WEBVTT

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 For so many reasons, we're really incredibly fortunate to be able to worship here at Canaan Baptist,

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 and one of the reasons that I frequently give thanks for this space is this great big cross in the front of the sanctuary.

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 And while I've worshiped in many Protestant denominations over the years,

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 I have never had the opportunity to worship in an American church blessed with an image as rich and as deep as the one that we have here.

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 On any given Sunday, almost everything that is said and done up front is relevant to what our eyes are seeing.

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 Not only can we hear the word, but we are blessed to be able to see the word also.

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 We can see what is being talked about by our pastors and priests set in its broader context.

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 At one point in a sermon series past, Tommy spoke eloquently about the heavily trafficked intersection between heaven and earth.

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 And that's exactly what we have here.

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 If you have the keys, this whole thing can be read like a book.

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 As this has become an increasingly personal aid to focus my own worship,

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 I have increasingly longed for you also to have these keys.

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 Being in the middle of a series on Revelation, it's a particularly nice time to share this with you,

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 as you'll see plenty of the imagery that's up here comes from that book.

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 It's also especially appropriate to talk about this in the Easter season,

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 as we have been able to witness and participate in both of the sacraments that this talks about,

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 baptism and the Eucharist.

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 The first thing to say is that this is a mosaic.

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 It's not painted on the wall.

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 It's made up of a lot of little tiles called tessera,

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 and it's set into the plaster,

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 so it's part of the integral structure of this physical church building.

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 In this aspect, it mimics us.

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 As members of the family of God,

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 we have become fully incorporated into the physical and spiritual structure of the church as the bride of Christ.

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 Second, I'm not going to be at all offended if you do not look at me once from now on.

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 I'm here to be your audio guide to this piece,

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 because there is a special power to hearing and seeing also.

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 Occasionally, there will be some slides over on the screen

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 that will let you have a close-up view of some parts of this that's hard to see.

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 If you don't have a super comfortable view of this entire thing,

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 I would say get one, or you're going to be really, really bored.

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 When I look at this cross, I often think of two things.

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 The first is the vision of Jacob at Haran.

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 On his way to take away from his own people,

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 Jacob rested on the journey.

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 His head on a rock, he fell into a deep sleep,

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 where he dreamed of a stairway to heaven.

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 I remember the thing that I first thought when I heard this story as a child.

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 If I saw a stairway to heaven, I would run right up it.

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 Why didn't Jacob get up and do that?

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 After all, the story does not say there was anything to prevent it.

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 It does not say there was a gate.

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 What would stop me from being there among the angels?

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 And from doing what they do.

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 Only a little child would perhaps be without guile enough to think such a thing were possible.

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 Well, we adults must get over whatever stops us from thinking this way.

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 The second thing I think of when I see this cross is the life of a woman named St. Therese of Lisieux.

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 Born in 1873, she joined a Descalse Carmelite order at the age of 15 in the village of Lisieux in Normandy, France.

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 She died of TB at the age of 24.

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 However, her journey of faith was of such depth and maturity that she was instructed to write her autobiography.

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 And eventually, she was recognized as a doctor of the Catholic Church.

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 But this is not how she experienced or saw her own life of faith.

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 She was a very young woman who yearned to be a great saint.

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 But at the same time, she knew that she wasn't good enough.

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 She knew that she was weak and unable.

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 She had an enormous degree of agony over her weakness and her smallness.

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 But in her spiritual life, she came to see a parallel between the gospel and one of the new technologies of her time.

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 She wrote,

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 We are in an age of inventions.

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 Now, one does not have to make the effort to climb the stairways in rich people's houses because an elevator does the work much better.

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 In her seeking of him, Christ made it known to Therese that the way to him is not to be great and mighty and capable, but is indeed to remain small.

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 She wrote,

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 Ah, never has such tender and melodious words come to rejoice my soul.

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 The elevator that would lift me up to heaven is your arms, O Jesus.

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 This cross is like the stairway of Jacob and like the elevator of St. Therese.

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 Moving up and down it, in it and upon it, we can begin to absorb great mysteries,

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 meditating on some of the beautiful means by which Christ not only lifts us up to himself, but comes down to us,

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 so that he might live forevermore in us and we in him.

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 Let's take a look.

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 In order to dive deeply, we must begin to learn a language,

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 a language of symbol that has long been used in the depiction of Christian subject matter.

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 The language provides a vocabulary with which big concepts and complex theologies can be really richly expounded upon in compact spaces.

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 It can also allow us to see, all at once, some of the polarities which are held together in the person of Christ.

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 This cross can be thought of as consisting of two sections, heaven and earth.

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 We will move up and down upon it as the angels moved on Jacob's ladder,

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 but let's begin in heaven at the topmost part,

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 which could easily be separated into a Greek cross,

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 that is, a cross having four equal arms.

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 On the island of Patmos, God met St. John with a series of powerful visions,

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 providing imagery intended for comfort and worship, for warning, praise, and hope.

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 These things were written down in the book of Revelation,

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 and the image here at the top is rooted in Revelation 5.

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 Perhaps this depiction strikes you as odd.

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 If you are thinking, this lamb looks quite well, you are correct.

