Across the Pastor’s Desk by Don Rose

When writing to the early believers in Corinth, the apostle Paul says that others receive the cross, the very center of the faith in Jesus the Christ, as a stumbling block by some and as foolishness. But he writes that to those who believe, it is their salvation. Since the cross was a means of execution for the worst of criminals of the day, it is easy to see why the world would have seen the cross of Christ and its message as foolishness and a stumbling block; a hindrance to the faith. This was not the message that the world was interested in receiving. The world was looking for a superhero. One who would rescue without getting hands dirty. One who would arrive on every occasion just in the nick of time. To proclaim the cross and Christ crucified was to risk shame and rejection according to the standards of the world.

It appears that there are similar feelings yet today, nearly 2000 years later. Many “modern” Christian churches are being built with no crosses inside or outside to witness to the faith of the people who attend. Spokespersons for some of these new constructions have said that crosses have been intentionally left out because the modern world finds the cross to be too harsh and as a result unwelcoming. When the cross and all that it represents is in fact the core of the faith, how does one not include it? The apostle Paul wrote that to deny the cross is to deny the Christ.

On Sept. 14 the Christian Church celebrates Holy Cross Day. This is a day of greater celebration than the muted worship of Good Friday. Using the language of the writer of the Gospel according to John, the Church sees Jesus being lifted up on the cross as the time of his exultation. This is the time in which God’s victory over sin and death is achieved and the people of God are set free from bondage and captivity. Thus, whether the world sees it as a stumbling block or foolishness, the cross is a means of salvation for all whom the Spirit calls to faith. The cross itself, as well as making the sign of the cross, are a witness to the lengths to which God will go to share love and grace with a world that continues to be in need.

No longer in shame or fear but rather with boldness and confidence the followers of Christ lift high the cross to proclaim the love of God for all of God’s children and for all of God’s creation.

 

Don Rose is the pastor of Mansfield Lutheran Church in Alden and United Lutheran Church in Walters.