SERMON
St. Simon’s on the Sound
September 3, 2017
Matthew 16:21-28
If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves
and take up their cross and follow me.
This has been a challenging week
for me. As a matter of fact, I find all first weeks following my Haiti mission
trips challenging. The jump from being embedded in what many have called a
“fifth world” country to a fast-paced, technologically savvy, and incredibly
affluent “first world” country – the USA, is jarring, and deeply troubling. I
can speak only for myself when I say that my initial inclination on these first
days back home is to jump on the next plane back to Haiti, to be with those
whom I have come to love so very dearly as they walk their way through an
unbelievably dangerous, difficult, and arduous existence.
It is during these post-trip
weeks that I consider in absolute wonder how I arrived at this place of deep
commitment to a culture so foreign from the one in which I grew up – so very
much the antithesis of the one in which I live. These are weeks in which I shed
tears. Tears of sadness for the painful images impressed upon my mind’s eye. Tears
of joy and wonder for the memories of happy faces and big hugs received from
the men, women and children that I, along with my team, have served.
It is most certainly during these
post-trip weeks that I enter into deep prayer more than several times each day.
Prayers in which I beseech God to support me in the important task of
discernment and to guide me, through the presence of the Spirit in my heart,
mind and soul, as I make my way through next steps in this complex mission
work. A mission call that I have been given by God that attempts, in some small
way, to strengthen the capabilities of those in remote rural Haitian
communities as they struggle to bring healthcare to their brothers and sisters
who live near and around them – to their community.
And, then, of course, this past week
brought the nightmare of Hurricane Harvey. Devastating wind and rains pummeled Corpus
Christi, Houston, and Louisiana. Flooding in these areas has forced the
evacuation of an estimated 1.7 million people. 1.7 million people displaced,
their homes and businesses destroyed.
Our eyes and ears have been glued
to various devices that continually scroll news media headlines, twitter feeds,
and heart-breaking images of men, women, children and their pets stranded,
sometimes chest deep in swirling, dangerous waters. An astounding number of
people affected by Hurricane Harvey, waiting to be rescued, hoping for relief –
images and reports that bring tears to our eyes and compel us all towards a
rush to action. What can we do? How fast can we do it? How can we make it
better?
And so, amid post-mission trip
emotions and disbelief at the devastation of Hurricane Harvey, I sat down to
write today’s sermon. I read and considered today’s Epistle and Gospel readings,
saying over and over to myself, and others, “Wow – what could be a more
appropriate for this week? Not only is
Jesus giving us our marching orders – ‘Take
up your cross and follow me,’ but Paul is instructing us in the “how to’s”
of carrying out this very clear and compelling commandment, ‘Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold
fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another
in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord.
Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer.’ ”
The critical question here, of
course, is - what is the cross that
Jesus is referring to? What does it mean when Jesus says, “Take up your cross.”
In Jesus’ day, a cross was a
symbol of pain and suffering; a symbol of death. It was the structure used by Romans to
execute criminals. It was the instrument used to inflict an unbelievably painful
and disgraceful method of capital punishment.
The Jewish historian Josephus, who
witnessed live crucifixions during Titus’ siege on Jerusalem, called it
"the most wretched of deaths." Victims were usually beaten and
tortured and then forced to carry their own cross to the crucifixion site. Because
of the long-drawn-out suffering and horrible manner of execution, it was viewed
as the supreme penalty by the Romans.
Therefore, when Jesus says, “Take
up your cross and follow me,” he is not referring to a physical
cross – our current symbol of Christianity, which, of course, did not exist in
Jesus’ world. No, in this command Jesus means, if you want to be a true
follower of mine you must be willing to suffer; willing to die – die to self.
What Jesus was telling his
disciples, and us, in this passage is that we need to put to death our own
plans; our own impulses and desires. We need to turn our lives over to him and
do his will in every way, every day. Jesus is clear - dying to self is a call
to the absolute surrender of ourselves to the will of God.
