Why is Christ's death considered a sacrifice?

[John V]

You clearly don't know what the word "sacrifice" means.

Yes, I do. I checked to make sure.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sacrifice

It has a wider range of meaning than you give it credit for. And seems reasonable to me that it could have differences when applied to god himself than when applied to a created animal.

Animal sacrifice is an analogy for Jesus' atonement for us on the cross. All analogies fail at some point. The Bible also says that we've been ransomed, redeemed, and purchased. And, yes, those analogies fall short in some ways too. So what?

Even if we accept your ridiculous premise, the *resurrection* and ascending to heaven as a reward completely negates it.

Thus the glorification renders the whole crucifixion utterly pointless.

I disagree. When someone does something heroic for others, the resulting glory doesn't negate the heroism. You're quite the cynic.