“The Message of the Cross”  2014

Isaiah 29:13-16        1 Corinthians 1:18-25

 Isaiah 29:13-16

The Lord said: Because these people draw near with their mouths and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their worship of me is a human commandment learned by rote; so I will again do amazing things with this people, shocking and amazing. The wisdom of their wise shall perish, and the discernment of the discerning shall be hidden. Ha! You who hide a plan too deep for the Lord, whose deeds are in the dark, and who say, “Who sees us? Who knows us?” You turn things upside down! Shall the potter be regarded as the clay? Shall the thing made say of its maker, “He did not make me”; or the thing formed say of the one who formed it, “He has no understanding”?

 

1 Corinthians 1:18-25

For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.” Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.

 

Today is the Super Bowl,  a most exciting time for sports fans.

                             Most people have a favorite of the two teams playing,

                                    the one they hope will win, for we do like winners…

… the powerful and impressive, the successful and victorious.

 

Several decades ago when the Redskins last won a Super Bowl,

            I remember a big parade in Washington DC,

                        to honor and welcome our winning football team home…

… for we do indeed like our winners.

 

In the ancient world, they liked their impressive winners too.

            The Romans would celebrate their victories by parading

                 wagons of tribute  through their streets

                           and slaves in chains taken from conquered lands

                                    followed by the victorious general and his army…

… as a grand display of power, might and victory.

 

So when Paul preached about Jesus, his teachings, and the gospel

            into that culture and environment of the city of Corinth,

                        the message of the cross was not readily received.

     In that world, gods were to be impressive and powerful victors,

            the exact opposite of Jesus humiliated and dying on a cross.

 

The Romans specifically used crucifixion to humiliate & torture.

            It was a very public display of their power and domination,

                        and the purpose of horrible brutality  was to discourage

                                    all who saw it from any insurrection or rebellion.

 

The Jews rejecting Jesus   were looking for a miraculous sign,

            for a powerful messiah, a conquering hero,

                    someone to drive out the Romans and end their occupation…

… and Jesus crucified   did not look like that miraculous sign.

 

For the Greeks and Romans of the gentile world

            they already knew what a god should be like,

                            and no way did Jesus

                                    or the cross even come close that their definition…

… after all, what kind of god would go out & get himself crucified?

 

So, as Paul explains it, they just don’t get it, vs. 18, 22-24           

            For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.  For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

 

The culture of the Greek and Roman world absolutely rejected

            the idea of any god  willing to suffer

                        and die a humiliating and agonizing death on a cross.

Their world was all about power, influence and dominance,

            and the humility and sacrifice of Jesus, these were not

                        seen as desirable or good, but as weakness and defeat.         

 

The nature of Christianity itself  is a paradox of the unexpected.

            Consider the life, ministry and teaching of Jesus,

                who went out of his way to seek the lost and outcasts,

                        breaking with tradition   to welcome & eat with sinners.

 

He proclaimed God’s kingdom where nobodies are somebodies,

       where the one who is great, is the one who serves other people,

                        if you want to be first,  then you must be last and least,

                                and to save your life, means you will lose your life…

… the very opposite of this world’s sense  of power and influence;

                  where we are far more fascinated by clear winners,

                        by the successful and influential, the rich and famous,

                                    then by those  humble, obedient and faithful to God.

 

In contrast to the values and ways of this world,

          the message of the cross is the Good News about God’s grace,

                    who reaches down to bless, redeem and save us,

                              long before we have made any moves toward the Lord…

…for we do not,

    by our wisdom or good works figure out or achieve our salvation,

               but entirely by grace

                    the Lord accomplishes what we cannot on our own ---

 

--- and that

          is the message of the cross that saves and changes lives,

                        and when we do hear that message and respond to it,

                              it truly changes everything …

 

--- for as we live into that faith-relationship through grace,

               we see the world, ourselves, our work, family, and goals

                        through a new perspective of God’s mercy and purpose.

