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 see
The 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
During Communion last Sunday, one of those beautiful moments occurred as the voices of those gathered to worship blended musically and prayerfully in singing this familiar hymn. There is a plaintive tone to the melody, and the words express contrition for our sins and acknowledgement of the real, physical agony of our crucified Lord.
Considering the original intent and use of a cross, most people cringe at the image that comes to mind. Graphic descriptions or a depiction of a crucifixion is so gruesome that we are revolted at such a barbaric method of punishment. The idea that a person would be so brutally murdered when his “crime” had been helping people and preaching a message of love, forgiveness, and service to one another is shocking and disturbing. Looking at a cross, we see a device as deadly as a hangman’s noose or a guillotine. And yet this symbol is virtually everywhere in our places of worship. Every time we step into the sanctuary, we see the large cross on the wall behind the altar, crosses on the covers of our worship books, and elegantly 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 changed completely by the resurrection of our Lord. No longer an instrument of death, the empty cross became instead a reflection of the glory of the risen Christ. Rising from the grave, he 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.
Your friend on the Lenten Journey,
Mary Rogers