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 This lamb is very much alive, standing in the traditional posture,

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 representing the triumphant and resurrected Christ.

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 Surrounding its head is a special kind of halo.

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 If you look closely, you can see the form of a cross interrupted by the head of the lamb.

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 This is called a cruciform nimbus, and it is a kind of halo which is worn only by Christ.

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 And it proclaims that he has passed through the passion and experienced the resurrection.

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 It implies that if his head were transparent, the fullness of the cross would be revealed.

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 Well, the cruciform nimbus amplifies an aspect of Christ that readily makes sense to us here in the context of heaven.

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 Again, the use of this symbol in Christian art is not limited to this context.

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 Consider, for example, the implications of the cruciform nimbus when worn by the infant Christ.

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 Now, this is not an art history lecture, so I didn't bring a lot of supplemental examples of what I'm talking about in other works.

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 But this whole gospel Jesus, this inside of time, outside of time God,

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 is so powerfully expressed in this symbol that I did bring an example of this.

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 This is Fra Angelico.

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 And here, Christ as an infant is held in the arms of the Virgin as they flee into Egypt.

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 At every point in his life, Jesus held together the realities of life, birth, death, crucifixion, and resurrection.

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 What is the mystery of our faith?

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 Christ has died, Christ is risen, and Christ will come again.

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 Let's explore other aspects of the Lamb.

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 In the crook of his foreleg, he studies a banner.

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 This is common in images of the resurrection.

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 Christ emerges and stands victorious over the tomb,

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 unfurling a flag of battle and of victory,

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 and blasphemed with the sign of the conquering cross.

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 While we're on the subject of victory banners, let's look further down.

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 All the way near the bottom of the cross, in a space carved out like an almond,

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 there is an inscription. It looks like an I-H-E.

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 These are the first three letters of Jesus in Greek.

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 Iota, Eta, Sigma.

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 If you've hung around Christendom for very long,

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 you've probably seen this inscription before.

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 It can be thought of as one of the many monograms of Christ.

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 This is a dual symbol.

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 Not only is this the first three letters of Jesus in Greek,

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 I-H-S, the Latin transliteration of the same,

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 is associated with the vision of Constantine at the start of his conversion to Christianity.

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 Interestingly enough, out in the lobby of this church, in a glass case,

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 there's a gold cross that I suspect very much was made for this altar.

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 And it's on the wall, and it bears that very inscription.

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 On the eve of battle, in A.D. 312,

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 depending on which account you read,

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 Constantine experienced a waking vision, had a dream, or both.

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 However it happened, it was a vision or a dream with a message.

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 In hoc signo.

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 The whole message, in hoc signo vinces,

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 which translates out of the Latin,

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 as in this sign, you will conquer.

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 He was also instructed to mark the shields of his armies with the sign of Christ.

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 Now, whether or not things unfolded for Constantine exactly in this way is not important.

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 What matters to us is that the Iota etta sigma, the I-H-S,

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 has come to represent not only Christ,

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 but the sign of Christ through which victory is obtained.

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 Propped up in the H here is the sign of Christ's victory, the cross.

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 There is more to consider here,

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 but let's return to the top and finish the heaven section.

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 At the center of the throne of God, there is a burning sun.

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 God himself is the light in the new Jerusalem of Revelation 22.

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 And the Lamb stands before a star of David.

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 All the prophecies of the lineage of Christ are alluded to here.

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 This is not only the Lamb, this is the Lion of the tribe of Judah.

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 Of the house and line of David, Christ was a descendant of Abraham.

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 Salvation is from the Jews.

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 From the little rise near the base of the star,

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 four rivers flow out from the throne of God and from the Lamb,

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 clear as crystal.

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 These are the four rivers of Paradise, or Eden,

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 the Pisan, the Gihon, the Tigris, and the Euphrates.

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 Here, they become the river of the water of life,

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 from Revelation 22.

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 The first and last books of Scripture are tied together in Christ.

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 Down near the bottom center of the section of the cross,

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 we can find a similar set of bookends.

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 There's an Alpha and an Omega.

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 The first and last letters of the Greek alphabet,

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 these refer to Christ as the first and the last,

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 the beginning and the end.

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 Back up at the top, moving out from the center of heaven,

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 we come to a symbol of the Passion,

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 that is the death of Jesus.

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 The crown of thorns is woven around the ring,

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 which connects the four arms of the cross.

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 Each of these arms bears a symbol of one of the four evangelists.

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 These men, who wrote the gospel accounts of Christ,

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 each focused on a different aspect of him.

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 Matthew, whose gospel focuses on Christ's humanity,

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 is represented by a man.

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 Mark, whose book reflects Christ's divinity and kingship,

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 takes the form of a winged lion.

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 Luke, represented by an ox,

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 wrote much about the sacrificial aspects of Jesus.

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 John, whose writing is more philosophical,

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 and who concentrates on the immortality of Christ,

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 is the eagle.

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 If you forget who is who sometime,

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 letters provide a clue.

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 These are men who walked with Christ.

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 They are the ones to whom it was said,

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 If you have seen me,

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 you have seen the Father.

