We
adore you most holy Lord Jesus Christ
Here
and in all your churches throughout the world and we bless you for by your holy
cross you have redeemed the world
The prayer of Francis on
entering a church, and no doubt at other
times too.
We begin nearly every
service with this prayer
But what is the cross of
Christ? It may seem a strange question but I wonder now if there are various
answers that can be given here.
I
was with someone recently talking about the cross and I found it interesting to
hear what they were reflecting. There was talk of the difference between a
crucifix and a cross, and for the person I was speaking to the meaning for each
was different.
(explain)
Of
course for the early Christians there was no difference for I am sure that
whatever form of Cross was seen it symbolized horror and torture and
oppression. There could be no cross with any message of good news.
It could be therefore that
we can see a distinction between the death of Jesus and the cross of Jesus.
We are very aware that the symbol of the cross was
not actually used by the church until quite late, but that once it became used
it quickly became more than symbol of a Christian but actually a symbol of
Faith and very much part of devotion and prayer.
By the time the gospels
were written the idea of the cross was very keenly in people’s minds. In fact
the shadow of the cross and the light of Resurrection is deliberately present
in all that is said or written about Jesus.... simply because it was and is
such a decisive event for the gospel writers.
Take Johns Gospel alone.
All the signs throughout
the gospel lead the eye to the cross.
John cleverly describes
each sign in turn. He begins by actually saying “this is the first sign” (Cana)
then he says this is the second sign later in Chapter 4 (healing of centurion
servant.) The healing of the blind man is the 3rd, the feeding of
the 5,000 is number 4. The man born blind is 5 and the raising of Lazarus is 6.
Six carefully mapped out
signs in the first section of the Gospel and the 7th the most
important one is the crown of all... the crucifixion itself.
7th Day
John had planned his
gospel around the creation story, the six days of creation, and the fulfilment
of it with the
It is in his seventh sign
that the full glory of God is seen, the completion of the new creation. The
word has become flesh and we have seen the glory.
Christ is lifted high on
the cross. The moment of exaltation and glory. The moment of the revelation of
God to the chosen people, just as we are told Moses lifted the serpent to bring
healing to the wandering Israelite in the desert.
The cross is for the
Christian the supreme work of Love, it symbolizes the yearning of Love of a
creator for the creation. For you and for me. (Poster I love you)
It is sometimes hard to
think of the love of God. A creator God is not so difficult, and even a Judging
God is often seen, but to see A God who looks on a rebellious people and loves
it so much that the agony is taken to himself. This is the sign of the cross.
In
the Sunday School last week they were thinking about “Friends of Jesus” and
particularly St Theresa of Calcutta who was canonised last Sunday, known affectionately
as Mother Theresa. They were considering how even these people were not perfect
and there was darkness there too. We all have darkness and the children could
understand this point.
The cross is Johns 7th
sign of the new creation. It is there we are seeing the Glory of God.
So the cross is so much
more than crucifixion. The cross makes the most profound statement in the story
of the good news, and in consequence has been used in Art to say many things.
The cross is not the sign
of death, neither it is a just a reminder of the death of Jesus. It is the sign
of new life too, a recreation, the fulfilment of who we are created to be. In
the Cross and through Christ we are made afresh, we take on again the image of
Gods glory. Yes a sign of love and redemption.
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