10 Ways to Preach the Holy Cross Sermon
There is power in the proclamation of the cross.
The Feast of the Holy Cross is observed on September 14th to commemorate Constantine’s mother Helena’s discovery of the True Cross on that day in 330 AD. The feast sometimes features expressions of great devotion, such as kissing, bowing, genuflecting, participating in processions, and other forms of reverence.
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As an evangelical Anglican, I have never been inclined toward these more expressive acts of devotion. But as a preacher, I have always known that the cross of Christ must be proclaimed.
In this light, Holy Cross Day is an opportunity for all of us to reflect more deeply on this fundamental element of our faith and enrich our preaching for this occasion and throughout the year.
1. The Hinge of History.
Consider seeing the cross as a watershed moment in all of history. It was like a hinge or a continental divide. Any person who truly encounters the love that Jesus had for us on the cross will want to think about its implications. The impact of the cross on the human heart and mind should take a lifetime to discover as we walk with Jesus. And the poster boy for this change of heart is the Apostle Paul. A sermon for Holy Cross Day can feature the amazing story of Paul.
I think he reveals his personal love and attachment to Christ and his suffering in Galatians 2:21-22:
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Galatians 2:21-22
Consider this statement for what it is: it is an admission that the driving force in his life is the crucified Christ. He (Paul) has died, and Christ lives in him. And when Paul expresses what this means to him, it does so in terms of love: that Jesus loved Paul and died for him. Amazing.
In a way, he says this in Philippians 3:13. I love the NIV translation of it: I took hold of that which took hold of me! Amazing.
2. Beyond Jewelry
It is a tradition for many people to wear a cross necklace or a cross ring as a sign of their faith. I think this is wonderful, and I certainly encourage it. But one Lenten season, I went big on this idea. I ordered hundreds of table crosses like the one in the nearby image. The instructions were that each person or family could take one and place in a prominent position in their life. Some people put the cross on their kitchen table, some took it to work and displayed it on their desk, and some placed it on the television set so that anyone watching a show would see it. I also developed a short liturgy to help the families observe the cross, wherever it was.
Then, on Sundays for the duration of the series, I invited individuals, couples, or entire familiesโto come and tell their stories of change and transformation. It was electric. We all learned that we can and should boast about the cross of Christ and what he did for us.
3. Mission Atonement
Speaking of what Jesus did for us, the cross is at the center of his mission. Did Jesus know this from his early years? And year by year, as he grew “in wisdom and stature, in favor God and others” (Luke 2:52), he became more and more aware of his destination, of his destiny.
A sermon on the doctrine of the atonement is warranted. What happened when Jesus died, not just physically but cosmically and spiritually, in the realms of the heavens? Something changed. Matthew tells of an earthquake, of graves opened and dead people suddenly alive, and of the ultra-thick curtain in the Temple being torn in two, from top to bottom. What changed?
To answer this, the preacher has to do much study and lay sufficient groundwork. It is too simplistic to say Jesus died our sins; that he died our death. Yes, of course, that is true. But it has been said so many times it is jargon. Find ways to illustrate and apply the doctrine of atonement in our life so that your people can feel the release of guilt from their sins and have assured hope for everlasting life.
4. The Upside Down Kingdom.
Many preachers use this vivid metaphor (upside down) to help people understand the radical world-changing Christians experience in their lives. Weakness becomes their strength. Service becomes a leadership style. Humility breaks down our pride. Jesus’ death on the cross was the first step in his victory over death. This is an amazing word picture: that the Kingdom of God is different, more is less, less is greater, and denial is attainment. It is mind-blowing and true for those who live it.
This is the Apostle Paul’s point to the Philippians when he cites the early church’s well-known hymn of Jesus’ self-emptying. The opening of the hymn depicts Jesus’ movement from heaven to earth:
Though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, He emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
Philippians 2:6-7
The next section outlines how in humility Jesus went to the cross:
And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Philippians 2:8
And the finale celebrates Jesus in his exaltation:
Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:9-11
I am sure you see the three-point sermon embedded in the ancient hymn: 1) Jesus gave up his status. 2) He took up his cross, and 3) He was raised up and highly exalted.
5. Depth-charge
Dominion, Tom Holland’s book on the impact of Christianity on the Western World, deserves to be read again and again. Aside from slowly converting the author to Christianity (he had been a secular historian), his comments about Paul and his theology of the cross could be the basis of a great sermon on the cross.
He portrays Paul’s theological perspective of the Cross in the New Testament as a theological depth charge that shook the core of the ancient world. The effects of this continue to resonate through Latin Christianity, the Reformation, and the Enlightenment. Why? because the cross signified to a cold, callous, and cruel world that God is willing to suffer with his people, to stand with them, not against them.
Holland believes that Christianity sparked a transformative movement centered around Jesus’s crucifixion. He contends that the concept of honoring and seeking justice for victims originated with Jesus’s sacrifice. This idea of valuing the downtrodden was a stark contrast to the prevailing Greco-Roman norms, where the powerful could exploit those beneath them without repercussion. The notion, as advocated by Paul, that every person’s body is sacred has prevailed, leading to a new societal ethos that acknowledges and esteems the marginalized.