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 Elevating the gospel writers to positions

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 surrounding Christ in heaven

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 alludes to the perfection of the word of God

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 and the picture of him that it supplies to us.

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 The symbols of the four evangelists,

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 in this context,

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 became conflated with the four living creatures,

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 which encircled the throne in Revelation 5.

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 It's hard to talk about this image

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 without bouncing back and forth

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 between the heaven and the earth parts of it.

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 In this cross,

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 heaven and earth are so very connected.

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 While I talked about the heaven section as a Greek cross,

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 this is not a Greek cross.

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 This is a Latin cross.

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 Taken as a whole,

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 the bottom arm stretches down toward earth.

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 Here, inside this form,

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 is illustrated the abiding connection

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 made in the person of Christ

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 between things above and things below.

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 At the end of the Eucharist,

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 we proclaim this connection every Sunday.

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 We celebrate this covenant with joy

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 and await the glorious appearing of our Savior,

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 Jesus Christ,

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 who will unite all things

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 in heaven and on earth,

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 raising us from death

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 and making all things new.

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 In him,

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 and with him,

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 and in him,

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 in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

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 all honor and glory is yours,

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 Almighty Father,

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 now and forever.

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 In keeping with the meaning

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 of the special halo worn by the Lamb,

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 the cruciform Nimbus,

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 this connection is not only for later,

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 after death.

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 It is for the present.

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 The one who is outside of time

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 meets we who are inside of time

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 as we participate in holy mysteries now.

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 Let's turn our focus

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 to the section of the cross

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 which appears first to deal primarily

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 with earthbound things.

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 And down here,

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 where things can be seen more easily,

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 there won't be as many slides on the screen.

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 Here,

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 the gracious form of a grapevine

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 makes it easy for the eye

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 to travel up the cross,

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 as easy as it is

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 for the eye to travel down.

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 This is fitting,

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 for just as Christ came down to us,

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 he means to lift us up,

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 drawing us all to himself.

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 He does so,

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 in part,

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 through the means illustrated here.

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 One of the main themes

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 of the iconography

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 we're looking at

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 is the sacraments of the Church.

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 Will Catholics accept seven sacraments,

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 Anglicans accept baptism,

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 and the Eucharist?

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 And it is these two

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 that are expounded upon here

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 in some detail.

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 But let's look first at the water.

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 We saw it down at the bottom,

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 but water plays a strong role

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 in tying this whole cross together

00:15:05.400 --> 00:15:06.480
 both compositionally

00:15:06.480 --> 00:15:07.720
 and symbolically.

00:15:08.639 --> 00:15:09.879
 The theme of water

00:15:09.879 --> 00:15:10.759
 from the four rivers

00:15:10.759 --> 00:15:11.899
 flowing out at the top

00:15:11.899 --> 00:15:13.779
 continues through the main body

00:15:13.779 --> 00:15:14.399
 of the cross,

00:15:14.740 --> 00:15:15.639
 providing a rich

00:15:15.639 --> 00:15:17.340
 and a varied blue background.

00:15:18.080 --> 00:15:18.740
 At the bottom,

00:15:19.120 --> 00:15:19.860
 it pours out

00:15:19.860 --> 00:15:21.440
 in an allusion to baptism

00:15:21.440 --> 00:15:22.420
 over a mandorla,

00:15:22.840 --> 00:15:23.659
 that almond shape

00:15:23.659 --> 00:15:24.580
 within which sits

00:15:24.580 --> 00:15:25.800
 that monogram of Christ.

00:15:25.799 --> 00:15:28.159
 We are baptized

00:15:28.159 --> 00:15:29.919
 because Christ was baptized.

00:15:30.259 --> 00:15:30.899
 That is where

00:15:30.899 --> 00:15:32.359
 his identity was declared.

00:15:32.819 --> 00:15:33.579
 The Holy Spirit

00:15:33.579 --> 00:15:34.759
 came to rest on him

00:15:34.759 --> 00:15:35.379
 like a dove.

00:15:35.859 --> 00:15:36.779
 The heavens opened

00:15:36.779 --> 00:15:38.379
 and a voice announced,

00:15:39.219 --> 00:15:40.139
 This is my Son

00:15:40.139 --> 00:15:42.099
 in whom I am well pleased.

00:15:43.699 --> 00:15:44.559
 Through baptism,

00:15:44.799 --> 00:15:46.019
 we also enter formally

00:15:46.019 --> 00:15:47.059
 into life with him.

00:15:47.839 --> 00:15:48.639
 This is the bottom

00:15:48.639 --> 00:15:49.359
 of the stairway.

00:15:49.539 --> 00:15:50.779
 It's the gateway sacrament

00:15:50.779 --> 00:15:51.899
 to all the rest,

00:15:52.120 --> 00:15:53.359
 where our identity in him

00:15:53.360 --> 00:15:55.500
 and life as part

00:15:55.500 --> 00:15:56.779
 of his family begins.

