Loving God, through the cross of Christ you reveal your love and bring about healing and reconciliation. May we experience these things today as we gather, empowered and inspired by your Holy Spirit; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

In this world in which we live, power is valued more than weakness. Suffering is avoided whenever possible, and self-preservation is valued more than self-sacrifice. True humility is rarely found, and doing what I want is valued more than obedience. In the midst of these worldly values, we hear about the Almighty and Everlasting God who sent his Son, Jesus. Almighty God, Creator of the Universe, sent his Son to live among us, knowing that in the end we would crucify him. We hear this, and we ask, “Is that really wise?” Is that really wise, on God’s part?

The apostle Paul was one who knew how foolish this would sound to people. It seemed foolish to both Jews and Gentiles in Paul’s day. Perhaps it still seems foolish to us today. What kind of an all-powerful God would allow himself to be nailed to a cross in utter weakness and humiliation? What kind of a God would expose his Son to all of the cruelty and hatred that human beings could muster? What kind of a God would forgive the same ones who nailed Jesus to the cross? Isn’t it only a God who utterly and completely loves us who would act in this way?

I have a little card with this painting on it (Christ of St. John of the Cross by Salvador Dali), and it says on the back: ‘“How much do you love me” I asked Jesus, and Jesus said, “This much...” Then he stretched out his arms and died.’ These are the lengths to which God was willing to go in order to save us.

In most Lutheran churches you will see the cross as a central symbol. It is not worshipped. It is not idolized. It is a symbol that points beyond itself. When we see the cross, it tells us a particular story. It reminds us of the depth and of the heart-wrenching nature of God’s love for all humanity. It reminds us of how Jesus came in humility and obedience. It reminds us that God is willing to enter into our suffering. It reminds us that, through the cross, death was transformed into life and utter humiliation was transformed into victory.

Scripturally speaking, much of the interpretation of the cross comes to us from the apostle Paul. In fact, when Paul is writing about the Christian message, he calls it “the message about the cross” (1 Cor. 1:18). To Paul, the cross has to do with reconciliation. In the cross, Paul sees God reconciling all things to himself, “making peace through the blood of [Jesus’] cross” (Col. 1:20).

In thinking about the cross as a symbol of reconciliation, it shows a connection between heaven and earth, as well as a connection from one person to another. The arms of the cross reach out, inviting and including all people, while the vertical piece links us to God and God to us. Of course, the question for many people is how exactly this happens. How does God make peace with us and between us through the cross?

If we turn to Paul once again, God uses the cross in order to erase the record against us (Col. 2:14; 2 Cor. 5:19). God has taken our sins and nailed them to the cross. They are no longer counted against us. They are forgiven. It is described in the Scriptures as the “great exchange.” God takes our sin and places it on Jesus on the cross, and takes Jesus’ righteousness and places it on us (2 Cor. 5:21). It is totally unfair, and we get the best end of the deal by far! Once again, it shows us the greatness of God’s love for us.

Now, we need to understand here that if the average person were to get themselves crucified, it would not result in anything good for us or for anybody else. However, the Scriptures speak about Jesus as the perfect sacrifice (Heb. 9-10). Although fully human, he did not sin, and although Son of God, he offered himself for the life of the world. Just as humanity and divinity both resided in Jesus, so human beings are brought together with the living God through Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. Jesus wiped out the power of sin that we cannot overcome so that we might be saved through faith in him. Jesus is the link between heaven and earth, who gives us the privilege of having a relationship with the Almighty God.

Hopefully this gives you at least a sense of the peace with God that is symbolized by the cross and comes to us through Jesus. It is all about the forgiveness of sins and reconciliation. At the same time, there is the connection with other people that is symbolized by the cross, and we need to think at least a little bit about that.

For one thing, all of us stand on equal ground at the foot of the cross. We all stand there as people for whom Christ died. We all stand there as forgiven sinners. We all stand there in need of God’s grace and love. At the foot of the cross, no person is greater than another or more important than another. God loves us all the same, and we are all brought into God’s household through Jesus Christ. In that way, we are brought together.

At the same time, we are commanded in the Scriptures to forgive one another and to make peace with one another, just as God has forgiven us and made peace with us (Eph. 4:32; Rom. 12:18). Our teacher in how to do this is Jesus, and most of us need to continue to learn from him. Let the arms of the cross serve as a reminder for you to reach out to the people who are around you.

Reconciliation with others – reconciliation with God – could all of this be part of the healing that is implied by today’s gospel? We heard today about Moses lifting up the serpent in the wilderness, and the people who looked at it were healed and were saved from death (Num. 21:9). And then in the gospel of John we heard about Jesus being lifted up in the same way (Jn. 3:14). In Jesus’ case, people are not only to look at him, but to believe in him, and they will not only be healed, but will have eternal life. Wholeness – healing – salvation – these are very closely related words (in fact, in Greek they’re all the same word!). Through Jesus, there is a coming together – a healing. There is healing within. There is healing between people. And there is healing between us and God.

God’s method of salvation may not seem particularly wise to us by worldly standards, but it does reveal quite a bit to us about our God. For one thing, where there is weakness – where there is suffering – where there is abandonment and loneliness – God is there. Because of what Jesus lived through, God understands every struggle, every temptation, every desire, and every joy that we experience as human beings. Our God is not aloof and far away, but Immanuel – God with us. Thanks be to God! Amen.

Holy Cross Day     1 Corinthians 1:18-24
September 14, 2008     John 3:13-17
St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church     Numbers 21:4b-9
Pastor Lynne Hutchison

© 2008 Lynne Hutchison  All Rights Reserved