The Gospel in the Center

Each Sunday at our local church, the cross is brought from the platform back down the aisle to the middle of the sanctuary for the reading of the gospel. Behind the cross, a pastor walks holding the Bible high as on each side the people turn to face the cross. Then it is said, “We bring the cross into the center of the people as an outward sign that Christ is with us and among us. May His Word be always on our minds, upon our lips, and deep within our hearts.”

In a recent class I took at Denver Seminary the professors taught a framework for theological reflection. The second step of this model is to “bring the gospel to the center” of whatever problem, issue, or decision one is facing.

We bring the cross to the center. We bring the gospel to the center.

The gospel assures us that Christ our Savior lived, died, rose, ascended, and now intercedes for us. The gospel releases the Spirit moving within and between us, breathing life, wisdom, and all those wonderful fruits of the Spirit. The gospel confirms the Father continues His everlasting lovingkindness in His every thought and action toward us.

What could this mean for each of us today?

Perhaps it means that we think about how God’s grace relates to a decision. Or what it might look like if we prayed and took a step of reconciliation in a difficult relationship. At the foot of the cross, where the ground is level and comparisons are irrelevant, the gospel calls us to move toward each other in humble strength.

The gospel in the center, the cross in the center—of our days, our problems, and our decisions—also call us to suffer well, to not let shame paralyze us, to look at our futures in light of the Kingdom of God, and so much more.

Thank you for investing in military people through Cadence staff as we share the gospel and our lives.

Joyce Schroeder
Cadence First Lady