Wisdom Statements and Sunday Sermon

Thought-provoking Wisdom Statements by African-Americans:


Draft Sermon Outline for Sunday, March 16, 2003

Title: “What (or Who) Is Your Cross?” or “Lent- the Chance of a Lifetime- Part 3”

Last Sunday, we thought through the whole problem of temptation- how our human nature predisposes us to yield to temptation, because we want anything we’re told we can’t have (as did Adam and Eve with that fruit); how the problem was not lack of education, but choice; and how not yielding to temptation is really a mind game- because where our mind goes, our mouths and actions are almost sure to follow. This morning, I’d like us to look at a very unpopular subject- crosses- our cross, Abraham’s cross, and Jesus’ cross. We heard Jesus tell his disciples to take up their cross and follow him, and we know- as much as we’d like to not think about it, Jesus is talking to us also.

It is really important to understand about taking up our cross, because not understanding can lead us into trouble. First of all- just to clear up a common misconception- your cross is not something that just happens to you, like arthritis or cancer or heart disease or some kind of handicapping condition, however difficult it is. That’s an affliction. Your cross is something you choose to carry, a chosen sacrifice that is chosen specifically because you love Jesus. Second- carrying our cross is not something we can do or not do if we accept Jesus as our Lord as well as our Savior. Jesus doesn’t say, “Take up your cross and follow me if you feel like it, or if it’s not too inconvenient, or if it doesn’t expose you to unpleasantness.” He says, “Take up your cross and follow me”- period- no choice, an order. So where are you about crosses, and what (or who) is your cross?

Abraham is a good example of someone who willingly took up his cross, accepted the possibility of a huge sacrifice, and did what God needed done. We heard about it today in the story of his willing offering of his only son, Isaac. If we don’t understand the culture of his time, we miss something very important in this episode. What Abraham thought God was asking him to do was not unusual. The people of almost all the cultures of that historical period practiced child sacrifice. Anytime something really catastrophic was threatening (drought, war, disease), the common assumption was that the chief god was angry and needed to be appeased- and the blood of the oldest male child would do it. Did you notice back in verse 5 when Abraham told his servants: “WE will come back.” Even though he was a product of his culture, Abraham somehow knew that God would not really allow the sacrifice of his beloved child- that God would somehow provide, yet Abraham followed through as he understood until the angel intervened. Why in the world did God suggest such a terrible thing? Probably because God was sick, sick, sick of innocent children being offered on the altar of sacrifice to appease him, because that’s not at all what he wanted. It was probably to make exactly that point, because- except for times of huge apostasy, this was the very last child offered as a sacrifice by the Israelites in the name of God. In other words- Abraham willingness to sacrifice finally allowed God to make the point: children are to be loved, nurtured, cared for, yes- sacrificed for. That’s a good message for us today. We talk a lot about how much we love our children, but do we sacrifice for them as did earlier generations? If it’s a choice between our clothes or their teeth, our habit (alcohol, tobacco, etc.) or their clothes, our fun or their sleep, our entertainment and the media we allow in our house or their moral development- which do we choose? Or perhaps we make huge sacrifices for them, but the focus is not on the individual child- it’s on ourselves. It’s so easy to see our children as extensions of ourselves, so we expect them to succeed specifically in areas in which we did not. I can’t tell you in the course of forty years of teaching and almost twenty-five years of priesting how many times I have heard parents talk about high expectations for their children when they needed right at that time to get some education themselves so their children would have a better life. “Take up your cross and follow me,” says Jesus. Are you listening?

What if your children are not your cross? What is your cross? Do you inconvenience yourself for anyone besides someone in your own family? On the bulletin cover we see the picture of two very different people reaching out to each other. It’s almost impossible to say who is the “helper” and who is the “helpee.” Do you inconvenience yourself for God? Let’s look at what a cross really is? A cross was a means of torture and execution. If Jesus were sacrificed for our sins today, he probably would have died in an electric chair or by lethal injection. This would mean that we who wanted to remind ourselves of our commitment to our Lord would be wearing an electric chair or a gurney with restraining straps and an IV bag on a chain around our necks! A cross was a means of insuring ridicule and humiliation. You know how people even today in our reality-type TV programs seem to love to watch people under embarrassing, frightening situations? Have you noticed how that TV camera is pushed right up to the face of the grieving widow after a tornado or the microphone in the face of the mother after her child has been murdered? I hate to think of the possibilities if TV cameras were allowed in execution chambers! Times haven’t changed. As the person carrying the cross struggled under its weight to the place of execution, people seemed to love being entertained by their torture; and they jeered, laughed, poked, prodded, and otherwise embarrassed the victim. So you see- a cross (as Jesus intended) is a pain- often exceedingly difficult, embarrassing, unfashionable, time and energy consuming, and we’re frequently not appreciated for making the sacrifice. A fellow pastor told of a man in his congregation who stopped every day after work to help a disabled neighbor- washed him, shaved him, shopped for him, ran errands for him. When asked, he said that- yes, it was extremely inconvenient- but God had laid on his heart that this was to be his cross. “The amazing thing,” he said, “is that- as much as I give, I receive much more.” That’s probably what Jesus meant when he said that the person who sacrifices for God and others will gain his life. The Rev. Richard Donovan is entitling his sermon for today, “Jesus Calls Us to a Life of Giving that We Might Have a Life Worth Living.” Not bad!

So, I ask you again- what’s your cross? Have you ever donated money when you needed it yourself to someone who was not a family member or friend? What do you do to help the stranger, the person not as privileged as you are? Are you only thinking of you and yours, or do you reach out in Jesus name? More to the point, if you take Jesus seriously- this Lent is the perfect time to make some changes if the Holy Spirit is convicting you right now.

One more thought about crosses before we give our thoughts about this to Jesus. Are you aware that the latest fashion accessory for spring is a cross- a huge, gaudy piece of junk jewelry. That’s one more thing a cross is NOT intended to be- in fact it’s as close to a put-down of Jesus’ sacrifice as we might find, but look around- you know what I mean. Does this mean that you should not wear a cross around your neck? Of course not, but it’s important, if you choose to wear one, to do so for the right reason. I wear a cross almost every day. Why do I wear a cross? I wear one to remind myself I am a child of the King, that I’m never alone- because God is with me (as in the Romans lesson today). Sometimes, especially if I’m frightened or anxious or under pressure, I’ll quietly slip my cross inside my blouse so I can feel it right next to my skin. It reminds me that the Jesus of my last Holy Communion is even nearer to me than that cross. Is there a time you should never wear a cross? Absolutely! Are you about to cuss someone out? Are you about to boss someone or treat someone unfairly? Never, I hope, with a cross showing! You know the verse that says, “I don’t want to be like Judas in my heart; I just want to be like Jesus.” Wearing a cross while being a person of injustice or of violence in word or deed makes us a traitor to almighty God.

Did you notice the thought for the week: “Too many people are waiting for God to do things for them rather than with them.” Don’t be like that. Be a loyal disciple. Take up your cross and follow Jesus!

(Comments to Judi at JUDY.BOLI@ecunet.org.)