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.
=============
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.
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Laity Sunday, Pastor Ruth Foss, peace, Poetry Where You Live, praise, prayer, spirit,
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