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The beloved disciple John, while he was marinating on the island of Patmos, wrote that the Lamb was slain before the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8). In other words, Christ was cemented to the cross before the world began turning on its axis. The blueprints for the crucifixion were already sketched in the mind of God, the dimensions of the cross already calculated, the length of the nails already measured, the seeds for the thorns already sown. And as the star of Bethlehem rose in the midnight sky, the King of Creation took a pilgrimage to our planet, just the way he planned it. From the celestial to the terrestrial, Jesus' journey was aimed at one wooden thing — the cross of Calvary.

And with Martin Luther, we can sing:
Did we in our own strength confide,
Our striving would be losing;
Were not the right Man on our side,
The Man of God's own choosing.
Doest ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus it is He;
Lord Sabaoth, His name,
From age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.

My Lord Jesus Christ, You are indeed the only Shepherd, and I, sorry to say, am the lost and straying sheep. I am anxious and afraid. Gladly would I be devout and cling to you, my gracious God, and so have peace in my heart. I learn that you are as anxious for me as I am for you. I am eager to know how I can come to you for help. Anxiously, you desire above all else to bring me back to yourself again. Then come to me. Seek and find me. Help me also to come to you and praise and honor you forever.—Martin Luther

Taken from Sacred Travels by Christian George, © 2006 by Christian George. Used by permission of Intervarsity Press, P.O. Box 1400, Downers Grove IL 60515-1426. www.ivpress.com

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April (Web-only) 2009, Vol. 53