Feast of the Cross

On September 14 every year the Church around the world celebrates what is called “The Feast of the Holy Cross”. The date of this feast comes from the dedication of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, which occurred on Sept. 14, 330AD. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre contains both the site of Jesus’ crucifixion and his resurrection. In April of this year Elizabeth and I led a group of pilgrims to experience this church (alongside a lot of other amazing sites in the Holy Land). We had the unique experience of being able to soak in the mystery and wonder of that place with relatively few people with us (due to the downturn in travel related to COVID). It’s a place, if you haven’t been already, that I hope you get to visit one day.

The feast, of course, is not actually about a building or an object (i.e. the cross). It’s yet another celebration of the wonder of God’s immense love and generosity toward us as expressed in the mystery of the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. It’s about the shocking twist of how the central symbol of shame and humiliation and exclusion in the ancient world became the sign of grace and forgiveness and hope. It’s not accidental that the cross is the very symbol of the Christian faith. The Apostle Paul was the first to write about the irony of how “the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to use who are being saved it is the power of God” (I Cor. 1:18). Ever since the earliest times, the symbol of the cross has had a central and visible role in the faith.

It would be hard to articulate with any measure of satisfaction in a blog post the meaning of the cross for Iona House. The theological meaning of the cross is nearly inexhaustible: it is the source of our hope and joy, the means of our salvation, and the shape of our life in Christ. Perhaps that last phrase is a place to say a few words today.

At Iona House we believe we are called to a cruciform life because that’s what Jesus told us: “If you want to be my followers, take up your cross and follow me.” Christians since the earliest times have understood Jesus to mean that they must endure suffering as part of their Christian journey. Life in Christ is not an opportunity to escape or avoid suffering. It is an invitation to enter into the sufferings of Christ. And it is in this participation in Christ’s sufferings that we are also able to experience the great joy of hope in the resurrection. The author of Hebrews exhorts us in chapter 12 to look to Jesus “the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before Him endured the cross…” The irony of the cruciform life is that it is the only path to true joy. Sure, you can have pleasure without the cross; you can probably experience a degree of “happiness”. But if you want lasting joy, then the cruciform life is the only way. The “joy” we’re talking about is the joy of union with Christ… a joy that cannot be taken away from us.

So, today, let us say a prayer of gratitude for the very real and tangible sign of God’s love toward us. Thank you, Lord Jesus Christ, for the cross!

PS - Earlier this year we received this amazing gift of a handmade olive wood cross from the Holy Land. Check out the video below.