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SERMON PREACHED BY THE REV'D ALLAN B. WARREN III
AT THE CHURCH OF THE ADVENT, SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2007, THE SOLEMNITY OF THE HOLY CROSS From this morning’s Gospel:
Holy Scripture is tricky and complicated, as well as quite straightforward. This may sound like a contradiction, but it’s not really. The plain meaning of Scripture is almost always obvious and clear. The Bible says what it means to say. However, to get behind the meaning - that is, to discover why the Bible says what it says, what it meant when it was written down, and what it may mean for the life of a Christian today - this can be a difficult and time-consuming endeavor. It can require considerable thought, research, study, discussion, even prayer. And after all this, one often arrives at a variety of answers to any one of these questions. As I said, Holy Scripture is tricky and complicated, even though it is straightforward and clear. This is as true of the New Testament as it is of the Old. The New Testament is considerably shorter and was written over a period of time briefer than that of the Old, but it is just as complex. Indeed, as we all know it is not just one document, but a collection of documents, each written at a different time, in different places, and by different people. There are, first of all, the four Gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John - which record events in the life of Jesus and his teaching. And then there are the epistles, letters of exhortation and instruction written to members of the Church in various cities - most by the Apostle Paul, but others bear the name of John or Peter, and there is one, Hebrews, whose author, as an ancient scholar said, is known only to God. And finally, there is that strange work, the Revelation or the Apocalypse of John, which is a vision and a hymn and a warning. These Gospels and letters and visions were written down over a period of about a hundred years, and it was not until the second century of the Church’s existence that they were brought together to become the New Testament as we know it today. With this in mind we should not be surprised to learn that there are different and even occasionally contradictory points of view in the New Testament. Jesus as Matthew presents him is not exactly like the Jesus of the Gospel of John. In fact, he is quite different. Paul’s understanding of Christianity emphasizes things which the Epistle to the Hebrews completely ignores. All bear witness to the event and the significance of Jesus the Christ, but each views this from a different perspective, through a different lens, so to speak. And so, the thought and the teaching of the New Testament are multi-faceted and rich. Each author provides us with a unique way of understanding that which he believes to be the most important event in the history of the world. And it would be surprising - don’t you think? - if this multiplicity of viewpoint were not the case, for if, indeed, the subject is the most important event in the history of the world, if indeed it was an event which changed the world and significantly transformed human life, if this be the case, it would be very strange if there were not multiple understandings. Multiple understandings - yes - but there is only one focus, and that focus is Jesus Christ, his death and resurrection. What we know of his life and his teaching is reported in the four Gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. And because of this we are tempted to read these as if they were biographies of Jesus, but they’re not. They’re something quite different. For instance - and this is a crucial point - the attention of each is directed more toward Jesus’ death than his life. In the first three gospels one quarter of the text is devoted to just the last week of Jesus’ life, those events which led up to his death and the death itself. In St. John the portion is even greater: over half of the Fourth Gospel is concerned with Jesus’ death. It seems, then, that his life was remembered because of his death, not the other way around. It seems that his teachings were recalled and written down primarily because he died and rose again. * * * * * * This morning I want us to think briefly about one particular theme, one facet, of New Testament theology. It is not peculiar to any one writer, nor is it a consistent theory, but is rather an image, a picture which is intended to guide our thought and devotion and, indeed, our life. It has to do with the feast which we are observing today, the Feast of the Holy Cross. And the image is this: the Cross as a battlefield and our Lord Jesus as the warrior, as in fact the victor in that battle. And the implication is this: that to those who give their allegiance to him as Lord, his victory is also their victory. You may be familiar with this image from some of the hymns we love to sing. Even so, it is an unusual idea, and to people outside of the Church it is a probably puzzling if not ridiculous thing. How can the Cross be a battle? And that death in Jerusalem so long ago, how can it have been a victory? It looks like nothing more than tragedy, just another obscene injustice, another notch in the tally of human perfidy. There was nothing new then about a good and innocent man being put to death. And certainly there is nothing new or exceptional about this now. In the past century and in the present we’ve gotten so used to it, it seems an everyday occurrence. We are accustomed to, almost at home with evil, sin, death, injustice on a grand scale, how then can this one particular death have been any different from all the rest? Scripture and the Church have no really logical answer to such a question. Rather, the answer given is an assertion, and the assertion is a proclamation, and the proclamation is based on the experience of those who do acknowledge Jesus as Lord and who do therefore know his victory as their own. And what they proclaim is this: that the Cross of Jesus was more than just one death among many. Indeed, it was a contest between God and everything that opposes him. There, those things which we call evil, sin, the devil, the destructive and demonic powers in this world - there, on the Cross, they tried to wrench away from God the One who was totally dedicated to God. There, on the Cross, they unleashed their full fury - pain amid mockery and hatred and death - on the One who had come to bring humanity back to God. But there, on the Cross, he was faithful. Even there, his will, his integrity, his dedication would not be broken. He was “obedient, obedient even to death, death upon a cross.” (Philippians 2:8) And through his obedience came their defeat. Disobedience alienated us from God and gave us over to those things which would destroy us. His obedience restored the unity and broke their power. The Epistle to the Colossians tells us that in a wonderful reversal Jesus, by his obedience and death, nailed to His cross everything which was against us, “having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them, openly triumphing over them” by his Cross. (2:14, 15) Through obedience and “through death” says the Epistle to the Hebrews, “he destroyed him who had the power of death, that is, the devil.” (2:14) Triumphant, he “led captivity captive” proclaims St. Paul. (Ephesians 4:8) “Now is the judgement of this world,” says Jesus just before He is betrayed. “Now shall the ruler of this world be cast out,” He cries as He approaches the battle of the Cross. And in that battle God through Jesus shows us who He is and what He does. The Cross reveals the Face of God. The Cross reveals the Heart of God which yearns for his creatures. And the Cross makes clear to all mankind the infinity of His love.
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