00:15:57.840 --> 00:15:59.180
 As the priest says

00:15:59.180 --> 00:15:59.659
 in the right,

00:15:59.860 --> 00:16:00.340
 as he marks

00:16:00.340 --> 00:16:01.300
 the candidate's forehead

00:16:01.300 --> 00:16:02.480
 with the sign of the cross,

00:16:03.039 --> 00:16:04.180
 You are sealed

00:16:04.180 --> 00:16:05.120
 with the Holy Spirit

00:16:05.120 --> 00:16:05.720
 in baptism

00:16:05.720 --> 00:16:07.100
 and marked

00:16:07.100 --> 00:16:08.360
 as Christ's own forever.

00:16:09.779 --> 00:16:10.980
 If the militaristic

00:16:10.980 --> 00:16:12.279
 in hoc signo vincus bit

00:16:12.279 --> 00:16:13.480
 that I made such a big deal

00:16:13.480 --> 00:16:14.060
 about earlier

00:16:14.060 --> 00:16:15.659
 seems less than relevant

00:16:15.659 --> 00:16:16.700
 to modern times,

00:16:17.120 --> 00:16:18.740
 it becomes relevant now,

00:16:19.080 --> 00:16:20.180
 for the priest goes on

00:16:20.180 --> 00:16:20.680
 to say,

00:16:21.240 --> 00:16:22.019
 Let us welcome

00:16:22.019 --> 00:16:22.879
 the newly baptized.

00:16:23.360 --> 00:16:24.580
 We receive you

00:16:24.580 --> 00:16:25.440
 into the congregation

00:16:25.440 --> 00:16:26.519
 of Christ's flock,

00:16:27.159 --> 00:16:28.000
 having been signed

00:16:28.000 --> 00:16:29.200
 with the sign of the cross,

00:16:29.779 --> 00:16:30.960
 and that hereafter

00:16:30.960 --> 00:16:32.480
 you will not be ashamed

00:16:32.480 --> 00:16:33.600
 to confess the faith

00:16:33.600 --> 00:16:34.620
 of Christ crucified

00:16:34.620 --> 00:16:36.240
 and boldly fight

00:16:36.240 --> 00:16:36.960
 under his banner

00:16:36.960 --> 00:16:38.320
 against the world,

00:16:38.779 --> 00:16:39.300
 the flesh,

00:16:39.700 --> 00:16:40.279
 and the devil,

00:16:40.840 --> 00:16:41.639
 and to continue

00:16:41.639 --> 00:16:43.039
 as Christ's faithful soldier

00:16:43.039 --> 00:16:44.240
 and servant

00:16:44.240 --> 00:16:45.919
 until your life's end.

00:16:47.440 --> 00:16:49.180
 We emerge from baptism,

00:16:49.879 --> 00:16:51.240
 newly minted conquerors.

00:16:53.360 --> 00:16:54.940
 But before long,

00:16:55.379 --> 00:16:56.320
 one way or the other,

00:16:56.800 --> 00:16:57.639
 we become aware

00:16:57.639 --> 00:16:58.300
 of the condition

00:16:58.300 --> 00:16:59.419
 St. Therese of Lisieux

00:16:59.419 --> 00:17:00.700
 wrote so eloquently about

00:17:00.700 --> 00:17:01.419
 and struggled with

00:17:01.419 --> 00:17:02.080
 in her own life.

00:17:02.879 --> 00:17:04.360
 We are small and weak.

00:17:05.079 --> 00:17:06.319
 How will we obtain heaven?

00:17:07.819 --> 00:17:09.279
 As the water of baptism

00:17:09.279 --> 00:17:10.059
 flows down,

00:17:10.160 --> 00:17:11.839
 a robust vine springs up.

00:17:12.259 --> 00:17:13.460
 The vine has been pruned,

00:17:13.640 --> 00:17:14.339
 and you can see

00:17:14.339 --> 00:17:15.559
 where it's been snipped off,

00:17:15.980 --> 00:17:17.779
 and now it's bearing fruit.

00:17:18.980 --> 00:17:19.900
 Who is the vine?

00:17:19.900 --> 00:17:21.160
 It's fruit,

00:17:21.340 --> 00:17:22.120
 willfully crushed,

00:17:22.440 --> 00:17:23.200
 will be consumed

00:17:23.200 --> 00:17:23.920
 by the faithful

00:17:23.920 --> 00:17:25.620
 in the blood of the Eucharist.

00:17:26.060 --> 00:17:26.540
 Grapes,

00:17:26.759 --> 00:17:27.840
 in Christian iconography,

00:17:28.360 --> 00:17:29.960
 represent the blood of Christ.

00:17:31.120 --> 00:17:32.740
 Among the rich green leaves,

00:17:32.860 --> 00:17:33.519
 little tendrils

00:17:33.519 --> 00:17:34.820
 curl delicately away

00:17:34.820 --> 00:17:35.820
 from the thick stalk

00:17:35.820 --> 00:17:36.380
 of the vine

00:17:36.380 --> 00:17:37.480
 as it bends

00:17:37.480 --> 00:17:39.000
 and climbs toward heaven.

00:17:40.259 --> 00:17:41.220
 At the bottom here,

00:17:41.320 --> 00:17:42.900
 the root is curiously divided.

00:17:43.840 --> 00:17:44.820
 We may be at the earthly

00:17:44.820 --> 00:17:45.680
 end of the cross,

00:17:45.860 --> 00:17:46.840
 but we're also back

00:17:46.840 --> 00:17:47.960
 in Revelation 22.

