"In the Cross of Christ I Glory"
Scripture reading:
1 Corinthians 1:14 - 18
Sir John Bowring [author of the hymn]was a great traveller. As such he must have seen, time and again, the forlorn symbols of empires and civilizations that had flourished and then fallen. There are numerous examples familiar even to those who have not had the experience of travel - the pyramids of Egypt, the Coliseum in Rome, the Acropolis in Athens, the ruins of Machu Pichu in South America. Built by former ascendant civilizations, they remain now as relics for the curious. The armies of the pagans, the rationalists, the Communists and many others have warred against the Cross and the ideals it represents. They have been destroyed but the radiance of the Cross continues to tower "over the wrecks of time". It has survived them all and will continue to outlive them all.
That is the historical perspective. But the Cross has a far more personal application. In times of defeat when "the woes of life o'ertake me", in times of fear when I am perplexed and uncertain as to the outcome of my struggles, in times of disappointment when the pleasures of the world prove to be fleeting and the hopes that the world offers prove to be a deception, the Cross still remains constant. It is the symbol of God's love and of his deliverance from the very things that appeared to offer so much and yet proved to be so transient. Its message still sounds forth with the promise of peace, bequeathed to us by the One who died on that Cross (John 14:27), and joy such as the world has never known (John 15:11). We are not told how the Cross is able to do this but human experience has shown that contemplation of the sufferings of Christ and the lesson of victory through self-sacrifice that is implicit in the Cross are a powerful inspiration.
There are other times when things go well for us, when "the sun of bliss is beaming light and love upon my way". At such times the consciousness that our lives are linked with God through Christ puts the glory of eternity into our fleeting happiness. It is easy, in times of joy, to lose sight of the Cross and imagine that the good things of life are the result of our own effort. Then it is important for us to take our stand at the foot of the Cross and allow its radiance to stream over us.
The fourth stanza reiterates these same ideas in another way. The opposites in life - "bane and blessing", "pain and pleasure" - are reconciled when we are able to view them in the light of eternity. We see them as being "sanctified", made holy to us, in the shadow of the Cross. Again we are reminded that the Cross brings peace and joy. The peace is without measure and the joy remains with us through all ages. They are enhanced because now we are able to see them in their true perspective. We are reminded of the words Jesus shared with his disciples in the Upper Room. "I have said this to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). The means by which he has overcome the world is the Cross. The wonder of Christianity is that an instrument of torture and degradation should be the very thing by which we know peace and joy.
Commentary by Dr. Cecil Kirk
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