Sunday, October 16, 2016

Part 2 of 4 of Laity Sunday sermon, "We must take up our cross", by Raymond A. Foss, Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church, October 16, 2016, Patten, ME

October 16, 2016

Laity Sunday
Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church

We must take up our cross

Another facet, another dimension, another face of worship, of love, is Discipline. That is Discipline, not in punishment, but in following Christ, of testing our path against the path of Christ.

In Matthew 16:24, we hear a familiar passage, a familiar phrase, to “take up our cross”, that speaks to another dimension of love and worship.

KJV - 24 “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”

That reminds me of Jesus’ calling of the first disciples, the fishermen by the side of the Sea of Galilee. Christ called them to drop their nets, to leave their lives, all they had known, to follow Him. He went so far as to tell one person to let the dead bury the dead, in Matthew 8 and Luke 9.

What Christ is talking about is commitment, discipline; a transformation of our lives, from who we once were to the person God has called us to be. No longer fishermen but fishers of men, living out the Great Commission, living out His calling to love as He loves us, in the John 13:33-35 scripture last week.

We are to shine the light of Jesus, the hope of the Holy Spirit, the truth of the depth of the love of our Creator God in heaven for each one of us; like the love of the Father welcoming home each Prodigal Son (like me).

We must submit; we must give up control. We must shed our old life as we become the Servant, as Christ did when He washed His disciples’ feet and when He climbed our cross.

We must take up our cross, the task God has chosen, the things we are called to do, as we walk in this life. We must answer the call of our Lord and Savior. We must say, “Here I am Lord, send me”, into the battle.

We must cleave to the love of God, to the Spirit’s guiding. We are to pray without ceasing, to begin in prayer, in the scripture, to talk with God, all of our days.

We put a hedge of protection around us, filled with the blood of Jesus, to defend us from the enemy, the attacks of Satan. We pray for peace, for strength, for calm in our spirits, to follow our call, the commission of God.

We must never tire; we must continue forever; we are called to serve God, to take up our cross. We must cast off the old, the broken, and the past. We must strive into battle, the charge for our lives.

God’s love is a calling; we cannot be complacent. Salvation is not a gift we can keep to ourselves. Love means loving others, going where they are. Love means staying focused, carrying our cross.

That is not easy, to take up our cross. The work is not called “our cross” for no reason. It is language of self-sacrifice, of the choice that Jesus made. It was a conscious choice affirmed in prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane after Christ’s betrayal. He chose to become our sacrifice.

In the same way, we must consciously take up our cross. We must pray for God to keep us focused, to give us the courage, to strengthen us when we falter, to guide us back to the path He would have us walk. We must cling to the word, to pray, to community; we must see God at work in the world around us.

We must work to see Christ in the face of our neighbor, the stranger, the drug addict, the homeless, even the one who games the system. We must not judge; we must bring them Jesus.

Taking up our cross means being disciplined, to be disciples, to follow the path of love modeled by Jesus, by His new commandment to love as He loved (and loves) us. 

We must stay on the path, not turning to the left or to the right, not letting the winds of the world drown us, but remained focused on our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ of Nazareth who came in the flesh, who lived, and died, and rose to give us new life.

Amen.


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edited October 18, 2016
we must submit – v2
October 17, 2016
we must stay on the path
October 17, 2016
we cannot be complacent
October 17, 2016
we must not tire
October 17, 2016
we must submit
October 17, 2016
we are to shine the light of Jesus
October 17, 2016
we invite them to come
October 16, 2016
whose life may we touch
October 16, 2016
Praising God - 6
October 16, 2016
Thanking God - 5
October 16, 2016
carrying God’s light
October 16, 2016
God works in secret
October 16, 2016
we are all God’s disciples
October 16, 2016
sharing the word
October 16, 2016
take up your cross - 2
October 16, 2016
Laity Sunday
Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church
opening prayer
by Ray Foss
Prayer of Thanksgiving
by Nancy Perkins
Psalm 63:1-8
Matthew 16:37-39
Matthew 16:24
Micah 6:8
Matthew 28:19-20
sermon / sermonettes on “The Faces of Worship”
text:
Worship as Love

Sara Hill
Worship as Discipline
“We must take up our cross”
by Ray Foss
Worship as Justice

Chrissy McCarthy
Worship as Evangelism

Bonnie Robinson
video:
by Sara Hill
Ray Foss
Chrissy McCarthy
and Bonnie Robinson
and Children’s Message  - pumpkin carving prayer

by Regina Goode
Pastor Ruth Foss
sermon blog
meditation blog
“God’s Whisper” blog
Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church
October 16, 2016

All of my poems, photographs, and videos are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss (raymondafoss@gmail.com) for usage. See all 42,040+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Christ, God, Holy Spirit, Laity Sunday, Pastor Ruth Foss, peace, Poetry Where You Live, praise, prayer, spirit, Stetson Memorial United Methodist Church, umc, witness, Matthew 16,

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