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This devotion pairs with this weekend’s Lutheran Hour sermon, which can be found at lhm.org.
1 Corinthians 1:18 – The word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
“Outstanding Universal Value” is the criteria for making the World Heritage List maintained by the United Nations. There are around 1,200 sites on the list. These sites are said to have outstanding value for everyone because visiting them (or simply knowing they exist) helps us be better humans. Mostly, they inspire us with positive examples—monuments of exceptional human achievement, like the Great Wall in China, or examples of rare, natural beauty, like the high Swiss Alps in Europe. But there a few sites on the list that teach by negative example—examples of unimaginable human evil—the Nazi extermination camps in Auschwitz, the killing fields of Cambodia, the sites of the genocide in Rwanda. It’s good that these places are on this esteemed list. It represents a commitment to avoid such atrocities in the future. But, do these places really have Outstanding Universal Value?
Imagine you are visiting one of these sites. You let down your guard a moment and contemplate the horror of such human evil. Doctors who murdered their patients. Husbands who murdered their wives. Teachers who murdered their students, while others looked away. The thought is repulsive. “Never again,” you say. But the fact is, these things keep happening. History is proof of it. So, now you’re faced with an emotional fork in the road. One path leads to despair, the other leads to arrogance. The path toward arrogance begins with the thought, “I would never do that. Not me. Not my people.” And with this thought, you start to look down on others because you know you’re superior. But they—they are dangerous, animals, not even human, really. Then you see that this is the very thought that led to those genocides. So, maybe we’re all the same on this path toward despair, without any lasting value?
The only outstanding value of these sites is the way they can lead us back to the cross of Jesus Christ. To many, the word of the cross sounds like foolishness. If you think you’re good on your own, you don’t need God’s Son to sacrifice His life for your sins and failures. Or, if you think humans are just temporary collections of dust particles, with no eternal value, the message of the God who created us and eternally loves us sounds ridiculous. Or, by grace, you let down your guard. And the message of the cross stakes its claim in your heart, because in Jesus, crucified and risen, God chose the foolish things of the world to shame those who think they’re wise. God chose the weak things of the world to shame those who think they’re strong. God, in Jesus, chooses you.
So, now you know who you are to God. The cross of Jesus makes it known. Our failure is universal. There is no difference between us. We’re all on the same side. We’ve all fallen short of the glory of God. Before God, no one is superior, and no one is lesser. And in the light of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, the cross shows you what you’re worth to God. You’re on God’s world heritage list. You have outstanding universal value to Him—you and everyone you meet.
WE PRAY: Dear Jesus, help me to love Your people, Your heritage, as You have loved me. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Rev. Dr. Michael Zeigler, Speaker for The Lutheran Hour.
Reflection Questions:
- Scan the World Heritage List: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/ Which would you like to visit or learn more about? Why?
- When are you tempted to forget, ignore, or deny humanity’s outstanding universal value?
- Today, how can you demonstrate to a neighbor what they are worth to God? Or, to a family member? To a stranger? To an enemy?
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