Dear friends in Christ.
On February 19, 1812, 24 year old Adoniram Judson and his wife, Ann set out together with another missionary couple on their way to Burma, India. Once in Burma, Judson worked for 18 years without a furlough. During the first six years he worked he didn’t even have one single convert. He endured torture and imprisonment, and he admitted that he never saw a ship sail without wanting to jump on board and go home. When his wife's health broke and he put her on a homebound vessel in the knowledge he would not see her for two full years, he confided to his diary: "If we could find some quiet resting place on earth where we could spend the rest of our days in peace. . ." But he steadied himself with this remarkable postscript: "Life is short. Millions of Burmese are perishing. I am almost the only person on earth who has attained their language to communicate salvation. . ." Though he dealt with some incredibly difficult circumstances, he remained committed to his mission because he viewed mission work as a job for life, not merely as a job for a few years. When he died in 1850, though he had not seen vast numbers of Burmese people saved through his ministry, his work in Burma and his translation of the Bible into Burmese revealed how he had totally committed himself to Christ his Savior.
Well, in the same way that Judson had so completely committed himself to Christ his Savior, so also Christ our Savior is calling on each and every one of us to commit ourselves to him. In fact, if you open your Bibles to our lesson from Luke 14, you will find that our Savior is calling on us to commit ourselves to him. While you are turning to Luke 14:25-33, let me set the stage for you. For some time now, Jesus has been teaching the people on the other side of the Jordan River, which was known as the region of Perea. This was the very region where Jesus had sent those 72 disciples to prepare the way for him. Now, as Jesus was traveling and making his way to Jerusalem, he was traveling with a large crowd of people. He was traveling with a large crowd of people who may well have been pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover. As they traveled, Jesus took the time to teach them just how important it was for them, as believers, to commit themselves to Christ. Take a look at what Luke tells us in verses 25 and 26: “Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:25-26, NIV)
Now, I don’t know about you, but when I first read these words, I was shocked! I mean, what is Jesus saying here? Why is he telling me that if I want to be his disciple I have to first hate my parents, my spouse, my siblings, my family, even my own life? Isn’t Jesus the one who so regularly teaches that we need to love each other as ourselves? Isn’t he the one who teaches how important it is for me to love my enemies and pray for those who are persecuting me? What is he doing here? Is he contradicting himself? Is he introducing some post modern idea that hating is actually loving, and loving is actually hating? Is he setting me up for some kind of practical joke that will be revealed in the next verses of our lesson today? No. Jesus is not doing any of these things. Instead, what Jesus is doing here is using some very harsh language to help us understand just how important it is for us to commit ourselves to Christ our Savior. He is telling us just how important it is for us, as his disciples, not to allow anyone or anything to distract us from our commitment to Jesus Christ our Savior. In other words, we must be ready to turn our backs on anything or anyone that distracts us from our commitment to Jesus Christ. This is what Jesus is talking about when he says we must hate our parents, spouse, children etc. Though we will continue to love them as Christ has loved us, if they should, in any way, seek to hinder our faith or keep us from our Savior, then we must hate them by turning our backs on them, even breaking our association with them if necessary, so that we might continue on in our commitment to Christ.
