Thoughts on Holy Cross
Grace, mercy, and peace be yours from God our Father in heaven and from Jesus Christ our Lord—
Beloved Saints in Christ,
They couldn’t handle the power of His speech. They couldn’t debate Him. Often times they just stood speechless because their rebuttal would have tied them up in an obvious contradiction. But they were too honorable, thinking themselves too important to be silenced. They needed everyone to know that their voice mattered and that they wouldn’t be made to be fools. So they conspired against Him and sought to destroy Him and the legacy of everything He taught.
But how could they? There was never opportunity because He was so popular. Thousands upon thousands gathered wherever he went, not even to talk to Him, but only to see Him! He spoke with such confidence and power, especially to only have been so young—in his 30s. I actually heard that one time when he went to a certain place—one of the larger cities—that the people stood along the roads waiting for him to show up, and when He did, they began cheering and shouting, so excited that He had finally arrived.
But then, in a shocking turn of events, He was killed. They still mocked and cheered as his blood was spilled to the ground, and the world would never be the same.
Despite recent political events, the One I speak of is Jesus Christ, and despite His enemy’s best efforts, the words of the Gospel are true: “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” They killed Jesus, but that only made His Word even more powerful, if you can imagine that. You can’t kill the Word. You can’t kill the message—especially if the Word is risen from the dead.
And this is what the Church has seen since Pentecost. The fiercest of enemies have risen against her in order to silence the Word that Jesus is risen from the dead. Some of the Twelve met their death according to the same manner of Jesus, lifted high upon a cross, yet as we heard about Bartholomew a few weeks ago and will with Matthew next week, who was killed while standing before the altar of God, none forsook the faith. They held fast to it even in their dying breaths because they knew it to be true. Even through cross and persecution, the Church somehow spread to the ends of the entire Roman Empire by the end of the 100s.
How could this be? Why would people willingly be killed for a confession when all it would take to end the torment, pain, and death would be to say that Jesus isn’t truly risen? Wouldn’t such excruciating threat and public torture and death deter more from confessing? It should. It makes sense. But not with the Gospel of Jesus. “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” And that fruit is still being borne centuries later through this baptism today and through you, as you continue to lift high the cross of Jesus in you confession of the faith in a chaotic, hateful, twisted, and evil world.
What I want you to hear and to understand on this Exaltation of the Holy Cross Day is that there are confessions out there that stand in direct contradiction to the cross of Jesus. The ones with such confessions are not and will not stand idly by as you confess the truth. Why do you think so many churches offer a watered-down version of the Bible? It avoids the repercussion of proclaiming the truth, which historically is suffering and death.
That’s what the enemies of the Church want as they are led by the devil. They want to twist God’s created order and attempt to silence your confession. And they’ve done a good job. A confession that men can marry men and have children and likewise women with women is not compatible with the Chistian Church. The idea that God can potentially make mistakes in creation by creating boys who were supposed to be girls and girls who were supposed to be boys is satanic. Chemically castrating them so that they can live “their truth” is the epitome of idolatry. You cannot confess that God is the Creator of all things if you believe you can create things outside or in contradiction to His order. Mind you, we deal with these situations and people with love and compassion, but you cannot serve two masters.
This past week has proven to me once again that the devil still prowls, snarls, and growls and hates the truth. He seeks to devour those who stand for it. He killed Jesus through the Jews and Roman government and comes after those who have taken up their cross to follow Him. And unfortunately, some are devoured along the way.
You may have seen this and experienced this yourself. Sometimes the teaching does get to hard and many turn and walk no more with Jesus as in John 6. Sometimes tribulation arises, and some fall away as in the parable of the sower. There are biblical truths we stand upon as Lutherans that are very counter-cultural to a godless society of “love and tolerance.” But the truth must be proclaimed nonetheless.
No matter what becomes of our society, now is not the time to run. It’s not the time to hide away in apathy. It’s time to do the same things we’ve been doing in this place for 140 years and in the Chistian Church for 2000 years. It’s time that our older ones continue to take our younger ones by the hand and show them a better way. If you need an example of this, go and watch our Altar Guild preparing the elements for the Sacrament. Watch as the older ladies bring up the younger. Stand in the back of the church afterward and see some of our men intentionally seeking out our younger men to learn about them…to lead them and guide them. See them. Follow their examples of building one another up and encouraging them in a confession of the truth.
Make no mistake. This ministry is not about me. It never has been. It’s not about having the biggest and most popular church. This is not “my church.” It is Christ’s. My preaching and teaching is not about appeasing the biggest givers or keeping people happy. I am to blend into the background, and as soon as Fred hits those first chords on the organ, the crucifix is lifted high for all to see. This…all of this…is about that One…the One who when He was lifted up drew all people to Himself. Yet was unbound from it and three days later was raised up again.
He was the grain of wheat that fell into the ground and died but did not remain alone but is now present with us…surprisingly enough in bread here for you. The grain of wheat bore fruit, after all!
His Word that remains even 2000 years later is true. It’s life changing. And I hope it not only brings you comfort and confidence but also compels you zealously forward in truth. So we lift high the cross this day worshiping the One who was on it, yet triumphed over it, and take our crosses joyfully following Him knowing that He will raise us up from ours, too. In the name of the Father and of the ƚ Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.