Sermons Preached In Moody Texas

Moody First United Methodist Church

Mark 8:31-38 (NRSV)

Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.” He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any 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, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

The cross is “The Symbol” of the Christian faith. It is belief in Christ that separates Christianity from all other religions. It is the cross that is important as we come to believe in Jesus as Christ. Fred Craddock tells us that the gospel of Mark is a Good Friday gospel. By that he means that for Mark the cross is central to our understanding of Jesus.

We have all sorts of crosses around our home. I have two wooden crosses built for me by my good friend Tommie Tucker. We have a wooden cross built by Herbert Kattner. I have one wooden cross built specifically for me by a man in Northeastern Pennsylvania I have never met. I have a small wooden cross that belonged to an aunt. It is about 3 inches tall, made to hang on the wall, and on the back is stamped the word Jerusalem.

Rudolph Norden tells us in a book he wrote on symbols that there are 50 types of crosses used by the church today. They include the Latin cross, the Greek cross, the Tau cross and the Celtic cross. Endnote We have a cross on our altar table. There are crosses in stained glass windows and on the walls of our sanctuaries. Crosses appear on the top of steeples.

We have a beautiful cross given to us that is cast cement. The shape of the cross is made with oak leaves and something that looks like an angels skirt. It has acorns and stems of wheat decorating it. Engraved on that cross are the words “God shed His Grace on Thee.” It is sooo NICE.

I have made two wooden crosses as gifts to Diana. Not being a cabinet maker, it was difficult to notch the cross-arm and vertical piece to the precise dimensions so that the joint would look flawless. I sanded those pieces with progressively finer sandpapers. I stained the cross and then applied a finish coat followed by polishing with “0000″ steel wool. More finish followed by the polishing with fine steel wool. More finish and more polishing. More finish and more polishing. If I do say so myself, those crosses are beautiful. They are nice.

In your bulletin this week, the sermon title is “Be Happy.” You know, from that saying that went around a few years ago, “Don’t worry, be happy.” That title came to me while I was mowing on Monday. I knew where I was headed, and that would be a good title. You see, there is a real temptation to make the cross as smooth as possible. I was tempted to say to you today that cross bearing can be fun. I was even prepared to give some really good reasons why such a statement could be used in the context of today’s scripture lesson. BUT while I believe that there is some truth to the statement, that is not where Jesus was headed on that day.

While we want to make the cross NICE, while we want to display our polished gold crosses, the truth is Jesus was not referring to a NICE cross. The cross was an instrument created for the purpose of inflicting pain and persecution. It was Jesus who turned it into an instrument of suffering and sacrifice. It is we who have turned it into jewelry and decorations. Nice, smooth, non-threatening, tame crosses.

Craddock tells a story about a popular preacher who explained his approach by saying, “You cannot succeed preaching the cross. People do not want to hear that: they already have enough problems.” Craddock goes on to say, “No wonder he is popular.”

Jesus begins by talking to his disciples. He is beginning a new set of instructions. He reveals for the first time his “future story.” In the telling, the emphasis is on “great suffering,” rejection, and being killed. Resurrection is mentioned, but the emphasis is on His passion and death. The focus is on the cross.

Well, Peter immediately rebukes Jesus for saying such things. Peter, according to Mark, has just declared Jesus the Messiah. That is not the expectation for the Messiah. (Did you notice that Jesus refers to himself as the Son of Man? That does not have the same expectations.) Jesus makes it clear that those who would place human things before divine things oppose God. They are God’s adversaries. Jesus calls Peter, Satan, the adversary. He tells Peter that he is allowing human concerns to supersede the things of God. He is placing his will above God’s will.

Jesus then turns to the crowd. He says, “You want to follow me.” “If you want to follow me, it’s a three step process.” Jesus couldn’t make it any clearer. Jesus used many parables in his teaching, but not today. It is as simple as one, two, three. First, deny yourself.

It has been quiet a few years ago now that Tom Landry spoke to a group of United Methodist Men at Glen Lake camp. It was the largest turn-out of men for such an event. Do you know what made all those men want to hear what he had to say? Do you know what made Tom Landry the impressive man and coach that he was? Tom Landry placed God first in his life. He made that clear.

Deny yourself. God comes first. Seek first His kingdom. God’s will be done. Yes, even on the cross God’s will be done. Number one, deny yourself. Number two, take up your cross. No parable here. The cross is the cross of suffering and sacrifice for the sake of the gospel.

Gaston Foote was the pastor of FUMC Fort Worth for many years. During his time there, he wrote articles for the Fort Worth Star Telegram. Some of those articles were published in a book called Footnotes: Sidewalk Sermonettes for Saints and Sinners. In this little book, Dr. Foote speaks of Peter’s reaction to Jesus’ shocking news. Dr. Foote wrote, “Peter could see only the tragedies of the crucifixion, not the redemption through the Cross.” He goes on to write of those who when asked to teach a Sunday school can see only the “irksome task” of preparation week after week. They cannot see the “process of redemption in the life of a child.” But then Gaston Foote writes, “We forget that the church that will not bleed cannot bless,

that the church that will not suffer cannot redeem,

that the church that will not serve cannot save.”

Carole Krueger was a member of New World UMC in Arlington. She had been on a care team for AIDS patients. These care teams helped with the care of the patient. They allowed family members time to get away. They represented a loving, caring community.

Carole’s first AIDS patient died shortly after she began care. Her second patient lived for quite some time. This second patient was a wonderful person. Many months of care lead to a close relationship. When this second patient died, there was much grief. It was very difficult do deal with the death that everyone knew was sure to come.

Carole shared how difficult it is to care for someone as she had and then experience the grief which comes with death. Her care team needed to take several months off for their own emotional health. After a sufficient time off that care team started a new journey with a new patient, knowing the pain would come again.

Jesus said, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”

Crosses are not comfortable.

For Christians, crosses are not optional.

I was corresponding with a friend by e-mail one night recently. The friend was frustrated with the cross-bearing that was theirs. As I concluded my response I found myself writing these words, “Knowing that we are were God would have us be in the moment will sustain us all.” That was the thought I was having on cross-bearing on Monday, the thought that would produce a title like “Be Happy.”

The only way we can be truly happy is to be where God wants us, doing what God would have us do. Two thousand years ago for Jesus that meant hanging on a cross. Today, while crosses are not comfortable and for Christians not optional, when we take up the cross that God has for us it is bearable.

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