Pax et Bonum

The Online worship resource for St. James Parish

March 18, 2009

We adore you O Christ,
And we bless you;
Because by your Holy Cross
You have redeemed the world.
Almighty God, whose most dear Son went not up to joy but first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he was crucified: Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the cross, may find it none other than the way of life and peace; through Jesus Christ your son our Lord. Amen
from Morning Prayer, BCP

The Paradox of the Cross

Jesus said, "Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life." John 3:14.

The above scripture refers to the story in Exodus, when the Israelites, tired of wandering aimlessly, and tired of eating Manna (which means "what is it?" every day, began to complain against Moses and against God. The story is that God sent poisonous snakes amongst the people, killing many. But when Moses prayed, God told him to lift up a snake on a stick, and whoever looked at it would live.

How silly that seems. All one had to do was look at this snake and live? It is another example of what appears to be foolishness, that is, instead, the way to life. The very instrument of destruction became their salvation.

Jesus referred to this story in John’s gospel, saying that he would also be lifted up, just as the serpent was lifted up in the wilderness, and those who looked upon him, i.e., those who believed in him, would live. Thus the instrument of cruel torture and death, the cross, became for us the way of salvation.

It is a paradox that we are asked to believe in. That an instrument of death could become a path to life. Yet this is what the cross is for us. As the Collect from Morning Prayer says, we walk the way of the cross in order to find the way of life and peace.

Christ was lifted up in order to give life to those who trust in Him. We look to the Cross, and walk its path, in order to receive that life.

Tonight, we will walk the way of the Cross at 6:00 as part of our Lenten Series.. We will be doing the traditional Stations of the Cross around the path, or inside, for those who don’t desire to walk that far. Afterwards, we will process to my house for our soup supper.

In years past, I have posted online Stations of the Cross as well. I will do this again this year, ending on Good Friday, and using the beautiful icons of the iconographer Teresa Harrison. The stations will begin online next Monday, one station per day. I hope that this is a prayerful exercise for you.

Remember also that our Stations can be walked at any time. The Ipod meditations that Debra created can be loaded into your own Ipod, or we can loan you one, if you desire to walk the Stations at any time.

Lord Jesus Christ,
You stretched out your arms
Upon that hard wood of the cross
That everyone might come within reach
Of your saving embrace;
So clothe us in your Spirit
That we, reaching forth our hands in love,
May bring those who do not know you
To the knowledge and love of you;
For the honor of your name. AMEN
from Morning Prayer, BCP

Daily Morning Prayer

Daily Morning Prayer

This Week at St. James

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For those on our prayer list:

In Closing:

Let every creature
In heaven, on earth, in the sea and in the depths,
Give praise, glory, honor and blessing
To Him Who suffered so much,
Who has given and will give in the future every good,
For He is our power and strength,
Who alone is good,
Who alone is almighty,
Who alone is omnipotent, wonderful, glorious
And who alone is holy,
Worthy of praise and blessing
Through endless ages.
St. Francis of Assisi

Pax et Bonum,
Loree+

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