A Message from the Vicar . . .
The notion of bearing one’s cross, as Jesus commands of his followers, is a complex request at best. Risks associated with Christianity, such as the persecution faced in Mark’s community, is different than the crosses we are called to ‘take up.’ However, the mechanics behind sacrificial love remain the same to turn from the familiar and privileges of the self so to sacrifice for the other. Today this sacrifice is unlikely to be martyrdom, but it should not be a watered-down notion of sacrifice such as, ‘my salary only allows for basic cable, it is the cross I bear.’
Fred Craddock, a distinguished professor of preaching and New Testament, offered his thoughts on Christian sacrifice in an address he gave, “We think giving our all to the Lord is like taking a $1,000 bill and laying it on the table—’Here’s my life, Lord. I’m giving it all.’ But the reality for most of us is that he sends us to the bank and has us cash in the $1,000 for quarters. We go through life putting out 25 cents here and 50 cents there. Listen to the neighbor kid’s troubles instead of saying, ‘Get lost.’ Go to a committee meeting. Give a cup of water to a shaky old man in a nursing home. Usually giving our life to Christ isn’t glorious. It’s done in all those little acts of love, 25 cents at a time. It would be easy to go out in a flash of glory it’s harder to live the Christian life little by little over the long haul.”
Taking up your cross is not suffering for the sake of suffering nor is it sacrifice for the sake of sacrificing. To follow Jesus involves a self-awareness of our blessings and an awareness of the world around us, opening our eyes and ears to those lives we can touch with the spirit of Jesus. Scripture consistently reminds us that nothing is gained if we live for ourselves and deny Jesus.
Peace!
Jon+