This is the type of commitment that Judson demonstrated as he worked with the Burmese people, and this is the type of commitment that the Lord Jesus is looking for from us! For the truth is, now that we have been called to faith in Jesus Christ our Savior, we have the gift of eternal life. Now that we have been called to faith in him and through faith have committed ourselves to Christ, we know the eternal joy that awaits us, and the eternal destruction that awaits us, if we should fall away. This is why our Savior is calling on us to consider the cost of discipleship now that we have committed ourselves to him, because being his disciple is much more than simply calling oneself a Christian. Discipleship is about being committed to Christ our Savior, living our faith in all that we say and do, feeding our faith by gathering for worship on a regular basis, growing in our faith by regularly reading the Word of God for ourselves, understanding that no matter what it might cost us to remain faithful to our Savior that price is mere pennies compared to the cost we will pay in eternity if we fall away from him. Take a look again at what Jesus is saying in verses 26-33: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple 27 And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. 28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? 29 For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, 30 saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’ 31 “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33 In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:26–33, NIV)
With these very clear examples; Jesus lays out for us exactly what committing ourselves to him is all about. Committing ourselves to him is all about walking the path he walked—the path that led him to the cross. Though Jesus knew what it would cost him to take on our human flesh and blood, he did it anyway. Though Jesus knew that going to Jerusalem would result in his crucifixion, the Bible tells us that Jesus committed himself to his heavenly Father, setting his face resolutely to go to Jerusalem. Though he knew the mockery and the beatings he would face, Jesus stood silently before his accusers and allowed events to unfold as they had to. Though he knew the pain that was coming, even as the soldiers nailed him to the cross, he breathed a prayer of forgiveness for them. Though he knew the abandonment and the suffering he would endure, Jesus remained on the cross because he was committed to his heavenly Father and to his mission of forgiving our sins. Because Jesus so willingly committed himself to the Lord and took up his cross for our salvation, we can be confident that our sins have been forgiven. Because Jesus so clearly demonstrated his love for us by his commitment to his heavenly Father, we now seek to show our love and our thankfulness to him by carrying our own crosses and following after him.
Yes, it is Jesus’ love for us that moves us to take up our own crosses and follow him. Though each one of us must carry a different cross through this life, we know that the Lord our God has not given us more than we can possibly handle. Though we each face a different set of burdens in this life when we remember how willingly Jesus suffered death on the cross for us and then rose to life again for our acquittal, those burdens become that much lighter as we commit ourselves more fully to Christ our Savior. Though today those crosses might seem all the harder to bear as the shadow of economic uncertainty hangs over us, our Savior has promised to help carry whatever burden we might have. For when we commit ourselves to Christ, it is Christ our Savior who walks beside us. Though he is the one who has give us the crosses we must carry, he is also the one who helps us when they become to difficult to carry. For when we find that we have grown too weary, or tired, or simply feel that we are unable to carry on, it is Jesus who take that burden from us. He places it on his own shoulders and carries us in his arms until we are once again able to carry on.
This is what the Lord did for Judson as he worked in Burma. Though he carried a heavy cross at times the Lord continued by his side and helped him through. Though he may not have had the success he had hoped for or of which he had dreamed, the Lord blessed his work and his commitment was rewarded in ways that Judson may never have realized. The same is true for us, though we may carry some heavy crosses through this life, it is the Lord who helps us through. Though we may be facing some difficult times with family, friends, or even the economy, we know that our Savior still walks beside us and will help us. No matter what crosses we might bear in this life, we are looking forward to the joys of eternal life by our Savior’s side forever because through faith we have committed ourselves to Christ our Savior.
Amen.
Pastor David M. Shilling
Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church--Le Sueur, MN
Showing posts with label Carry Cross. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Carry Cross. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Dare to Be Disciples of Christ (Mark 8:27-35)
Dear friends in Christ.
Just a little over 25 years ago, Warner Brothers Studios released a movie about a little boy named Ralphie Parker—a little boy who wanted nothing more than a Red Rider BB gun with a compass in the stock and this thing which tells time. As the movie progresses, we follow Ralphie’s life as he struggles to give just the right BB gun hints to his parents, as his brother struggles to put his arms down, as he and his friends run from the neighborhood bully, and how he finally gets the gift he’s been dreaming of for the whole movie. Yet, out of all the fun this movie has to offer, there is one scene that always stands out in my mind when I think about this movie, and that is the school scene with the flag pole and the exchange between Flick and Schwartz. You may remember how it happened, all the boys standing around a flag pole during recess and Schwartz begins to dare Flick to stick his tongue to the pole. He dares Flick, he double dares him, he double dog dares him, and finally after Flick receives the triple dog dare, he gives in to the dare and stick his tongue to the pole. Though he knew he should have just walked away, rather than backing down, Flick dared to stick his tongue to a flag pole, got stuck, and as the movie goes, had to be rescued by the police and the fire department! Well, as Christians, our Savior is in some ways playing the role of Schwartz as he dares us to be his disciples. But rather than daring us to do something foolish, he is daring us to screw our courage to its sticking place as we dare to be his disciples who boldly confess his name, who boldly believe in his mission and who boldly follow him carrying our own crosses. In fact, listen to the beginning of Jesus daring us to be his disciples, Mark records, “Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Christ.” (Mark 8:27-29)
In his characteristically bold manor, Peter jumped forward and answered Jesus’ question for all the disciples who were there. He demonstrated that he understood who Jesus was and confessed him as the Christ. Though he didn’t fully understand what it meant for Jesus to be the Christ, Peter placed his faith in Jesus none-the-less. Though he had recently seen crowds of people turn away from Jesus and stop following him, Peter was the one who stated, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” Though they had seen some of the more sever persecution that Jesus had lately faced, Peter still dared to be a disciple of Christ!
