Matthew 26:36-39 ³⁶ Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, "Sit here while I go over there and pray."  ³⁷ He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and agitated.  ³⁸ Then he said to them, "I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and stay awake with me."  ³⁹ And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want."

As we have journeyed through the season of Lent, we have been focusing on the path that Jesus took to the cross. Our Wednesday evening services have been focusing on this path, and the many things that Jesus encountered on the way. However, now that Easter is about to be here, what does it all mean? As Lutherans, we say that we have a Theology of the Cross, but what does that mean?

In his book “Christ Crucified," Mark Thomsen writes: “The cross means dying to private dreams in order to participate in the vision of the Kingdom of God. A theology of the cross is grounded in the prayer of Jesus that led to his cross: “Not my will but your will be done.”” As we heard our Gospel yesterday, we heard Jesus pray this prayer. As we go through this final week of Lent, we can hear this prayer reverberating in our minds and in our hearts.

Thomsen goes on to write: “The cross is the primary key for interpreting the whole of Christian thought and praxis.” Think about that for a moment….how many other religions do you know of that celebrate the symbol of death? For Christians the cross is not necessarily a symbol of death though. Instead it is a symbol of life. An empty cross reminds us that only Christ has defeated death and the grave, and that he did it for each of us. The theology of the cross began with Jesus’ path to death, and ends with his resurrection from the grave.

Next Sunday we will be reminded once again of Christ’s victory over the grave. On that Easter morn we will reaffirm our theology of the cross and celebrate the work of God in the world.

In our prayers this week: The Kelley family, Alma, Olga and her sister Wilma Webb, as well as their friends John and Liz Calvert, Gail, and Linwood. We also pray for Michael and Brenten who are serving their country overseas and give thanks for Chris’ safe return home from Baghdad.

God's Peace,

 Pastor Judson