The Sermon without words

St. Francis of Assisi once said "Preach always ... and when necessary use words."
It's also been said, "The sermon you live will speak greater volume than the sermon you preach."

Along this thought, I am reminded of a story I've read a variety of places. It is about a parish priest in rural England who announced in the morning that, at the evening vespers, he would deliver a sermon without the use of words.

At the appointed time, when all the congregants were seated, he proceeded to the crucifix that was very prominent in the chapel. The place was void of light, so he took a lantern and stood beneath the suffering Jesus.

He held the lantern to the feet of Jesus. The nail prints were obvious.
Next, he raised the light to the part of Jesus' body that had been pierced with a sword, then to the hands — each side.

The image of the blood of Christ flowing freely from the vicious hammering of the nails ... and then to the head of our Savior, he moved.

The crown of thorns roughly placed. The blood coursed down the side of His face and into His matted hair. He lingered there for awhile and slowly moved his lantern into place so that the agony on our Lord's countenance was almost too vivid to watch.
It was a sermon preached without words and very powerfully delivered.
Then the parish priest blew out his light, leaving the people in darkness as he quietly exited the little church.

A sermon without words — unforgettable!

You, like me, may never forget this sermon, that was given without words. Likewise, many see our lives and it will leave an eternal impact upon their lives.

I know what you're thinking. We serve a resurrected Lord, not a suffering Savior. Understood. But before that triumphant morning, there was the agony of the cross. We must never forget that.

"But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed" (Isa. 53:5).

"One of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear" (Jn. 19:34).
"Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness" (Heb.9:22).

So the suffering of Christ was reality — real pain, real blood, real loneliness and real betrayal. It is all a part of the Easter miracle. During this time of celebration of the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, let's let the real message be displayed not only in our churches but in the way that we live our life.