Well, this is what the Lord Jesus would have each and every one of us do. He would have us dare to be his disciples who boldly and proudly confess his name. He would have us confess our faith in him before our friends and family; before our neighbors and co-workers. In fact, our Savior would have us boldly confess his name in any and every situation in our lives. But how often aren’t we simply afraid to do that very thing? Though here in church we boldly sing our Alleluias and confess the name of Jesus Christ our Savior, how often doesn’t it happen that as soon as we walk out those doors, our daring goes away? How often hasn’t it happened that we were afraid to share our faith with our friends because we are worried that they might ridicule us for what we believe? How often haven’t we walked away from a religious conversation because we were too afraid we might say the wrong thing? How often hasn’t our courage failed us so that rather than daring to stand out as Jesus’ disciples we seek to simply blend in with the rest of humanity and hope that no one will notice who whom we belong? Sadly, these are the things that happen far too often, and I know this from experience, because I too have let my courage waver and have not dared to be a disciple of Christ or to boldly confess his name when the situation warranted.
But even though we have all faced times when our courage has failed us and we have joined Peter in denying our Savior, our Savior still offers his forgiveness. Just as the Lord forgave Peter and publicly reinstated him as a disciple after his resurrection, so also when we turn to the Lord in repentance, he is the one who forgives us. He is the one who reinstates us as his disciples. He is the one who bolsters our courage through the Holy Spirit whom he has sent to live in our hearts, and he is the one whose love emboldens our daring so that we eagerly show ourselves as his disciples who are not only bold to confess his name, but who also boldly believe in his mission.
Now, in the movie, when Flick finally stuck his tongue to the pole, he was surprised that it stuck. In fact, when you watch the movie, you will hear a couple of boys say something like, “Wow! It actually worked.” Though Flick started his mission of tongue sticking with disbelieve, he quickly began to believe from experience that a warm wet tongue will quickly freeze to a flag pole. Well, in our text today, as Jesus dares us to be his disciples, he doesn’t ask us to blindly follow him in his mission. Rather, he begins to clearly and fully lay out his mission as the Christ to his daring disciples. Though he had spoken to them many times about how his mission was to suffer many things, to die on the cross, and then be raised to life on the third day, he had always spoken about these things in a veiled manner. However, as Mark tells us “Jesus then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. ‘Get behind me, Satan!’ he said. ‘You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.’” (Mark 8:31-33)
Though moments earlier, Peter had confessed Jesus as the Christ, and all the disciples had agreed with him, they still didn’t fully understand what Jesus mission was. Though they had been with Jesus for a little over two years, they still had the false idea that the Christ was to come and be an earthly Messiah. The Christ was to come and overthrow the Roman Government, establishing an earthly kingdom which he would reign over from Jerusalem. In the disciples minds, suffering and death simply didn’t fit, and that is why Peter took Jesus aside. He took Jesus aside to try to reason with him, show him, and convince him that there was no need for him to do these. But suffering at the hands of the religious leaders and dying for the sins of the world was the very reason that Jesus had come. This was the mission he was on and this is why he answered Peter as he did.
