” (Hebrews 9:14) Whether 50 years ago or today, the 2,000 year
old message never loses its power.
Pastor
Terry Risser
Reflections:
1) When did you
come to the place where you experienced your guilty stains
being removed?
2) How did you
feel when you first experienced it?
Copyright- Terry Risser
Consider reading God's Word today, click on image below for daily devotional:
No comments:
Post a Comment