Sermon 11th August 2024 – 12th Sunday after Pentecost
Text – Psalm 130 – The theology of the Cross
We know that Martin Luther reformed the church when he
objected to what was happening in the church of his day. Basically his church
was using the fear of the people to extract money from them in a system known
as indulgences. Indulgences were a monetary payment which, supposedly, absolved
a person of past sins to release them or family members who had died from
purgatory after death. The catchphrase – saved by grace, through faith, for
Christ’s sake became the symbol of the reformation of the church.
But Luther also discovered an extremely deep
revelation about his relationship with God which did not flow through to all of
the churches that evolved out of the Reformation. That discovery came to be
known as a “theology of the cross” as opposed to a theology of glory. Luther
said - a theologian is one who comprehends the visible and manifest things of
God seen through suffering and the cross. And he uses the revelation of God’s
glory to Moses who allows him to see his glory but only as he passes.
God said to Moses “you cannot see my face, for no one
may see me and live.” I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with
my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my
back; but my face must not be seen.”
For Luther, suffering was not an indication of
something being wrong in a person’s relationship with God but something to be
explored in much the same way St Paul discovered when he wrote – when I am
weak, then I am strong – and will boast about my suffering”. It can be really
difficult to understand and we are more likely to be convinced by encouragement
such as – if you have enough faith then God can heal you. Or, as we see in many
TV evangelists – if you give money to God’s ministry then God will reward you.
Luther's theology of the cross sees the cross not as a
symbol of power and triumph, but rather a symbol of weakness and suffering. We live in a world that values success,
strength, and glory.
You only have to see the focus on success in the
recent Olympics. Second place often experiences regrets for missing out by less
than a second. 4th place seems like losing because there is no medal or podium
for being 4th best in the world.
Luther's theology of the cross serves as a powerful
reminder that God's ways are not our ways. The cross stands as a stark contrast
to the world's expectations, challenging us to reevaluate our understanding of
power and success especially in our relationship with God.
Many times in the New Testament Jesus is closer to
people when they don’t recognize him being there with feelings of sadness. Like
Mary at the tomb weeping and speaking with “the gardener” who is in fact Jesus.
Or the 2 disciples on the road to Emmaus with their faces downcast speaking
with this “stranger” who is the only person in Jerusalem who doesn’t seem to
know about the hopelessness of losing their saviour. And then when Jesus does
reveal himself to them and they rejoice – he disappears from their sight.
Luther also had a term for this calling God the “Deus
absconditus” which is Latin for "hidden God" which is also what
Isaiah discovered in chapter 45 – Truly you are a God who has been hiding
himself, the God and Savior of Israel. Or Paul in Colossians 3 where he says –
our lives are hidden with Christ and will be revealed when he is revealed in
glory
King David wrote about this God present in times of
seeming absence in our Psalm today when he writes: Out of the depths I cry to
you, Lord; Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.
The same God that Jesus cried out to when in the depths of hell and suffering
on the cross cries out – My God, my God, why have you forsaken me.
In his theology of the cross Luther discovered a God
in Christ who is not found in the conventional ways which became known as the “God
of the opposites”. His royal birth is found in a royal palace but where there
is no room in the inn and born in a barn in a feeding trough. His revealing is
to lowly shepherds and foreigners from the East. His acceptance and audience is
not by the elite but by the outcasts. His victory comes through death on a
humiliating cross.
Jesus world couldn’t understand or accept this
revelation as we see in today’s Gospel reading: The Jews began to complain
about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” They
were saying, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we
know? How can he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?”
St Paul also reveals this in 1 Corinthians where he
reveals Christ to this new church: Tthe message of the cross is foolishness to
those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. As we see in today’s Gospel, Paul highlights: Jews
demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a
stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles.
And for us, who may question sometimes because of the
way the world treats Christians: Think of what you were when you were called.
Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not
many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to
shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God
chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things
that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before
him.
God’s strength is not through ways that the world
evaluates strength – like winning a Gold Medal and being high above everyone
else on that podium. No, King David shows where God’s strength is: For there is
forgiveness with you; therefore you shall be feared. And that is where we show
God’s strength.
Forgiveness is where God’s strength is found and also
where WE show God’s strength - as David also discovered. As Luther discovered
that God's love is not dependent on our worthiness or merit. Instead, God's
love is unconditional and freely given to all who believe in Him. The cross is
the ultimate expression of God's love for humanity, as Jesus willingly endured
suffering and death to save us from sin and death.
In this act of selfless love, we see the true strength
of God and His unending grace.
And what the world sees as weakness and deficiency,
David, Paul and others, discovered as a hidden mystery of grace and blessing. In
particular the mystery of suffering as a part of the Christian life. Just as Jesus embraced the cross, we too are
called to take up our own crosses and follow Him.
Rather than seeking to avoid suffering, we are
challenged to see it as an opportunity for growth and transformation. Through our experiences of suffering, we are
drawn closer to God and become more like Christ. And, as the book of Hebrews
says - he learned obedience from what he
suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for
all who obey him.
As much as we do not like suffering, especially living
in a world that often seeks to avoid or minimize suffering, Luther's theology
of the cross calls us to embrace the reality of suffering and find hope and
meaning in the midst of it as we are reminded of the depth of God's love for us
and reflect on Jesus’ example of self-sacrificial love. The cross, called a
symbol of shame in the Old Testament where anyone hung on a tree is cursed. But
for us the cross is a symbol of hope and redemption as we trust in God's
unfailing love and mercy.
So, like David, when you are in the depths, let us cry
out to the Lord for his mercy for with Jesus our soul waits for the Lord for
with the Lord there is mercy.
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