Sadly, this is how the unbelieving world views our Savior. Very few know who he truly was or understand or believe in his mission as we, his daring disciples do. In fact, if you were to ask the people of the world you would find out that many of them think that Jesus was nothing more than a prophet who conveyed a radically new message about loving each other. Others think of him as nothing more than a good man who lived a good live and gave us a good example to follow. But when it comes right down to it, if you asked people why Jesus willingly went to the cross to die, at best most people will think that Jesus was nothing more than a martyr who so believed his message of love that he was willing to show the greatest example of love by dying for his teaching.
It is because of this that Jesus is speaking so clearly about his mission as the Christ here on earth so that we, his daring disciples, might boldly believe that his mission on earth was to suffer for the sins of the world, endure the flames of hell in our place as he was rejected by God himself, pour out his blood to atone for the sins of the world, give up his life to pay the penalty that Almighty God had demanded for our sins, and then, when all hope seemed to be lost, rise again on the third day to assure us that he had completed his mission and that our sins have been paid for! This is why Jesus speaks so clearly about his mission so that we might boldly believe in it and what he accomplished for us. For when we are reminded of Christ’s willing sacrifice for us, we who are his daring disciples, are emboldened in our faith, strengthened in our courage, and ready to go forward, boldly following him while carrying our cross.
When flick stuck his tongue to the flag pole, he quickly discovered that his daring had given him a great number of hardships, as the movie showed, he remained stuck to that flag pole while all the other children ran inside. Well the same thing is true for you and me who willingly dare to be Christ’s disciples! As soon as we put on that robe of righteousness that marks us as one of his followers, we find ourselves facing any number of hardships as we boldly follow after Christ, carrying the cross that he has given us. This, in fact, is exactly what Jesus is talking about as he says, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.” (Mark 8:34, 35)
For the disciples this was the first time that Jesus clearly spoken about what was ahead for them. Though they had seen opposition as the religious leaders did everything they could to oppose him, more was to come. Though they had seen rejection as crowds of people stopped following Jesus, this was only a taste of what was to come in the future. For when they were out on their own, the disciples would face stoning, prison time, beatings, and hardships all for the name of Jesus whom they proclaimed.
As Christ’s daring disciples, we boldly follow him as we carry our own cross. We dare to follow him as disciples even though we know we may have to carry a cross of rejection. We dare to follow him even though we may face a cross of ridicule. We dare to follow him even though we may have to carry a cross of lost friends. We dare to follow him even though we might have to carry a cross of financial hardship because of what we believe. We dare to follow him even though we might have to carry a cross of being hated by our friends or even family because we have spoken up and said what was right when no one else would. We dare to follow him even though we may one day have to carry a cross of prison time because God’s Word has become hate speech. WE dare to follow him even though we may one day have to carry the cross of going underground because the world simply will not put up with the truth of God’s Word. We dare to follow Christ as his disciples no matter what type of cross we might one day have to carry, because we understand what Jesus meant when he said, “whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.” (Mark 8:35)
No matter what cross the Lord would have us carry it is designed to draw us closer to him. It is designed to make us place daring disciples who place our trust in him not relying on the things of this world, but looking to the Lord our God, trusting that one day he will deliver us from this life to our heavenly home.
Though Flick may have taken a foolish dare in the movie I’ve been describing, as Christians, we have not foolishly taken our Savior’s dare. Rather, we have boldly dared to be his disciples who willingly confess his name, believe his mission, and even carry the crosses which he, himself, has assigned to us.
Amen.
