Yesterday, 14th September, was Holy Cross Day, a day in the Church’s year we set aside to think about and venerate the Cross. And today, although they’re not specifically about Cross, our readings do draw our minds to the Cross because we read part of Isaiah’s prophesy of the Suffering Servant, and Jesus speaks of his disciple’s need to take up their own cross and follow him. So this weekend, our minds are drawn to and focussed on the Cross. But when we see a Cross, what do we see? When we think about the Cross, what do we think about?
The Cross, of course, is the most well-known and recognisable symbol of the Christian faith but like all symbols, in itself, a cross is meaningless. In itself a cross is just two lines or pieces of wood or some other material, one vertical and one horizontal, that cross at right angles. The Cross only has such great meaning and power to us because of what we associate with the Cross. So, actually, we give the Cross its meaning and we invest it with power through the meaning we give it. But unfortunately, that also means that we can invest the Cross with our own misunderstandings and prejudices. And I’ll give you an example of what I mean.
I was once a night out with some of my family when someone in our company noticed that my sister was wearing three necklaces, a Star of David, a crucifix and a plain cross. So they pointed at them and said to my sister,
“Can’t you make your mind up?”
So she said, “I beg your pardon?”
To which they said, “You’re wearing a Jewish star, a Catholic crucifix and a protestant cross; can’t you make your mind up which you are?”
So, and with a very disdainful look on her face, my sister held up the cross and said,
“I wear this because I’m a Christian. But we can’t have this, without this.” And held up the crucifix. Then she said,
“And we wouldn’t have had either if this hadn’t come first.” And held up the Star of David.
And that illustrates what I mean about the meaning and power we give to symbols, and how we can invest symbols with our own misunderstandings and prejudices. Because why should anyone think that a crucifix is Catholic and a plain cross protestant? But we know that people do think that, and not just people outside the Church but those in the Church too. They must do because isn’t it true that if we go into Roman Catholic churches we tend to find crucifixes rather than plain crosses and if we go into protestant churches we tend to find plain crosses rather than crucifixes? And if you ask why that is, we tend to find the answer is something along the lines of the crucifix emphasising the redemptive suffering and death of Christ and the plain Cross, the empty Cross, emphasising Christ’s Resurrection and his victory over sin and death. But to say, or even think, that one is preferable to the other or a more meaningful or powerful symbol than the other is quite preposterous because we simply cannot have one without the other. Christ had to suffer and die on the Cross in order to triumph over sin and death and as a prerequisite to the Resurrection. But without the Resurrection his suffering and death on the Cross would have been meaningless because there would have been no victory over sin and death.
We give Cross, this great symbol of our faith, many meanings and great power but, all too often, we can diminish the meaning and power of the Cross by investing it with our misunderstandings and prejudices. That may not stop us from seeing some of what we should see when look at the Cross, but it can stop us from seeing all that we should see when we look at it. And there are many things we should see when we look at a Cross.
The Cross has meaning for us because it’s inseparable from the one who suffered and died on it for us and for our salvation. So when we look at the Cross, even a plain Cross, we should see a crucifix because when we look at a Cross we should always see in our mind’s eye, Christ upon the Cross, suffering and dying for us and for our salvation. And in seeing that, we should be reminded of the love of a God who sent his own Son into the world to suffer and die so that we might live for ever. And the love of the Son who was willing to suffer and die for us to that end. And we should see that, we must see that in fact, because without that a cross is nothing more than a Roman method of humiliation, torture and execution. Perhaps not even that, maybe nothing at all except two lines or pieces material, one vertical and one horizontal, that cross at right angles.
And when we look at a crucifix, we should see in our mind’s eye the empty Cross. And we should see that because the crucifix should remind us that Christ’s suffering and death on the Cross was merely the prerequisite for all that followed. It should remind us that Christ was taken down from the Cross and laid in the tomb. It should remind us that the Cross was empty as Christ descended to the dead to proclaim release to those held captive by death. That the Cross was empty as he rose again from the dead. And it should remind us too that the Cross is still empty and always will remain empty because the suffering and death Christ endured for us, he endured once and for all. No one will ever again need to go through such betrayal, humiliation and agony for us; no one else will ever have to die for us. Only Christ had to do that and his Cross, the Cross, is empty now.
And when we look at a Cross, whether it be a crucifix or a plain Cross, it should remind us that, as disciples of Christ, followers of Christ, we’re called to follow the Way of the Cross. And looking at the Cross and seeing both crucifix and empty Cross should remind us of what that way of life means and what the reward for leading that life is. The Way of the Cross is Christ’s way, not our own way. Seeing the Cross should remind us that Christ’s way is not the way of doing what we want all the time, of doing as we please regardless of the consequences for anyone else. It’s not the way spitting our dummies out when we can’t have our own way, or falling out with people when they see things differently than we do.
There are so many people in the Church who do these things but that is not something we should see in the Cross. It’s not a meaning we should give to the Cross because that is not Christ’s way and so it’s not the Way of the Cross. Christ’s way is of self-giving love, of loving our neighbour every bit as much as we love ourselves even if they don’t agree with us. Christ’s way is the way of obedience unto death, even death on a Cross. I’m sure no one thinks that Jesus found the Cross pleasurable. His agony in Gethsemane tells us that it’s something he didn’t want to endure. His cry from the Cross as took upon himself the sins of the world, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” tells us what the Way of the Cross cost him. And yet he followed it because it was God’s way and so it was the right way to follow. And if we want to follow the Way of the Cross, we have to do the right thing, even if that means doing some things we don’t really want to. Seeing Christ on the Cross, the symbol of his suffering and death should remind us of that. Seeing the empty Cross, the symbol of his Resurrection and his victory over sin and death should remind us of the reward for doing it. What we should never see in the Cross is selfishness, malice or spite of any kind. And if we show these traits in our dealings with others, whilst claiming to be Christians, whilst claiming to be following the Way of the Cross, what are we seeing when we look at the Cross? We can only be seeing a cross that is not Christ’s. We can only have invested the cross we see with a meaning born of our own misunderstandings and prejudices because these things are born of a lack of love and that is the very antithesis of the Cross of Christ.
This weekend we’re called to think about and venerate the Cross so let’s make sure that, when we look at the Cross we see what we should see and what we’re meant to see. The instrument of our salvation, the symbol of our faith in a God who loved us so much that he gave his Son up to death so that we might have eternal life. The love of the Son who was willing to endure the agony of the Cross for our sake. Let’s try to see too something of what Jesus’ call to deny ourselves, take up our own cross and follow him means, that the Way of the Cross is the way of obedience to God and that following the Way of the Cross can often mean doing the right thing rather than our own thing. Let’s also see in the Cross the reward that lies in store for those who follow in its way. And in seeing all these things let’s try to follow the Way of the Cross a little more closely.
Amen.
Propers for the 24th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Trinity 16) 15th September 2024
Entrance Antiphon
Give peace, Lord, for those who wait for you,
and your prophets will proclaim you as you deserve.
Hear the prayers of your servant and of your people Israel.
The Collect
O Lord, we beseech you mercifully to hear the prayers of your people who call upon you;
and grant that they may both perceive and know what things they ought to do,
and also may have grace and power faithfully to fulfil them;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen.
The Readings
Missal (St Mark’s)
Isaiah 50:5-9
Psalm 116:1-6, 8-9
James 2:14-18
Mark 8:27-35
RCL (St Gabriel’s)
Isaiah 50:4-9
Psalm 116:1-8
James 3:1-12
Mark 8:27-38
Parish Church of St Mark Chadderton 