THE CROSS AND THE CROWN by Lynn Downham

By Lynn Downham

As Easter approaches, our hearts turn to the cross and the resurrection, to the promise kept that God would send One to save us and to the coming promise of our resurrection in heaven. It seems a fitting time to tell the story of the Cross and the Crown.

One year, new in my faith, I decided that I wanted a new cross to wear around my neck and like all of us 20th century shoppers I went straight to the Internet to see what I could find. After perusing countless pages of all sorts of cross pendants, I saw IT. It was beautiful. It was just what I wanted. It was not extravagantly priced at all, quite the contrary, but it was awesome. It was small, flat, shaped rather like a Catholic medal and what I really liked about it were the four different colored gemstones placed on each end. It was perfect.

Mike, my husband, decided this was a gift. From him. Not content with MY choice, (the one who is going to wear the cross!), he picks out a different cross. It is OK. It is a very nice cross. It is gold, nicely shaped with red-colored gemstones covering the whole cross, but it is not the ONE. Sighing to myself, seeing that there’s no way he’s changing his mind even after I’ve showed him the one I like, I said, “Yes, that one will be OK.” (By the way, I still wear this cross today.) Learning to submit can be so hard sometimes.

Fast forward to Christmas. Mike’s cross arrived. I have it. We’re in North Carolina visiting the family for the holidays and we go to see one of my brothers, a believer that just loves the Lord. He comes striding across the room and holds out a big refrigerator magnet to me and says “I just thought of you when I saw this! This is for you!” He had no idea about the earlier part of the story. But as he hands it to me, (it’s not wrapped), I look down and see a refrigerator magnet fashioned exactly as the cross I had wanted, different colored gemstones and all! And at that instant the Lord spoke to me and said, “I’VE GOT A CROWN FOR YOU.”

Obviously, this made the sacrifice of my desired cross much easier to bear. I told my brother the story as he too loves to hear stories about what the Lord does in our lives. I have held onto to those words and to that promise and look forward to that day when I might receive that promised crown so that I may cast it back at His feet.

Incidentally, a year or two later, I was left with finishing some beautiful stained-glass windows that a minister who was relocating had started at our church. The middle window of 5 was to be a large cross and I asked the Lord what type of cross He wanted there. Immediately I looked down and there staring back at me was the Full Gospel logo on a notepad and thus the cross you see here.

I pray all of you have a wonderful Easter holiday and I will be looking forward to reading all the great new articles in the next edition of Faith On Every Corner and singing my favorite Easter hymn, “Christ the Lord is risen today! Hallelujah!” God bless, Lynn

“Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been proved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” ~ James 1:12

Lynn Downham