00:17:47.960 --> 00:17:50.720
 This particular vine

00:17:50.720 --> 00:17:51.980
 is also the tree

00:17:51.980 --> 00:17:53.059
 which is for the healing

00:17:53.059 --> 00:17:53.680
 of the nations

00:17:53.680 --> 00:17:54.819
 and which grows

00:17:54.819 --> 00:17:55.660
 on both sides

00:17:55.660 --> 00:17:56.259
 of the river

00:17:56.259 --> 00:17:57.460
 of the water of life.

00:17:59.319 --> 00:18:00.559
 Christ is the vine,

00:18:00.940 --> 00:18:01.920
 we are the branches.

00:18:02.640 --> 00:18:03.819
 He abides in us

00:18:03.819 --> 00:18:05.039
 and we in him.

00:18:05.900 --> 00:18:06.220
 How?

00:18:07.100 --> 00:18:07.960
 Well, let's see.

00:18:08.860 --> 00:18:10.059
 From among the grapes,

00:18:10.600 --> 00:18:11.620
 this particular vine

00:18:11.620 --> 00:18:13.100
 produces additional fruit,

00:18:13.360 --> 00:18:14.840
 illustrated in three emblems.

00:18:15.420 --> 00:18:16.960
 Let's look from the top down.

00:18:16.960 --> 00:18:19.299
 First, we come to the dove

00:18:19.299 --> 00:18:20.079
 of the Holy Spirit.

00:18:21.100 --> 00:18:21.920
 I mentioned earlier

00:18:21.920 --> 00:18:22.819
 this is associated

00:18:22.819 --> 00:18:23.539
 with baptism

00:18:23.539 --> 00:18:25.079
 and with the confirmation

00:18:25.079 --> 00:18:26.360
 of Christian identity.

00:18:27.880 --> 00:18:28.500
 Moving down,

00:18:29.079 --> 00:18:30.000
 we have the cup

00:18:30.000 --> 00:18:30.740
 and the wafer

00:18:30.740 --> 00:18:31.420
 which represent

00:18:31.420 --> 00:18:32.079
 the sacrament

00:18:32.079 --> 00:18:32.860
 of the Eucharist.

00:18:33.279 --> 00:18:33.759
 Fittingly,

00:18:33.980 --> 00:18:34.700
 it sits halfway

00:18:34.700 --> 00:18:36.160
 between heaven and earth.

00:18:37.960 --> 00:18:38.799
 And maybe over your time

00:18:38.799 --> 00:18:39.440
 of looking at this,

00:18:39.500 --> 00:18:40.079
 you've noticed

00:18:40.079 --> 00:18:42.299
 that is a mighty fancy wafer.

00:18:43.299 --> 00:18:44.440
 Like the mandorla

00:18:44.440 --> 00:18:44.980
 on the bottom,

00:18:45.100 --> 00:18:45.680
 it contains

00:18:45.680 --> 00:18:46.759
 that iota,

00:18:46.880 --> 00:18:47.320
 etta, sigma.

00:18:47.460 --> 00:18:48.420
 This also contains

00:18:48.420 --> 00:18:49.000
 a Christogram.

00:18:50.000 --> 00:18:50.840
 While the IHE

00:18:50.840 --> 00:18:52.360
 is a straight-up abbreviation,

00:18:52.620 --> 00:18:53.100
 this symbol

00:18:53.100 --> 00:18:53.740
 is a picture

00:18:53.740 --> 00:18:54.480
 made with letters,

00:18:54.759 --> 00:18:55.900
 specifically the Greek letter

00:18:55.900 --> 00:18:56.299
 tau,

00:18:56.480 --> 00:18:57.279
 which looks like a T,

00:18:57.759 --> 00:18:58.740
 and the Greek letter rho,

00:18:58.880 --> 00:18:59.720
 which looks like a P.

00:19:00.519 --> 00:19:02.059
 This typographic picture

00:19:02.059 --> 00:19:03.400
 of Jesus on the cross

00:19:03.400 --> 00:19:04.799
 is called a starogram.

00:19:05.840 --> 00:19:06.660
 It functioned

00:19:06.660 --> 00:19:07.539
 in early manuscripts

00:19:07.539 --> 00:19:08.880
 as an abbreviation

00:19:08.880 --> 00:19:10.320
 for the Greek word cross.

00:19:10.319 --> 00:19:12.960
 But it also represented

00:19:12.960 --> 00:19:14.179
 the crucified Christ.

00:19:14.599 --> 00:19:14.980
 And here,

00:19:15.460 --> 00:19:16.639
 it marks the wafer

00:19:16.639 --> 00:19:17.419
 as his body.

00:19:19.939 --> 00:19:20.500
 Lastly,

00:19:20.980 --> 00:19:22.200
 we come to the most curious

00:19:22.200 --> 00:19:23.139
 of these three symbols.

00:19:23.639 --> 00:19:24.559
 It's a cute little boat.

00:19:25.339 --> 00:19:25.939
 Why a boat?

