We preach Christ crucified, the power of God and the wisdom of God.
In his first letter to the Corinthians, from which these sentences from the Good Friday responsory are taken , St Paul readily acknowledges that the idea of a crucified God is a scandal to Jews and just plain foolish in the eyes of Greeks.
He does not say, although he well might, that cultured Romans also saw crucifixion as a distasteful subject, which should not be discussed at all in polite society.
The Roman philosopher and orator, Cicero, writing about a century before Christ died, declared that: “The very name “cross” should not only be far from the body of a Roman citizen, but also from his thoughts, his eyes and his ears.”
Such attitudes would not have offered an encouraging atmosphere for the preaching of a divine revelation, which derives its power and strength from the image of a man nailed to a Cross.
Some years ago, I was present in a church when a school group from a secular primary school came to visit the church building, and to hear something about Christianity.
Amongst many other items, the priest showed them the images of the Stations of the Cross, displayed all around the church, and explained, in minimal detail, that Christians believed that Jesus Christ was the Son of God, but that he died, nailed to a Cross, and was raised on the third day.
Although the children themselves listened with lively interest, a little while later one of the parent helpers accompanying the group complained to a member of the church congregation that he felt the priest had told the children an unnecessarily gory and upsetting story.
We, like St Paul, are faced with a difficult culture in which to proclaim the Christian narrative.
So how are we to “preach Christ crucified” as Paul declares?
This is not a question addressed to a preacher in church on Good Friday, whose task is, relatively speaking, an easy one.
He or she is expected to speak about the crucifixion – indeed the congregation might reasonably feel bemused or disappointed if it were NOT the main topic – and those listening will by and large be very familiar with the details of the story.
The much more challenging question is that of how Christians in 21st century Britain are to preach the basic story of the crucifixion to those who see it as an unnecessarily gory tale, as well as demonstrating practically what our faith in “Christ crucified” means for us in our everyday lives, and why we see the power and wisdom of God revealed in it.
Perhaps one way of doing this is to follow Jesus’ exhortation to learn from the faith of little children.
Last Friday, the children from Hampstead Parochial School came into church for their end of term “Passion Service”.
This service offers a quick run-through of all the events of Holy Week, up to and including the Crucifixion.
We began the Passion service with a palm procession, remembering Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem; Fr Stephen and I then washed the feet of twelve children of varying ages, in commemoration of the events of Maundy Thursday, and finally, as we sang the hymn, “The Servant King”, Fr Stephen carried the Cross up the aisle and placed it, as he will do again shortly, at the top of the chancel steps.
It was quite clear, as they left the church, that the parents who were present at this service, were not left with a sense we had been unnecessarily gory.
Several of them told me afterwards that, like us, they had been deeply touched by the reverence and solemnity clearly shown on the children’s faces as they watched the setting up of the Cross in respectful silence.
At the time, we had no way of knowing exactly what was going on in the children’s heads, or to what extent they grasped any of the theological meaning of the story of Christ’s crucifixion.
But when they began to sing the beautiful Spiritual, “Were you there when they crucified my Lord?”, it was very clear to all the adults present that the children had a real sense that something important, serious and sad was being remembered there in front of them.
However, it was only later that we were able to comprehend fully the much more active part that the children had played in demonstrating how the story of Christ crucified can affect all our lives.
That week, the whole school had been reflecting on the story of Holy Week, and of the Crucifixion, and each of the two hundred children had been asked to write a prayer on a slip of paper, which could be placed at the foot of Jesus’ Cross.
These were carried up by class representatives and left before the Cross, and we asked the children whilst this was happening, to remember in silence again the prayer that they had written themselves.
Glancing through the prayers when tidying up at the end of the service, I was moved almost to tears by their sincerity and wisdom.
Clearly they had made the connection between Christ’s own suffering on the Cross, and his compassion and understanding for those who continue to suffer today:
Dear God, Please help people who are suffering and have fever and disease. Amen
Dear God, Please can you help all poor people and people who are homeless. Amen
Dear Lord, I pray for peace for refugees, soldiers and all in need. Amen
Dear Father, Please help children who are less fortunate than me and have no home or family. Amen
Dear God, I pray for the people of Africa that do not have any money for food and are dying.
As we reflected in the last meditation, the faith of Christ crucified, which we are called to preach to the world, includes the belief that God himself, who came among us in human form, suffered in almost every way we may suffer ourselves.
He experienced anxiety and fear in the Garden of Gethsemane, betrayal, abandonment, cruelty, humiliation, injustice, physical agony and finally, just for a moment on the Cross, a sense of total desolation.
We have already remembered his presence with us in pain and physical weakness, and reflecting on the story of his last few days, we can also have faith that he is truly there with us in our times of grief and of mental anguish, and that it is to him we can turn when we feel abandoned and in despair.
But our faith in Christ crucified encourages us to appeal to him for all those across the globe who continue to suffer oppression, injustice and humiliation at the hands of others, and to pray for greater peace and justice in the world.
The children were also aware of the sharp contrast between Christ’s role as the eternal Logos, present at the creation of the world, and the suffering figure on the Cross.
In the “Servant King”, a more modern hymn for the Passion, we sang the words, “Hands that flung stars into space, to cruel nails surrendered.”
Some of the children’s prayers were prayers of thankfulness, and this is also not inappropriate as we reflect on Christ crucified from the foot of the Cross.
Dear God, Thank you for making the world and all the planets even the moon and sun and stars. Amen
Dear God, Thank you for creating me and my mummy and daddy. Amen
Thank you, Lord, that you take care of us, and that you made a world of peace. Amen
Yet amongst their prayers, there was also understanding of the deep grief and discomfort many of us may feel as we hear the story of the Passion and gaze upon the Cross:
Dear Jesus, I didn’t want you to die, it’s very sad. Amen.
As we continue to reflect here together in silence at the foot of the Cross, we may also offer in prayer our wider concern for the betrayed and the condemned, the oppressed and the tortured, the sick and the dying, in the sure and certain knowledge of his compassion and love, demonstrated in his own self-sacrifice.
We can bring our thanks for all God has created, and for Jesus’ love and care for each one of us.
And this is also how we are to preach Christ crucified in the world – by showing others that it is through our belief in a God who died to show his love for us, that we are led to reflect his love and compassion for others into the world around us.
The story of Christ crucified upon a Cross, which we remember here today, is not a scandal or stupidity, nor is it an unnecessarily gory tale, but it demonstrates to us the power and wisdom of God, who has shared our suffering, and who continues to be with us and to inspire us with true compassion for others, now and for eternity.
As we reflect this time, recalling Jesus’ final few days and his execution, we bring before Christ crucified the needs of the world; our concern for all who suffer from violence, conflict, injustice and oppression, and we pray that we may work to bring in his kingdom of justice and peace.