Flag day is June 14th, a day when Americans pay homage to our flag. The American flag dates back to the Revolutionary War. There are thirteen red and white stripes on the flag. Those stripes are symbols of the thirteen original colonies which became the original thirteen states. Each star on the flag is a symbol for each one of the fifty states. The red on the flag symbolizes valor, the white symbolizes purity, and the blue symbolizes loyalty. 

Countries, organizations, and religions all have symbols of their faith. The Star of David, the Star and Crescent Moon, the Dharma Wheel, and of course, the symbols tell us a great deal about the fundamental beliefs of a nation, an organization or a religion. The symbol of the cross is uniquely different from all other symbols. Why the cross? 

The cross is a symbol of death. While it may not have been the first, the Roman Empire used the cross for punishment for hundreds of years. Crucifixion was the punishment for crimes of theft, treason, and murder. When Rome would conquer a country one of the very first things they did was to grab ten men and crucify them. This was a symbol, a reminder to obey Roman law. 

Christians also see the cross as a means of punishment and hope. The cross is seen as the punishment for the sins of all humanity, from the first apple off the tree, to the last sin committed before Christ returns in glory. The cross reminds us that the debt for our sin has been paid by one sinless human being, Jesus Christ. As Paul said the wages of sin is death. 

But if the cross is a symbol of death it is also a symbol of hope. Later on Paul writes, “If we have DIED with Christ, then we shall certainly RISE with Christ.” These are indeed words of hope. 

Hope is not a dream, or a wish, but according to the Word of God, hope is a reality that has not yet happened. Hope is a certainty that will come to fruition when God deems the time is right. The cross is the symbol of the Christian faith because it means that our sins have been paid for and just as Christ rose we too shall rise when Christ comes in glory. The cross is our freedom from sin and death and the promise of eternal life. Amen. 

Veritas - Curt