Though now living in Houston, I come from San Diego a beautiful place to live. During my years in San Diego, there seemed to always be a controversy about two crosses. One in La Mesa on the top of Mount Helix; the other on Mount Soledad (standing 29 feet high). Both crosses were erected as memorials to lives lost (a beloved mother and Korean War Veterans). Both had been there as long as I could remember, and as long as I can remember there was always a law suit from someone who stated that they were offended by these crosses - I never saw them as offensive, I saw them as memorials and part of the history of our city. Though a Christ follower, I never attributed a great spiritual significance to them, I don't know why.
So it is odd to me to have had the reaction I did to a site here in Houston. As we were driving to Costco the other day, we passed a church that had erected the largest cross I had ever seen in my life right off the freeway. According to their website it is 170 feet high and is to be a symbol of hope to those who pass it. A very noble intention indeed. However I was not struck with a sense of hope, or anything spiritual; my response was a feeling of shock, visual blight, and excess.
In this time of economic downturn, where families are losing their homes and their jobs; in this time in the world when families live with no drinkable water, where there are hungry children, people dying from preventable diseases or AIDS; in this time when those living not far from the shadows of this cross are living in less than desirable conditions, have lost their homes or had them damaged by hurricane, or just struggling to get by - It seems to me to not be a message of hope - but a message of excess.
I don't get it. It troubles me to think of how that money could have quietly and tangibly spread the message hope. Isn't the message of hope to be spread in personal ways? I don't remember Jesus or the disciples erecting monuments of great enormity to spread the message. If the message is to be "Hey look at us and what a huge cross we put up", the message is clear. If it is a message of hope, I think it got lost in translation.
But that's my opinion.
