Skip to main content

Taking Up the Cross


This past Sunday the lectionary reading from the gospels moved things on from Simon Peter's confession of Jesus as Christ (Matthew 16: 13-20) to the confrontation between Jesus and Simon over the direction Jesus was headed (Matthew 16: 21-28) and Jesus' challenging words:


"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me."

Matthew 16:24 (ANIV)

I've just recently completed Robyn Young's "Templar Trilogy" dealing with the latter years of the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem and the downfall of the Templar Order. If you want to read my full review of the final episode "Requiem" you can find it here, but basically all three were a bit of a slog, with the author trying to cover too much in any one book. She does manage to avoid a lot of the conspiracy-theory nonsense that many other "Templar" books are founded on, but she does seem to import a 21st century multi-faith/secularist mindset into the book... obfuscating, for me, one of the most interesting questions of the whole crusading/Christendom projects: that being, how did Jesus' instruction to take up the cross, get corrupted into the blasphemy that was the crusades, which in turn has blighted relationships between Muslim, Christian and Jew for nearly 1000 years (although it should also be remembered that "crusades" were also declared against schismatic/heretic Christian sects such as the Aligenses, and Eastern Orthodox)?
In many ways the "crusading" phenomenon was an example of what would have been the ultimate result of Simon Peter persuading Jesus to abandon his talk about suffering and death and following the expected Messianic path to conquest and power. But Jesus was definite in saying that was the way of the world rather than the way of God...
Yet today we still prefer the way of the world than the way of God... we are more comfortable with the stirring language of crusade than with really embracing the way of the cross… Conquest rather than sacrifice… Seeking power and influence rather than seeking to serve…
We still like the idea of wearing the cross... not necessarily a bright one emblazoned across our chests, but on our lapels and on chains around our necks... all the better if it brings us into conflict with worldly authorities, prompting (spurious) cries of "PERSECUTION!!!!!" and a crusading media campaign by the Christian Legal Centre or others.
Jesus didn't say to his disciples “By the crosses round your neck or on your lapel they shall know you.” He said:


"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

John 13:34-35 (ANIV)

Love should be our badge, our symbol… Not wishy, washy hearts and flowers love, but the sort of love that took Jesus to the cross: messy, painful sacrificial love and service.
Its not romantic, or sexy, and it probably won't result in many exciting novels or banner headlines, but such is the real way of the cross.


(An adaptation of part of my sermon last Sunday at Dundonald Methodist)
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Woman of no Distinction

Don't often post other people's stuff here... But I found this so powerful that I thought I should. It's a performance poem based on John 4: 4-30, and I have attached the original YouTube video below. A word for women, and men, everywhere... "to be known is to be loved, and to be loved is to be known." I am a woman of no distinction of little importance. I am a women of no reputation save that which is bad. You whisper as I pass by and cast judgmental glances, Though you don’t really take the time to look at me, Or even get to know me. For to be known is to be loved, And to be loved is to be known. Otherwise what’s the point in doing either one of them in the first place? I WANT TO BE KNOWN. I want someone to look at my face And not just see two eyes, a nose, a mouth and two ears; But to see all that I am, and could be all my hopes, loves and fears. But that’s too much to hope for, to wish for, or pray for So I don’t, not anymore. Now I keep to myself And by that
2 comments
Read more

Psalm for Harvest Sunday

A short responsive psalm for us as a call to worship on Harvest Thanksgiving Sunday, and given that it was pouring with rain as I headed into church this morning the first line is an important remembrance that the rain we moan about is an important component of the fruitfulness of the land we live in: You tend the land and water it And the earth produces its abundance. You crown each year with your bounty, and our storehouses overflow with your goodness. The mountain meadows are covered with flocks and the valleys are filled with corn; Your people celebrate your boundless grace They shout for joy and sing. from Psalm 65
3 comments
Read more

Anointed

There has been a lot of chatter on social media among some of my colleagues and others about the liturgical and socio-political niceties of Saturday's coronation and attendant festivities, especially the shielding of the anointing with the pictured spoon - the oldest and perhaps strangest of the coronation artefacts. Personally I thought that was at least an improvement on the cloth of gold canopy used in the previous coronation, but (pointless) debates are raging as to whether this is an ancient practice or was simply introduced in the previous service to shield the Queen from the TV cameras, not for purposes of sacredness, but understandable coyness, if she actually had to bare her breast bone in puritan 1950s Britain. But as any church leader knows, anything performed twice in a church becomes a tradition. All this goes to show that I did actually watch it, while doing other things - the whole shooting match from the pre-service concert with yer wumman in that lemon-
2 comments
Read more