This utter foolishness of God, the cross of Christ, is the only wisdom that will give us, and the creation, life.
Pr. Joseph G. Crippen
The Holy Cross
Texts: 1 Corinthians 1:18-24; John 3:13-17
Beloved in Christ, grace to you, and peace in the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
None of this makes any rational sense. That’s what we celebrate tonight.
You understand that Paul’s not embarrassed when he says the cross of Christ is foolishness and will trip people up? He’s saying with hope that what we cling to for our life and the life of the world is ridiculous by the world’s standards. But it is God’s wisdom that will heal all things.
The world says: use power, control your environment.
Isn’t that what makes human beings great? We can dominate and rule all creatures and the natural world, can even control and dominate our fellow human beings. Might makes right.
But you see what that’s given us? Dysfunction and grief in families because people seek to get their own way at any cost. The oppression and devastation of systemic sexism and racism, embedded in the very fabric of our society and in our own minds and hearts, even if we don’t want it there. The violence and destruction of war, whether it’s nations destroying millions of people or one person taking out a gun and shooting someone else (and often dozens). Our world is riddled with pain and suffering caused by human beings seeking power and control.
But at the cross we see the God of the universe do something completely different.
The holy and Triune God has literally all power to do anything. But on the cross, God-with-us said, “I won’t fight you or anyone. I will love you with my whole heart, my mind, my soul, my strength. Even if you kill me.” This is the path to true life. You’ve seen what power and domination does, God says. Now see the true power of weakness.
That’s the foolishness we proclaim. But it’s God’s wisdom. Healing comes when we set down our weapons. When we don’t control. When we let others harm us rather than hurt them. When we love with God’s foolish unconditionality, God’s reckless vulnerability. This will make a world where all can be safe and whole and loved. Because this weakness can even break down all the systems and structures of power and domination in this world.
And there is great beauty in such vulnerability. Even if the world sees ugly scars.
There is life-transforming beauty in the gift of forgiving offered from one to another. There is life-restoring beauty in someone losing so that another might live. There is world-changing beauty in a society embracing letting go of power for the sake of the powerless.
The path of vulnerable love, God showed at the cross, is the only path that brings hope and healing, and life to all people, not just the strong. The only path that shares God’s abundance rather than hoarding it. The only path that sees the beauty of a precious human being in the eyes of every person.
Can you rejoice in the foolishness of this? Trust the ridiculousness of how you are healed by God and of the shape of your love, your path?
In our worship, we do things to help us get there.
We eat a meal of the body and blood of this crucified God. And we say with Paul, “when we eat of this bread and drink of this cup, we proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” Taking this food into our very bodies we eat the foolishness of God and proclaim the foolishness of God. And this food makes us foolish like God.
We bow to a cross as it’s carried into our midst, as it hangs over our altar, to show in our bodies we once again accept this cross-shaped life, this cross-shaped love, as our own life and love to live.
With our hands we draw a cross upon our body made of dirt and breath, renewing our commitment to that shape of love, and agree again to let God’s foolish wisdom shape us.
None of this makes any rational sense. That’s what we celebrate tonight.
God’s foolishness is actually the only thing that can break what truly makes no sense: this world’s obsession with power and violence and control, an obsession that is killing people and their spirits, killing species, killing this planet. That’s the true nonsense, the truly ridiculous – to continue to play by the world’s rules knowing they lead to death and despair.
Tonight we celebrate. And we pray, as we celebrate: shape our lives to your cross, O Christ. Shape our love into a cross-shaped grace that will bring your foolish love ever deeper into this broken world. So that no one will be lost but all will find life and healing in you.
In the name of Jesus. Amen