00:19:26.819 --> 00:19:28.099
 The association began

00:19:28.099 --> 00:19:29.019
 with the Ark of Noah

00:19:29.019 --> 00:19:30.480
 in that warm,

00:19:30.659 --> 00:19:31.740
 heaving wooden hull,

00:19:32.339 --> 00:19:33.559
 creaking and groaning

00:19:33.559 --> 00:19:35.000
 and full to neerboasting

00:19:35.000 --> 00:19:36.119
 with all of creation.

00:19:36.480 --> 00:19:37.599
 A family abided

00:19:37.599 --> 00:19:38.839
 in the only solid thing

00:19:38.839 --> 00:19:39.359
 in the world.

00:19:39.359 --> 00:19:40.740
 while all the rains

00:19:40.740 --> 00:19:41.839
 poured down outside.

00:19:42.599 --> 00:19:43.599
 We still live

00:19:43.599 --> 00:19:44.240
 in that family

00:19:44.240 --> 00:19:45.779
 and we still abide

00:19:45.779 --> 00:19:46.519
 in that place.

00:19:47.439 --> 00:19:48.559
 The family of the church

00:19:48.559 --> 00:19:50.179
 is hidden with God

00:19:50.179 --> 00:19:50.899
 and Christ.

00:19:53.879 --> 00:19:54.919
 Just as Jacob

00:19:54.919 --> 00:19:55.599
 went on a journey

00:19:55.599 --> 00:19:56.359
 to take a bride

00:19:56.359 --> 00:19:57.259
 from his own people,

00:19:57.959 --> 00:19:59.240
 Christ came for the same.

00:19:59.959 --> 00:20:00.799
 He took a bride

00:20:00.799 --> 00:20:01.379
 from a people

00:20:01.379 --> 00:20:02.259
 he made his own.

00:20:03.000 --> 00:20:03.679
 That's us.

00:20:04.319 --> 00:20:05.059
 It's the church.

00:20:06.219 --> 00:20:07.559
 Indwelt by the Holy Spirit,

00:20:08.240 --> 00:20:09.139
 abiding in him,

00:20:09.359 --> 00:20:10.959
 and acting as his bride

00:20:10.959 --> 00:20:11.599
 through the taking

00:20:11.599 --> 00:20:12.479
 of the sacraments,

00:20:12.919 --> 00:20:13.679
 we exist

00:20:13.679 --> 00:20:15.019
 as part of the fruit

00:20:15.019 --> 00:20:15.779
 of the tree

00:20:15.779 --> 00:20:16.699
 that is meant

00:20:16.699 --> 00:20:17.319
 for the healing

00:20:17.319 --> 00:20:18.179
 of all the nations.

00:20:19.219 --> 00:20:19.699
 This cross

00:20:19.699 --> 00:20:21.099
 not only offers us

00:20:21.099 --> 00:20:21.839
 an image of God

00:20:21.839 --> 00:20:22.299
 in heaven,

00:20:22.919 --> 00:20:23.959
 but of the church

00:20:23.959 --> 00:20:25.240
 fully alive.

00:20:28.039 --> 00:20:29.099
 Let's tie this up

00:20:29.099 --> 00:20:29.659
 by considering

00:20:29.659 --> 00:20:30.179
 for a moment

00:20:30.179 --> 00:20:31.099
 the place of this cross

00:20:31.099 --> 00:20:31.679
 in the actual

00:20:31.679 --> 00:20:32.719
 physical church building.

00:20:33.919 --> 00:20:35.000
 It's not illustrating

00:20:35.000 --> 00:20:36.039
 theoretical mysteries,

00:20:36.039 --> 00:20:37.119
 it's illustrating

00:20:37.119 --> 00:20:37.799
 holy mysteries

00:20:37.799 --> 00:20:38.619
 that we participate

00:20:38.619 --> 00:20:39.200
 in weekly.

00:20:40.059 --> 00:20:40.879
 At the base

00:20:40.879 --> 00:20:41.460
 of the cross,

00:20:41.720 --> 00:20:42.259
 this ladder

00:20:42.259 --> 00:20:42.819
 between heaven

00:20:42.819 --> 00:20:43.180
 and earth

00:20:43.180 --> 00:20:43.779
 is the altar.

00:20:44.659 --> 00:20:45.420
 On that altar,

00:20:46.180 --> 00:20:46.659
 the priests

00:20:46.659 --> 00:20:47.759
 prepare the Eucharist,

00:20:48.039 --> 00:20:48.579
 which we believe

00:20:48.579 --> 00:20:49.440
 to be the very real

00:20:49.440 --> 00:20:50.440
 presence of Christ.

00:20:51.460 --> 00:20:51.759
 Thus,

00:20:51.859 --> 00:20:52.240
 the imagery

00:20:52.240 --> 00:20:52.859
 of the cross

00:20:52.859 --> 00:20:53.599
 comes alive

00:20:53.599 --> 00:20:54.240
 every week

00:20:54.240 --> 00:20:55.799
 as we both proclaim

00:20:55.799 --> 00:20:56.819
 and participate

00:20:56.819 --> 00:20:57.920
 in this mystery

00:20:57.920 --> 00:20:58.339
 of heaven.

