Drawn to the Cross

As Palm Sunday approaches on March 29, we begin the most sacred stretch of the Christian year. The crowds once waved palm branches and shouted “Hosanna!” as Jesus entered Jerusalem, not fully realizing that the road before Him would lead to a cross.

Yet Jesus had already said:

“And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself” (John 12:32).

There is a holy magnetic pull to the cross of Christ—something deeper than sentiment, stronger than tradition, and more powerful than human explanation.

That magnetic pull is first the power of love. Nowhere do we see the love of God more clearly than at Calvary. We can admire God’s handiwork in the beauty of creation, but we behold God’s heart at the cross. There, in suffering and sacrifice, we see love stretched wide, arms extended for a broken world.

As we move from the palms of Sunday to the shadows of Good Friday, we are reminded that this is how much God loves us.

The cross also draws us because it speaks forgiveness. Every one of us stands in need of grace. The ground is level at the foot of the cross—no one righteous, no one without sin, no one beyond the reach of mercy.

In Jesus’ death, God answers our deepest need with cleansing and restoration.

That is why Holy Week matters.

On Maundy Thursday, we will gather around the Lord’s Table and remember the cost of that forgiveness.

On Good Friday, we will pause in reverence as we reflect on the sacrifice that purchased our redemption.

Finally, the cross pulls us because it proclaims victory. What looked like defeat was in fact triumph—victory over sin, death, and the powers of darkness.

The story does not end at the cross, and it does not remain in the tomb.

Join us for our Easter Sunrise Service as we celebrate the risen Christ, and for our Easter cantata as we lift our voices in joy and praise.

As you look to the cross this Holy Week—long enough and deeply enough—you will find yourself drawn not only to a symbol, but to the Savior who conquered for you.