The Crucifix and the Empty Cross

[elysian]

It is unusual to see a crucifix in a Protestant church. Lutherans and Anglicans occasionally use them but the use of crucifixes even in those churches is not common. In many Protestant churches there are reservations in using visual art of any form as some see the depiction of human figures in the church as a window for idolatry: some claim that it is best to use abstract art, or only to depict nature, or that the only acceptable use of visual art or symbol is the empty Cross alone.

In my church there is a crucifix, and you can't help but notice it as it stands elevated in the center of the altar. Unlike most of the other art in my church it is not abstract- Jesus looks very human.

Our tendency is to focus on the Risen Christ- as seen in the empty Cross, a symbol no Christian objects to, which is not necessarily a bad thing. The Resurrection after all is what our Hope is based upon, yet there is no Resurrection without surrender, there is no Resurrection without death.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. Matthew 16:24 (NIV)

Jesus did not promise us the joy of Resurrection without the pain of death:

I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. John 12:24 (NIV)

Paul too stressed that we must die to the flesh in order to have life in Christ:

And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. 2 Corinthians 5:15 (NIV)

Peter also reminds us it is in Christ's sacrifice that our sin is forgiven and we are free to live according to His will:

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. 1 Peter 2:24 (NIV)

We must accept the paradox: there is no life in Christ without death to the flesh. There is no Resurrection, no empty Cross without the Crucifixion- they are tied together and cannot be separated. We can't say we want the Resurrection if we are not willing to surrender to God's will for us, and to accept our cross and follow Him.

The good news is that in Christ we have the strength to endure all hardship and to overcome all obstacles, because He gives us sufficient grace, so that we may be refined and conformed to God's plan for us, until the day that we are called to our rest or the day that Christ returns.

[Amazing Rando]

I don't mind the crucifix- I'll take either crucifix or empty cross. Doesn't matter to me. They mean different things, but both his death and his resurrection are equally important to the faith.

Here's a photo of a crucifix that I printed myself. I use it as the home page pic for my photography web site.

[Xavier]

I've had a crucifix in my room since birth... I've never had a problem with it.

[Amazing Rando]

A gift of your Catholic relatives?

[Xavier]

A gift of your Catholic relatives?
More than likely my Catholic Grandparents.

[Tfbandie]

For me they both have a place. I don't think a crucifix leads to idolatry anymore than a cross. There are times when thinking of the crucifix is better and more helpful and other times it's the empty cross which my mind finds comfort in

[Amazing Rando]

More than likely my Catholic Grandparents.

I think this arguing over symbolism is another symptom of the needlessly exacerbated rift between some Catholics and Protestants.

[Xavier]

I think this arguing over symbolism is another symptom of the needlessly exacerbated rift between some Catholics and Protestants.
I agree... It's a non-issue for me... :smile:

[Solly]

Personally, I don't use either very much, except for the occasional avatar image as above; we are pretty iconoclastic in our denomination, w/o pictures of Christ at all.

[George Blaisdell]

Personally, I don't use either very much, except for the occasional avatar image as above; we are pretty iconoclastic in our denomination, w/o pictures of Christ at all.


Hey, Solly!

First response to this was: "He's right - The movie is never as good as the book - You can't ever find a movie of anything as good as the book on which it is based..."

But then I remembered... The Book is about Christ, Whose words ARE Life. And what picture can match or even approximate the Bible?

Yet a picture is worth a thousand words, and to a child it is the pictures that teach the meanings of words, and the people using the words... And in a culture that is basically illiterate, which describes the first 1600 years of humanity after Christ, the images tell the stories, for they icon [eg represent by image] the events of the Life of Christ, and the people who lived them...

And we deal with each other every day visually, and by speaking, and sometimes even by written notes...

The Orthodox Churches are, of course, filled with icons, for they represent the presence of the people and events in which the faithful take their very being, beginning with Christ... One cannot enter an Orthodox Sanctuary and not be very aware of all those who have gone before, and of the events of the Life of Christ that are iconed in form and color, for all these surround everyone as they stand, and bow, and cross their heart in prayer and thanksgiving...

For us, the wood and the pigments and the images are ever reminders of the presence and the materiality of Christ and His holy ones, for the incarnation is material and real and in the flesh, and our consecration as Christians is to incarnate this same Word in ourselves in Christ's holy body, the Church, that we can in some small measure icon Him in Whom we take our being...

For us, to abandon the images which are described in words in the Bible would be to step back from the reality of the incarnation, the image and memory of which, in its writers, gives us the words of the Bible...

1John 1:1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;

When we finish reading a passage from the Bible, we kiss the Bible in reverence, fear and love, for it verbally icons Christ in the telling of His stories, His parables, indeed His very words... And in this way, we physically give thanks to Him... For us, mental thanksgiving, and even verbal thanks-giving, while indeed a good beginning, is not nearly enough... True thanksgiving is obedience... In the service of the Lord...

Do you kiss your Bible?

No need to answer, but if you do not, try reading a chapter out of one of the Gospels, and when you finish, thank God and kiss His Holy Book, and you will have done a very Orthodox thing...

We kiss icons for the same reason...

Christ is Risen!
He is Risen Indeed!

geo-Arsenios

[elysian]

This was a subject our Pastor touched on in Sunday's sermon- the paradox of life and death and how Christians must accept both, and he used the example of the crucifix right next to the center of the altar and the empty cross that hangs high up upon the chancel wall. The effect is such that when you look to the altar first you see the crucifix then you see the empty cross behind it on the chancel wall. The crucifix has been there longer than I've been going to Peace- but he had mentioned when they had first gotten the crucifix there was a controversy among some members of the church. Some members thought it was inappropriate to have a crucifix on the altar because in their opinion we are to focus on the Risen Christ and not on the torture of His death. To me this sounds like Christians in search of cheap grace- "yeah, Lord I'll follow You but no messy stuff. I don't want to hear all that suffering and death talk." And we are all guilty of it. No one enjoys following Jesus when He leads us to places that are dirty and unpleasant but we are called to follow Him anyway. We are made capable of doing so ONLY by His grace.

Yet there could be no Resurrection, no hope of new life without Jesus' death, and this was Pastor's point- we need to experience both and accept the paradox. The example of the crucifix/empty cross juxtaposed teaches us that our freedom and salvation has a cost: to live you have to die.

Visual art can and does glorify God if it is used in a manner that puts one's focus on Christ. I know it is helpful for me (not having been raised in an iconoclastic tradition) to use a visual symbol or illustration to understand a concept. Others may not benefit from such an approach.

My opinion on the use of art in worship is "bring it on" - yes I appreciate Gothic architecture and stained glass and statuary, painting, murals, flowers, etc. as well as vocal and instrumental music of diverse genres. I believe that all creation was made to bring praise to God (Psalm 148 illustrates this beautifully) and that our praise and worship of Him should be filled with depth and wonder and awe. If the arts help us do that, so be it!