00:20:59.220 --> 00:20:59.559
 Now,

00:20:59.579 --> 00:21:00.059
 if you have ever

00:21:00.059 --> 00:21:00.819
 watched the priest

00:21:00.819 --> 00:21:01.799
 prepare the sacrament,

00:21:02.359 --> 00:21:03.059
 the bread of heaven

00:21:03.059 --> 00:21:03.659
 is exposed

00:21:03.659 --> 00:21:04.639
 and laid bare.

00:21:05.379 --> 00:21:06.299
 At the right time,

00:21:06.759 --> 00:21:07.339
 it is broken

00:21:07.339 --> 00:21:08.139
 in an allusion

00:21:08.139 --> 00:21:08.960
 to the broken body

00:21:08.960 --> 00:21:09.480
 of Christ

00:21:09.480 --> 00:21:10.319
 on the cross.

00:21:11.259 --> 00:21:12.619
 In further preparation,

00:21:13.200 --> 00:21:14.000
 perhaps you have noticed

00:21:14.000 --> 00:21:14.940
 an interesting thing,

00:21:15.419 --> 00:21:16.240
 how the priest

00:21:16.240 --> 00:21:17.019
 pours water

00:21:17.019 --> 00:21:17.659
 in the chalice

00:21:17.659 --> 00:21:18.599
 to mix with the wine.

00:21:19.720 --> 00:21:20.599
 What's happening here

00:21:20.599 --> 00:21:21.639
 is not a watering down

00:21:21.639 --> 00:21:22.299
 of the booze,

00:21:22.480 --> 00:21:23.379
 but a bringing together

00:21:23.379 --> 00:21:24.480
 of the two sacraments

00:21:24.480 --> 00:21:25.399
 illustrated here

00:21:25.399 --> 00:21:25.980
 in Christ,

00:21:26.379 --> 00:21:27.200
 and a proclamation

00:21:27.200 --> 00:21:28.099
 of the healing

00:21:28.099 --> 00:21:29.539
 that only Christ himself

00:21:29.539 --> 00:21:30.279
 can bring about.

00:21:31.559 --> 00:21:32.339
 Before Christ

00:21:32.339 --> 00:21:32.879
 was removed

00:21:32.879 --> 00:21:33.599
 from the cross,

00:21:34.179 --> 00:21:35.079
 a Roman soldier

00:21:35.079 --> 00:21:36.119
 pierced his side,

00:21:36.679 --> 00:21:37.579
 and from the wound,

00:21:37.959 --> 00:21:39.059
 blood and water

00:21:39.059 --> 00:21:39.579
 flowed.

00:21:40.139 --> 00:21:40.980
 That was blood

00:21:40.980 --> 00:21:41.859
 separated into

00:21:41.859 --> 00:21:43.059
 its component parts,

00:21:43.980 --> 00:21:44.779
 the heavy water,

00:21:45.379 --> 00:21:46.599
 the heavy red material

00:21:46.599 --> 00:21:47.659
 separated from the water.

00:21:48.379 --> 00:21:49.079
 That's what happens

00:21:49.079 --> 00:21:49.619
 when we die,

00:21:50.399 --> 00:21:50.859
 separation.

00:21:52.339 --> 00:21:53.339
 In the case of Jesus,

00:21:53.759 --> 00:21:54.399
 the separation

00:21:54.399 --> 00:21:55.539
 of these earthly elements

00:21:55.539 --> 00:21:56.779
 was the verification

00:21:56.779 --> 00:21:57.579
 that the soldier

00:21:57.579 --> 00:21:58.720
 needed to declare

00:21:58.720 --> 00:21:59.459
 Christ dead

00:21:59.459 --> 00:22:01.099
 and to authorize

00:22:01.099 --> 00:22:01.639
 his removal

00:22:01.639 --> 00:22:02.240
 for burial.

00:22:03.259 --> 00:22:04.419
 But in the Eucharist,

00:22:04.720 --> 00:22:05.819
 just as in the resurrection,

00:22:06.240 --> 00:22:07.480
 Christ brings back together

00:22:07.480 --> 00:22:08.299
 what death

00:22:08.299 --> 00:22:08.939
 has separated,

00:22:09.339 --> 00:22:10.579
 not only with the water

00:22:10.579 --> 00:22:11.439
 and the blood,

00:22:11.759 --> 00:22:12.939
 but him and us.

00:22:13.439 --> 00:22:14.459
 He died for sinners,

00:22:14.980 --> 00:22:15.480
 and thus,

00:22:15.679 --> 00:22:16.799
 at our own deaths,

00:22:17.139 --> 00:22:18.000
 we can look forward

00:22:18.000 --> 00:22:19.059
 not to separation,

00:22:19.659 --> 00:22:20.480
 but to reunion.

00:22:23.279 --> 00:22:24.119
 Looking back

00:22:24.119 --> 00:22:24.619
 at the cross

00:22:24.619 --> 00:22:25.119
 on the wall,

00:22:25.299 --> 00:22:26.500
 in and up and up,

00:22:26.699 --> 00:22:27.559
 the vine of Christ,

00:22:27.659 --> 00:22:28.179
 we climb

00:22:28.179 --> 00:22:28.899
 and are lifted.