 

For example,

            Chuck Colson of Watergate fame was a very powerful man,

                        working directly for the President of the United States,

                                    a nominal Christian,

                                                who was in charge of sneaky political tricks.

          But when he heard the message of the cross for real,

                    it became the life-changing power and wisdom of God,

                              and nothing in his life was ever the same again.

 

If you ever worked or attended a Billy Graham crusade,

            you saw hundreds respond to the message of the cross,

                        as many had tears streaming down their face

                                    when they came forward during the alter call ---

          ---touched by the wisdom and power of God’s redeeming grace.

 

I see many people get involved in the Walk to Emmaus, Kairos,

            and other weekend renewal and Christian retreat programs.

There is no mistaking how they come back, their faith rekindled,

        recommitted to living a more faithful life of discipleship,

                        & dedicated to making more of a difference in this world…

          … by serving to honor, serve, and glorify Jesus Christ,

                    according to the Gospel message of the cross.

 

And the primary reason that we

            work so hard at raising money to send youth on mission trips

                    is so that they will hear the message of the cross

                              and have a life-changing opportunity to respond.

 

I worked with

            a church youth group in the late 70’s through the mid 80’s,

                        and in the past few of weeks, a couple of them

                                    started a Facebook group that has grown to about 80,

            where they are posting pictures of their youth group days,

                        and writing about those experiences with their peers…

 

… and it has been amazing, perhaps ever shocking to read about

            how much their youth group experiences influenced them,

                        and made such an important difference in their lives …

… and that too is the power of the message of the cross.

 

Consider your own life, experience and spiritual journey,

            and those times God spoke to you, touched your life,

                        and called you to change, renewal and deeper service.

          Try to focus on one of those God-moments of your life,

                    and remember how wonderful and amazing that was.

 

So what happened?,

      the challenge is that those experiences & recommitments fade…

                    … as we are seduced and enticed

                              back into the ways, busyness & values of this world.

 

Despite our best intentions,

       we always seem to slip back into old habits and complacencies.

We intend to

       set some time aside each day for Bible, prayer and meditation,

                        but time gets short, we get busy and distracted,

                            then we may stop or it becomes something mechanical.

 

Excuses come up, and increasingly we skip worship some weeks,

            we find reasons to cut back on fellowship & participation,

                        we volunteer to serve and help out a little less…

            … and though God’s blessings continue to flow our way,

                        our sacrificial giving & tithe doesn’t seem to increase,

                            and the hold of this world on our money gets tighter…

 

… perhaps over time we’re a little less fervent in our faith,

            or doing as we have always done,

                 but with less sense of gratitude, joy, delight & purpose…

                              … not meaning to, but slightly slipping away,

                                        until we are just going through the motions…

 

… just as it’s described in the Isaiah text,  vs. 13-14

            The Lord said: Because these people draw near with their mouths and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their worship of me is a human commandment learned by rote;

           

I truly

            do not want to be complacent, disconnected or disinterested.

                        I don’t want my faith to fade or be less real and vibrant.

 

So when God also declares through Isaiah,

            I will again do amazing things with this people, shocking and amazing,à

 

          I don’t take that as a threat or dire warning,

                    but as a promise and hope for renewal and revival,

                          to rekindle a more active and more fervent faith.

 

Today when I come to the Lord’s Table of welcome, grace and hope,

          I need and want to hear afresh the message of the cross,

                    of the life-changing

                              and reorienting wisdom and power of God,

                        to shake away any complacency or cynicism,

                                    anything that detracts, distorts or distracts

                                                from an authentic and vital and joyful

                                                            walk and journey of faith with my Lord.

 

So, in the quiet of Communion, let us meditate and self-examine,          

          What does it mean that God chose to love and bless each of us?

 

What does it mean to respond as God intends and desires for us

            by loving our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength?

 

    And, is my life more reflective of this world’s wisdom and ways,

            or of God’s grace and power, the message of the cross?

 

And in the abundance of God’s power and mercy,

          may the Lord do something in me and something among all of us,

                    that is life-changing, wonderful, shocking and amazing!