The Folly of the Cross

The Folly of the Cross

Holy Cross Day – 9/14/2025

1 Corinthians 1:18-25

Rev. Christopher W. Brademeyer

That portion from God’s holy Word for consideration this morning is our Epistle lesson from the First Epistle to the Corinthians in the first chapter with special emphasis on verse eighteen which reads as follows:

                “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”[1]

Thus far the Scriptures.

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The older I get, the more I find that the evil and suffering of this world weighs heavy on me. Friends get cancer. Drunk drivers cross lines and destroy families. Children are murdered attending at school, even while going to chapel services. Political figures are assassinated. Injury. Illness. Suffering. Turmoil. Death. This seems to be the constant state of the world and we always seem to be teetering on the edge of falling into a great pit, brimming with chaos and evil of every sort, entirely powerless before its horrors.

And when we feel trapped and powerless, we seek solutions. What can we do in the face of such terrors?

The Problem of our Time

    In such times, there are many who call for action. Some cry out for political action, that we need better leaders, stronger politicians, tougher laws. Others advocate that we should handle things ourselves, that it is our moral obligation to march in the streets and protest, even to the point of destruction. And there are some who go further calling for violence, rebellion, and bloodshed.

      This is not new to our time. When times become difficult it is common for people to find a scapegoat, someone that we can blame for our problems. Here things get complicated. Sometimes there really are people who bear responsibility for the wrongs done to us and done in our society. Other times people are inappropriately blamed for things outside of their control. Regardless of appropriateness, accusations, anger, frustration, even violence become the currency of the day. It is easy to get swept along in the tide of these negative emotions. And once violence is unleashed, it is very difficult to stop.

     We live in such a time right now. Charlie Kirk, a significant figure in American conservative politics was assassinated by someone who seems to have been opposed to him politically. Back in June, Melissa Hortman, a Democrat-Farmer-Labor state representative in Minnesota was assassinated by a man who apparently didn’t like her politics, though, confusingly, he had been involved with both Republican and Democratic politics. It is easy to dismiss this as if there were some radicals on the fringes, who appeal to violence in order to intimidate and, ultimately, get their ways. But this is not the best way to understand this phenomenon of increasing political violence and social unrest.

     To put it another way, being angry about the decreasing stability in politics and society is met with cries to raise arms, to fight, to go to war. And lest you think I’m being bombastic, there have been cries for violence. There has been dehumanizing rhetoric from even the highest of politicians that labels the “other side” as subhuman. And there are plenty of apologists who, though they themselves would never lift a finger, are more than willing to give moral and intellectual support to evil, murder, and violence of every sort.

        And understand what I say here, I am not only talking about one side or the other. The human tendency is to appeal to our own strength and our own ability to solve these sorts of crises. But the appeals are not to political solutions, not really, they are appeals to the idol that is Caeser, a false god who demands our allegiance and who justifies spilling the blood of our own countrymen and women.          

Let me be clear: God has given us government to us to reward good and punish evil. By all means, engage in politics. Advocate for truth and what is right. Support policies and politicians who work to curb evil and reward what is wholesome and good. The danger is not in being involved in our social order, as God would have us. No, the danger is in succumbing to the pagan idea that would treat politics as a god.

Yes, you heard me right. The real issue here is not conservativism or liberalism or any such thing. Politics is downstream from religious and moral truth. The issue before us in nothing as simple and petty as a political divide. It is idolatry of the state, turning to it as if it were God Almighty. And this is the old paganism, again rearing its ugly head after centuries of hiding under the surface of western cultures. Paganism is a me and now focused religion, seeing everything through the eyes of what give me the most in the present. It willingly gives children and undesirables, whoever they happen to be, in service of its bloodthirsty gods.  It does not tolerate dissent or discussion. Pagan gods, demons that they are, demand blood to be shed in their service. And if you serve such a false god, blood will flow, either yours or someone else’s. History has shown this again and again, when Caeser is seen as a savior rather than the instrument of Almighty God, when government and political power become ends in themselves or agents of social power plays, then the conditions are perfect for great cruelty to be done in the name of the “greater good.”

The Foolishness of the Cross

So what does the true and living God say about this? We have already discussed our duty to serve our neighbor and try and provide fair and impartial justice and government. But when we go about this task, we cannot, we must not, see political solutions as the ultimate place that God’s will is done. Listen to St. Paul, “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing…” The cross of our Lord is our solution. That is to say, it is the crucified Lord who draws all people to Himself. But this looks like foolishness. The anger that many of you feel today is not satisfied by the appeal to the Crucified Lord. No, you want vengeance and blood. But there is only one blood that, once spilled, satisfies God and earns forgiveness and everlasting life. But to pagans and sinners, this looks like weakness. But it is anything but. The very power of God for eternal salvation is found in that most holy of deaths. Even now, in that paradoxical way that grates against our sinful hearts and pagan ideas, the cross of Christ is our hope and our salvation.

It really is that simple. If you want a wholesome America, a place that is safe for your family and that allows your community to flourish, then we must repent, turn to Christ, and embrace Him above all things. And though this looks like foolishness, it is the only way through these times to that which lasts forever.

In other words, the cross of Christ, God Himself crucified, dying for your sins, is the great hope of humanity. It is this blessed event, this great gift of God Himself that gives us a place that goes beyond the present and that lasts forever. It is this, and this alone, that informs our present and orders our actions in the here and now.

Do you not see? You are the apple of the Lord’s eye. You, the holy and blessed saints of the Christian Church, are the beloved bride of Christ. You are the people whose suffering and deaths and hardships of every sort are what prompted Christ to give Himself for your salvation. There is a way through this miserable mess to everlasting life and that is Christ. This way is guaranteed by the Lord’s own incarnation, life, suffering, death, and resurrection on your behalf and is held onto not by political victories or destruction of enemies, but by faith alone.

So in the meantime, we can stand fast in our faith, resting in the sure and certain work of Christ. Certainly, we must confront evil, first in your own heart and mind but also in the world around us. It is our privilege that we might bear the light of Christ to a dark, dying, world filled with bloodlust and hatred. Know that your labor is not in vain. After all, Christ promises that His Word never returns empty. Repay evil with love and Christian truth. Do not let yourself be swept along by pagan bloodlust.

   Above all, you do not need to worry or fret. You belong to Christ. He has you in His hand. And through the foolishness of the cross, you are given into eternal life, everlasting salvation, and the blessed resurrection of your body. What looks like foolishness in the face of these great evils and trying times is the very power and might of God for you and your salvation.

In the holy Name of + Jesus. Amen.

 The peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

[1] 1 Corinthians 1:18 English Standard Version. All further citations from Holy Scripture are from the ESV.