It's The Same Old Thing!

There is nothing more frustrating for parents, while in the midst of explaining something very important, than to see that bored, glazed over look in the eyes of their teenage son or daughter. No matter how hard the parent tries, their teen just doesn't get it. Maybe the child is being rebellious. Maybe it's just a matter of immaturity. Regardless of the reason, though, the parent knows their teen is going to suffer from not learning that particular life lesson. Often, because parents feel strongly about teaching certain values to their children, they will repeat over and over again the themes they are trying to get across. And that is one reason teens give for their looks of boredom. "Dad, Mom, you say the same old thing. I've heard it all before!" Dad and Mom respond by saying, "But that doesn't make it any less true or important!"

Getting bored with something we're familiar with unfortunately isn't only for teenagers. How often hasn't it happened to us when we hear the familiar story of Jesus dying on the cross for our sins that our attention is suddenly stolen by an intriguing spot on a ceiling tile or a fascinating bug crawling along the floor? We rationalize by thinking, "But I've heard this story so many times."

As musical scales are to the musician and technique drills are to the athlete, the cross is to the Christian. We can't hear it, think about it or apply it to our lives enough. We can go to church three times a week, study the Bible every day for an hour, but if we don't understand what happened on Good Friday, we won't get life right.

This Sunday our theme is: "The cross is the crux of Christianity." The word "crux" is actually the Latin word for "cross". Long ago people realized that what Christ did on the cross is the heart of Christianity. Take the cross out and you don't have Christianity. And so in the English language, the word "crux" has taken on the meaning "that which is essential" or "the most important part of something". Join us this Sunday (October 31) at 10:00 am ready to hear what might seem like the same old thing. But that familiar message is what has been changing lives for the past 2000 years. And it can surely change your life too!