In the Cross

Good Friday Meditation with Pastor Edith
April 3, 2026
Colossians 1:20

There are many songs and hymns about the cross of Christ and so it is with great difficulty I have chosen only one. I believe this one will mean something to someone today that perhaps you hadn’t considered and perhaps will help you see this Good Friday in a new light.

The hymn; “Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross” written by Fanny Crosby in 1869 represents for me a prayer I pray today that the sacrifice of Christ may inspire me to never forget how much God loves me that he gave His only begotten Son for my sins. May you be inspired as well, because God loves you and did this for you; “Jesus, keep me near the cross, there a precious fountain, free to all, a healing stream, flows from Calvary’s mountain. In the cross, in the cross, be my glory ever, till my raptured soul shall find rest beyond the river”.

It’s been said that when Fanny Crosby wrote these lyrics, her hope was to bring back a reverence and revelation for people of her day who were emphasizing the “moral teachings of Jesus, the virtue and goodness that He modeled for us. This was all well and good, but they were also seriously downplaying Jesus’ sacrificial crucifixion. Crosby echoed the apostle Paul, ‘May I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ’ (Galatians 6:14)”

(Excerpt from “The One Year Book of Hymns” pg.81). Take some time today to reflect on how much God loves you. Read this verse out loud and let the Holy Spirit lift you to a greater joy and peace; “Through Christ God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross (Colossians 1:20).

AMEN and Pray on!