by Rev Douglas Brauner

The poverty of Jesus’ cross has made us rich with mercy.

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Hebrews 12:1-2 English Standard Version

These crosses, that sit high above Saint Mary’s Catholic Cathedral, stand in stark contrast to a cross that one of our first Communion students made for his faith project at Holy Cross.

Saint Mary’s Catholic Cathedral, Colorado Springs, Colorado

The cathedral crosses are symmetrical, gold-plated, and artistic. The cross made by this student was asymmetrical, wooden, and merely strapped together with string. I would suggest that the cross made by this student is a more representative symbol of Jesus’ crucifixion than the crosses of Saint Mary’s, as well as the cross that reaches high into the thin Colorado air atop Holy Cross.

Instead of the cross being symmetrical, the student’s cross followed the contours of tree branches. Instead of being polished with gold, his cross was covered with bark. Instead of the cross looking like the handy work of a seasoned artist, it was made from the hands of a youth who understood the message of the cross.

Jesus was enthroned on a cross made of wood whose splinters penetrated his body, whose crossbars absorbed his blood, and whose foundation was sunk into the ground. This is the cross that has brought us life. This is the cross through which Jesus worked our salvation. This is the cross that received his dead body.

There is poverty in Jesus’ cross…poverty that has made us rich with God’s mercy. Let’s celebrate that cross on which Jesus died.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado