We Proclaim Christ Crucified

and to these three we can add one more which we remember from the Gospel of Mark: “If any would come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.”

Paul is right; to an outsider, all this talk of the cross is perfectly foolish.

Paul sees it in terms of two great processions:

--either one is following Jesus in the way of the cross,

--or else one is turning in circles upon oneself in ways which lead only to the vortex of death.

To use the analogy a bit more:

Remember from our play-ground days what happens when we turn in circles?

We run into other people and knock them down.

And the successful one is the person who is dizzy but still standing when everyone else has been knocked over.

The power being used there is the power to disrupt and destroy.

But what happens when one is walking in Jesus' procession is that as we move ahead, a weak one can be carried, a faltering one can be assisted, each one can be encouraging the others.

We're working on that big question: what does it mean to take up one's cross and follow Jesus?

There is a regular misunderstanding about the phrase ;”take up your cross.”

When we hear someone say “Oh, that's my cross to bear,” what is often meant is often that the person has some serious illness or personal difficulty.

The person may be crippled with arthritis, or may have lost a job.

But that is not what Jesus means:

--everyone has this sort of crisis at some time or another.

To take up one's cross is to live for others as Jesus lives for others.

--to give all that we have and are for the sake of those for whom Christ died,

--to pattern our lives on his.

Since Jesus is God, He is the one person who could have lived completely for himself.

He could have grabbed everything there is to grab: property, persons and power.

But instead he chose to give everything he has, including his very life for the sake of his people.

And that sacrifice on Good Friday is confirmed by the Easter Gospel, which speaks of new life where the world sees only death.

The questions are regularly asked: Why Baptism? Why Holy Communion?

Because the sacraments connect us with Jesus' death and his new life.

We are made a part of that great procession moving ahead his way.

We receive new life in Baptism, and are fed by ear, mouth, and hand.

The great procession passes his Table.

And Jesus comes into our very midst, and keeps on giving.

So, what should we be doing because we know what Jesus is doing?

Often we are like the thankless person who has received a great pile of presents at Christmas and still complains because there are not more.

But on the other hand, we remember that precious moment when a baby took that soggy half-chewed cracker out of his/her mouth and pressed it to our lips.

It was the first little attempt to give.

Which of these two patterns of behavior, complaining about presents or giving a soggy cracker, is a step in Jesus' procession?

Every now and again, one of us may be challenged by someone: “Are you saved?”

A good Lutheran way to answer the question is to say:

“Yes, indeed! On October 3, 1949 I was baptized by Pastor Mont Bower in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in Mt. Zion Church, together with my cousin Sandy.

Jesus made a promise that day, which I am sure that he will keep.”

That is right and true.

But Paul asks us to think a bit more when he speaks “...to us who are being saved.”

There is a definite beginning, but there is also an ongoing process.

The Lord keeps reaching out through his body the church to us whenever we feel like dropping out of the procession because of anger or injury.

He asks us to do whatever is necessary so that everyone hears Good News.

Telemachus was a monk in the 4^th century.

He came to realize that his reason for being in the monastery was flawed; he was trying to save himself be the number and frequency of prayer.

He recognized that he needed to approach things differently, and so he made his way to Rome.

Once there, he followed the crowd to the Arena, and was horrified at what he saw.

There, Christians were not being fed to the lions anymore, but were being forced to fight other prisoners.

Men for whom Christ had died were killing each other for the amusement of the Christian crowd.

Telemachus leaped into the arena and got between the gladiators.

They pushed him aside in order to continue the fight.

When he persisted, a gladiator was ordered to kill Telemachus.

The crowd became silent at the murder.

Quite suddenly there was a mass realization of what this killing really was.

The games ended abruptly that day and were never resumed.

Telemachus gave everything he had, even life itself, so that others could see the way of the cross and walk in its procession.

We would not hope that our lives would have to be that dramatically tragic this week, but our life and work can be effective in other small ways.

This Thursday we take the first step in establishing a new Stephen Ministry group.

This Wednesday we continue to explore the wonders and delights of worship by studying the Lutheran tradition.

This Monday the Congregation Council meets to continue important discussions.

Today we have opportunities for Bible study for all ages, including a new group just forming for young adults.

It is time to plan for participating in the CROP walk 4 weeks away.

The only way that we can tackle these and a hundred other possibilities is with the gift of faith, the kind of faith that shapes our lives on the self-giving love of Christ for us,

faith that recognizes that no matter what has been taken away from us by a string of tragic events, still we did not die to Christ Jesus,

faith that is life lived in the shadow of the cross which becomes the source of the truest joy for which we could ever hope.

The cross and joyful faith – is this possible?

Ecstasy within agony?

Take it up, and find out, when we pray “Lord, I entrust all this to you.”

As we make decisions about what we will say and do at home, school, work, and here in the gathered congregation, may each of us be strengthened by Word and Sacraments

to speak for the helpless,

to encourage the faithful,

to renew the hopeless,

and to strengthen the weary.

Thus will we be put together in that great and final procession which sings praise to God for the Lord Jesus, crucified and living:

Led on our way by this triumphant sign,...

so shall our song of triumph ever be:

Praise to the Crucified for victory. AMEN.

Please note: The preceding sermon is provided as a resource for the thought, prayer, and meditation of the members and friends of St. Mark's. It is the residue of a verbal event, and thus it does not have academic footnotes and other details that would be expected in a written document. The writer gladly acknowledges the prior thought and work of many Christians before him.