The Covenants of the Cross - What is it and Why is it?

The Cross on display at Pleasant Hill Community Church, UCC is called the Cross of the Covenants and was given to the Church by Ed and Goldie Schneider. The following is from the flyer that came with the Cross, and during this time of Lent and with all that is occurring around the world we thought it would be nice to share. It is a relevant today as when William R. Simmons created the flyer.

The Cross of the Covenants – What it is The Cross of the Covenants is actually a combination of symbols in itself, of time-honored use in the Christian Church. The familiar Celtic Cross (cross and circle) attests to the death and resurrection; the Cross of the Covenants adds the important detail of the identity of Person: the Lord Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promise to the people of Isreal to elevate a son of David to a throne that shall endure forever. Accordingly, the Cross of the Covenants includes the Star of David, the sign of the Old Covenant, even as the Cross is the sign of the New. It is to serve as a graphic reminder to Christians that the roots of their faith are deeply imbedded in the rich soil of ancient Isreal; that the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ is the very same God of Abraham, and Isaac and Jacob; that Jews and Christians share the treasure of God’s love and concern.

“The Cross of the Covenants – Why it Came into Being During my student days at McCormick Theological Seminary the Chicago area was plagued with a great deal of anti-Semitic sentiment and activity. Synagogues were bombed, Jewish Cemeteries were desecrated, swastikas were painted on Jewish homes and business and Jewish lives were threatened. This is as recent as 1959 and in the United States of America! Surely, therefore, it is not strange that I should have been searching for some means whereby the Christian Church and the Christian individual could make an effective protest against that insane bigotry that has, from time to time throughout history, made a hell on earth for the Jews. The Cross of the Covenants is the result of that quest. Lest anyone think that it has come too late to be of value, or that the problem of anti-Semitism has faded from the earthly scene, I would simply point to the news accounts of activity going on in the Iron Curtain countries right now. A new wave of horrors can flood the world of Jewry at any time. The Cross of the Covenants is quite relevant. It should be remembered with a sense of shame that the Christian community has, during most of its history, remained strangely silent to the face of injustice unless that injustice has happened to touch upon some sensitive spot within the framework of it’s own existence. The present trend toward involvement is a welcome one. But we still tend to come ‘Late.’ It is my hope that the Cross of the Covenants will prove to be an effective reminder to Christians of their indebtedness for the rich heritage of ancient Israel that they feed upon and that it may be an equally effective warning to all would be Hitlers and others who would foster racism that any attack upon the weak and defenseless is an attack upon Jesus Christ and His Church. Remember the words of the Master: “Ye have done it unto one of the least of these, my brethren, ye has done it unto me.’ The Cross of the Covenants, then, is saying more than just a word of reminder to Christians about their heritage within the Hebrew-Christian tradition; it is saying to the world that we share God’s indignation over every unjust act. Sincerely, Williams R. Simmons 408 West Third Street Ligonier, Indiana”