He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”
- It's not unusual for people to have illusions. Some of us believe ourselves to be wonderful athletes or great businesspeople. Some see ourselves as the most beautiful person in the world or the most interesting conversationalist. The reality of things is that this is not the case at times. The reality of things may be that we are not always the most interesting person at the table or the fastest person on the track or even the brightest person in the class.
- That's just the reality of things. This reality may be a crushing blow to some, but most of us have long ago made peace with reality and moved on past our illusions.
- However, there are illusions involved in our faith lives as well. Some of these can be harmless, but some are quite troubling and dangerous.
- I don't know of anyone off hand who is under the illusion that they are God, or an angel, or anything like that. Such cases go far beyond simple illusions; such cases usually require professional help.
- Having said that, there are other illusions that people labour under for their entire lives, illusions that cause them pain and trouble in their spiritual lives. Here are just a few.
- There is the illusion that I am sinless and that I never sin. I've heard this one from others, but never heard it applied to me. Some people say they never sin.
- I've also heard that a person's sins are too great to be forgiven and they are without hope.
- We've all heard the illusion that a person doesn't need God and that they do just fine without any reference to a Creator, Redeemer, or Sustainer.
- Some people believe that they are outside of salvation and that redemption and the love of God goes for every one else, but not them.
- There are other people who believe that riches, wealth, health, and success are signs of God's favour while the opposite – poverty, illness, failure – are signs of God's disfavour and condemnation. There have been some that have taken it so far as to let the poor, the sick, and the less-than-successful that they are on the dirty end of the stick when it comes to grace and salvation..
- The last one I'll bring up is the existing idea that there is no cost to our discipleship. Once the grace of God is received and accepted, nothing else need be done. One can just bask in the Divine light of grace and float on into heaven. The earthly life lived in the meantime is a distraction and some simply wish that God would get on with the heavenly reward.
- This list is not all there is, but it would serve no purpose to go further.
- So what is the cure? What is the antidote to the poison involved here? If these are illusions, what is the reality?
- The reality is nothing less than this: “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”
- The cure, the antidote, the reality is – as it always has been – the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. And we all know that it is not an easy way to go.
- The cross of Jesus is something that some people hide from or cover up. Some avoid it, but I for one don't think that can be done without illusion and even denial.
- For those who say they never sin, the cross stands as a sign that came to give us new life and that we will struggle against sin in our lives on a daily basis. Even if we fail... and we will ... we have one who goes beyond our sin and offers us new life and freedom from sin every day.
- For those who are without hope and see only sin, the cross stands as a display of just how far our loving God would go to bring sinners back, no matter what or how deep their sin.
- For those who say they don't need God, the Cross tells them that God loves them and wants to bring them close and that when they face the need of God at whatever point in their lives, God will be there.
- For those who feel they are outside salvation even though it is given to others, the Cross is the sign that Jesus did this for them and when they hear the words “...given and shed for you”, it is meant exactly for them.
- For those who see prosperity and success as signs of God's favour and the opposite as signs of God's indifference at the least, the Cross is a reminder that Jesus was born poor, lived poor, and died poor and oppressed, that the hope of the poor, the troubled, the injured and sick is the one who lived as they did and died as we all die so we might rise as he has. Jesus came among the poor to spread the Good News and the poor include the rich who might not have realized how temporary their riches are.
- To those who see no cost to their discipleship and see no need of daily repentance and re-dedication, the words of Jesus tell us of the daily discipline of his followers: "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.”
- This is not a bleak message, although it is a realistic message. For us the Cross of Christ means salvation, new life, and renewal. I've said it before and we all know it to be true: For Christians, Good Friday always leads to Easter.
Mark your calendars now. Sunday, September 30 at 12:300pm, we will hold a blessing of pets and animals in the parking lot behind the church building. All animals and those who care for them are welcome.
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