The Cross, the Forgotten Symbol of Christianity
 There is no more popular symbol of the Christian faith than the cross. It is everywhere. We see it on sports figures, rock stars, movie actors and actresses, on the arm, around the neck, dangling from ears. Crosses are sold in bookstores, jewelry stores, flea markets, anywhere there are people. You can get them in various shapes, Celtic, Roman, Byzantine, like an anchor, an "X", or a plus sign. Crosses stand on hills, in yards, and at the bottom of the sea. In my church there are hundreds of tiny crosses in the sanctuary (though I do think to count window dividers as crosses is a bit much). Crosses are two-dimensional (with the Orthodox) or three-dimensional (with the Romans and the Episcopalians). Crosses come in gold, silver, wood, stone, and seashells. Chances are you have a cross on your person or in your house. I have several of them in my office, tiny, large, fat, thin, painted, and pictures of them.
How in the world can something so visible, especially in the western world, be forgotten? The cross as a pendant, on the clasp of a pen, an adornment on a key chain, and in the hundreds of other ways it is paraded is obviously not forgotten. What seems to be displaced are Jesus' words in Matthew 16:24 that his followers are to take up their cross daily. That is to say that those who are genuinely his followers let the cross define who they are, what their values are, and how they are to react to the world in which they live. What brought this to mind was a recent discussion in my kitchen with relatives on the many troubles in the world (specifically war and the threat of war) and the role of Christians in dealing with other people, particularly those who are belligerent.
It is not my role to draft an agenda for the Christian community or to tell you what to do in every circumstance. What I would like to do is remind you, as I remind myself, that as a baptized Christian you and I have voluntarily taken up the cross (that doesn't mean putting up with a bad boss or a strident relative) and that you desire to live out the meaning of that cross in your life.
The fuller meaning of the cross can only be learned by a serious reading of the gospels and the epistles (letters), particularly of St. Paul. However, we can say without hesitation that the cross means the following for the serious Christian.
- The cross symbolizes a willingness to value others more than you value yourself.
- The cross symbolizes that humility is more powerful than hatred, and to follow Christ is to be willing to walk the "second mile" for peace.
- The cross symbolizes the extent of God's love for we humans.
- The cross symbolizes that God will have the last word
There is more, of course, but these ideas are essential to the active role of the cross in Christian life.
By the way, what does the cross symbolize for you?
Jerry Mercer
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