Taking Up the Cross: Sermon for Lent 2B, March 12, 2006
What do you suppose this “Take up your cross” stuff of Jesus is all about? Have you given that much thought? I’ll bet you have you used the popular phrase, "This is my cross to bear." What did you mean by that? Usually people say that about an illness they have: “This arthritis is just my cross to bear.” Or they may say it about a troublesome relative: “My son-in-law is just my cross to bear.” Our usual understanding of bearing one’s cross is that it is some sort of long-term, if not perpetual, annoyance; the picture we have is of that a person walking through life with this heavy burden on their shoulders. Such an understanding does seem to fit with the Way of the Cross, with Jesus walking through the streets of Jerusalem carrying the heavy burden of those large timbers. Finally, he fell under the burden, and a man named Simon is commandeered from the street to carry the cross the rest of the way to Golgotha. But we must remember that the cross is not intended as a burden. We might as well say, “This arthritis is my sack of potatoes to bear.” No, the cross is not a burden, but a means of death.
Many of us display a cross as a piece of jewelry or a work of art. Sometimes women wear a beautiful cross as a necklace or even as an earring. Most churches display a cross as a work of art in the sanctuary, as we do. There are many forms of crosses as art work - the St. Andrew cross, the Budded Cross, the Latin Cross, the Celtic Cross, the Jerusalem Cross. They are worthy works of art, but their beauty tends to make us forget that the cross was a cruel death-machine invented by the Romans.
Can you imagine a woman wearing an ornate little silver chair on her necklace? A friend examines it closely and asks, “What is this cute little chair you have there?” The woman then proudly replies, “Oh, that? It's a model of the electric chair used for the death penalty.” Can you imagine our beautiful sanctuary with a crude wooden electric chair at the front in the place of the cross? People would be shocked. People don't really like to be reminded of death and sacrifice, but the cross is just such a reminder.
Here at the half-way point of the Gospel of Mark, Jesus makes a dramatic change of direction. The happy, crowd-pleasing days of preaching and healing in Galilee are ending, and Jesus has begun to make his way to Jerusalem. On three occasions in the next three chapters, Jesus tries to prepare his disciples of the harsh realities of his ministry, of the probably outcome of his coming encounter with the authorities in Jerusalem. But the disciples, like us, are very slow to understand what Jesus is saying. The disciples respond to these three incidents with outright denial in 8:32, with frightened silence in 9:32, and complete obtuseness in 10:35.
On this occasion, Peter takes exception to Jesus negative attitude. He pulls him aside in order to rebuke him. But Jesus rejects Peter’s message and his attempt to assume the role of teacher. Jesus fully expects that the future will hold suffering, rejection, and death, and he is prepared to accept that. He knows that he needs to prepare his followers for it.
He turns to the rest of those gathered there and proclaims, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” In so doing, Jesus throws down the gauntlet and issues a clarion call for radical discipleship. It's a call that he has given before in different ways.
On one occasion, a young man came to Jesus and asked, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus spoke to him of the commandments. The young man claimed to have kept them all. Then Jesus said, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me” (Mark 10:21).
Jesus call was absolute demand. When he said, “Follow me,” he meant leaving something or someone or some place behind. To obey meant to walk into the unknown unencumbered - ready to listen, to learn, to witness, to serve. Many of the people who heard this call to radical discipleship found that they could not break loose from the things that bound them. The rich young ruler sadly walked away “for he had many possessions.” Another man wanted to wait until his elderly father died. One of the most poignant verses in the Bible is John 6:66, which says, “After this, many of his disciples drew back and no longer went about with him.”
Jesus always wants us to count the cost, but make no doubt about it - he calls those who would be his disciples to come and die with him. “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”
Have you heard this call to radical discipleship? Does your faith entail a radical commitment to Jesus Christ? Are you willing to die with him? Or are you willing only to go through the motions with a casual Christianity?
I want to give you a specific challenge today to do something to move your level of commitment from the casual to the radical.
