sermon on Cross and the Suffering Humanity

 Cross and the Suffering Humanity

The cross has been a symbol of shame and sorrow since the birth of Christianity, and people have worshipped it in churches since Christ's death on the crucifixion. The cross has been seen as the cure and medicine for all human afflictions since Christ's crucifixion. The cross brings new meaning to suffering, and by wearing it, we participate in Jesus Christ's death and suffering. The cross is also a sign of Christ's deep desire for the salvation of all mankind. Jesus was driven and inspired to pick up the cross and suffer for the sinners because of his overwhelming love for humanity. In recent times the cross has become ornamental. The golden cross has become a status symbol. In fact the mass media portray the cross as a symbol of power. According to 1 Peter 4:1 Cross is not an ornament to wear but an armament to bear in our body. By bearing the cross, we bear the mind of Christ for others. In the movie called the "Passion of Christ" the cross stands for the untold injuries and wounds made on the innocent body of Jesus by the cruel and carnal enemies of Jesus. Even though it is a re-enactment of what really happened 2000 years ago in Jerusalem, it is still happening again and again in many countries where thousands of innocent people undergo mental agonies and physical torture by the militants and terrorists. In this context the meditation is to rediscover the meaning of the cross theologically, to be transformed within and without to the expectations of our Lord.

 The Cross of Jesus: God's Response to Human Sinfulness (Jer. 8:18-22)

In Jer.8:18-22 we find the prophet lamenting over the pitiable conditions of the people of Israel who is suffering from her spiritual sin and sickness. He doesn't find any physician to heal her or cure her wounds. Gilead produced a medicinal balm noted for its curative power. But the sickness of Israel could not be cured by it because it was spiritual not physical. It can be cured only by the precious blood of our Lord Jesus Christ shed on the cross of Calvary.

"The blood of Jesus, His son cleanses us from every sin" (1 John 1:7). Instead of being a "saved and saving community of believers in Christ", our present church is becoming more and more a "sick and sinking community of nominal Christians" with regard to our life and witness in this world. The cross on Calvary challenges us for a meaningful and radical spirituality by renouncing all our idols of worship, announcing the gospel of the kingdom of God and pronouncing the second coming of our great physician and saviour of the suffering humanity. It is the need of the hour that we should have a passion for spiritual embalmment by which our spiritual and moral values and traditions should be preserved from decay and degeneration for our coming generation.

Thus the cross emerged as God's response to the human sinfulness. God's righteous act as well as God's compassionate heart was explicit Jesus Christ as the Son of Man who loved, ministered in the way of the cross, a perfect model to be followed and taught the scriptures in the language of the cross. The wooden rugged cross executed the act of righteousness by sentencing his Son "unto death". It also demonstrated the Love of God through forgiveness to make the people new unto God.

The Cross of Jesus: Hope to the Hopeless (2 Cori. 4:7-12)

The oppressive culture affluent have reduced the society into a hopeless place to live. The Dalit community in India along with the millions of oppressed all over the world are questioning before the carved images of Jesus "What relationship can we claim with you?" The society isolated them as it was at the time of Jesus. But Jesus called them "Sheep without Shepherd". Christ invited them to cast all their burdens at the cross and promised peace to them.

In the epistle 2 Cori.4:7-12 reveals the truth that our Christian life is a life of paradox in which we find our strength in our weakness. Our human body is frail and fragile and it is a perishable and breakable earthen vessel in which the great power and glory of God is stored up like a bomb. When it breaks and explodes, the glory and power of God is released and revealed. God's reply to the prayer of Paul is that God's grace is sufficient to him. "God's power shows up best in weak people. When I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Cori.12:9, 10). Likewise when we suffer for the sake of Christ, we participate in his sufferings, which make us strong and powerful to lead a meaningful life and witness. The constant dangers, pressures and sufferings in our Christian life give us constant opportunities to show forth the power of Jesus Christ within our dying bodies. Christ would recover the cross from the gold and silver coatings and make it to be what it was meant to be - "goodness to the poor and hope to the hopeless".

The Cross of Jesus: Power to Save (Mark 10:46-52)

Political power, money power, muscular power, the power of knowledge etc., have become the messiahs of the day. They have made the people run after power and to put up with any mask possible to grab power. In the gospel of Mark10:46-52. We find a blind beggar called Barthimaeus sitting on the roadside of Jericho. When he cried to Jesus for healing, the crowd rebuked him to shut up his mouth. But Jesus stopped at his cry and asked him "What do you want me to do for you?" The blind man replied, "I want to see "His blind faith in Jesus" healed Him. Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind.” (John 9:39). Church of Christ should never be a crowd of followers and worshippers who are blind, deaf and dumb to cries and needs of the people around but of real followers, true worshippers and living witnesses of Christ whose eyes are open to behold the beauty of God, hearts are pure, hands are clean and lives are washed and sanctified by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. The experience of the cross in the life of Sadhu Sundarsingh has enabled him to witness its "sweet and peaceful." The cross of Jesus invites us to share in such sweet communion and be redeemed from power struggles. "Cross with a handle" to be used in power struggles.

In the present context Russia – Ukraine warfare is really a heart breaking scenario. Last Friday, Pope Francis went to headquarters of the Russian Embassy in Rome to express his concern about the war in Ukraine.  The Pope appealed “to those with political responsibility to examine their consciences seriously before God, who is the God of peace and not of war.” And he called on believers and non-believers alike to unite in a joint supplication for peace on 2^nd of March 2022, Ash Wednesday, by praying and fasting. He also proclaimed it as a Day of Fasting for Peace. Pope highlighted that, Jesus taught us that the diabolical senselessness of violence is answered with God's weapons, with prayer and fasting. The cross of Jesus is not to show power, instead it is to serve, save and stand for the people in danger and need. Let me conclude this sermon by saying that, be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you. Amen.