A church wanted to improve attendance at their major worship services, so they hired a powerful advertising agency to come in, study their situation, and make recommendations. The ad agency did their research… and then suggested to the church that they should get rid of all the crosses in the church… because the crosses might send a negative message to prospective young worshipers!

Now, I'm sure that in its history, that advertising agency has come up with some brilliant ideas… but that's not one of them! We can't get rid of the cross! We don't want to get rid of the cross. The cross is the dramatic symbol of our faith, hope, love, and forgiveness. The cross is the powerful reminder of God's sacrificial and redemptive love for us. And the cross is the constant signal to us of how God wants us to live and love today…as sacrificial servants. We are not called to be prima donnas… We are called to be servants. We are called to take up the mission of Christ… and to emulate the servant spirit of our Lord.