Scripture Reflections for Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
Year A, Lectionary 638
Before Jesus was lifted up on the cross, like Moses lifted up the serpent, Christ first humbled himself and came down to humanity. Jesus emptied himself in order to rise in the cross all coming from God's love for us. As we pick up our crosses and move to be lifted up let us do so with love for God and others being the driving factor.
Hate feeling lost on Sundays at church? Searching for a better explanation of the Bible than what you hear from your pastor's sermon? Check out the following collection of audio, video, and text commentaries from various Christian experts for a better understanding of today's scripture that deal with: Constantine • Cross • Divinity • History • Light • St. Paul • Victory •
“So Paul's writing to this church at Philippi and what does he do? In one breath he both upholds Jewish monotheism, right, by quoting Isaiah 45 and at the same time makes clear that implicitly, he doesn't say it, that Jesus is Lord and, who's not lord? Caesar”
“So notice Paul takes a passage...in which the Lord says 'I'm God, there is no other. To me every knee will bow and every tongue confess' and Paul takes that text and he applies it to Jesus”
“Humility means to be grounded, to be grounded. God is certainly humbling us at this time and we're called to keep our eyes fixed on that humble Jesus who takes up that cross and embraces it and walks, these days that we know, lead to victory”
“the cross allows us to look upon the very worst that we could do and see in the heart of it divinity somehow, not from us but from God”
"we're not immune to tragic events or to illness or to anything. We just have a different, I guess, we just have a different way of approaching it and that's through the lens of faith."
In the latest episode of the 1 Christian 1 Topic Podcast "Faith Amidst Tragedy," we have a conversation with Liz on faith, suffering, and prayer. More