God is a circle whose centre is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere.
Hermes Trismegistus —
We live in an age that is both literalistic and gullible at the same time. On the one hand, our imagination tends to be expressed in the extra-natural (scientific fantasy), and on the other hand, we accept “facts” without questioning the source or the bias. What is different in this era is the possibility of global disinformation that can be rapidly disseminated and a prevailing anxiety about the future and even survival. All the old nightmares about global war and new nightmares about climate change, along with fears of mass disease, combine to create a level of communal anxiety. This anxiety compels us to blame and explain away both the source of problems and their resolution.
People are seeking answers, either in the magic of science, in a political hero, or in a religious construct that promises safety and protection. The answers are projected because we have forgotten about our connection to each other and to our environment. Instead, what is perceived to be separate is also perceived to be either dangerous or disconnected.
In 1 Corinthians, Paul wrote: “For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of the proclamation, to save those who are faithful. For our own people ask for signs and Greeks desire wisdom, but the followers of Jesus proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to gentiles.” (1Cor 1:21-22)
Let us deal with this image of the cross and the power it could possess for hope. The cross is an ancient symbol of life in many religions. It is not surprising, really, because the cross is contained within a circle, a sign of wholeness and completion. When I think about the cross, I think about the ways in which wholeness can be divided and yet still be held together within the circle. Circular shapes dominate the shapes in the cosmos: planets, suns, orbits, and more. When we think of Jesus on a cross, we may contemplate how Jesus holds all the brokenness of the world together at the centre. As disciples of Christ, we are being asked to embrace the plurality of the world in its beauty and in its ugliness, and to bring all of it home in our prayers and our actions in the name of Christ, in the name of divine compassion and justice. Just as the Christ reaches out to those who would follow and those who hurt or are hurt, so we as community gathered in his name, must be constantly testing our willingness to sacrifice to bring hope to others.