Loving God, you have created, redeemed and sanctified each one of us, telling us through the Scriptures how valuable we are to you. Help us to recognize the value of each person as we gather together today, and to glorify you by recognizing Jesus as the Lord of our lives; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

When we are born, we all start out as extremely self-centered people. When we are hungry, we cry. When we need some hugging and holding, we cry. When we need our diapers changed, we cry. When we are hurt or scared, we cry. We cry in order to let people know that we need something, and if those needs don’t get met, then we cry some more. As babies, we do not ask questions such as, “Is this a good time for my mother to feed me?” or “Will I be interrupting my parents’ sleep?”. Our only concern is that we need something – right now!

Then, as we get a little bit older, we start to be able to speak rather than cry. “I want” becomes a very common refrain, as well as “No!” whenever we are told what somebody else wants. Some even resort to temper tantrums if things don’t go their own way.

Now, the hope is that as we mature, we learn how to take into account the needs and the feelings of other people. Some people do better at this than others. Some never seem to get past the stage of, “I want it and I want it right now!”. Some go to the opposite extreme, and learn to only be concerned about what others need, never giving a second thought to looking after their own health and well-being. Others end up somewhere in between.

And then Jesus comes along and says, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (Mk. 8:34). Now, some might immediately jump to conclusions and say that this is exactly the behaviour that I just mentioned – being concerned only about what others need, and never about yourself. Is this really what God wants for us?

Even Jesus, who certainly gave himself for others, still took the time to take care of himself. When he needed to be strengthened and to re-focus, he took the time away from others for prayer, even though the people were still there, clamoring for his attention. When his disciples needed a break from the crowds, he sent them away by themselves. When Jesus was at his lowest points, he accepted the ministry of angels to strengthen him. He allowed others to provide food for him, while providing those same people with love and caring and teaching them about God’s way. Jesus not only gave himself for others. He also allowed others to give to him.

Jesus knew the truth about his own value, as well as the value of other people. I do not believe that Jesus would support the attitude that many people seem to have that they are worthless and unworthy of receiving anything from anybody. I do not believe that this is what the Scriptures mean when we hear about denying ourselves, and taking up our cross, and dying to self. The Bible does not talk simply about loving your neighbour, but “Love your neighbour as yourself.” Is it really possible to have love for your neighbour, and yet despise yourself? On the other hand, is it really possible to love your neighbour if you believe that you are the only person who really matters?

The truth that the Scriptures reveal about each one of us is this: We are created by God in the image of God. Although we were created good, we became selfish and wanted to be God. As our own self-centeredness took over, we started hurting others in order to get what we want. Our relationships became broken ones – with God, with others, and with ourselves. However, God was not willing to allow us to do this to ourselves. God’s desire for us to live in relationships of love never wavered. So God sent Jesus to live the life that we couldn’t and to die the death that we would never want to. God said to each one of us, “You are worth the death of my Son.” Because of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, the power of sin and death has been broken. All who put their faith in Jesus are set free to live a new life by the power of the Spirit.

When I put my faith in Jesus Christ, I am set free from the illusion that everything is all about me. As much as I might like it to, the whole world does not revolve around me. In fact, if I think that it does, I will be very disappointed because things will quite often not go my way. Really, having faith in Jesus Christ gives us a new perspective on things, or, as Paul says, transforms us by the renewing of our minds! (Rom. 12:2)

For example, in the midst of a crisis, somebody who is self-centered will say things like, “Why me? Poor me. I don’t deserve this. Why does everything always happen to me?” In the same situation, somebody who is Christ-centered will say, “Lord God, you have the power to heal me and to strengthen me. Lead me out of this darkness and heal me according to your will.” Somebody who is Christ-centered will recognize that they are not the only person on earth who has ever had to deal with pain and sorrow.

When faced with the prospect of war and terrorism and all kinds of fearful things over which most of us have no control whatsoever, those with a self-centered perspective will tend to give in to fear and worry and will start buying plastic sheeting and duct tape. In the same situation, those whose perspective is centered around Christ will pray about those things that are out of their control, and will do whatever is within their power to work towards the peace and well-being of all people.

When things are going really well, somebody who is self-centered will say things like, “Look at what I can do! How can I make this into more for me and my family? How can I preserve as much of this as possible for the future?” In the same situation, somebody who is Christ-centered would give thanks to God for the blessings that have been given to them and would ask themselves what is the most God-pleasing way to use their resources.

In each of these cases, having faith in Jesus Christ allows us to look at the past, the present and the future with a different perspective, knowing that all things belong to God and are ultimately in God’s hands. This is not a fatalistic view of the world, where we just don’t do anything because it’s all in God’s hands anyway, for all those who follow Jesus are called to continue his ministry here on this earth. Rather, this is a life that is lived with an awareness of God’s presence and power and of the value that God places on each and every person who lives on this earth.

Seeing things in this light is essential in order to understand what on earth Jesus was getting at when he told people to deny themselves and take up their cross and follow him. In this statement, there are three things that we are being asked to do. First, deny ourselves, which literally means to disown ourselves. We are to recognize that we belong to God and not to ourselves. God is the one in charge. Second, we are being asked to take up our cross. I really don’t think that crucifying ourselves is what Jesus has in mind. Perhaps it would be more accurate to look at our willingness to put our old self - our sinful self - our self-centered self - to death in order that we might be raised to a new life with Christ (cf. Rom. 6:1-7). Finally, we are being called to follow Jesus – to learn from him, to imitate his love and service for God and for others, and to recognize him as the one who gives us direction for our lives.

Now, to some people this might sound like imprisoning yourself, but it is exactly the opposite. God, who created us, knows where true joy is to be found. It is to be found in a life lived in love – love for God and for others and for ourselves. In a self-centered life, this is pretty much impossible. However, in a Christ-centered life, love and joy are possible, no matter what circumstances we might find ourselves in at the time, for they come from the Holy Spirit.

May we be transformed by the renewing of our minds, and find our hearts filled to overflowing with the love of Christ! Amen.

Lent 2(B)      Mark 8:31-38
March 8, 2009
St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church
Pastor Lynne Hutchison

© 2009 Lynne Hutchison  All Rights Reserved