Cross-ways

Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost

August 30, 2020

"Cross-ways"

Matthew 16:21-28

16:21 From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.

16:22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, "God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you."

16:23 But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things."

16:24 Then Jesus told his disciples, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.

16:25 For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.

16:26 For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life?

16:27 "For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done.

16:28 Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."

MessageCross-ways

Sermon begins by carrying a large wooden cross down the center aisle.

Boy that is a heavy one.  Try carrying that around for a week.  I wonder what coworkers would say if we carried a large cross to work.  I wander what people would think if we brought this cross into the restaurant when we go to brunch after this morning’s worship. 

It would be dramatic.  Give people something to talk about. 

“Deny yourself, take up your cross, follow me…” these words of Jesus jump from the pages of Scripture as a challenge to all those who call upon his name. 

The Scripture readings for this morning are examples of reluctant followers walking the crossways through renewal to transformation.

Jeremiah is called by God in a dramatic vision.  Jeremiah refuses the initial call – does not want to be a prophet.  God’s hand comes down and stuffs words – God’s message into the mouth of Jeremiah.  Now he cannot help but speak to the people.

Jeremiah is center stage in the 6^th century when Jerusalem is overrun by the Babylonian Empire and the Temple is destroyed.  He did not choose to be center stage but was called by God to speak of Israel’s unfaithfulness and her refusal to repent and turn from worshipping other gods.

Jeremiah was a dramatic prophet – full of antics that embodied God’s message.  Once God told him to take his shirt and wear it for a long time until it got rancid – like old sweat clothes in a men’s locker room. 

Jeremiah complains and laments and wants to get this shirt off his back.  He does so and is allowed to bury it.  What a relief. 

A few weeks later God tells Jeremiah to dig up that rag – put it on a stick – and hold it in front of God’s people – proclaiming to them – this is what God thinks of you – you have broken covenant – and you stink like this shirt.

Jeremiah made a lot of enemies with such antics as he preached the message of God.  The reading this morning is his lament to God – which after letting off steam – he is told that God has Jeremiah’s back.

The call of Jeremiah is a process of orientation / disorientation / reorientation.  At birth he is a priest’s kid hoping for a normal life…as normal as that might be in the 6^th century.  God calls him and there is major disorientation – he wants nothing to do with being a prophet.  Yet he is captured by the call.  This leads to a reorientation.

Paul is a Pharisee – a scholar of the Torah – the Law.  Paul - once known as Saul – is writing a letter to Christians in Rome.  He too has experienced God’s call.  Saul persecuted the early Christians.  He held the coats, the garments of those who stoned Stephen to death.  He was part of a plot to destroy the followers of Jesus.

On the road to Damascus he encounters Jesus in a vision.  He is stunned and blinded for several days until a follower of Christ by the name of Ananias comes and touches him and his eyes are open.  Yet, he takes off to the Arabian Desert for several years of reflection – returning with a new name – Paul and champion of the teachings of Jesus.

Crossways – the way of the cross – losing life to find it:  orientation / disorientation / reorientation. 

Peter had a pretty good job.  The fishing industry in Galilee was going fairly well.  And his partnership with the Sons of Zebedee – James and John gave Peter and his family a sense of security. 

Than this itinerant Rabbi comes along – Peter and his fellow fishermen follow.  In the three years that they follow Jesus they leave their comfortable orientation and are disoriented – confused and wondering at the teaching of the Prophet/Messiah – Jesus.  Upon his horrific death they are lost – totally disorientated.  But the Spirit springs upon them – the Spirit of the resurrected Christ and they are transformed and put on a new path.

Crossways – the way of the cross – losing life to find it:  orientation / disorientation / reorientation.

What about us today in our lives as individuals in our lives as a church – a community of faith.  God is still calling us through the crossways.

Our life as individuals – as a church is the path of the cross.

If we gather to have our current orientation affirmed – beware – it won’t be.  The teachings of Jesus are dangerous and Jesus himself embodies the way of transformation.

Pastor Bob Hillenbrand tells this story of a church he served.  During Lent the Worship Team decided to put a large heavy cross in the sanctuary in the way of people – a place that people might trip over it. 

A member inquired:  “Why?  Why is the cross there?  Do you want to trip people up?  That is a dangerous place to put the cross in the middle aisle where folks have to tiptoe around it.”

To which Bob gently replied:  “You got the message.”

The cross is dangerous and folks prefer to tiptoe around it rather than carry it or take the words of Jesus to heart.

The Christian faith consists of crossways:  moving from orientation to disorientation to reorientation.  God is calling us to a different lifestyle:

Listen to what Paul says in Romans as he describes a reorientation to life:

“Let love be genuine…love one another with a mutual affection…outdo one another in showing honor…bless those who persecute you…do not repay anyone evil for evil...if you enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.  Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Paul echoes the teachings of Jesus when Jesus says that we are to turn the other cheek, walk the extra mile, if they take our cloak – outer garment – give them the inner garment as well. Talk about a reorientation in life this is it.

But to many it sounds like Christians are to simply be carpets that people can walk on.  That we simply take the abuse!

That simply is not true – what both Jesus and Paul are advocating is to humanize the enemy – bring the enemy to a level playing field.

The teachings of Jesus – echoed in the teachings of Paul are revolutionary – they are indeed a reorientation to life.

Turn the other cheek – the ancients had this thing about left hands.  The left hand is impure – one would never publicly use their left hand.  So, a person hitting me with their right hand – if I turn the other check they have to disgrace themselves publicly if they are to hit me with their left hand and in that culture it would have been taboo.

Soldiers were prohibited from making indigenous people to walk more than a mile without advanced commands from superiors.  Soldiers faced disgrace in their ranks.  Walking the extra mile challenges the authority of the oppressor.

The outer garment can be demanded by the occupying forces.  To give the inner garment as well would mean going naked.  That too, would not disgrace the person who gave the inner garment – but the person who remained present to the disrobed person.

So – feeding enemies – giving them to drink – is a reorientation and a way to level the playing field and humanize the situation.

Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., Nelson Mandela are dramatic examples of reorientation.  But, you might contest – “I am not a Nelson Mandela!”

No, but you are a follower of Christ and empowered by God’s Word and the Sacraments you are being shaped into the body of Christ.

We are all on a learning curve – hearing the teachings of Jesus, taking those teaching to heart and moving through the crossway from orientation to disorientation to reorientation.

God is in the process of reordering our lives and the life of this Church reorienting us toward mission and being a servant church.

Amen.