Across the Pastor’s Desk

By the Rev. Joel Vano, Zion Lutheran Church

As a pastor in a small town I often hear comments from members of the community as they reflect upon some of the things that our church is doing in town. In fact, just the other week we were offering parking for the fair which is located relatively close to our parking lot. Someone asked me if we made a killing on the parking and I laughed as I thought about $3 per car as a “killing.” The truth of the matter is that we were doing this secondarily as a fundraiser and primarily to advertise our upcoming vacation Bible school (Aug. 14 through Aug. 18) as well as letting the fairgoers know about our worship times. Not that anyone driving down Bridge Avenue wouldn’t know Zion’s worship times. After all we’ve got a neon sign proclaiming those worship times throughout the week (Sunday – 8 and 10:30 a.m., Thursday – 6:45 p.m.)

In fact, a couple years ago when Zion installed its new church sign I began to hear some interesting comments from people I came in contact with in the community  They jokingly asked, “How’s it going down at Las Vegas Lutheran?” and “Are you installing any one-armed bandits in the fellowship hall?” I explained that the sign was merely a tool to get the message out about what we felt was important for the community to know. Instead of “Viva Las Vegas” we were trying to say “Viva Las Cruces.” No, not the city in New Mexico, but the cross of Christ. So I guess more correctly I should have said “Viva La Cruz.” After all, that’s what we live for as Christians — the cross of Jesus Christ!

The truth is that there are similarities between the Christian faith and other world religions that hold one God as the supreme being who created all things and expects his “children” to live according to his laws, but there is one big difference that sets Christianity apart: the cross! The cross of Jesus Christ is at the center of our faith. Without the cross we have nothing, because our faith is based in the fact that Jesus died on the cross in our place, so our sins would not stand between us and God. That symbol of our faith stands proudly at the front of Christian churches throughout the world.  That Christian symbol hangs upon the walls of many homes. That testimony to the great love of our heavenly Father hangs around the necks of Christians everywhere as they wear the symbol of their faith for all to see.

But there’s another fact about the cross that most of us probably take for granted — it’s empty! While a crucifix with the crucified body of Christ hanging upon it is a reminder of Christ’s death on the cross, an even greater reason to live for Christ is that the cross is empty. He didn’t stay on the cross, nor did he stay in the tomb where his dead body was laid. Jesus rose from the dead. He came back to life and now the empty cross is a symbol of the reason we live each day for our Lord. Because he lives we have new life. As St. Paul so clearly declares in his letter to the Romans, “Don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”

One way I encourage those entrusted to my spiritual care to remember the new life they have in Christ through their baptism is to make the sign of the cross each morning when they awake. This is something that Martin Luther himself suggested Christians do in order to remind themselves that they live for Jesus each day. So while we draw breath let us always hold the cross up as the symbol of our life in Christ, whether we wear it on a necklace or look to it on Sunday morning in worship or as it hangs upon the walls in our homes.  Viva La Cruz! Long live the cross of Christ!