Where’s the Cross?
John 19:16-18
April 19, 2019 anno Domini – Redeemer
Where is the cross today? Many people love that old Gospel hymn, “Were you there when they crucified our Lord?” The answer is “No, you’ weren’t,” but you can go there. The tour guides in the Holy Land will tell you the exact place where they think Jesus was crucified and take you to the church which is supposedly over His grave. The cross was found, perhaps, in the year 335 on September 14, when Helen, the mother of Constantine, discovered some wood in Jerusalem that she believed to be the cross. In Luther’s day you could make jokes that the Church had enough pieces of the cross to build a new Cathedral. At Notre Dame Cathedral this past week the supposed crown of thorns which Jesus wore was rescued from the flames, but what does any of that do for you?
Jesus did not die so people would remember Him. He didn’t die merely as an example of great sacrifice. From an earthly perspective His death marked an utter failure. He ticked off the wrong people. The judge (Pontius Pilate) declared Him not guilty three times and He still ended up sentenced to death and crucified. Even in death most of the crowd had no sympathy for Him.
So back to my question where is the cross for you today? In the Proper Preface for Holy Week, part of the communion liturgy, the Cross is likened to a tree. Jesus “accomplished the salvation of mankind by the tree of the cross that, where death arose, there life also might rise again and the serpent who overcame by the tree of the garden might likewise by the tree of the cross be overcome. “ Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden and brought us death. Now Christ hangs on the tree for our sin to die in our place. Let me change my question a little – where is the fruit of the tree of the cross for you?
Let me tell, or rather, let the liturgy of the Christian life tell you.
Receive the sign of the Holy Cross both upon your T forehead and upon your T heart to mark you as one redeemed by Christ the crucified. The cross is put on you with the waters of your baptism. You are baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection.
In the stead and by the command of my Lord Jesus Christ I forgive you all your sins, in the name of the Father, and of the T Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Your forgiveness is delivered in the absolution from the tree of the cross.
I pronounce you to be husband and wife in the name of the Father, and of the T Son, and of the Holy Spirit. If you get married you’ll need lots of forgiveness and Christ gives it to you. He laid down His life to forgive His bride the church. Your wedding is blessed and preserved by His cross.
I believe in the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and the life T everlasting. If you look at the Creed in the hymnal you’ll note that one of the traditional times to make the sign of the cross is when you say, “everlasting life.” Eternal life is a gift that comes with the forgiveness Jesus won on the cross.
Although it is not indicated in the liturgy in our hymnals it has been a longstanding custom among Christians to make the sign of the cross at the words “But deliver us from T evil” in the Lord’s Prayer. What better protection do you have against Satan than the death of Jesus and the forgiveness He won at the cross? Satan has nothing on you, because Christ Jesus died for your sins. We ought not treat the cross like a lucky charm, and use it lightly, but we also might use it more often in our battle against the devil.
Take, eat, this is My T body. Take and drink, this is the new covenant in My T Blood. Dr. Luther said, “At the cross our forgiveness was earned. In the Lord’s Supper our forgiveness is delivered.” If you look at the Service of the Sacrament the cross is all over the place. And remember – the Lord’s Supper is not the dead food of the sacrifice. It is the living and risen body and blood of God our Savior.
The Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you T peace. In the Eastern world “face” is very important. You don’t want to lose “face” by your mistakes and failures. Face is the equivalent of someone’s pleasure or favor toward you. Why does God the Father’s face shine upon you? How can He who knows your every thought, word, and deed, look upon you with delight and with a beaming face say, “He’s my son. She’s my daughter. Aren’t they wonderful?” Only because of the Cross. Christ Jesus died for our sins and rose again for our justification – to declare us right / favored by His Father. God the Father’s face shines upon you in Christ.
The last time the sign of the cross will be made over you you won’t see it. It will be at your graveside. May God the Father, who created this body; may God the T Son, who by His blood redeemed this body; and may God the Holy Spirit, who by Holy Baptism sanctified this body to be His temple, keep these remains to the day of the resurrection of all flesh. After Jesus died they laid Him in a tomb. His friends buried Him. A stone was rolled over the entrance. The Jews stationed a guard. The Devil did his victory dance. Death swallowed up Jesus, but it couldn’t stomach Him. The guards couldn’t beat the angels. Jesus came alive, descended into hell and did His victory dance right in Satan’s camp. The women found the tomb empty and Jesus was seen by hundreds most certainly alive.
Where’s the cross today for you? It’s where Jesus put it, so you could have it and all its fruit. From the womb to your tomb, Christ has you covered with His cross. He’s made sure you could receive His forgiveness the moment you’re born, until the hour you breath your last. He’s even got you covered in the cemetery. In case you missed it – everything I quoted today is from the liturgies passed down to us by the Church. The sign of the cross is all over baptism, the Divine Service, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Order of Holy Marriage, and the Funeral Service. The Holy Spirit knows you might miss the cross in the busy-ness of the world. I, as your preacher, might miss it by laziness or indifference. So He guided the church to paste that sign all over the words and rites of the Church’s life, of your life, that you might know and receive, the fruits of that tree called the cross. You’re forgiven your sins. You’re alive forever. Your body will rise. At your baptism. When you’re absolved. In the preaching of God’s Word. At the Lord’s Supper. In the name of Jesus. Amen.