- To the geologist … it’s a 12 ton granite mark.
- To the historian … it’s a significant commemoration mark erected in 1896.
- To the fisherman… it’s invaluable to mark his fishing grounds.
- To the walker … it marks another stage on the coastal footpath.
- To the yachtsman … it’s a clear mark from which to take his bearings.
- To the tourist … it’s another scenic mark to visit..
“There’s something wrong!”
The Bible does not hide the seriousness of sin in the hearts of each one of us. It pollutes and condemns us. Everything that we do is contaminated. Even our best is not good enough for God. Unless God did something, our sin would lead us to eternal destruction. The cross of Jesus is the action which God took to make peace with humanity. To satisfy His justice in punishing sin and to show His mercy in providing a sacrifice. Jesus took the punishment of sin upon Himself.
“I love you”
The cross of Jesus Christ displays that:-
‘God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.’ (John 3:16)
‘God demonstrates His own love for us in this; that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.’(Romans 5:8)
“That’s mine!”
Those who have personally sought the forgiveness of God for sin, by repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, experience what it is to belong to God. The Bible speaks of being born into His family and becoming His children. There is no sense of belonging like knowing that you belong to God.
“I choose you”
The Good News of Christianity centres on the cross of Jesus. Not an occupied cross, but one that is empty. Jesus Christ has risen from the dead, He is alive today. But His cross proclaims a challenge. How do you respond to what Jesus accomplished there — with hostility? With indifference? With respect? Or with an open-hearted acceptance that includes repentance and faith?
The Bible says that:‘if you confess with your mouth ‘Jesus is Lord’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead you will be saved.’ (Romans 10:9)‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ (Romans 10:13)
The Reverend George Martin, Rector of Caerhayes, was a devout man who spent much time in prayer, particularly at the Dodman. He knew personally the wonderful power and value of the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. He erected the granite cross at the Dodman to serve as a lasting reminder of the significance of the cross of Calvary.
Yet here was no morbid memory of merely a crucified victim. The cross is empty! Jesus Christ has conquered death, hell and the grave. He is alive for ever. If there was just one shadow of doubt about the risen Christ, then Christianity would have crumbled long ago. The cross was erected by one who shares with all true Christians the absolute certainty of the real, personal and visible return of the reigning Christ.
So George Martin inscribed:
In the firm hope of the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and for the encouragement of those who strive to serve Him.This cross is erected AD 1896
- On a school work a cross means ‘something’s wrong!
- On a letter a cross means “I love you”.
- On a farm animal a cross means “that’s mine”.
- On a ballot paper a cross means ‘I choose you’.
But what does the mark of a cross mean to you?
You may say “Well Buddhists have their flower, Jews have their Star of David, Marxism has its hammer and sickle, Islam has its crescent, so Christians have their cross. It’s a symbol, a motif, nothing more.
Paul the apostle knew the problems and pressures that the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ would provoke.
He wrote: “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing,but to us who are being saved it is the power of God”. (1 Corinthians ch 1 v 18)
The Cross of Jesus Christ ~ What does that mean to you?
What sort of mark is it?
Mount Zion Church
Gorran Haven
In a sense the Cross of Christ means -
The Dodman Cross
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