“Are You Dying to Live?”

Mark 8:27-38

Providence United Presbyterian Church

March 8, 2009 (Lent 2B)

Rev. Dr. Mary Jane Hitt

&= nbsp; I don’t know about you, but I find this morning’s gospel lesson v= ery challenging. Whenever I read = it, I imagine driving by a church with a big sign out front that says:

Deny Yourself, Take Up Your Cross, and Follow Jesus. All Are Welcome!

Probably not what most church marketing specialists= would advise. Sort of a turn-off, don’t you think? If a c= hurch really wants to grow, it might do better to display some of the sermon titl= es I found on a well-known mega-church website: Something like:

Become a Better You, or

Love Your Life, or

Position Yourself for Greatness , or

Keeping Strife out of Your Life, or

Enjoy This Day, or

Learning to Like Yourself, or

Having a Prosperous Image.

But Deny Yourself, Take Up Your Cross? A bit of a downer, wouldn’t y= ou say?

&= nbsp; With all the tough economic news around us – layoffs and dwindling retirem= ent accounts and American stalwarts like General Motors teetering on the brink = of extinction – the last thing we would seem to need from Jesus today is another message to deny ourselves. We are already running on empty.

&= nbsp; With all the difficult interpersonal dynamics of our lives – people lost t= o us through death or divorce or estrangement – the last thing we would se= em to need from Jesus today is another message to deny ourselves. We are already running on empty.

&= nbsp; With all the physical challenges of life – bodies that fail us and hurt us= and remind us every day of our mortality, and a health care system that is far = from “healthy” – the last thing we would seem to need from Jes= us today is another message to deny ourselves. We are already running on empty.

&= nbsp; What we really want isn’t more self-denial – more crosses to carry.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> What we really want is to enjoy li= fe – to find meaning in our life – to experience life in all its fullness. We want abundant li= fe, and we want it now.

&= nbsp; And I’ve noticed, as you have, we are swimming in a sea of messages about= how to live the “good” life in these challenging times:

Frozen food makers tell = us we can enjoy restaurant quality food right in our own homes;

Blockbuster reminds us t= hat there is nothing so special as a low-cost evening around the television with friends;

Oprah’s theme thes= e days is how to have our “best life” for less money.

All this talk about the “good life” rem= inds me of the song Frank Sinatra made popular:

It’s the good life, full of fun, seems to be the ideal.<= /o:p>

Yes, the good life, lets you hide all the sadness you feel . . .

That’s how it goes, isn’t it? We talk about the good life –= ; we do our best to live it – we put a smile on our face and keep on keepi= ng on. But deep down, life doesn’t always feel so good. Sometimes it feels downright terrible.

&= nbsp; And so I invite you to reflect with me on Jesus’ words to us this morning – on what Jesus had to say about the good life:

. . . 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. [Mark 8:35)

There you have it: The paradox of the gospel – = the paradox of life. You don’t get = the abundant life that God wants you to have by grasping for it, but rather by letting go. That was true for Jesus, as his own experience on the cross made crystal clear, and it’s just as true for us. But it&#= 8217;s just as counterintuitive now as it was when Peter challenged Jesus.

As you heard in today= 217;s gospel lesson, when Jesus asked his disciples what people were saying about= him – who they said that he was – Peter aced the exam. “You are the Messiah,”= he answered. He got it right. But then, when Jesus began to teac= h his followers that he was going to undergo great suffering, and be rejected by = the Jewish establishment, and be killed, and then rise again after three days, Peter took him aside and rebuked him.

I imagine Peter simply t= ried to straighten Jesus out. No, Jesus, you’ve got it wrong.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> You’re the Messiah, God̵= 7;s anointed one. You won’t= have to suffer and die. You’= ll have all the power of God at your disposal. You’ll be our King. You’ll overthrow Rome and we’ll all live happily ever after.

