Holy Cross Day
14 September
The cross on which our Lord was crucified has become the universal symbol for Christianity, replacing the fish symbol of the early church, though the latter has been revived in recent times. After the end of the persecution era, early in the fourth century, pilgrims began to travel to Jerusalem to visit and pray at the places associated with the life of Jesus. Helena, the mother of the emperor, was a Christian and, whilst overseeing excavations in the city, is said to have uncovered a cross, which many believed to be the Cross of Christ. A basilica was built on the site of the Holy Sepulchre and dedicated on this day in the year 335.
Collect
Almighty God,
who in the passion of your blessèd Son
made an instrument of painful death
to be for us the means of life and peace:
grant us so to glory in the cross of Christ
that we may gladly suffer for his sake;
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Numbers 21:4-9
And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way. And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread. And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died. Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people. And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.
Philippians 2:6-11
Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
John 3:13-17
And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
The Gospel reading tells us that this serpent of bronze prefigured the cross of Christ. More than the physical act is apparent in this comparison. We are also given an insight into the nature of sin. In the West, sin has tended to be looked upon as a debt to be paid but the East has traditionally focused on sin as an illness to be healed. This thought, though Eastern, has influenced our prayer book in places such as the confession in the office of Morning Prayer; where we say, “And there is no health in us.” However, the Scriptures use both the Eastern and Western emphases by describing Christ as a propitiation, a Paschal lamb – even a ransom – and a great physician.
The old English hymographer responsible for the Dream of the Rood did an admirable job merging the common traits of today's readings together in a piece that has come to be known as a literary classic. The piece is written from the point of view of the cross, which the writer personified. Let me read an excerpt:
The Dream of the Rood goes on to make some assertions about the cross which might make some of the more Protestant among us uncomfortable. Even in the small selection I just read, you could probably sense that the writer made Christ and the cross nearly equal. This over-emphasis takes us to a second lesson that can be learned from the situation related to us in the Old Testament reading. In another place of Scripture, we are told that in the period of the kings, the people had come to erect the bronze serpent as an idol which they called Nehushtan and burned incense to. (It was finally broken to pieces by King Hezekiah).
Just so, the cross has sometimes been taken out of its proper context. In the medieval period, thousands of pieces of the 'true cross' were sold as souvenirs to pilgrims just as cheap statues of Diana of Ephesus had been sold in the days of St. Paul. Far more pieces were sold than it would take to compose a field of crosses. Some of our fundamentalist neighbors have over reacted and largely eschew the cross in their own worship spaces. I was raised in the Restorationist Movement Churches of Christ and sometimes it would become a point of controversy as to whether or not it was appropriate to have crosses for the knobs on the communion set, which was of the tray style. Likewise, the pulpits were usually barren and so on to the point that the worship space really lacked anything of beauty to make one feel as if they had come into the presence of God.
It is sometimes argued that St. Paul's theology is essentially crucicentric – cross focused – as opposed to Christocentric – or Christ focused. My own reading leads me to some skepticism as it regards the assertion. Rather, a text like the epistle of the day maintains a careful balance between the man and the act. We must recall that the cross itself is used as a symbol of the act of dying or of some great burden, as when Christ said “take up the cross, and follow me” - a saying which all three Synoptics record. Here I should mention that worship and veneration are not quite the same thing. So, in Anglican practice, we have maintained the tradition of venerating the cross but we do not worship it. Let's pause to remember that, historically, many thousands of men were put to death on a Roman cross but only one was in the “form of God” - and man – when it happened.
And in the Gospel for the day, we are given one other key reminder about the healing power of the cross: it is efficacious for those who believe. As the bronze serpent benefited only those who looked on it, the cross of Christ benefits only those who believe on him. Another way to look at it is that both were the gifts of God for the people of God. One more time it might benefit us to consider the words of the old poet in The Dream of the Rood:
14 September
The cross on which our Lord was crucified has become the universal symbol for Christianity, replacing the fish symbol of the early church, though the latter has been revived in recent times. After the end of the persecution era, early in the fourth century, pilgrims began to travel to Jerusalem to visit and pray at the places associated with the life of Jesus. Helena, the mother of the emperor, was a Christian and, whilst overseeing excavations in the city, is said to have uncovered a cross, which many believed to be the Cross of Christ. A basilica was built on the site of the Holy Sepulchre and dedicated on this day in the year 335.
Collect
Almighty God,
who in the passion of your blessèd Son
made an instrument of painful death
to be for us the means of life and peace:
grant us so to glory in the cross of Christ
that we may gladly suffer for his sake;
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Numbers 21:4-9
And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way. And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread. And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died. Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people. And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.
Philippians 2:6-11
Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
John 3:13-17
And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
* * * * * * *
The Old Testament lesson for this feast day tells a story of the discontent of the Israelite people as they wandered in the wilderness; complaining about the journey, their God given bread, and anything else that crossed their mind that seemed unpleasant. In need of a dose of gratitude and repentance, God sent a plague of serpents into their midst. Once they had repented, Moses lifted up the serpent of bronze for the healing of anyone who would look upon it.
