Old rugged cross.

 This is the hymn that brings us back to the foundation. After all the declarations of freedom, restoration, and resurrection glory—we return to the place where it all began: the old rugged cross.

"On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,

The emblem of suffering and shame;

And I love that old cross where the dearest and best

For a world of lost sinners was slain."

The Cross That Holds Everything Together:

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."

The cross was an instrument of torture, a symbol of shame, a place of cursing. But on that hill called Golgotha, it became the very throne of love. The place where justice and mercy kissed. The altar where the Lamb of God took away the sin of the world.

What the Old Rugged Cross Means for You:

· It is where your sin was carried. "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree" (1 Peter 2:24).

· It is where your curse was broken. "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us" (Galatians 3:13).

· It is where your enmity with God ended. "He is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility" (Ephesians 2:14).

· It is where your adoption was sealed. The curtain was torn, and the way into the Holy of Holies was opened.

The Hymn That Speaks for Our Hearts:

To the old rugged cross I will ever be true,

Its shame and reproach gladly bear;

Then He'll call me some day to my home far away,

Where His glory forever I'll share.

So I'll cherish the old rugged cross,

Till my trophies at last I lay down;

I will cling to the old rugged cross,

And exchange it some day for a crown.

A Prayer at the Cross:

"Lord Jesus,

I come again to the old rugged cross.

Not to linger in sorrow,

but to stand in awe.

Here, You loved me when I was unlovable.

Here, You sought me when I was lost.

Here, You took my place—

the just for the unjust—

that You might bring me to God.

Let me never boast in anything

but the cross of my Lord Jesus Christ.

Let me never exchange its message

for a gospel of comfort without sacrifice.

The old rugged cross

is my anchor in the storm,

my hope in despair,

my peace in turmoil,

my victory over death.

I will cling to it—

not as a relic of wood,

but as the eternal proof

that Your love for me

is stronger than sin,

deeper than shame,

and more lasting than the grave.

And one day, when I see You face to face,

I will lay down every earthly trophy

and bow before the Lamb who was slain.

Until then, I cherish the cross

that leads me home.

Amen."

From the Cross to the Crown:

You began with Psalm 118:8—"It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man." You have walked through trust, blessing, higher ground, overflowing love, living hope, freedom, identity, worship, the gifts of the Spirit, breakthrough, abiding, restoration, and the empty tomb.

And now you return to the cross.

Because everything—everything—flows from what happened there. The cross is the source. The empty tomb is the victory. And the crown is waiting.

Happy Easter. He is risen. And the old rugged cross has become the tree of life.