Pastor David M. Shilling
Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church -Le Sueur, MN
Just a little over 25 years ago, Warner Brothers Studios released a movie about a little boy named Ralphie Parker—a little boy who wanted nothing more than a Red Rider BB gun with a compass in the stock and this thing which tells time. As the movie progresses, we follow Ralphie’s life as he struggles to give just the right BB gun hints to his parents, as his brother struggles to put his arms down, as he and his friends run from the neighborhood bully, and how he finally gets the gift he’s been dreaming of for the whole movie. Yet, out of all the fun this movie has to offer, there is one scene that always stands out in my mind when I think about this movie, and that is the school scene with the flag pole and the exchange between Flick and Schwartz. You may remember how it happened, all the boys standing around a flag pole during recess and Schwartz begins to dare Flick to stick his tongue to the pole. He dares Flick, he double dares him, he double dog dares him, and finally after Flick receives the triple dog dare, he gives in to the dare and stick his tongue to the pole. Though he knew he should have just walked away, rather than backing down, Flick dared to stick his tongue to a flag pole, got stuck, and as the movie goes, had to be rescued by the police and the fire department! Well, as Christians, our Savior is in some ways playing the role of Schwartz as he dares us to be his disciples. But rather than daring us to do something foolish, he is daring us to screw our courage to its sticking place as we dare to be his disciples who boldly confess his name, who boldly believe in his mission and who boldly follow him carrying our own crosses. In fact, listen to the beginning of Jesus daring us to be his disciples, Mark records, “Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.” “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Christ.” (Mark 8:27-29)
In his characteristically bold manor, Peter jumped forward and answered Jesus’ question for all the disciples who were there. He demonstrated that he understood who Jesus was and confessed him as the Christ. Though he didn’t fully understand what it meant for Jesus to be the Christ, Peter placed his faith in Jesus none-the-less. Though he had recently seen crowds of people turn away from Jesus and stop following him, Peter was the one who stated, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” Though they had seen some of the more sever persecution that Jesus had lately faced, Peter still dared to be a disciple of Christ!
Well, this is what the Lord Jesus would have each and every one of us do. He would have us dare to be his disciples who boldly and proudly confess his name. He would have us confess our faith in him before our friends and family; before our neighbors and co-workers. In fact, our Savior would have us boldly confess his name in any and every situation in our lives. But how often aren’t we simply afraid to do that very thing? Though here in church we boldly sing our Alleluias and confess the name of Jesus Christ our Savior, how often doesn’t it happen that as soon as we walk out those doors, our daring goes away? How often hasn’t it happened that we were afraid to share our faith with our friends because we are worried that they might ridicule us for what we believe? How often haven’t we walked away from a religious conversation because we were too afraid we might say the wrong thing? How often hasn’t our courage failed us so that rather than daring to stand out as Jesus’ disciples we seek to simply blend in with the rest of humanity and hope that no one will notice who whom we belong? Sadly, these are the things that happen far too often, and I know this from experience, because I too have let my courage waver and have not dared to be a disciple of Christ or to boldly confess his name when the situation warranted.
But even though we have all faced times when our courage has failed us and we have joined Peter in denying our Savior, our Savior still offers his forgiveness. Just as the Lord forgave Peter and publicly reinstated him as a disciple after his resurrection, so also when we turn to the Lord in repentance, he is the one who forgives us. He is the one who reinstates us as his disciples. He is the one who bolsters our courage through the Holy Spirit whom he has sent to live in our hearts, and he is the one whose love emboldens our daring so that we eagerly show ourselves as his disciples who are not only bold to confess his name, but who also boldly believe in his mission.
Now, in the movie, when Flick finally stuck his tongue to the pole, he was surprised that it stuck. In fact, when you watch the movie, you will hear a couple of boys say something like, “Wow! It actually worked.” Though Flick started his mission of tongue sticking with disbelieve, he quickly began to believe from experience that a warm wet tongue will quickly freeze to a flag pole. Well, in our text today, as Jesus dares us to be his disciples, he doesn’t ask us to blindly follow him in his mission. Rather, he begins to clearly and fully lay out his mission as the Christ to his daring disciples. Though he had spoken to them many times about how his mission was to suffer many things, to die on the cross, and then be raised to life on the third day, he had always spoken about these things in a veiled manner. However, as Mark tells us “Jesus then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. ‘Get behind me, Satan!’ he said. ‘You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.’” (Mark 8:31-33)
Though moments earlier, Peter had confessed Jesus as the Christ, and all the disciples had agreed with him, they still didn’t fully understand what Jesus mission was. Though they had been with Jesus for a little over two years, they still had the false idea that the Christ was to come and be an earthly Messiah. The Christ was to come and overthrow the Roman Government, establishing an earthly kingdom which he would reign over from Jerusalem. In the disciples minds, suffering and death simply didn’t fit, and that is why Peter took Jesus aside. He took Jesus aside to try to reason with him, show him, and convince him that there was no need for him to do these. But suffering at the hands of the religious leaders and dying for the sins of the world was the very reason that Jesus had come. This was the mission he was on and this is why he answered Peter as he did.
