As we gather on this last Sunday of the church year, we are reminded that while the world marks time by the turning of the calendar, the church marks time by the story of Jesus—His life, death, and resurrection. Today, we stand at the threshold between endings and beginnings, and our focus is drawn not to the “last things” of the world, but to the lasting thing: the cross of Christ. This is the center of our faith, the place where God’s love is most clearly revealed, and the moment that changes everything for us.

We confess together the faith that unites us with Christians across the world and throughout history, even as we remember those who cannot speak these words openly. We are one family, redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, saved by grace, and called to be filled with love, hope, and truth. In a world that is broken and often hard, we long for experts to guide us through suffering. Yet, when we look to Jesus, we see the true expert—not because He avoided suffering, but because He entered into it fully for our sake.

The journey to the cross is brutal. Jesus, beaten and bloodied, carries the weight of our sin, shame, and pain. Even in His agony, He stops to show compassion—to the women weeping for Him, to the soldiers who crucify Him, and to the criminals dying beside Him. He offers forgiveness, mercy, and the promise of paradise. The man on the middle cross says, “You can come.” This is not about how well we know Him, but about how deeply He knows and loves us.

Our scars and failures do not disqualify us; rather, they become testimonies to the grace of Jesus. He keeps His scars for eternity as a love story to us, a reminder that nothing we have done is greater than His sacrifice. We are called not just to receive this grace, but to share it—to show our scars, to speak of His forgiveness, and to invite others into the hope of paradise. The cross is not something to “get past,” but the center of our lives and our eternity. In Jesus, we are loved, forgiven, and sent to be His witnesses in a world desperate for good news.