Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross

For many kingdoms, religious and secular, there is one item that is revered and held in high esteem. In the Palace of Westminster, the monarch's throne used to rest on the "magical" stone of Destiny taken in the conquering of Scotland by England. At Turkey's national museum there in the last room stands alone the sacred object of that ancient kingdom, the Sword of Mouhammad. History has numerous examples of these symbols of power and victory.

In our Christian Kingdom of God, the most treasured possession is the Cross of Christ. The hearts and minds of people were captured not by a sword or by a treacherous scheme, but by the laying down of one's sinless life so that all others, those of us who are weak and mortal, might live in freedom - freedom from the alienation of sin, freedom from unending death. Christ died upon the Cross so that we might live forever, and live in the absolute perfection and joy of God's divine presence. Today, we as members of the Christian Kingdom, the future Citizens of Heaven, exalt the Cross of Christ, not as a sign of defeat and loss, but a symbol of unending victory. Lift high the Cross!