To celebrate Santa Cruz feast day and for a congregation to be named Santa Cruz is to put the holy cross of Christ at the center of everything. From the time Santa Cruz congregation was established, you were asking yourselves what it means to be taking up your cross and following Jesus, to serve the community, to let go of your own desires, to become the body of Christ with Jesus at the head. Annie and Hal with a group of others left their congregation in Gresham to start a new church in Boring because there was a need there for an Episcopal ministry. The church grew and served people in need. They shared the good news of God’s love and worshipped together. And the congregation called a bilingual priest. The priest reached out to Spanish-speaking people in the area and developed house churches. Then the people came together to worship in the church in two languages. As the people in the English-speaking church aged and passed away, the Spanish-speaking congregation grew and served the poor and God blessed them. But then the building needed maintenance and expenses were more than income. Priests got more expensive and Santa Cruz was listening to see where to take up their cross and follow Jesus to. They sold the building and moved in with a couple of congregations, but it wasn’t a good match, until they became partners at Trinity 5 years ago. Many times the faithful people of Santa Cruz have given up their building, their control, and listened to find out where Jesus was calling them next, and still they are doing that as they pray for a permanent priest. We are happy to welcome Padre Wilson, but he is nearing retirement and so he is temporary pulpit supply as Santa Cruz continues to look for a permanent priest.
Trinity, too, has placed Jesus and
his cross at the center, so this makes us a good match. Both congregations are willing to learn from
each other and get to know each other, to be shook up a bit, a little bit
uncomfortable, not knowing every word, not knowing every name, but willing to
listen and try. We are two congregations
facing the cross of Jesus and giving thanks for his sacrifices for us and in
doing so we see each other and recognize siblings with open hearts on the same
path.
On Santa Cruz Feast Day let us focus
on the cross on the wall brought here with Santa Cruz congregation, that has
traveled from the church where they were established, along their journey, and
finally placed here in our midst in a central place where we can all appreciate
it, Trinity and Santa Cruz together.
First
there is the cross, the connection between heaven and earth is the vertical
piece, God creating the heavens and earth, Jesus coming to earth to be born a
human being, all the communication over the years between God and the prophets
and God and the people. And the horizontal
piece is our connection to each other, all the love shared, all the meals taken
together, the relationships being built between people in these congregations.
Then we have in the middle a circle,
symbolizing the infinite, the whole. Is
it a crown of thorns or is it a sun with rays?
I say yes to both. It is a crown
of thorns which our savior wore as he hung on the holy cross, a symbol of his
kingship as he was mocked and tortured.
It reminds us of the brutality of the cross, of the brutality of human
ways, of human injustice and the way we divide ourselves up and punish those
who don’t fall into line. It shows the
difference between Jesus’ kingship of caring for the least and the kingship of
this world which abuses the least. This
crown of thorns may also be seen as a shining sun, the light that shines in the
darkness, the one giving light and hope.
The light illuminates what is hidden.
In Christianity we don’t hide any truths or have any secret knowledge,
but everyone is welcome to study God’s word in the scriptures. Our meetings are public and everyone is
welcome because we want everything exposed to the light. We want to be held accountable. We want everyone to have access to Jesus. So the sun shines from this cross, the hope
of a new day, the light of the world to come, warmth, and clear vision of this
world and God who loves us.
With this holy Cross of Christ at
the center we can face all that comes our way.
We can accompany each to immigration appointments, serve hungry
neighbors, visit the sick, imprisoned, and grieving, and speak out against
violence and hatred. We do this work
together as the body of Christ with Jesus as our head taking up our cross
together as one in the Lord.
Happy
Santa Cruz day! Thank you for allowing
us to celebrate with you!
Happy Holy Cross Day! And last
Sunday you informed me that you are celebrating your 50th anniversary; so, we
must also thank God for the 50 years of the Holy Cross Episcopal Church
community in Oregon. Congratulations!
Today, we continue to have reference
words about some important event that has happened in human history, in
material projects, or in our personal lives. The reference words are: Before
and After. For example, before Christ and after Christ, before Covid and after
Covid, photos of a property renovation show a before and after, and there are
also people who like to show their age in before and after photos on social
media.
There is also a before and after on
the Cross that Jesus was brought to Mount Calvary. The before Jesus' Cross was
that the cross was already an instrument for punishing with death those who
were sentenced as criminals or were a danger to society. And they crucified
them in places where people could see them. In Mark 15:27-47 it is written:
"Next to Jesus they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his
left. The people who passed by insulted him..."
The before Jesus' Cross was that
both the religious and political powers wanted to quickly bring him to death.
And why? Because he came to teach new news about the Kingdom of God, and he did
so with authority and power. A message of love, healing the sick, spiritual
liberation, etc. Good news in favor of a kingdom of Justice, Love, and Peace.
And all of this bothered those who controlled the Faith, doctrine, and other
religious matters. Before Jesus's Cross, there were moments of anguish for him,
because he knew that his time of death was approaching, and a cruel death on
the Cross. And that's why he prays to the Father, because he needs to be
comforted by God the Father to do His will. Luke 22:42 says, "Saying,
Father, if it be Your will, take this cup from Me; nevertheless, not My will,
but Yours be done."
Before Jesus' death, on His own
crucifixion and death on the Cross, all previous crosses represented nothing
more than an instrument of punishment or a death penalty for many people. After
Jesus' death, the cross on which He died came to give life. With that Cross, He
raised our human dignity and rescued us, or drew us to Himself. This is what is
written in today's Gospel. In His new teachings or good news, Jesus encouraged
us to be the Salt and Light of the world. And today, He also reminds us of this
in the Gospel of John. Thanks be to God the Father, Jesus was resurrected on
the third day after his death on the Cross, and we always celebrate it on
Easter Sunday. Hence the importance of celebrating our faith as a Church every
Sunday, as we do today. And Saint Paul says something important that is very
true and powerful: "If Christ had not been raised, our faith would be in vain."
First Letter to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 15:14).
This means that if Jesus had not
risen from the dead, the Christian faith would have no foundation or purpose.
That is why the great news after
Jesus died on the cross is that it made it different from all previous crosses.
That cross is holy, because Jesus' triumph over death brought us salvation,
which is eternal life. It freed us from the enemy who accused us day and night
before God. With his blood we have been washed, forgiven, sanctified, made a holy
nation and a holy royal priesthood. In Hebrews 10:10-18 we find the following:
"By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of
Jesus Christ once for all...for by one offering he has perfected forever those
who are being sanctified..." Holy Cross means triumph over death, triumph
over sin, Salvation, or eternal Life achieved thanks to the Risen Jesus, the
Christ of Faith in whom is our foundation of life.
Let us rejoice, let us rejoice,
because following Jesus Christ and taking up our own cross to follow him is not
so difficult. He is our model for life. He himself comforts us and encourages
us to continue forward as long as we nourish ourselves with his Word, with his
spiritual presence in the consecrated bread and wine, and bear witness to his
Resurrection when we love and serve our neighbors, the homeless, the orphans,
the widows, Because the face of Christ is in those most in need and abandoned
by society.
Bearing the name of Holy Cross is
already bearing witness that the Lord has Risen !
No comments:
Post a Comment