The first challenge I have is for you to make a commitment to show up. Tom Peters in his book In Search of Excellence quotes Woody Allen as saying, “Half of success is showing up!” I want to suggest to you that showing up is a significant Christian commitment as well. I want to challenge you to show up at church ... and bring someone with you. Our official parish records show us as having over 400 members! At worship on any given Sunday we see about 130 people. Obviously, many of our members need to make a commitment to be here - regularly and faithfully. Look around. Who do you know that isn’t here? I don’t mean people who’ve never been here ... I mean people who in someway claim to be members of this congregation but haven’t been in church in the past several months. If they were to show up with you every Sunday this year, the lectionary will lead them, as it will lead all of us, through a complete study of the Gospel of Mark. If they were to show up with you on Wednesday evenings, they would (in our current midweek program) learn quite a bit about the commitments we as Christians make to God, to one another, and to our community. If they and you show up at the Adult Forum or Sunday School classes on Sundays, you and they will gain a broad knowledge of the Episcopal Church’s Catechism.
These are low-commitment opportunities that can make a big difference in your life, in the lives of those folks we haven’t seen for a while, and in the life of this congregation.. For many people this commitment will be a big step, but it is the kind of action that can open the door. You can begin where you are, but showing up is half the battle.
But I want to challenge you to an even deeper discipleship. The vestry did some really significant work on our annual retreat this weekend. You will be hearing from them soon about some growth-oriented activities and ministries we would like to see started here at St. Paul’s – small-group fellowship ministries, a deeper more intentional prayer ministry, an intentional evangelism and new-comer incorporation ministry, and others. Many of you may shudder in horror and say, “I could never find the time to get involved in those sorts of things.” But the fact is you do what you really want to do. You make time for the things that matter in your life.
I want to suggest to you that Jesus is calling you to a radical discipleship, and this may be exactly what radical discipleship means for you this year. Perhaps you have stood on the sidelines and watched as other members over the years have committed themselves to the programs and ministries of the church. Perhaps you are a newcomer and are unsure what you should be involved in, or how to go about getting involved. Perhaps you are an oldtimer who previously was very active, but recently you’ve been thinking, “I’ve done my time ... it’s someone else’s turn now.” Well, the time for standing on the sidelines, whether newcomer or older member, is at an end; St. Paul’s cannot afford any more uninvolved, sideline-sitting members. St. Paul’s has no sidelines anymore. I encourage you to commit yourself to radical discipleship. When your vestry calls upon you to be apart of these growth-oriented programs, respond affirmatively, remembering that Jesus said, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”
There's a great story about the artist Rodin, who one day saw a huge, carved crucifix beside a road. He immediately loved the artwork and insisted on having it for himself. He purchased the cross and arranged to have it carted back to his house. But, unfortunately, it was too big for the building. So, he knocked out the walls, raised the roof, and rebuilt his home around the cross.
When you hear Jesus' call to radical discipleship, I hope you will decide to knock down the walls and rebuild your life around the cross. Remember, Jesus said, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”
Many of us display a cross as a piece of jewelry or a work of art. Sometimes women wear a beautiful cross as a necklace or even as an earring. Most churches display a cross as a work of art in the sanctuary, as we do. There are many forms of crosses as art work - the St. Andrew cross, the Budded Cross, the Latin Cross, the Celtic Cross, the Jerusalem Cross. They are worthy works of art, but their beauty tends to make us forget that the cross was a cruel death-machine invented by the Romans.
Can you imagine a woman wearing an ornate little silver chair on her necklace? A friend examines it closely and asks, “What is this cute little chair you have there?” The woman then proudly replies, “Oh, that? It's a model of the electric chair used for the death penalty.” Can you imagine our beautiful sanctuary with a crude wooden electric chair at the front in the place of the cross? People would be shocked. People don't really like to be reminded of death and sacrifice, but the cross is just such a reminder.
Here at the half-way point of the Gospel of Mark, Jesus makes a dramatic change of direction. The happy, crowd-pleasing days of preaching and healing in Galilee are ending, and Jesus has begun to make his way to Jerusalem. On three occasions in the next three chapters, Jesus tries to prepare his disciples of the harsh realities of his ministry, of the probably outcome of his coming encounter with the authorities in Jerusalem. But the disciples, like us, are very slow to understand what Jesus is saying. The disciples respond to these three incidents with outright denial in 8:32, with frightened silence in 9:32, and complete obtuseness in 10:35.
On this occasion, Peter takes exception to Jesus negative attitude. He pulls him aside in order to rebuke him. But Jesus rejects Peter’s message and his attempt to assume the role of teacher. Jesus fully expects that the future will hold suffering, rejection, and death, and he is prepared to accept that. He knows that he needs to prepare his followers for it.
