A Cross to Bear

Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Mark 8:27-38

• Visited Dan (nephew of member, 22 yo… hand crushed in construction accident...) Amputation of first two fingers of left hand. Heavy. But there was “that guy” in the waiting room, no arms or legs. I wonder what it’s like to be that guy that everybody compares to? That’s just his cross to bear, I guess.

• His cross to bear. Her cross to bear. How is that phrase used?

  Wrongly, I’d say. Google: First thing to come up: “unpleasant situation you must accept because you can’t change it.” Can’t grow fingers or arms or legs back, just have to learn to deal with it. Second thing: non-transferrable. Dan can’t give his burden to somebody else.

  Unpleasant, unavoidable, unchangeable.

  One out of three is correct: unpleasant. But there is something entirely voluntary about the cross that cannot be dismissed. Jesus didn’t deserve the cross, and he wasn’t forced to carry it (c’mon, he was GOD) he CHOSE to carry it, and he coulda chosen to put it down. The cross was, for Jesus, a choice, not an accident that happened to him.

  A choice based on his love for God and for humanity,

  A choice that demonstrated his loyalty

  A choice which demonstrated his priorities, who or what was Lord in his life. He didn’t choose comfort or convenience over the cross

 and when leading his disciples he didn’t have ’em sign a contract or anything, he said anyone who wants to follow me, this is how you do it.

• Kierkegaard (19^th century Danish philosopher/theologian) said you can tell Christians by their lives more than by their words. You can tell Christians because they sacrifice, they live for Christ not themselves.

• Denying self, picking up cross, following Christ, involves demonstrating who earns your loyalty, who or what is Lord in your life, who receives priority in your use of resources – time, finances, talents. Perhaps it means sacrificing a hobby or a leisure activity so that you can devote that time to church service (inconvenient, but necessary) or being there as a resource for the working poor, or serving food at a homeless shelter. Perhaps it means using vacation time instead of paying to go on vacation paying to go on a short term mission trip. Perhaps it means instead of a favorite restaurant every week or instead of tickets to that pro football game, moving towards a tithe, or if you’re already there, adopting a child through Compassion international. Optional demonstration of Lordship. Maybe it means giving up an activity or behavior that separates you from God or others.

  Denying self, picking up cross, is not about shouldering an inconvenience (the cross wasn’t “inconvenient” but about commitment and sacrifice. Beyond teaching SS (though important) into lifestyle that points toward X, and prepares, should calling arise…

For some, like Youcef Nadarkhani, a young pastor in Iran, it means being imprisoned for 3 years on death row for preaching the gospel (CNN reported yesterday that Pastor Youcef was released from prison).

• Adam Hamilton, author and founding pastor of UMChurch of Resurrection outside Kansas City MO, largest UMChurch in nation, spoke to our AnnConf last year about his church’s response to problem with KC schools. UMCRessurrection mostly in wealthy suburb, higher paying and desirable jobs. Nobody wanted the jobs in the KCSD for poorer conditions and pay, etc. Teachers gave up their jobs to work in the city. That’s picking up cross.

  Christ calls us to voluntarily follow him, to submit the whole of ourselves to his lordship. To do as he did.

• Read from Philippians 2

• Directly into Communion