In other words, Jesus’s suffering for the sake of the victimized has laid the foundation for a culture that upholds the worth and rights of the disadvantaged.
6. A Series “At The Cross”
Whether organized around the Feast of the Holy Cross, or at another time in the year, the Cross is a rich theme for a whole sermon series. Consider using the phrase “at the cross” to organize the variety of ways we relate to the cross, as follows:
- Obedience at the Cross โ Philippians 2:8, John 10:17-18
- Worship at the Cross โ Galatians 6:14, 1 Corinthians 1:18
- Atonement at the Cross โ Colossians 1:20, Romans 5:8-9
- Mission at the Cross โ 1 Corinthians 1:17, Mark 8:34
- Discipleship at the Cross โ Hebrews 12:2, Luke 14:27
You can see how the word change each week would allow you to fully explore the implications and impact of the cross on evangelism, mission, worship, confidence, hope, and many, many more.
7. A Cross to Build and Battle
In Luke 14, Jesus challenges his followers to take up their cross and follow him daily. Then, he gives the job description for the disciple who will do this. Read carefully here as Jesus uses two images: a builder getting ready to build and a king preparing for war. Most often, preachers consider these metaphors as teaching us to count the cost of following Jesus. Yes, they do that.
But they also show the kind of work that will be done as we take up our cross. Looking carefully, we see that we will need to be like buildersโbuilders of the Kingdomโand battlersโlike kings going to war (credit goes to my go-to preaching hero from the last century, G. Campbell Morgan, for this typology). Nehemiah gives these two images to us as well: the wall repairmen are also soldiers. They receive a trowel in one hand (builders) and a sword in the other (battlers):
Those who carried burdens were loaded in such a way that each labored on the work with one hand and held his weapon with the other. And each of the builders had his sword strapped at his side while he built.
Nehemiah 4:17-18
Even Jesus adapts these same themes when he tells Peter, “On this Rock, I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18).
8. Corinthian Church Planting
When Paul went to Corinth, he succeeded beyond his imagination. He preached and taught there, and a new church flourished, and he remained for 18 months. Why was his ministry so successful? Paul wrote that when he came to Corinth, he did not come with fancy words and showy actions. Instead, he resolved to focus singly on the cross:
And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.
1 Corinthians 2:1-2
This is a powerful lesson for all preachers concerning the cross. Christianity does not have a clever elevator speech to entice people to follow. A sermon on the Feast of the Holy Cross can be simple and straightforward: Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross for our sins and the sins of the whole world. Through the cross, we can be free from the effects of sin, shame, guilt, and regret.
9. Purpose and Power
The purpose of the cross is not only to save us from sin but also to transform us into God’s masterpiece. Through Christ’s death and resurrection, he makes us new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17), reconciles us to God, and empowers us to live a life pleasing to him. The cross enables us to do the good works God has prepared for us, bringing glory to His name.
The cross not only justifies us but also sanctifies us, enabling us to grow in Christlikeness and walk in the good works He has ordained for us. Then, the sermon can address the controversy surrounding faith/works by explaining that Ephesians 2:10 reveals the proper relationship between the two. The preceding verses, Ephesians 2:8-9, state that salvation is by grace through faith, not by works. However, verse 10 shows that the purpose of this salvation is to produce good works in the believer’s life. Faith is the root, while good works are the fruit. The two are inseparably connected, but it is crucial to recognize that works are the evidence of genuine faith, not the means to obtain salvation.
10. The Last Word
Consider a sermon with one of Jesus’ last words on the cross. For example, if you take the single-word statement Jesus said at the end of his life as your subject, you can fit the entire biblical narrative in it. Jesus said, “It is finished” (John 19:30, “ฯฮตฯฮญฮปฮตฯฯฮฑฮน” or tetelestai, from the Greek word we have all know: telos). It means complete. The process ended. The conclusion or the logical end. To give you an idea, consider this bombshell definition of the word from Strong’s Concordance.
1)to bring to a close, to finish, to end 1a) passed, finished 2) to perform, execute, complete, fulfil, (so that the thing done corresponds to what has been said, the order, command etc.) 2a) with special reference to the subject matter, to carry out the contents of a command 2b) with reference also to the form, to do just as commanded, and generally involving the notion of time, to perform the last act which completes a process, to accomplish, fulfil 3) to pay 3a) of tribute ++++ “It is finished or paid” John 19:30. Christ satisfied God’s justice by dying for all to pay for the sins of the elect. These sins can never be punished again since that would violate God’s justice. Sins can only be punished once, either by a substitute or by yourself.
A sermon on any of Jesus’s last words will bring you and your congregation to the foot of the cross. What a feast we have there as we take in the overflowing grace of God in Jesus Christ!
Photo by Doidam10, courtesy of Canva.
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