Poles

Poles. Telephone poles. I’ve used them to hang signs for our church’s outdoor movies for 25 years. I’ve walked the same route through the neighborhood each time, almost like a prayer labyrinth, to put them on the poles. I’m not the only one who posts signs. The poles are full of staples. Reminders of the signs that used to hang. Yard sales signs, missing pets, community meetings, college parites, and movie nights. Each sign is an invitation. An invitation to stop at the pole and read what has been printed for the passerby. I often wonder how many people notice them. Especially today, as so many of us are glued to our smartphones while walking. But I still hang the movie posters, inviting people to free movies and hot dogs in the community park.

When Jesus began his ministry, he came offering an invitation: “The time has come. The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” No poles. Just words inviting people to experience a new way of living in the world. In Jesus, God’s Kingdom had arrived. A Kingdom of love and grace which would offer people an opportunity to experience new life as God had intended. The invitation was to repent and believe. To turn back to God we wandered away from and trust that God’s love is enough.

It means that no matter our struggles, failures, or longings, the love of God meets us fully. We don’t have to earn it, perform for it, or fear losing it. His love sustains us when our strength fails, gives peace when our hearts are restless, and provides hope when life feels uncertain. The Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 12:9, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” God’s love isn’t just enough—it is more than enough. It covers our past, steadies our present, and secures our future.

God secured all this on a pole. On the cross, God made known his invitation to the world. Jesus would state in John’s Gospel, “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself.” The cross was not just an instrument of suffering—it was the stage where God revealed His love to the world. In Jesus’ sacrifice, love took on flesh and blood, reaching down into the darkest corners of human sin and despair.

Romans 5:8 declares, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”The message is unmistakable: God does not wait for us to be perfect—His love meets us as we are.

At Calvary, the world saw that love is not merely a feeling but a costly act of redemption. The cross whispers to every heart: You are worth this. You are loved beyond measure. It was God’s love invitation on a pole.