Now this expression, "He ascended," what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things. Ephesians 4:9-10
Don't get too excited…this is not an article describing how you and I can get the universe revolving around us more than it already does, wonderful as it sounds. And like we need more help doing that anyhow. Having said that, here is a profound thought for everyday life: you can set up camp right at the center of the universe on any given day. AND you can teach your friends and loved ones to do the same when you understand the simple yet profound reality of The Cross.
I read a recent interview with Professor Huston Smith, author of "The World's Religions." I don't know if Dr. Smith is a teacher of truth or not, but I believe he stumbled upon something amazing and true in his God meditations. In this interview, Dr. Smith makes the observation that "the best single model of the universe…is the most time-honored image in the entire Christian faith: the cross."
With a cross being a horizontal line intersected by a vertical line, Dr. Smith explains that this point of intersection is the meeting place between the physical world in which we live with our senses (horizontal) and the spiritual realm which we cannot see (vertical). He contends that the cross, or the meeting place of both worlds, is at the center of the universe and always where we find Jesus. What a cool thought!
What does this have to do with you and me? I believe this is a powerful picture for Christians in our times that, when trying to communicate God's love and saving plan to a lost world, we need always start where the heavenly and the earthly collide—at the cross. This is surely the crossroads where the lost and wanting human condition encounters the divine supernatural answers. In other words, it is always showing others how to bring their horizontal line to the intersection of the vertical line, where they can encounter a holy, awesome, and miracle working God who has the solution to all their earthly sin, failure, loss, and desperation. If we focus too much on either line, we get out of balance and we lose our relevance to people's lives and needs.
When we share the Good News with others, we're able to bring a little bit of heaven to earth and surely we find ourselves in those moments, at the center of the universe—at the cross—abiding with our King.