Continuing his series, CHIP K of thebandwithnoname takes a look at one of the key factors of Christianity, the cross.

Chip Kendall

Try this. Count how many crosses you see in the space of one day. I guarantee you'll find 'em in all the usual locations. Monuments, graves, jewellery, churches... But if you look a bit closer you may be surprised to find them in a few unexpected places. Flags, mobile fascias, clothes, paintings... And yet, the beautiful Saviour of the universe, to whom these mere "symbols" should point, still goes unnoticed. Locked away in every cross you see is the unfathomable greatness of one single love-act, which literally shook the earth and changed eternity. One man. One night. One cross. But I'm sure you've already heard that story. So here's another one...

Concealed behind a dark, ominous, grassy hedge, Sammy, Vic and Trev were only minutes away from their freedom. They'd been planning their escape from this hell-hole maximum-security prison for seven months now, but it might as well have been forever. The guards were worthy of their hate, the food was worthy of their swearing, and (according to State Law) the only thing they were worthy of was death. "That's the one," whispered Vic to the others, in a strong, nervous southern drawl. He was pointing at something about a hundred yards away. "That fence is the only thing left, between us and sweet heaven."

His massive frame shivered in the cold evening breeze as he prepared to make one final dash across the heavily guarded no-man's-land. So far, everything had gone according to plan. It was three days to their execution, and by now, their only hope of life lay in the new identities awaiting them on the other side of that fence.
"Ready..." Trev was anxious to get this over with.
Sammy was holding his breath without realising it.
"Go!" All three men set off at full speed. Vic was the first to reach the fence, but as soon as he jumped up onto it, there was a massive CRACK! and he was thrown back to the ground, head spinning.
"What the..." The guards were racing towards them.
Even though he'd never been this close to one before, Vic knew exactly what stood before him and the deadly power that ran through it. But he also knew that there was only one way any of them were going to make it over. Through gritted teeth, he shouted, "Climb over me!" and thrust himself back onto the high-voltage electric fence. This time he held on. Arms spread wide, and gripping with all his might, Vic let out the most horrific death-roar as his two fellow inmates scrambled up his back, and on over into freedom.
By the time the guards reached him, all that was left was a sizzling human carcass.

With tears in their eyes, Sammy and Trev ran and ran, the sound of Vic's final scream echoing in their ears.

"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."
(John 15:13)