Richard Kuns
Dearly beloved let us raise our voices with the psalmist as we greet the Feast of the Holy Cross today.
Acclaim the Lord, for He is good, forever is His kindness…Let those who fear the Lord now say: forever is His kindness….This is the day the Lord has wrought. Let us exult and rejoice in it… (Psalm 118:1, 4, 24; Robert Alter, The Book of Psalms)
The word translated “kindness” by Robert Alter is translated “mercy” in the BCP or “steadfast love” in the NRSV. The Hebrew word behind these translations is “chesed”, one of many attributes of God revealed to Moses in Exodus 34:5-6. (You need to read the full account to get the context for this amazing revelation to Moses on Mt. Sinai.) The root meaning of “chesed” is gratuitous, extravagant, loyal grace in the face of human disloyalty and deliberate idolatry.
September 14, 335 CE, Helena, the mother of Constantine Emperor of Rome, dedicated the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. The date has become a day for recognizing the Cross in a festive, joyful celebration as the symbol of the triumph of Christ’s victory over death and a reminder of His promise:
When I have been lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself. He said this in order to point to the kind of death he going to die. (John 12:32-33; N. T. Wright)
Unlike Good Friday, when we kneel before the cross with humble reverence and sorrow; with prayers of lament and repentance; and drip our finger in sour vinegar to wet our lips, this day is meant for celebration. We now sing hymns of praise!
As we contemplate the Cross, we also exclaim with Paul:
As for me, God forbid that I should boast -- except in the cross of our Lord Jesus the Messiah, through whom the world has been crucified to me and I to the world. (Galatians 6:14; N. T. Wright)
The Christians of the first century sang hymns celebrating the victory of the cross. Paul included one of these hymns in his joyful epistle to the Philippians and exhorted us to have the “mind of Christ”.
Who, though in God’s form, did not regard his equality with God as something to exploit. Instead, he emptied himself, and received the form of a slave, being born in the likeness of humans.
And then, having human experience, he humbled himself, and became obedient even to death, even the death of the cross.
And so God has greatly exalted him, and to him in his favor has given the name which is over all names: That now at the name of Jesus every knee within heaven shall bow -- on earth, too, and under the earth; And every tongue shall confess that Jesus, Messiah, is Lord, to the glory of God, the father. (Philippians 2:5-11; N. T. Wright)
As a young lad attending church with my parents, I remember many songs celebrating and honoring the cross. Many of those have fallen from favor today, but when I hear the Old Rugged Cross or When I Survey the Wonderous Cross, my heart responds with tearful joy. The memory of those old hymn tunes lingers with me still. There is a hymn in our hymnal which I also love. It is sung with vigor and a quick tempo.
Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim till all the world adore his sacred name.
Led on their way by this triumphant sign, the hosts of God in conquering ranks combined.
Each newborn servant of the Crucified bears on the brow the seal of him who died.
O Lord, once lifted on the glorious tree, as thou hast promised, draw the world to thee.
So shall our song of triumph ever be: praise to the Crucified for victory.
(473, The Hymnal 1982; see BCP, p. 307 for the reference to the newborn sealed at baptism)
The cross was meant to publicly intimidate, torture and kill. A cruel, intentional killing by the Roman state. But Christ transformed that cross into a sign of victory over death for the whole, wide world. Praise God from whom all blessings flow.
Acclaim the Lord, for He is good, forever is His kindness… Let those who fear the Lord now say: forever is His kindness…. This the day the Lord has wrought. Let us exult and rejoice in it… (Psalm 118:1, 4, 24; Robert Alter, The Book of Psalms)
Shalom, my dear brothers and sisters, transformed by the unfailing, gratuitous grace of Jesus Christ our Lord. Lift high the cross and shout “praise to the Crucified for victory”!
Richard Kuns