SCRIPTURE: Mark 8:31-38
TEXT: 34He 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. THEME: See the cross as a symbol of God’s love for us. INTRODUCTION I just got a card stuck in my door inviting me to a Bible study. I wondered what sort of invitation this might be, so I turned the card over and on it in large font where the words “God Loves You!”, then statements about my sin. In this standard approach to Christianity, it begins with our being a problem that needs to be fixed. “Regardless of your past and current sins…” Then the hook is baited, with the promise of eternal life. “The message of hope and forgiveness is often called the Gospel or Good News.” In order for this Gospel to work, we have to admit to our sinfulness, believe Jesus died on the cross as a payment of our sins, so we can be forgiven, and have eternal life. But what if we are not a problem to God? What if although we have messed up, made mistakes, disobeyed, lied, blamed, cheated and even killed, that we are still loved by God, and do not need to have a worthy sacrifice to pay the price of our sin? Isn’t that even better Good News? Nobody likes thinking that we are the problem, that we need to be fixed. So, wouldn’t an even better Good News be “You are Good and loved by God, come and be loved by God, love God and others (no other conditions).”? If that is truly the case, then why do we need the cross? SCRIPTURE On the road up to Caesarea Philippi Jesus asks the disciples, “Eh, who da people tell who me? “ Peter said, “You da Christ Guy, Da Spesho Guy God Wen Sen”. Then Jesus taught them that he would suffer many things, be rejected by the elders, chief priest and scribes and be killed. And after three days rise again. Peter pulled Jesus aside and said, “Eh, No talk like dat” Jesus turned to the others and said, “Satan is any thing that takes you away from living God’s story. Satan is any story other than God’s; It’s the story about money, it’s the story about politics, the story about power, the story about sex…Pick up your cross and follow me.” What is our cross? Jesus teaching us about God, Jesus ministering to make us whole, Jesus revealing who God is, Jesus showing us how to live loving God in defiance to the high priest in Jerusalem and the Roman government represented by Pontus Pilate. Jesus’ loving us threatens the forces that ultimately kill him on the cross. The Cross is not a payment of our sin, but the result of loving us. The cross is not for saving lives, God’s love for us, is. The cross is the most painful and shameful way the Romans have devised to humiliate and kill their political opponents. It is Jesus’ loving of us that gets him there. This is how Ira Brent Driggers, on SERMON BRAINWAVE describes the events that led up to Jesus’ death. “Jesus and his disciples know that earthly powers violently oppose them. In Mark, Jesus “must” die because his commitment to human healing will not falter. The Son of God will not dial down his ministry to spare his own life, or even to ease his suffering. His commitment to the healing of humanity literally knows no limits.” The Gospel is not about doing acts that will save our lives. The good News is about relationship with God as revealed in the way that Jesus lives, in the way Jesus dies and, in the way, Jesus is resurrected three days later. Our crosses are the things that God calls us to do, to participate in God’s healing of humanity. APPLICATION God’s grace and inclusive love can cause us to live in ways that are counter to our culture. Jesus invites us to follow in God’s ways. How do we respond to God faithfully in our time? There is a shift in our thinking that moves us from being selfish to selfless. Instead of thinking about all of the things that we want, we participate in helping people get the things that they need. 29 families came up to the Food Pantry yesterday. That translates to about 90 people who have a little bit more to eat this week. Our food pantry is quite a machine, with people picking up food, setting it up, making bags of food to give away, greeting people, finding the things that they need and want, praying for those who want it. Have patrons pray for us. When I remember, my grace at a meal goes deeper and becomes a prayer of gratitude that is thankful for the food, the delivery persons, the food pantry, the truck drivers, the farmers, the seed, the soil, the sun, clean water and the Creator. We shift or thinking off of ourselves and what we can get for ourselves, to what we can give to others to help them. This is what is so profound about what we are doing with the Wailuku Mission Housing. We are creating a place where people can live, and make a life, in an expensive housing market. Why? Because we want to create a way that some of our children can stay on Maui and live. We want to pump some youth and vitality into our community by becoming our neighbors. We want those who are differently abled to get a shot at living independently. We want to give our best to people who need our best. Sometimes when people give to the church, we get what is old, obsolete and broken. Through the rummage sale, I have seen what people give to the church have been what is treasured, valued, special, unique, things that they are not using but are their best. This is the same with our Pot Lucks (when we had them) We brought our best dishes to share. I miss our getting together like that. And even in our not meeting together. It is because of a deep and profound love, respect and caring for each other during these pandemic times. Keeping our Preschool opened and running safely so parents can have child care while they work is a huge gift to the community, and all who keep this bubble safe. Our Preschool Director. Kauka Kanani told our preschool board, that they had a surprise inspection from the Board of Health, and she took the inspector on a tour, limiting where she could stand, showing her how we did things, teaching the health inspector how to create a safe COVID free space for teachers and students. Even all that we have been doing to have a cyber worship on Facebook are works of love, to stay connected, inspired, encouraged, prayed for and blessed. These acts are not about ourselves, but are about our loving of others. CONCLUSION The Good News of the Cross is love. You can hold on to the love that dies in our place, as a payment of our sins. But we can also see a life, that loves in such a way that it makes the structures of power and control uncomfortable. As it advocates for fairness, equality, justice, liberation, sharing, acceptance, representation, respect and other changes that tear at the power ‘the few’ have held and will fight to keep. A love so compelling to live, to bring healing to humanity, that it is far more than just eternal life. It is about living in communion with God and others now, in this world. Now that’s Good News we can see. When we see the cross, see a heart too.
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May 2024
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