Rev. Cary M. Richert
Maundy Thursday (B)
April 13, 2006
The Cross of the Ascent
The Calvary Cross / The Stepped Cross
1 Corinthians 13:13
While some of the crosses we=ve encountered throughout our Lenten season may have been unfamiliar to you ... you=ll have little difficulty recognizing the cross that captures our attention today: The Cross of the Ascent, often referred to as The Cross of Calvary. The Cross of the Ascent is commonly seen standing on the altars of many Christian churches. In checking with Pastor Wuggazer, I believe the two on stands in front are former altar crosses used at Redeemer at one time.
You'll notice right away, the feature that causes today's cross to be called The Cross of the Ascent: the 3 steps on which the cross stands. (Chapel appointments) On one hand, the 3 steps represent our Lord's Aascent' from the place of His sentencing in Pilate's palace ... to the streets of Jerusalem ... and, finally, up the hill of Calvary where Jesus was brutally put to death for our sins.
At the first step of Christ's ascent to the cross, Pilate's palace, we hear a stir-crazy mob shouting for the blood of Jesus: Crucify Him! Crucify Him! Understand that, as sinners we're part of the mob in their cry for vigilante justice. The prophet reminds us that, in sinful self-righteousness, Every one of us has turned to go his own way, [Isaiah 53:6]. The way of sinful rebellion. The way of sinful disobedience. Like the ancient mob at Pilate's palace, we, by nature, are God's enemies, [Romans 5:10] ... crying out with the crowd: Crucify Him! Crucify Him!
At the second step of Christ's ascent to the cross, the crowded streets of Jerusalem, we meet a man forced by the Roman soldiers to carry Jesus' cross: Simon of Cyrene. Forced, because people usually don't volunteer to carry the burdens of others. They have a hard enough time carrying their own! Yet, our Lord speaks to us of both. About the burdens of others, God tells us: Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ, [Galatians 6:2] ... which is the law of love! And about our own burdens, Jesus says: If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me, [Matthew 16:24] ... which is the way of true discipleship!
And at the third step of Christ's ascent to the cross, the hill of Calvary, we see the extent to which God went to bring us shepherdless sheep into His beloved flock. Hanging on the cross bleeding and dying ... remembering the stir-crazy mob in Pilate's palace ... remembering His ancient, unfaithful people ... calling to mind you and me and everyone else born in sin, Jesus said with infinite and unconditional love: Father, forgive them for they know not what they are doing, [Lukle 23:34]. And at the moment of Jesus' death, the faithful testimony of one unexpected man, the centurion in charge of Jesus' crucifixion, vindicated Jesus: Certainly this was a righteous Man! [Luke 23:47] All that was necessary for the forgiveness of our sins was fully accomplished that horrible ... that strangely wonderful day.
The 3 steps of The Cross of the Ascent: Pilate's palace ... the crowded streets of Jerusalem ... and the hill of Calvary. The Via Dolorosa. The way of sorrows. The way of the Cross. The way of love. The way of our forgiveness and salvation.
On the other hand, a second understanding of the 3 steps of The Cross of the Ascent is that the steps represent the 3 Christian virtues noted in 1 Corinthians 13: faith, hope, and love. Some suggest these virtues describe a progression that Christians travel in the growth and development of their faith and life. I'd like to suggest that we approach these virtues, represented by the steps of the Cross of the Ascent, in the way described by Dietrich Bonhoeffer ... especially during Lent:
Faith alone justifies. But love perfects. Faith and hope will enter into eternity changed into the form of love. At the end, everything must become love. Perfection means love. But the sign of perfection in this world is called Across.'
The church in this world remains a church under the cross of Jesus Christ. Faith, hope and love all lead to the cross of Jesus to be perfected. (1)
How true! The cross of Jesus Christ is the very center of our faith, hope and love as God's children. During our life on earth, we live by faith in what we've been given to know about God ... about His gracious and saving work through Christ ... as revealed to us in His holy Word B the Bible. His Word that reminds us: We live by faith, not by sight, [2 Corinthians 5:7] ... and promises us: blessed are those who have not seen (Jesus) and yet have believed, [John 20:29].
During our life on earth, we also live in hope ...
... hope that's rooted in the gracious promises of God.
... hope that springs from the completed work of Jesus Christ.
... hope that looks ahead with certainty to being united with Jesus in heaven.
As the apostles teach: We have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, [1 Timothy 4:10] ... and: We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure, [Hebrews 6:19]. When, in sin or suffering, we begin to doubt the reality and benefit of this hope, we're reassured: Hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us, [Romans 5:5].
And finally, as Paul writes, the greatest of the 3 virtues: love. Perhaps it's called the greatest of the 3, because God is nowhere called Afaith' or Ahope' ... but He is called Alove': God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him, [1 John 4:16]. And how does God show His love? This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins, [1 John 4:10]. And, because we're so loved by God, how are we to love? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth, [1 John 4:3:18].
Now these three abide: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love [1 Corinthians 13:13]. The 3 Christian virtues represented by the steps of The Cross of the Ascent that stands before us today. As well as Pilate's palace, the crowded streets of Jerusalem, and the hill of Calvary.
Through the ages The Cross of the Ascent has taken on various ornamentations. The cross is often seen with a decorative monogram at the center ... the capital letters I-H-S or I-H-C superimposed on a bud or a circle. The letters are the first 3 letters of the name AJesus' in Greek (Ihsouj - IHSOUS - IHSOUS).
One of the crosses today has 5 buds on it. The buds themselves symbolize new life: Jesus' resurrection ... and hope in our own resurrection from the grave. That there are 5 buds, reminds us of the 5 wounds of Christ on the cross. The four outside buds on this cross each represent one of the Gospel writers: Matthew (winged man) ... Mark (winged lion) ... Luke (winged ox) ... John (eagle).
On this Maundy Thursday ... as we remember our Lord's institution of Holy Communion at His final Passover Meal with the disciples ... we think of Jesus' ascent to the Cross, where He willingly sacrificed His body and His blood for the forgiveness of our sins ... for our eternal salvation ... and to enable us to live a new and meaningful life in Him here and now. We think today of being strengthened in faith and hope through the Sacrament ... for a life of love and service to God and others. As you leave your seats and Aascend' to the Lord's table ... recall His gracious invitation and promise: Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest, [Matthew 11:28]. God grant it for Jesus' sake. Amen.
NOTES:
(1) As recorded in: For All the Saints, A Prayer Book for and By the Church, v. II, F. Schumaher, ed. (Delhi: Americal Lutheran Publicity Bureau, 1994) p. 1026.