Much Ado About Something

"For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was Crucified" (1 Corinthians 2:2)

Recently a United Methodist Seminary said they were considering taking down the cross in some of their buildings in order to be more welcoming to others who use the space who may be of other faiths. You can follow the article and the response here:

http://juicyecumenism.com/2013/03/02/fretting-offense-to-non-christians-umc-funded-seminary-considers-removing-cross-from-its-chapel/

As you can imagine, the Internet was soon buzzing and arguing over this as soon as it was posted.  Okay, at least in the circles I'm in, it was a major issue.  I have friends on both sides of the coin, and I've tired to listen to both sides of the argument and not simply react with my own first response.

Oddly enough, it's not the first time I've encountered this situation.  Many years ago, I served a church that had a Family Center where we used to welcome the community.  Because many people came who were not Christians, one of our members asked if we should not at least cover the cross in the room when others used it. "Don't we want to be welcoming?"

My response then is my response now. Why are we welcoming? Is it because we are nice people? Or is it because we believe there is a life changing relationship with Jesus that we want everyone to experience? Yes, we need to be welcoming. But never at the risk of losing our identity as a church who sees a crucified and resurrected Jesus as Lord and Savior.

I'm not writing this today to get anyone upset, or to show you what a fine, upstanding Christian I am, or to share a story of how I stood up against the culture of the day. What I really want to share with you is the conviction I had then and that God has been laying on me ever since I read this recent article.

Before we get too upset, how many of us are guilty of the same thing? How many of us, who would never remove a cross from the sanctuary, are quick to hide the cross in our own lives?  Every time we refuse to feed the hungry, cloth the naked, visit the prisoner (as Jesus said) are we not hiding the cross? When we are with our friends and laugh at the off-color joke or let someone demean another person, do we not hide the cross? Every time we act Holy on Sunday but act like the devil around our spouse or children the other six days, are we not hiding the cross?  And those things we do when no one else is around? Yeah they hide the cross as well.

We make the excuse that we don't wish to be offensive. But the Cross is offensive. It's supposed to be. Jesus, crucified and risen, is both the stumbling block and the cornerstone of our faith.

Paul says our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. That makes us a sanctuary, a place of worship. Doesn't it? As followers of the crucified Lord, we should be no more be willing to hide the cross in our lives than we would to hide it in our churches.

I'm all for holding churches and church-affiliated organizations accountable.  But I also know I have a limited amount of power to affect change there. Where can I really affect change about the cross? In my own life, as I try to live a life that doesn't hide Jesus. I hope, in the end, that you will look at your own life and make sure the cross of Christ isn't hidden.

In Christ,
Rev. Dr. Brian Jones <><