LENT V
April 3, 2022
Reflections on ”Beneath the Cross of Jesus”
Beneath the cross of Jesus I long to take my stand;The shadow of a mighty rock Within a weary land,A home within a wilderness, A rest upon the way,From the burning of the noon-tide heat And burdens of the day.
Upon the cross of Jesus, My eye at times can seeThe very dying form of one Who suffered there for me.And from my contrite heart, with tears, Two wonders I confess:The wonder of his glorious love And my unworthiness.
I take, O cross, your shadow For my abiding place;I ask no other sunshine than The sunshine of his face;Content to let the world go by, To know no gain nor loss,My sinful self my only shame, My glory all, the cross.“Beneath the Cross of Jesus” Text: Elizabeth C. Clephane, Hymn 338, ELW
The hymns of the Lenten season are distinctive in both melody and words. To my ear, there’s a meditative, even plaintive quality in many hymns we sing, which speaks to the overall theme and tone of Lent. These three short verses are so expressive, as we hear confession of sin, grief at Jesus’ suffering, and praise and gratitude for the love and sacrifice of Christ.
Considering the original intent and use of a cross, most of us turn away in revulsion at the image that comes to mind. The idea that a person would be so brutally executed when his “crime” had been helping people and preaching a message of love, forgiveness, and service to one another is shocking and disturbing. We know very well that a cross is a device as deadly as a hangman’s noose or a guillotine. And yet we see this very symbol virtually everywhere in our places of worship. Every time we step into the sanctuary, the large cross on the wall behind the altar draws our eye, there are crosses on the covers of our worship books, and beautifully designed crosses on the paraments and banners.
I’d suggest that the cross is everywhere because the hatred and violence that it represented has been completely erased by the resurrection of our Lord. No longer an instrument of torture and death, the empty cross has become instead a reflection of the power of God, who raised his son, our Lord Jesus, from death. By his sacrificial death and resurrection, Christ took our ugly sins and wiped them away with love and forgiveness, and then he took that ugly cross and created a clean, fresh symbol of the victory over sin and death.
As we come to understand the cross as a home, a resting place, and where safety and security are found, we realize that our Lord loves us in spite of our weakness and sinfulness. As his saved and redeemed children, we are invited to experience the glory of the cross of Jesus, and then we are called to share it with all the world.
Sorrowing and rejoicing in the Cross of Jesus,
Your friend in Christ,
Mary Rogers