The Gospel reading tells us that this serpent of bronze prefigured the cross of Christ. More than the physical act is apparent in this comparison. We are also given an insight into the nature of sin. In the West, sin has tended to be looked upon as a debt to be paid but the East has traditionally focused on sin as an illness to be healed. This thought, though Eastern, has influenced our prayer book in places such as the confession in the office of Morning Prayer; where we say, “And there is no health in us.” However, the Scriptures use both the Eastern and Western emphases by describing Christ as a propitiation, a Paschal lamb – even a ransom – and a great physician.
The old English hymographer responsible for the Dream of the Rood did an admirable job merging the common traits of today's readings together in a piece that has come to be known as a literary classic. The piece is written from the point of view of the cross, which the writer personified. Let me read an excerpt:
"It was long ago -- I remember it still -- that I was hewn down at the wood's edge, taken from my stump. Strong foes seized me there, hewed me to the shape they wished to see, commanded me to lift their criminals. Men carried me on their shoulders, then set me on a hill; foes enough fastened me there. Then I saw the Lord of mankind hasten with stout heart, for he would climb upon me. I dared not bow or break against God's word when I saw earth's surface tremble. I might have felled all foes, but I stood fast. Then the young Hero stripped himself -- that was God Almighty -- strong and stouthearted. He climbed on the high gallows, bold in the sight of many, when he would free mankind. I trembled when the Warrior embraced me, yet I dared not bow to earth, fall to the ground's surface; but I must stand fast. I was raised up, a cross; I lifted up the Mighty King. Lord of the Heavens: I dared not bend. They pierced me with dark nails: the wounds are seen on me, open gashes of hatred. Nor did I dare harm any of them. They mocked us both together. I was all wet with blood, drenched from the side of that Man after he had sent forth his spirit. I had endured many bitter happenings on that hill. I saw the God of Hosts cruelly racked. The shades of night had covered the Ruler's body with their mists, the bright splendor. Shadow came forth, dark beneath the clouds. All creation wept, bewailed the King's fall; Christ was on Cross.
The Dream of the Rood goes on to make some assertions about the cross which might make some of the more Protestant among us uncomfortable. Even in the small selection I just read, you could probably sense that the writer made Christ and the cross nearly equal. This over-emphasis takes us to a second lesson that can be learned from the situation related to us in the Old Testament reading. In another place of Scripture, we are told that in the period of the kings, the people had come to erect the bronze serpent as an idol which they called Nehushtan and burned incense to. (It was finally broken to pieces by King Hezekiah).
Just so, the cross has sometimes been taken out of its proper context. In the medieval period, thousands of pieces of the 'true cross' were sold as souvenirs to pilgrims just as cheap statues of Diana of Ephesus had been sold in the days of St. Paul. Far more pieces were sold than it would take to compose a field of crosses. Some of our fundamentalist neighbors have over reacted and largely eschew the cross in their own worship spaces. I was raised in the Restorationist Movement Churches of Christ and sometimes it would become a point of controversy as to whether or not it was appropriate to have crosses for the knobs on the communion set, which was of the tray style. Likewise, the pulpits were usually barren and so on to the point that the worship space really lacked anything of beauty to make one feel as if they had come into the presence of God.
It is sometimes argued that St. Paul's theology is essentially crucicentric – cross focused – as opposed to Christocentric – or Christ focused. My own reading leads me to some skepticism as it regards the assertion. Rather, a text like the epistle of the day maintains a careful balance between the man and the act. We must recall that the cross itself is used as a symbol of the act of dying or of some great burden, as when Christ said “take up the cross, and follow me” - a saying which all three Synoptics record. Here I should mention that worship and veneration are not quite the same thing. So, in Anglican practice, we have maintained the tradition of venerating the cross but we do not worship it. Let's pause to remember that, historically, many thousands of men were put to death on a Roman cross but only one was in the “form of God” - and man – when it happened.
And in the Gospel for the day, we are given one other key reminder about the healing power of the cross: it is efficacious for those who believe. As the bronze serpent benefited only those who looked on it, the cross of Christ benefits only those who believe on him. Another way to look at it is that both were the gifts of God for the people of God. One more time it might benefit us to consider the words of the old poet in The Dream of the Rood:
He tasted death there; yet the Lord arose again to help mankind in his great might. Then he climbed to the heavens. He will come again hither on this earth to seek mankind on Doomsday, the Lord himself, Almighty God, and his angels with him, for then he will judge, he who has power to judge . . . But then they will be afraid, and will think of little to begin to say to Christ. There need none be afraid who bears on his breast the best of tokens, but through the Cross shall the kingdom be sought by each soul on this earthly journey that thinks to dwell with the Lord.