Easter 6 - Processional Crucifix Cross - 1 Corinthians 1:23; 2:2 - Christ Crucified...FOR ME!

This processional crucifix cross was blessed for use in our worship. It was purchased with the memorial funds from and in memory of Russ Cramm, Paul Erickson, Wayne Dunn and Val Dynes. This cross was also specifically made, upon request, for THIS congregation! It took a few months for us to receive it after ordering it because it was carved, by hand, for your eyes.

In the process of going through our worship today, I pray that we may answer a few question: 1) Why do we use a processional cross? To answer that, we use it on feast days, large festival days within the church year; Easter, Ascension, Pentecost, Trinity, Christmas, etc. The second question is this, “Why do we have a crucifix? Why not an empty cross?” For this question, I will allow the worship service itself to give the answers.

But, to be sure, we do not hold any superstitious fantasies about a piece of wood on which our Lord may or may not have actually been crucified – any more than we hold any superstitious thoughts about the cross on our altar or the cross I wear around my neck or the cross jewelry we wear. These are only 'symbols. And the purpose of 'symbols' is to point to something beyond themselves, and not to the thing itself.

It's not the cross itself that we worship and adore – but all that the cross points to – which is the indescribable love of the almighty God that He was poured out onto this fallen, corrupt and sinful world through His perfect, innocent, holy Son, who suffered the punishment that we deserve, by bearing them in His body unto death, even death on a cross.

English: Jesus Christ

Latin: IHCOYC   XPICTOC  

Greek: Ἰησοῦς Χριστός

The fingers of Jesus’ right hand spell out “IC  XC”, a widely used four letter abbreviation of the Greek for Jesus Christ.  It is by the name of Jesus that we are saved and receive blessings: “At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;” (Phil 2:10).

The fingers of Jesus’ left hand is an indication of the trinity.  You see one finger extended while three are tucked, hidden or less prominent.  All of this is simply to affirm the doctrine of the trinity that is found many places in Scripture, to which Jesus affirmed in our Gospel text from last week, “I and the Father are one.” John 10:30.