Thank you for joining me today as we reflect on the deep spiritual richness and beauty of the Celtic Cross, a sacred symbol that reveals Christ’s Lordship over every sphere of life. May the Holy Spirit use this meditation to draw you closer to Jesus, our crucified, risen, and reigning King.
Christ, My Lord Over Every Sphere
One of the most significant transformations in my life was coming under a deep and abiding understanding, appreciation, and adoration of Jesus Christ as my Lord. Not only my Savior, though gloriously that, but my King, my Master, and my rightful Sovereign. From that awakening, my heart began to resound with a conviction that became my life’s motto: Jesus Christ is Lord over every sphere of life. No part of existence, whether time or eternity, home or nation, body or soul, reason or imagination, is outside the jurisdiction of his gracious reign. That reality reordered my thinking, reshaped my affections, and redirected my discipleship in ways too profound to measure.
When I first encountered the symbolism of the Celtic Cross, that theological vision deepened still further. The moment I began to grasp its biblical and spiritual meaning, it revolutionized the way I saw the world and lived out my faith. In the work of T.M. Moore, Glenn Sunshine and Ken Boa, I found not only historical insights but a spiritual framework that gave voice to what had been stirring in my soul. The Celtic Cross became a touchstone - a daily reminder of the cosmic Christ, crucified and risen, who rules over heaven and earth, time and space, life and death. This devotional is my humble attempt to preserve and proclaim that glorious truth. It’s no mere ornament to me, but a signpost of eternal hope, a banner of King Jesus. That’s why I’ve written this particular reflection and pinned it to the front page of my website. It holds a permanent place here, as a witness to the One who holds all things together.
A Symbol That Sings of Sovereignty
There are symbols in the Christian tradition that stir the heart, inspire worship, and proclaim truth before a word is spoken. The Celtic Cross is one such emblem. Distinguished by the integration of the ancient Christian cross and a surrounding circle, this symbol arose from the evangelization of the Celtic lands - particularly Ireland, Scotland, and Wales - during the early Middle Ages. But the true beauty of the Celtic Cross lies not in its artistry alone, but in the transcendent reality it heralds: that Jesus Christ is Lord of Heaven and earth, of time and space, of life and death. This isn’t only a doctrinal assertion, but a doxological declaration - a call to wonder, worship, and submission to the King of all creation (Colossians 1:15-20).
Early Christian missionaries, such as St. Patrick, faced the formidable task of bringing the Gospel to a people steeped in rich, though pagan, cosmology. The Celts revered natural rhythms, honored the seasons, and recognized spiritual realities that transcended the visible world. But these intuitions, though profound, were darkened by idolatry and disordered loves. What the Christian faith offered was not a denial of the Celts’ longing for meaning in the cosmos, but a revelation of its fulfillment in Jesus Christ. The Celtic Cross, then, served as a visual catechism, a theological reclamation of symbol and story. The cross embedded within the circle proclaimed that the crucified Christ reigns over the whole cosmos, not merely as Savior of souls but as the Sovereign over all creation (Philippians 2:9-11).
Christ in the Center, Lord of All
The intersecting arms of the cross remind us of the historical moment when Jesus of Nazareth was lifted up between heaven and earth, bearing the curse of sin and absorbing the wrath of God in our place. This is the central mystery of our faith: that at a particular time and in a specific place, God in flesh offered himself for the salvation of the world (Galatians 3:13; 1 Peter 2:24). Yet in the Celtic rendering, this cross doesn’t stand in isolation. It’s surrounded by a circle, a symbol deeply rooted in pre-Christian Celtic thought, which signified eternity, unity, and the unbroken rhythms of life. When co-opted and redeemed by Christian missionaries, this circle came to represent the eternal reign of Christ and his dominion over the totality of creation and history.
As Glenn Sunshine, Ken Boa, and T.M. Moore have beautifully communicated, the symbolism of the Celtic Cross points to a worldview saturated in Christ’s lordship. It bears witness to the fact that Jesus isn’t merely the Savior of our personal sins but the King over every sphere of existence- visible and invisible, temporal and eternal, private and public. It’s this comprehensive vision of Christ’s rule that the Apostle Paul celebrates in Ephesians 1:22: “And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church.” The Celtic Cross proclaims this with bold clarity. The cruciform center speaks of redemption, the circle of cosmic reign. Together they form a “sacred geometry of glory.”
Heaven Above, Earth Below, and the Cross Between
One of the most profound theological reflections embedded in the Celtic Cross is the unity of Heaven and earth through the person and work of Christ. Ancient Celtic cosmology often imagined the universe in three tiers: the heavens above, the earth below, and the “middle world” in which humans dwell and interact with spiritual forces. In the Gospel, we see a more glorious vision: Christ isn’t merely a mediator among many spiritual beings, but the one Mediator between God and man (1 Timothy 2:5). He’s the eternal Son who descended into our broken world, took on our frailty, and reconciled all things to God through the blood of the cross (Colossians 1:20).