The cross that Jesus is referring
to is that meeting place of where we thought we were going and the disruption,
or event, that causes us to re-think and re-calculate our way. It is that place
in time when we realize that our lives must change, dramatically, because of
something that we have seen, or heard, or experienced.
The cross that Jesus is referring
to is our answer to a call from God to move forward into a place we never
dreamed of, on a journey that is driven by our response to God’s will in our lives.
A journey that quite possibly
will challenge us in ways that have yet to be known and that are, most probably
going to be, far from comfortable. A journey through which we will become a new
self – one that is grounded in Christ.
“If anyone 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 will
find it.”
So, what does this mean for those
of us here at St Simon’s today? What does it mean for mean in my post-mission
turmoil? What does it mean for all of us who want to jump on the next plane to
Houston and offer whatever talents and treasure that we possess? What does it
mean for those of us who have other needs or concerns pressing on our hearts
and minds?
I believe that this is where
Paul’s exhortations are so very important. He begins, “Let love be genuine…”
Paul is speaking in this passage
of love as agape - the highest
possible form of love. The love of God for man and of man’s corresponding love
for God. Agape embraces a
universal, unconditional love that transcends and persists regardless of
circumstance – it is not mere fellowship or a friendly passing acquaintance. Agape is complete, unconditional, and selfless
love of the other – no matter where; no matter when.
What does agape have to do with our response to any desire within us – the
need to rush back to Haiti; the need to rush off to Houston; or, any other
impulse that befalls us. Jesus and Paul
both demand that agape form the basis
for our thoughts and actions. They demand that our responses and reactions must
come from true love of and for the other – agape
- not from a need to quiet discomforting emotions within one’s self.
Agape
demands
that we carefully discern between our own needs; our own desires; our own
anxieties, and the true needs and desires of the other. Our cross – the cross
that Jesus is asking us to take up if we wish to follow him – this cross is always
founded on agape– true love. Once
true love has replaced concern for self and personal needs, desires and
agendas, all else falls into place. It is only then that with zeal and ardent
spirit we can take up our cross and follow Jesus; rejoicing in hope, being
patient in our suffering as we journey to serve “the other,” and through
serving the other, serve Christ.
When Jesus says, “Take up your
cross and follow me,” there is no doubt that he is inviting us to follow him;
but, he does not want as disciples a burdensome rag tag bunch of stragglers who
pull at the hem of his robe. Jesus does not want those whom he has invited to
be the rock of the church’s foundation to instead become stumbling blocks that
cause us to lose our way.
Jesus is inviting us to be rocks
that form a strong foundation; and so, he will accept as true disciples only those
willing to carry an agape cross, a
cross of love and compassion for the other – not always a safe and comfortable task. But it is only an agape cross that will bring love, light, compassion and healing to
those with whom we are called to work.
My agape cross is Haiti. My cross brings with it frustration, pain,
anxiety, confusion, fatigue and a host of other feelings – none of them very
comfortable; many of them quite complex. It is a cross that requires deep and
continual prayer, ongoing discernment and tons of patience. It is a cross that
binds the people of Haiti into the depths of my heart and soul. I have often
said, “My heart belongs to Haiti.”
My agape cross does not allow me to jump on a plane and rush back to
Haiti.
My agape cross demands that I not give in to immediate frustrations
and anxieties, but that I spend prayerful time discerning and planning my next
steps in Haiti. I want to serve God’s mission, not my own.
What is your agape cross? How does it tug at your heart?
Take up you cross, the Savior said, if
you would my disciple be; take up your cross
with
willing heart, and humbly follow after me.
Take up your cross let not its weight fill
your weak spirit with alarm; his strength
shall bear your
spirit up, and brace your heart, and nerve
your arm.
Take up your cross and follow Christ, nor
think
think till death to lay it down; for only
those who
bear
the cross may hope to wear the glorious crown.