He turns to the rest of those gathered there and proclaims, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” In so doing, Jesus throws down the gauntlet and issues a clarion call for radical discipleship. It's a call that he has given before in different ways.
On one occasion, a young man came to Jesus and asked, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus spoke to him of the commandments. The young man claimed to have kept them all. Then Jesus said, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me” (Mark 10:21).
Jesus call was absolute demand. When he said, “Follow me,” he meant leaving something or someone or some place behind. To obey meant to walk into the unknown unencumbered - ready to listen, to learn, to witness, to serve. Many of the people who heard this call to radical discipleship found that they could not break loose from the things that bound them. The rich young ruler sadly walked away “for he had many possessions.” Another man wanted to wait until his elderly father died. One of the most poignant verses in the Bible is John 6:66, which says, “After this, many of his disciples drew back and no longer went about with him.”
Jesus always wants us to count the cost, but make no doubt about it - he calls those who would be his disciples to come and die with him. “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”
Have you heard this call to radical discipleship? Does your faith entail a radical commitment to Jesus Christ? Are you willing to die with him? Or are you willing only to go through the motions with a casual Christianity?
I want to give you a specific challenge today to do something to move your level of commitment from the casual to the radical.
The first challenge I have is for you to make a commitment to show up. Tom Peters in his book In Search of Excellence quotes Woody Allen as saying, “Half of success is showing up!” I want to suggest to you that showing up is a significant Christian commitment as well. I want to challenge you to show up at church ... and bring someone with you. Our official parish records show us as having over 400 members! At worship on any given Sunday we see about 130 people. Obviously, many of our members need to make a commitment to be here - regularly and faithfully. Look around. Who do you know that isn’t here? I don’t mean people who’ve never been here ... I mean people who in someway claim to be members of this congregation but haven’t been in church in the past several months. If they were to show up with you every Sunday this year, the lectionary will lead them, as it will lead all of us, through a complete study of the Gospel of Mark. If they were to show up with you on Wednesday evenings, they would (in our current midweek program) learn quite a bit about the commitments we as Christians make to God, to one another, and to our community. If they and you show up at the Adult Forum or Sunday School classes on Sundays, you and they will gain a broad knowledge of the Episcopal Church’s Catechism.
These are low-commitment opportunities that can make a big difference in your life, in the lives of those folks we haven’t seen for a while, and in the life of this congregation.. For many people this commitment will be a big step, but it is the kind of action that can open the door. You can begin where you are, but showing up is half the battle.
But I want to challenge you to an even deeper discipleship. The vestry did some really significant work on our annual retreat this weekend. You will be hearing from them soon about some growth-oriented activities and ministries we would like to see started here at St. Paul’s – small-group fellowship ministries, a deeper more intentional prayer ministry, an intentional evangelism and new-comer incorporation ministry, and others. Many of you may shudder in horror and say, “I could never find the time to get involved in those sorts of things.” But the fact is you do what you really want to do. You make time for the things that matter in your life.
I want to suggest to you that Jesus is calling you to a radical discipleship, and this may be exactly what radical discipleship means for you this year. Perhaps you have stood on the sidelines and watched as other members over the years have committed themselves to the programs and ministries of the church. Perhaps you are a newcomer and are unsure what you should be involved in, or how to go about getting involved. Perhaps you are an oldtimer who previously was very active, but recently you’ve been thinking, “I’ve done my time ... it’s someone else’s turn now.” Well, the time for standing on the sidelines, whether newcomer or older member, is at an end; St. Paul’s cannot afford any more uninvolved, sideline-sitting members. St. Paul’s has no sidelines anymore. I encourage you to commit yourself to radical discipleship. When your vestry calls upon you to be apart of these growth-oriented programs, respond affirmatively, remembering that Jesus said, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”
There's a great story about the artist Rodin, who one day saw a huge, carved crucifix beside a road. He immediately loved the artwork and insisted on having it for himself. He purchased the cross and arranged to have it carted back to his house. But, unfortunately, it was too big for the building. So, he knocked out the walls, raised the roof, and rebuilt his home around the cross.
When you hear Jesus' call to radical discipleship, I hope you will decide to knock down the walls and rebuild your life around the cross. Remember, Jesus said, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”
posted by Father Eric | 6:41 PM
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