The day Jesus died, the whole earth changed.
On the first evening of the TAG youth conference in Exeter, Pete Wynter, director of HTB's leadership college, spoke passionately about Jesus' death on the cross; the day that transformed the world.
The day our children are born, the day Martin Luther King Jr made his "I have a dream" speech, the day the planes hit the Twin Towers in New York, and even the day Alex Ferguson left Man United, are all days that in a moment, the world changed, Wynter said.
But, "there is no day at all that trumps the day 2,000 years ago, when a local rabbi and preacher who had stirred things up by saying things no one was ready to hear was grabbed, dragged, punched, slapped and spat upon.
"The day when Mary's son climbed a hill outside Jerusalem...and was lain down on that wooden cross, pierced with nails driven through his arms and his ankles.
"The reality is too gruesome for us to consider...but when we're awakened to the power of the cross, it will change us forever," Wynter said.
When we remember the crucifixion, there are several intricate details that we often forget to notice, he added.
"One thing Matthew tells us is that darkness fell on the land. All the Gospel writers say it – the moment that Jesus died, darkness covered the earth. It's almost God speaking about his great plan – as Jesus took his last breath, the light of the world was put out.
"The light of the world, the one who was able to show us how life was meant to be, who was able to show us the real meaning of life, had been put out," he continued.
Another detail we often look past is that the earth shook as Jesus died. "The Gospels tell us there was an earthquake...and when that happens, land changes shape. Sometimes it's obvious, sometimes it's subtle, but when Jesus died – the landscape utterly changed," he added.
"God was saying that things had shifted beyond recognition. And then the curtain in the temple tore from top to bottom; the curtain put up in the temple to separate the dwelling of God from his people."
Wynter finished by noting that in atoning for our sins on the cross, Jesus made us at one with God and bought us into relationship with himself.
"Atonement – at-one-ment. God is into being one, and drawing us back into himself," he said.
"That day fundamentally changed the world; sin was dealt with there and then. The grace of a generous, loving, good God paid the wages of our sin, and because of that at-one-ness, I now get to have God's riches at Christ's expense.
"It's the only way to eternal life – Jesus is the only one who's paid the price for our sin; no one else has ever claimed to do that, but Jesus has."
"You are made for a purpose, a destiny, and God has a plan for your life," Wynter concluded.
"He paid more than enough for your selfishness, arrogance, pride, anger and the deepest sin at work in you...This is the reality of freedom. Jesus has won, has paid the price – that is the power of the cross. And when we're awakened to it, we're woken up to the power of God in everyday life."
TAG (Transform a Generation) aims to equip young people in the South West of England to become pioneers of change, and be Godly influencers within their culture.
