The old rugged cross.

Here is a poem reflecting on the profound meaning and personal claim of "The Old Rugged Cross."

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The Old Rugged Cross

I cling to that old emblem, stained and scorned, That symbol of a love so deeply torn. To others,foolishness, a stumbling block, To me,the everlasting, solid rock.

The old rugged cross, so despised by the man, Has become the center of God's redemption's plan. For on its beams,the dearest and the best, For a world of lost sinners was put to the test.

I see the anguish, the love, the sacrifice, The Lamb of God paying the ultimate price. The wounds that speak a pardon,full and free, The blood that reaches even to me.

So I will cherish it, this timber bare, This sign of burden that my Lord did bear. I’ll bear its shame,its reproach and its loss, For it was there He won my soul across.

Then one day, when my journey here is through, My trophies at last,I’ll lay down anew. I’ll exchange this cross for a crown someday, But until that moment,I’ll ever say:

I will cling to the old rugged cross, And its promise,though all else be dross. For it stands as the power,the wisdom, the grace, That will guide me safely to that holy place.

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The Hymn and The Scripture

This poem is inspired by the beloved hymn written by George Bennard in 1913. The hymn itself is steeped in the language of the New Testament:

· Galatians 6:14: "But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." This is the essence of "cherishing the cross" and bearing its "reproach."

· 1 Corinthians 1:18: "For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." This captures the paradox of the cross being "despised by the man" yet being the "power of God."

· Philippians 3:7-8: The idea of counting everything as loss ("dross") compared to the surpassing worth of knowing Christ is central to the final verse.

· 2 Timothy 4:8: The promise of the "crown of righteousness" is the hope that allows us to bear the cross now.

The poem, like the hymn, is a personal declaration of faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross and a commitment to remember it, cherish it, and find in it our only hope and glory.