The Celtic Cross reflects this mediating reality. With its vertical line pointing from Heaven to earth, and its horizontal line reaching across the human world, it speaks of the incarnate Christ who bridges every divide. The early Christians in Celtic lands were not content to let spiritual longing remain vague or undefined. They proclaimed that the fullness of deity dwelt bodily in Christ (Colossians 2:9), and that through him, God was making a new creation. The Cross, then, is not just a memory of suffering, it’s the axis of the world, the hinge upon which history turns, and the path to everlasting life.
A Cross That Speaks of Time and Eternity
The circle around the Cross is also a powerful reminder of the Christian understanding of time. In the pagan worldview, time was often cyclical and without a true telos. Life moved through seasons, but never toward a final consummation. The Christian Gospel tells a different story. Though we still live within rhythms of time - seedtime and harvest, morning and evening - our history is linear and purposeful. We’re moving toward the glorious return of Christ and the renewal of all things (Revelation 21:5). The Celtic Cross, then, becomes a symbol of this tension: we live in the already and not yet. The eternal breaks into the temporal. The Kingdom of God is both present and still to come.
The psalmist declares, “From everlasting to everlasting, you are God” (Psalm 90:2). And yet this eternal God entered our world in the fullness of time (Galatians 4:4), walked among us, and died for us. The circle, enclosing the Cross, draws our eyes to this mystery: the eternal Son entered temporal time to redeem it. In this sense, the Celtic Cross becomes a meditation on the Incarnation itself - a visual representation of the Logos becoming flesh and dwelling among us (John 1:14). And because Christ now reigns as the risen and exalted Lord, time is no longer meaningless. Every moment can be consecrated. Every act of obedience has eternal weight.
The Lord of the Spheres
When I contemplate the Celtic Cross, I’m reminded of the majestic sweep of Christ’s kingship. He isn’t the tribal deity of one people. He isn’t a private Savior who offers only inner peace. He’s the risen Christ who claims authority over all dominions - thrones, powers, systems, cultures, and souls. As Abraham Kuyper famously declared, “There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, ‘Mine!’” The Celtic Cross proclaims this visually and beautifully. It stands as a banner of cosmic allegiance.
This truth brings with it profound pastoral comfort. If Christ reigns over every sphere of life - over our joys and our sorrows, our work and our worship, our time and our eternity - then nothing is wasted. Every valley we walk through, every task we undertake, every suffering we endure, all of it falls beneath his sovereign care. The Celtic Cross reminds me that I do not serve a Savior confined to Sunday mornings. I follow a King who governs all things for my good and his glory (Romans 8:28).
A Cross That Tells a Story
Many of the stone Celtic crosses dotting the landscapes of Ireland and Scotland are richly adorned with carvings that tell the biblical story - Adam and Eve, the crucifixion, the resurrection, the saints of old. These carvings weren’t decorative alone; they were pedagogical. They taught an illiterate people the truths of Scripture through symbol and form. In this way, the Celtic Cross became both altar and blackboard, a place of worship and a means of catechesis. As St. Augustine once said, “Faith comes by seeing as well as hearing.” The Gospel entered the imagination through beauty.
In our own age, we need such beauty again, not as mere sentiment, but as sacrament. The Celtic Cross invites us to see the world as Christ’s world. It calls us to inhabit a “sacramental imagination,” where symbols point beyond themselves to spiritual realities. As we meditate on its meaning, let’s be drawn to worship - not of the symbol, but of the Savior to whom it points. For the Celtic Cross, like all true Christian symbols, finds its glory not in its form, but in the One who hung upon it. Deo Gratias.
I would like to conclude by sharing a prayer I put together from a variety of other prayers, and from what I have learned from Scripture and the symbolism of the Celtic Cross, (and which I recite regularly), that helps keep me anchored to Christ’s Lordship in my life:
Jesus Christ, Son of God, please have mercy on me a sinner.
You are the Lord of heaven and earth, of time and space, of life and death.
You are the fount of all wisdom and knowledge.
You are the Lover, Redeemer, and Reconciler of souls.
Please fill me with your Holy Spirit that I may,
Know you more clearly,
Love you more dearly,
Become like you more nearly,
And follow you more faithfully in every sphere of my life.
For the sake of your Kingdom, glory, and holy Name, I pray. Amen.
Thank you for joining me today as we reflected on the Celtic Cross and its deep theological, spiritual, and personal significance to me. I pray this meditation has blessed and encouraged you as much as it has me. If you’d like to explore more devotionals and resources like this one, I invite you to visit Walking Points. New resources are posted weekly that don’t always go out by email. Feel free to share this post with others and encourage them to subscribe. May the Lord bless you as you walk faithfully with him.