Get Behind Me! Pick Up Your Cross! And Be the Christian I know you Can Be! Proper 17A Sept 1, 2017

+For the past month our gospel readings have given us several versions of Peter—insightful and loyal follower of Jesus, braggadocious blow hard and everything in between. Today it seems Jesus has finally “had it.” Peter and Jesus have different understandings of what being the Messiah means. Jesus has just warned—“we’re headed for Jerusalem and it’s going to get nasty. I’m going to call out the hypocrisy of the authorities. You’ll betray me, I’ll be arrested and killed. You won’t be far behind…but don’t worry, it’s what has to be done and it’s worth it, for by doing this death will be defeated, forever.”
Of course this WAS NOT what Peter thought would happen. He figured that the temple authorities would be put out on their ear and the Roman Empire sent packing. In short Jesus would be the king of the world. And being King of the world does NOT include being arrested, flogged, spat upon, mocked, nailed to a cross, and killed.
Regardless of who thought what, to me the most difficult words in this gospel aren’t ‘get behind me Satan’ but, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves, take up their cross and follow me.”
This sentence causes many of us to feel like Christian failures. But, it’s important to consider what it means to “take up one’s cross.” And what it doesn’t mean. When Jesus tells us to take up our cross he’s NOT expecting us to be arrested, tortured or killed (although that is the reality for some Christians in the world even today) Nor does it mean lamenting our sinfulness through self-flagellation or walking across a bed of hot coals. Nor is taking up our cross some excuse to wage a bitter war of vengeance on those who have wronged us. It’s not what Jesus meant then and it’s not what Jesus means now. This also doesn’t mean that somehow those who have been killed, tortured, imprisoned for their faith are doing anything wrong—they are not at all. What it means is that taking up one’s own cross is a very personal matter and what is “my cross” may not bear any resemblance to your cross.
What God wants us to do—always and everywhere---is to live full and joyous lives,  proclaiming the good news, loving our neighbors as ourselves and seeking and serving Christ in all whom we encounter.
Doing that---really really doing that---will not always look pretty or feel nice. At times doing that will feel like a burden, other times it may feel dangerous, still other times it may feel way too difficult. Because to live a full and joyous life in Christ means that we are not fulfilled and joyous until our neighbor is too.
It means that to be completely full of joy and peace the world must be ruled by joy and peace instead of terror and angst.
Sometimes it means going against social mores. Sometimes it means going against your own family, your spouse, your church. You see, living as a Christian, taking up our cross means that we take the teachings of Jesus and we attempt to apply them to all that we do. Everything. Always.
And that’s not easy…
For months now I have been increasingly frustrated and depressed about the lack of civility in our culture. People have become ruder. It seems like lying is not only accepted, but expected. The dog eat dog world of big business seems to have trickled down to everyday life. Just this week I heard about a woman pulling a gun on another woman who over the last 10 cent notebook at a Michigan Wal-Mart. A GUN! So, I decided the only way to bring more civility into our world was to be kinder. For the past month or so I’ve been determined to be a generous driver. When I get to a four way stop I let everyone else go first. When I am crawling along on Transit Road and someone is trying to turn into traffic from a parking lot, I slow down and wave them in. When cruising down the thruway and someone hangs right on my bumper event though I am totally boxed in and cannot make a move I am committed to not cursing or making any hand gestures or even giving the driver a taste of his own medicine when he finally maneuvers around me. And you know what? When I do this I actually feel better, Happier. More full of joy.
Trust me. This isn’t easy. And traffic behavior is really low on the list of situations where acting Christ-like is a challenge. Standing up for the disenfranchised, the destitute, the abused, the forgotten, the ignored…that’s a lot more difficult
Speaking up against bullying, vitriol and hate…much more difficult.
Going into the flood waters when everyone else is running for high ground….way more difficult.
Standing between a raised fist, a loaded gun or an angry mob…that’s p difficult and very dangerous. But…all of this is required of us through our baptismal covenant.
So, while taking up your cross doesn’t mean self-flagellation or walking across hot coals it does mean living according to the teachings of Jesus---and when we do that, when we love God and one another, we’ll find that, even through the difficulty, we are full of joy, full of love and full of peace.
So my friends, take up your cross in whatever manner fits for your circumstance. Whether it’s speaking up or speaking out, standing up or sitting in; marching against or marching for, when we live as Christ has taught us we won’t end up the King of the world, but we will end up full of joy and love and peace, just as Jesus promised. Amen!