As we continue to focus on Lent, Pastor Mark Tiefel goes into the word “Cross” and its importance for the believer in Christ. Most people don’t hang onto or celebrate reminders of suffering in their life. But the Christian faith does emphasize such a reminder in the cross. Paul says that we boast not in ourselves but in the cross of Christ (Galatians 6:14ff). It was through the cross that Jesus reconciled sinful human beings to a holy God (Colossians 1:20). Christ has abolished death and the hostility that was against us through the cross (Ephesians 2:16). For these reasons the cross is a comforting thing because it reveals the grace of God for sinners. Jesus calls us to deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow him (Mark 8:34). The Christian will suffer and face persecution, but Jesus has overcome the world! It is worth it.