Amy Fischer sent this to me last night in response to the study, and agreed to let me post it. Enjoy:
During discussion time I was formulating something I wanted to say but never really got it fully together until you started to move on. I was mulling over relationships and the passage and couldn’t get the image of the cross out of my head. I was listening to what everyone had to say and how fundamentally our main purpose as humans is to be relational. There are two main relationships as humans that we have; one being the relationship with God (pointing upwards,) and one being the relationship with others (pointing outwards.) This physical image of ‘up and out’ reflects the cross structurally. The two beams of wood, one being vertical and one being horizontal. (which you started to mention during the lesson) The cross ends up being our perfect example of how we should lead our relationships as Christians. A relationship facing up towards God and relationships stretched out to others. When in this position naturally our arms are open and our heart is exposed, therefore our relationship with others and relationship with God start to interweave and become strong. I just thought that the cross was a perfect example of how our Christian relationships ought to look in a physical, visual manner. After all, it all comes back to the main reason, the Gospel, the cross.