Today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Holy Cross or Holy Cross Day.
“Although there will always be some question concerning the origins of Holy Cross Day, this festival invites an appropriate and salutary focus on the Cross as the means by which our Lord Jesus Christ atoned for the sins of the world, defeated death and the devil, reconciled the world to God, obtained our salvation and glorified the Father’s name. Though His Cross is a foolish scandal to the world, to us who are being saved it is the power and wisdom of God, unto salvation. Thus, with St. Paul, we know nothing but the Cross, preach nothing but the Cross, and boast in nothing but the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. ” source
I’ve been sick this week. A long week with many sleepless nights. I stayed home from church with the two littlest who have been sick too for weeks now. As I prepared the bread for our cross the church bells rang and Ephraim said, “Da Da!” I smiled but my thoughts were full of the ways sickness steals your days from you, full of recent disappointments, full of potential possibilities gone. Full of the ways I have failed and all the ways I will fail.
We Lutherans often talk about Crosses, bearing crosses, being given crosses. Disappointments, sickness, today these were my crosses. All the days of this earthly life will be filled with these crosses, some perhaps, will become very heavy.
But this Cross Day is not one for mourning loss it’s for exalting. Exalting in what Christ lost on His cross in order to lavish upon us everlasting life, forgiveness and love. Today we see the Cross as our glorious trophy, our triumph.
“Sing, my tongue, the glorious battle,
Sing the ending of the fray;
Now above the cross, the trophy,
Sound the loud triumphant lay:
Tell how Christ the world’s Redeemer,
As a victim won the day.”
Sing My Tongue, The Glorious Battle
Blessed Holy Cross Day to you all!
