There are many intriguing possibilities about the Shroud that we call "Cool Thoughts" because they make the message come alive with even greater mystery. It suggests contemplating the greater significance and symbolism represented by this remarkable cloth with its blood stained image. They're cool thoughts because they go beyond the obvious and are full of awesome potential. Roman Catholics call it "veneration". With the right approach, the Shroud and its magnificent message can be a compelling way to engage the doubter and the unbeliever who may be searching for spiritual answers.
"THE X FILES OF CHRISTIANITY"?
One of several positioning statements used by STEP is that the Shroud is "The X-Files of Christianity". Allow yourself to drop into "Cool Thought" mode for a minute. This popular TV show is all about the unexplained and the mysterious. Talk about a mystery! Jesus was a man and was therefore one of us (Son of Man). But the part of him that was God (Son of God) didn't come from here. And when his work here was through, he went back to where he came from. The question, as it relates to the Shroud, is whether he purposely left an imprint of himself as he returned home to heaven.
Cool Thoughts are what STEP uses to get the mind thinking about spiritual possibilities, about the plan and purpose of God, not just for the Shroud, but for life in general. We do not accept any New Age interpretation of spirituality. If the Shroud stands for anything it stands for biblical truth…for the revelation of God as found in Scripture. Therefore any revelation or idea one might contemplate about the Shroud must conform to God's revealed Word, otherwise it is counterfeit and must be rejected. Cool Thoughts are attempts to discern God's message to us as revealed through the Shroud or through Scripture. One will always support the other.
MORE COOL THOUGHTS:
The message of the Shroud is as simple as the children's hymn, "Jesus loves me this I know…" or as deep as any researcher or theologian would venture to go. It's a picture that speaks a thousand words. The child says "Look Daddy, it's Jesus!" The teenager says, "This is so cool!" And there are those who look deeper and say, "It's profound".
The Shroud holds much symbolism. It's like a set of book-ends with the Church Age in the middle. The bloodstains represent an historical event that occurred 2000 years ago, the sacrifice of God's Messiah for the sins of mankind.
But the image represents a future event for all believers, i.e. the promise of our own resurrection! It happened to Christ already because he was "the first fruits of the resurrection", but the promise of our own transformation "in the twinkling of an eye" is still in front of us. The Shroud represents the promise of the believer's triumph over man's ultimate enemy, death, by the same power that raised Christ from the dead. That power comes from the third person of the Trinity, God's Holy Spirit, who indwells each person the moment they place their faith and trust in Christ.
Beyond the promise itself, the Shroud may offer clues both as to the nature of Christ's resurrection and ultimately to our own. What transformation occurred in the tomb that could have created this superficial, negative, 3D image? Again, if it's only an artwork, then it was created to represent these biblical truths.
WHAT IS THE MESSAGE FOR YOU?
If you consider yourself a skeptic or an agnostic and the Shroud helps you think about Christ in a new way, then that's the message for you.
If the Shroud helps you think about Jesus and his immense love for you because of what he was willing to suffer, then that's the message for you.
If the Shroud helps you to hope in the promise of your own resurrection, then that's the message for you.
There are many messages. The message for you may depend on where you are with regard to your faith. What is the message for you? Cool Thoughts are God thoughts. Why not take a few minutes right now to read some of the verses found in the article on Veneration. They were selected to stimulate contemplation or what we call…Cool Thoughts.