“We Preach Christ Crucified”
1 Corinthians 1:18-31

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Pastor Kevin Vogts
Trinity Lutheran Church
Paola, Kansas
First Sunday in Lent—March 6, 2022

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Well, it’s the beginning of another season of Lent, 40 days with special services, sermons, devotions, and many other customs and rituals, all meant to focus our attention on something that really is rather gruesome. The Roman philosopher Seneca lived about the same time as Jesus, and this is what Seneca wrote about the grisly Roman practice of crucifixion:  “Can any man be found willing to be fastened to the accursed tree?  Can any man be found who would waste away in pain, dying limb by limb, losing his life drop by drop?”

Like most Christian houses of worship, our own church features the cross in many different ways.  A huge cross towers over the surrounding countryside from atop our belltower; even bigger crosses dominate the front wall of our sanctuary, inside and out; there’s a cross on our shelter house, and a cross worked into the brick on the tower of our new wing.  Inside the church, in addition to the cross on our altar, you can count dozens of other crosses all around our building.

But, as Seneca says the cross was really an ancient form of torture and execution, the worst ever devised by the twisted mind of sinful man.  So why all this talk about Christ’s suffering and death upon the cross?  Why all this focus on something so gruesome?  Why a whole SEASON of the Church Year, devoted again and again every year to this depressing topic?

In today’s Epistle Reading, the Apostle Paul emphasizes the significance and centrality of the cross of Christ for the Christian Church: “We preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. . . For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

You were probably disappointed, as I was, when a financial services company with its origins among Lutherans recently changed their logo to eliminate the cross it used to include, because they want to branch out beyond primarily serving Lutherans and other church members, and they fear the cross in their logo might offend some people and turn them away.

It’s one thing for a financial services company to do that, but shockingly even many churches, that claim to be Christian, are taking that approach.  That’s why many new churches have such odd, bland names, that don’t even sound like a church: Elevate, Catalyst, Encounter, The Valley, The Hill, The Portal. There’s actually an amusing YouTube video of two young men trying to guess whether a name is a church or something like a bar, restaurant, or fitness club.

One famous pastor was asked by in a television interview by the late Peter Jennings why there wasn’t even one cross anywhere in his mega-church, and he actually replied, “That would be a dangerous thing.”  He went on to explain that some potential members might be put off by the cross.  The pastor of the largest church in America actually said that his church didn’t start to grow until they got rid of all the crosses.

These examples reflect a consumer-oriented approach to religion.  The idea is that, just like any business, in order to be successful a church should give people what they want.  If the Christian cross makes people uncomfortable, then just remove it.  And, if the ancient message of the church, about Christ crucified, no longer seems relevant in our modern age, then the message will have to be changed too.

It seems the Apostle Paul was specifically writing about our day and age when he warned in 2nd Timothy: “For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.”

Paul faced a similar situation in Corinth.  Through his ministry there, the Lord had planted a Christian congregation in that city.  But, after Paul moved on, other preachers came in with different, false doctrines, and the congregation broke up into groups.  The people didn’t know whom to follow, which group, which preacher, which church, which denomination, which doctrine. 

In today’s Epistle Reading, Paul tells them what to look for in a church, what the church is really supposed to be all about:  “Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach CHRIST CRUCIFIED. . .”  The Good News of Christ crucified is not just one among many equally interesting topics for the church to cover.  And, Christ crucified is not an optional teaching or message, that we can set aside if we don’t think it’s relevant anymore in our modern age. Because, proclaiming the message of Christ crucified is the whole purpose of the Church.

Preaching “Christ crucified” encompasses much more than just the historical fact that Jesus of Nazareth died on a cross.  Preaching “Christ crucified” includes the reason WHY he was crucified, WHY he died on the cross: Because YOU are a sinner.  Jesus of Nazareth died on the cross on account of your sins, suffering in your place the punishment you deserve.

But, the GOOD NEWS of “Christ crucified” is that on account of his sacrifice, on account of his life, death and resurrection from the dead, your sins are all forgiven, you are at peace with God.  “He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross.” 

The Good News is, there WAS a man found willing to be fastened to the accursed tree, for your sake wasting away in pain, dying limb by limb, losing his life drop by drop.  “For the Son of Man came not to be served,” Jesus said, “but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins.”  “Everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”  “The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”  “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved.”

The preaching of “Christ crucified” ALSO includes ALL THE OTHER DOCTRINES of the Bible.  Jesus was talking about the WHOLE BIBLE when he said, “If you continue in my word you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

Today, as we begin the season of Lent, it is a good occasion to ask: “Why are we here?  Why do we have so many crosses all over our building?  What is this church and our worship really all about?”

“We preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. . . For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”