Wednesday, October 17, 2018

“The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:18, New Living Translation) 

                I noticed an interesting bumper sticker on a car yesterday.

                By using the symbols that traditionally represent the major faith groups of the world it spelled out the word “co-exist” – a meaningful, relevant and evocative message, one too easily lost or, worse, mangled in our secular society.

                The last letter in this rebus was the letter “t”. This, of course, represents the Christian tradition, particularly the cross, the means of death upon which our Lord and Saviour was inhumanely and brutally crucified. I think that everybody would agree that the cross is the universal symbol for us who are Christians. We may not always agree on just what that symbol means but, in one way or another, it defines a chief tenet of our faith, maybe the chief tenet.

                Therefore, it baffles me, somewhat, that the new government in Quebec has decided that in its discriminatory ban on all religious symbols among their civil servants the cross has been deemed not a religious symbol, but merely a cultural icon  from its history.

                I think I am offended. I once lived in Quebec and if I was still there I would be writing a strong letter of protest that in solidarity for the principle of religious freedom of expression if other religious symbols are being banned so should the cross. Otherwise, this unique symbol which speaks to the means and purpose of Jesus’ redemptive sacrifice and death is at risk of becoming irrelevant, domesticated, immaterial and an out-of-date artifact. Whereas the other symbols seem to be dangerous in this government’s secular agenda and mind, the cross has become a pleasant memory, and simply not worth the bother of excising from public space.

                The cross is an enigma. The Quebec government is not the first government in our history to deem the cross foolishness in one sense or another as Paul wrote. But for Paul the cross was a potent, scandalous, unprecedented way for God to act. Even some Christians struggle with why God would use such an horrendous implement to allow his son to be so grossly executed. After all, “when he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.’” (Galatians 3:13, NLT)

                Of course, even we Christians have polished up the cross, sanded off the rough edges,  shellacked and varnished it and made it to look pretty. We wear it as jewellery in many forms. We trudge it out once a year on Good Friday and even that name indicates we need it to make it sound better than it actually was for Jesus. Good for us – but not so much so for Jesus.

                I am reminded of a documentary which I saw many ears ago about one of the American mega churches. The lead pastor was asked why there was no cross in their worship centre. The pastor explained that they didn’t want to offend the new seekers who were worshipping with them, saying, to the effect, that the cross sent the wrong message to newbies in the faith.

                Move over Quebec government, you have company!

                There are a few meaningful ways to absorb the full meaning of the cross which I won’t get into here. But I would make the point that one needs to stand at the foot of the cross in order to begin to understand its power, meaning and the purpose behind Jesus’ ignominious death.  The ugly side of humanity is fully exposed there – humanity’s proclivity for evil and sinfulness, cruelty, injustice, suffering and abuse of power.  Jesus believed that his death would challenge and defeat the power of such things and the Power behind such things. “He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross.”  (Colossians 2:14, NLT)

                The cross – the power of God.

                Forgive them Lord; they know not what they are doing. 

Dale