Montreal Foro
September 13, 2019
Reading: 1 Corithians 1:18-25
As Dr. Just reminded us this
morning, tomorrow, September 14, is Holy Cross Day. A day
which began as a commemoration of when Helena, Emperor Constantine’s mother,
was said to have discovered the cross of Jesus in the year 320. I don’t
know if the cross she found that day was really Jesus’ or not. I do know that
if you’re interested, you can find some pieces of it for sale on Ebay. Caveat emptor. Let
the buyer beware.
But according to Paul and his words that we heard today - God’s
Word - it is not the cross itself that is the power of God, or folly to
those who are perishing, or a stumbling block to the Jews. Crystals, amulets,
lucky Rabbit’s feet, and other charms - there are many things people today think
have power. So why not a piece of the cross, too. But
according to Paul, it is the word of the cross, the
message of the cross, the preaching of the cross - that is the folly.
That is the stumbling block. That is the power of God.
Therefore this preaching of the cross is important. For even
before Jesus was put upon a cross, crosses preached - a Roman preaching. Don’t do it. Don’t go against the Roman
government. If you do, this is what will happen to you. And that was a powerful
message.
But this is not just ancient history. Just a couple of months
ago, the United States Supreme Court, in a case regarding a large cross on
public land, in its ruling allowing the cross to remain, preached that the
cross has acquired “an added, secular meaning,” and that “the cross symbolized
the local community and its past.” Or in other words, it was a monument to
honor men, not save them. This preaching of the cross neuters the cross of any
power or enduring significance.
So in Montreal, as in all our cities, where there are Jews
and Greeks and everything in between, the true preaching of the cross is
needed. This word that isn’t wise enough for some and too foolish for others.
No matter. We preach the cross, for we preach Christ crucified.
This we proclaim because it’s all we have to proclaim. And it’s what all people
need to hear.
Now to be sure, the cross of Christ preaches a powerful
message of Law, similar to Rome. Break the Law of God and this is what you get.
Death. And worse. Eternal death. But this is not the proper preaching
of the cross. That is to say, the Law is the alien work of God. So this
message of Law is the alien preaching of the cross.
Rather, the proper preaching of the cross is the same as the
proper work of God: the Gospel. The for
you of the cross. The Good News, as Charles said this morning.
The Good News that Phillip preached to the Ethopian eunuch: that for you Jesus was stricken, smitten
by God, and afflicted. For your transgressions He was pierced by men. For you and your iniquities Jesus was crushed, not you. The
Lord laid your iniquity on Him. All for you.
But in addition to this preaching, we have the preaching of
Jesus, too. The words He preached from the cross. That He was forsaken so you
would never be. That even as He bears your sin He prays for your forgiveness.
That Paradise is no longer barred. And that all is finished.
Your salvation is complete. I am making all things new. That is, another took
your place. Life springs from death. You don’t have to justify yourself or
straighten yourself out with God or atone for your sins. Jesus did. The grace and love of God for you.
Just the cross along a Roman road or on public land - or on
the top of a mountain in Montreal - doesn’t preach that. So with Paul, we don’t
just preach the cross, but the one on it. For you.
Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God.
So while don’t claim to have the selfsame cross that Jesus
hung on, we proclaim instead that we have something better: the Jesus who
hung on the cross. We have Him in water, words, and bread and wine. We have
Him as we are washed and absolved and bodied and blooded. We have Him, and in
having Him we have His forgiveness, life, and salvation. His proper
work.
So what a perfect weekend to have a Montreal
Foro and a congregational anniversary. Holy Cross Day. But while just one day on the liturgical
calendar, the Holy Cross is the daily life of the Christian, as every
morning we make the sign of the cross, remember our baptism, and die and rise
with Christ.
And we pray this would, one day, be the daily life of every Montrealer. That they would know, with us, not just the cross, but the for me of the cross. And say with us, AMEN!