00:22:28.900 --> 00:22:30.880
 We do not make our way

00:22:30.880 --> 00:22:32.100
 to heaven apart from him,

00:22:32.519 --> 00:22:33.200
 but in him

00:22:33.200 --> 00:22:34.420
 and by his aid.

00:22:35.280 --> 00:22:36.580
 But as we reach the top,

00:22:36.980 --> 00:22:38.560
 the vine bends over,

00:22:39.120 --> 00:22:39.740
 stops short

00:22:39.740 --> 00:22:40.380
 at the boundary

00:22:40.380 --> 00:22:41.519
 between heaven and earth.

00:22:42.780 --> 00:22:43.600
 A thick band

00:22:43.600 --> 00:22:44.759
 separates things above

00:22:44.759 --> 00:22:45.680
 from things below,

00:22:46.280 --> 00:22:47.440
 and the topmost tendril

00:22:47.440 --> 00:22:48.900
 hits a golden ceiling.

00:22:50.360 --> 00:22:51.800
 How will we leap the gap?

00:22:51.799 --> 00:22:54.279
 As Matthew emphasizes

00:22:54.279 --> 00:22:54.980
 in his gospel,

00:22:55.099 --> 00:22:56.119
 the chasm was crossed

00:22:56.119 --> 00:22:57.099
 by God

00:22:57.099 --> 00:22:58.000
 who became man.

00:22:58.779 --> 00:22:59.419
 It is he

00:22:59.419 --> 00:23:00.379
 who will reach across

00:23:00.379 --> 00:23:01.279
 to lift us up

00:23:01.279 --> 00:23:02.500
 into the heavenly places,

00:23:02.819 --> 00:23:04.039
 just as he has been doing

00:23:04.039 --> 00:23:05.500
 all of our earthly lives

00:23:05.500 --> 00:23:05.899
 in him

00:23:05.899 --> 00:23:07.759
 by the means of the cross

00:23:07.759 --> 00:23:08.919
 and through the graces

00:23:08.919 --> 00:23:09.680
 poured out

00:23:09.680 --> 00:23:10.500
 in these sacraments.

00:23:11.919 --> 00:23:12.740
 Though death

00:23:12.740 --> 00:23:13.159
 looks like

00:23:13.159 --> 00:23:14.460
 the last great barrier,

00:23:14.919 --> 00:23:15.960
 we need not fear.

00:23:16.759 --> 00:23:17.559
 We who have died

00:23:17.559 --> 00:23:18.159
 in Christ

00:23:18.159 --> 00:23:20.000
 are also raised with him

00:23:20.000 --> 00:23:20.960
 in Huxigno,

00:23:20.960 --> 00:23:21.900
 in this sign,

00:23:22.160 --> 00:23:23.079
 we too will conquer.

00:23:23.660 --> 00:23:24.559
 The arms of Jesus

00:23:24.559 --> 00:23:25.680
 are the elevator

00:23:25.680 --> 00:23:26.720
 which will lift us

00:23:26.720 --> 00:23:27.660
 to heaven as well.

00:23:29.779 --> 00:23:30.720
 Any Sunday,

00:23:31.420 --> 00:23:32.140
 let your eye

00:23:32.140 --> 00:23:33.120
 wander up and down

00:23:33.120 --> 00:23:34.279
 this staircase freely.

00:23:34.740 --> 00:23:34.980
 It

00:23:34.980 --> 00:23:36.039
 and the things

00:23:36.039 --> 00:23:36.840
 that it illustrates

00:23:36.840 --> 00:23:37.860
 are for you.

00:23:39.140 --> 00:23:40.019
 And so we say

00:23:40.019 --> 00:23:40.600
 each week,

00:23:41.240 --> 00:23:42.440
 all of our problems

00:23:42.440 --> 00:23:43.319
 we send

00:23:43.319 --> 00:23:44.440
 to the cross of Christ.

00:23:44.740 --> 00:23:46.100
 All of our difficulties

00:23:46.100 --> 00:23:47.299
 we send

00:23:47.299 --> 00:23:48.319
 to the cross of Christ.

00:23:48.680 --> 00:23:49.140
 All the works

00:23:49.140 --> 00:23:49.680
 of the devil

00:23:49.680 --> 00:23:50.620
 we send

00:23:50.620 --> 00:23:51.160
 to the cross

00:23:51.160 --> 00:23:51.660
 of Christ

00:23:51.660 --> 00:23:53.140
 and all of our hopes

00:23:53.140 --> 00:23:54.120
 we set

00:23:54.120 --> 00:23:55.420
 on the risen Christ.

00:23:55.420 --> 00:23:56.240
 to the cross to that

00:23:56.279 --> 00:24:00.000
 and that from the rock

00:24:00.000 --> 00:24:13.440
 and the river

00:24:13.440 --> 00:24:13.840
 you

00:24:13.840 --> 00:24:14.400
 are even

00:24:14.400 --> 00:24:15.039
 going to

00:24:15.039 --> 00:24:17.039
 pray as

00:24:17.039 --> 00:24:19.340
 And so we