Sadly, this is how the unbelieving world views our Savior. Very few know who he truly was or understand or believe in his mission as we, his daring disciples do. In fact, if you were to ask the people of the world you would find out that many of them think that Jesus was nothing more than a prophet who conveyed a radically new message about loving each other. Others think of him as nothing more than a good man who lived a good live and gave us a good example to follow. But when it comes right down to it, if you asked people why Jesus willingly went to the cross to die, at best most people will think that Jesus was nothing more than a martyr who so believed his message of love that he was willing to show the greatest example of love by dying for his teaching.
It is because of this that Jesus is speaking so clearly about his mission as the Christ here on earth so that we, his daring disciples, might boldly believe that his mission on earth was to suffer for the sins of the world, endure the flames of hell in our place as he was rejected by God himself, pour out his blood to atone for the sins of the world, give up his life to pay the penalty that Almighty God had demanded for our sins, and then, when all hope seemed to be lost, rise again on the third day to assure us that he had completed his mission and that our sins have been paid for! This is why Jesus speaks so clearly about his mission so that we might boldly believe in it and what he accomplished for us. For when we are reminded of Christ’s willing sacrifice for us, we who are his daring disciples, are emboldened in our faith, strengthened in our courage, and ready to go forward, boldly following him while carrying our cross.
When flick stuck his tongue to the flag pole, he quickly discovered that his daring had given him a great number of hardships, as the movie showed, he remained stuck to that flag pole while all the other children ran inside. Well the same thing is true for you and me who willingly dare to be Christ’s disciples! As soon as we put on that robe of righteousness that marks us as one of his followers, we find ourselves facing any number of hardships as we boldly follow after Christ, carrying the cross that he has given us. This, in fact, is exactly what Jesus is talking about as he says, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.” (Mark 8:34, 35)
For the disciples this was the first time that Jesus clearly spoken about what was ahead for them. Though they had seen opposition as the religious leaders did everything they could to oppose him, more was to come. Though they had seen rejection as crowds of people stopped following Jesus, this was only a taste of what was to come in the future. For when they were out on their own, the disciples would face stoning, prison time, beatings, and hardships all for the name of Jesus whom they proclaimed.
As Christ’s daring disciples, we boldly follow him as we carry our own cross. We dare to follow him as disciples even though we know we may have to carry a cross of rejection. We dare to follow him even though we may face a cross of ridicule. We dare to follow him even though we may have to carry a cross of lost friends. We dare to follow him even though we might have to carry a cross of financial hardship because of what we believe. We dare to follow him even though we might have to carry a cross of being hated by our friends or even family because we have spoken up and said what was right when no one else would. We dare to follow him even though we may one day have to carry a cross of prison time because God’s Word has become hate speech. WE dare to follow him even though we may one day have to carry the cross of going underground because the world simply will not put up with the truth of God’s Word. We dare to follow Christ as his disciples no matter what type of cross we might one day have to carry, because we understand what Jesus meant when he said, “whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.” (Mark 8:35)
No matter what cross the Lord would have us carry it is designed to draw us closer to him. It is designed to make us place daring disciples who place our trust in him not relying on the things of this world, but looking to the Lord our God, trusting that one day he will deliver us from this life to our heavenly home.
Though Flick may have taken a foolish dare in the movie I’ve been describing, as Christians, we have not foolishly taken our Savior’s dare. Rather, we have boldly dared to be his disciples who willingly confess his name, believe his mission, and even carry the crosses which he, himself, has assigned to us.
Amen.
Pastor David M. Shilling
Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church -Le Sueur, MN
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