You see, Peter couldn= 217;t reconcile suffering with his understanding of Messiah. It was absolutely unthinkable to h= im that the anointed one of God would suffer and die at the hands of the Roman Empire. It was a scandalous idea. It still is.

But the scandal of the c= ross lay at the heart of how Jesus understood his baptismal identity. In the wilderness he had been temp= ted with other, easier ways of being God’s son, but one by one, he had rejected them.

·         Be a popular Messiah, providing the people w= ith a limitless supply of bread? No.

·         Be a powerful Messiah, ruling over all the kingdoms of the world? No.

·         Be a magical Messiah, flying through the air= right into the arms of angels? No.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'>

In the wilderness, Jesus learned to align his mind = with the mind of God – to set his mind not on human things, but on divine things – not on the ways of the world, but on the ways of God.

   &= nbsp;        And so Jesus rebuked Peter. ̶= 0;Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “For you are setting y= our mind not on divine things but on human things.” [Mark 8:33b, emphasis added] And then Jesus went on= to teach his followers what it would look like to follow him. I’m going to suffer and die, he said. And so are you. But it’s okay. In fact it’s the only way to= live.

   &= nbsp;        That is as true today as it was two thousand years ago. If we really want to live our best= lives – if we really want to experience the abundant life that God offers – then we need to deny ourselves, and take up our crosses, and follow Jesus.

   &= nbsp;        But let me be clear about one thing: This is not an invitation to suffer for suffering’s sak= e. In particular, this is not a messag= e that those who experience domestic violence or abuse are expected to endure such suffering. We live in a world= where much violence is meted out against those who are weak and powerless, and Je= sus is not approving of that suffering.= Suffering at the hands of abusers is the kind of suffering that shou= ld be stopped, not endured. That= is the kind of suffering that Jesus came to bring to an end, and we need to do= all that is in our power to stop it whenever it occurs.

   &= nbsp;        The best way I can summarize what I think Jesus is saying here is this:<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> When you decided to follow Jesus, = you found yourself on a journey where there are many crosses to bear – ma= ny opportunities to deny yourself. When you see someone who is suffering, you help them carry that cros= s. When you meet someone who is thirs= ty, you give them a drink, even if you’ve only got one bottle of water. You give what you have so that this church can maintain a ministry and mission – so that folks who are hu= ngry might have food – so that foster children might have duffel bags and stuffed animals.

   &= nbsp;        You could always spend everything you’ve got on yourself and your family – you could drive a nicer car or eat out more often or buy more cloth= es or take more vacations – but you don’t. You could ignore people who need y= our help, but you don’t. You could focus all your energy on what is best for you and your closest family= and friends, but you don’t. You don’t, because you are following Jesus. You have learned to deny yourself,= and take up your cross. You have learned that the only way to save your life – the only way to live abundantly – is to lose your life for Christ’s sake, and for the sake of the gospel.

   &= nbsp;        Or, perhaps it is more accurate to say that we all are still learning this lesson. None of us has perfec= ted it quite yet. We know the tempta= tions Jesus experienced to take an easier path, because we face those same temptations. And, speaking just for myself, I kn= ow the path I would prefer if you offer me the choice to suffer or not to suffer.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> But here’s the thing: The paradox of the gospel is that = the way of life passes through death; the abundant life is a life where we give= up the illusion of control and let God be God. That isn’t true because J= esus said it. Jesus said it because it is true.

It is true that if your primary aim in life is to preserve and protect and magnify your own life, you’ll lose it all. It won’t amount to a hill of beans. Remember Bernie Madoff= ! But if your primary aim in life is= to follow Jesus, then you don’t have to grasp for what the world calls success. You can let that go,= so that you are free to help the people you meet carry their crosses – so that you can help feed those who are hungry and give a cup of water to those who thirst.

   &= nbsp;        You see, the cross isn’t really about death at all. It’s about life – Chri= st’s life, and ours.          &= nbsp;   May we experience that life this very day.

Amen.